Welcome to week five of the Psalms for the Summer series! This is the last week and we only have three Psalms left. I’m glad you’re here to read Psalms 29-31 with me. In case you’re new here, through the month of July, I’ll be sharing one Psalm a day, 1-31, with encouragement for you to process the Psalm in your own creative way. I share my words and art not to tell you what to think or for you to pray my words, but to encourage you to grow in your own relationship with God.
If you haven’t already you may want to read these posts first:
- Reading the Psalms is Better than Scrolling Social Media
- Nine Ways to Engage with a Psalm
- Psalms for the Summer Week One (Psalms One-Seven)
- Psalms for the Summer Week Two (Psalms Eight-14)
- Psalms for the Summer Week Three (Psalms 15-21)
- Psalms for the Summer Week Four (Psalms 22-28)
Each Friday, I’ll share the Psalms for the week ahead. If you’d like to follow one day at a time, you can follow me on Instagram.
You can read the full text of each Psalm below in the CSB version, copied from Bible Gateway.
The Voice of the Lord
A psalm of David.
1 Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord
in the splendor of his holiness.
3 The voice of the Lord is above the waters.
The God of glory thunders—
the Lord, above the vast water,
4 the voice of the Lord in power,
the voice of the Lord in splendor.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
and Sirion, like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord flashes flames of fire.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth
and strips the woodlands bare.
In his temple all cry, “Glory!”
10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord sits enthroned, King forever.
11 The Lord gives his people strength;
the Lord blesses his people with peace.
Psalm 29 Notes
In this Psalm, David is naming qualities of the Lord’s voice. It’s great and powerful, fiery and violent. But also, gentle, making the deer give birth. His voice brings joy, controls nature, and comforts His people.
God’s voice can be a violent earthquake or a howling wind, but sometimes it’s a soft whisper (I Kings 29:11-13). We should always pray to hear God’s voice.
Make your own list of how you would describe God’s voice, and how His voice impacts your life, your day to day decisions. When we follow the Lord, there is strength and peace (verse 11).
Here is a wallpaper you can save to your phone to remind you of God’s peace. Click the picture to view the full wallpaper and you can save to your phone.
I’d love to see anything you write or create while reading the Psalms. Feel free to comment below with your thoughts or a link to your post!
Joy in the Morning
A psalm; a dedication song for the house. Of David.
1 I will exalt you, Lord,
because you have lifted me up
and have not allowed my enemies
to triumph over me.
2 Lord my God,
I cried to you for help, and you healed me.
3 Lord, you brought me up from Sheol;
you spared me from among those
going down to the Pit.
4 Sing to the Lord, you his faithful ones,
and praise his holy name.
5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor, a lifetime.
Weeping may stay overnight,
but there is joy in the morning.
6 When I was secure, I said,
“I will never be shaken.”
7 Lord, when you showed your favor,
you made me stand like a strong mountain;
when you hid your face, I was terrified.
8 Lord, I called to you;
I sought favor from my Lord:
9 “What gain is there in my death,
if I go down to the Pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your truth?
10 Lord, listen and be gracious to me;
Lord, be my helper.”
11 You turned my lament into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth
and clothed me with gladness,
12 so that I can sing to you and not be silent.
Lord my God, I will praise you forever.
Psalm 30 Notes
David recognizes God’s work in His life: “you have lifted me up.” How good are we at recognizing God’s hand in our lives? What pit has God saved you from, and do you thank Him for it?
I encourage you to use this as a journaling prompt, even if you’re not a writer. Start with “Thank you God for saving me from…” and just start writing. Set a timer and see if you can writer for five minutes. Don’t let your pen leave the page, let whatever is in your heart and mind come out without worrying about what it sounds or looks like. You can burn it afterwards if you need to!
David says God turned his lament into dancing. David didn’t do it himself. It wasn’t his many wives or all his riches. Whatever the circumstances were, David gave the glory to God for it.
I pray that God will cover you with gladness, no matter what you are going through.
A Plea for Protection
For the choir director. A psalm of David.
1 Lord, I seek refuge in you;
let me never be disgraced.
Save me by your righteousness.
2 Listen closely to me; rescue me quickly.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a mountain fortress to save me.
3 For you are my rock and my fortress;
you lead and guide me
for your name’s sake.
4 You will free me from the net
that is secretly set for me,
for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hand I entrust my spirit;
you have redeemed me, Lord, God of truth.
6 I hate those who are devoted to worthless idols,
but I trust in the Lord.
7 I will rejoice and be glad in your faithful love
because you have seen my affliction.
You know the troubles of my soul
8 and have not handed me over to the enemy.
You have set my feet in a spacious place.
9 Be gracious to me, Lord,
because I am in distress;
my eyes are worn out from frustration—
my whole being as well.
10 Indeed, my life is consumed with grief
and my years with groaning;
my strength has failed
because of my iniquity,
and my bones waste away.
11 I am ridiculed by all my adversaries
and even by my neighbors.
I am dreaded by my acquaintances;
those who see me in the street run from me.
12 I am forgotten: gone from memory
like a dead person—like broken pottery.
13 I have heard the gossip of many;
terror is on every side.
When they conspired against me,
they plotted to take my life.
14 But I trust in you, Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
15 The course of my life is in your power;
rescue me from the power of my enemies
and from my persecutors.
16 Make your face shine on your servant;
save me by your faithful love.
17 Lord, do not let me be disgraced when I call on you.
Let the wicked be disgraced;
let them be quiet in Sheol.
18 Let lying lips
that arrogantly speak against the righteous
in proud contempt be silenced.
19 How great is your goodness,
which you have stored up for those who fear you.
In the presence of everyone you have acted
for those who take refuge in you.
20 You hide them in the protection of your presence;
you conceal them in a shelter
from human schemes,
from quarrelsome tongues.
21 Blessed be the Lord,
for he has wondrously shown his faithful love to me
in a city under siege.
22 In my alarm I said,
“I am cut off from your sight.”
But you heard the sound of my pleading
when I cried to you for help.
23 Love the Lord, all his faithful ones.
The Lord protects the loyal,
but fully repays the arrogant.
24 Be strong, and let your heart be courageous,
all you who put your hope in the Lord.
Psalm 31 Notes
Our final Psalm for the Psalms for the Summer series! It is another prayer for protection. David was a strong man with many soldiers and servants and fortresses. He had physical, earthly strength, but he still knew he needed God’s strength, guidance, and protection.
All our physical wealth in this world can be taken away in an instant: by fire, flood, theft, death, wreckage. Trusting in the Lord is where we find our greatest provision, the spiritual wealth that carries us through the hard times. The treasure that lasts eternally.
In the image below, you’ll see some questions for you to consider, journal, or share with a friend based off of David’s words in this Psalm. You see the familiar pattern from lament (verses 9-13) to “but” (verse 14). God wants us to trust in Him, no matter our circumstances. Are you able to do that?
A Blessing for Our Last Day Together
I hope 31 days in the Psalms was a blessing to you as it has been to me. Reading through the emotions that the Psalmists felt reminds us that we are not alone in our suffering. There are others experiencing the same things. We may not know them or see them, but God does. He sees and hears you too. He is always near to listen, to comfort, to strengthen, and to guide.
No matter your joys and your struggles, your needs and your wants, your doubts and your fears, may your footsteps always lead you closer to Jesus. He is a soft place to land for the weak and the weary. “Be strong, and let your heart be courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord” (Psalm 31:24).
Leave a Reply