Welcome to the Psalms for the Summer series! 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 or art not to tell you what to think or for you to pray my words, but to encourage you to grow in your relationship with God.
For an introduction, you may want to read Reading the Psalms is Better than Scrolling Social Media and Nine Ways to Engage with a Psalm before we begin!
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.
Full text of each Psalm is in the CSB version, copied from Bible Gateway.
The Two Ways
1 How happy is the one who does not
walk in the advice of the wicked
or stand in the pathway with sinners
or sit in the company of mockers!
2 Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction,
and he meditates on it day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams
that bears its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
4 The wicked are not like this;
instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand up in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.
Psalm One Notes
This is a great introduction to the Psalms, isn’t it? I feel like it’s a summary of what to expect in the Psalms: There is God’s way and then there is the godless way. Psalm One tells us how to identify the pathway we’re on. One way meditates on God’s word day and night, the other scoffs and mocks. Which crowd do I find myself in? Important to note: There is no in between way.
“Will we listen to the voice of life or to the voices of death?”
-Dane C. Ortlund, In the Lord I Take Refuge
I hope you’ve read my ideas for engaging with each Psalm. Psalm One is an easy one to memorize and there are many good verses for you to choose to meditate on. I wrote a prayer and a paraphrase. You can read my paraphrase in the image below.
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!
Coronation of the Son
1 Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth take their stand,
and the rulers conspire together
against the Lord and his Anointed One:
3 “Let’s tear off their chains
and throw their ropes off of us.”
4 The one enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord ridicules them.
5 Then he speaks to them in his anger
and terrifies them in his wrath:
6 “I have installed my king
on Zion, my holy mountain.”
7 I will declare the Lord’s decree.
He said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have become your Father.
8 Ask of me,
and I will make the nations your inheritance
and the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You will break them with an iron scepter;
you will shatter them like pottery.”
10 So now, kings, be wise;
receive instruction, you judges of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with reverential awe
and rejoice with trembling.
12 Pay homage to the Son or he will be angry
and you will perish in your rebellion,
for his anger may ignite at any moment.
All who take refuge in him are happy.
Psalm Two Notes
Why do we yell and make plans in our anger? Who/What are we consulting in our schemes, God or our pride? The Lord is in control, and unless He is part of our plans, our plans are useless and without success. We’re not rulers of nations, but we can pray for our leaders and we can lead wisely wherever we are.
Psalm One begins with “How happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company of mockers!” (verse 1). Psalm Two ends with “All who take refuge in him are happy.”
Where is your happiness found? Where do you seek refuge?
For this Psalm I chose a verse to meditate on. For me, this means writing it on a Post It note and keeping it in a place where I’ll see it throughout the day. I go over it in my head each time I see it. I say it slowly considering each word and what it means. You can see my verse in the image below.
Confidence in Troubled Times
A psalm of David when he fled from his son Absalom.
1 Lord, how my foes increase!
There are many who attack me.
2 Many say about me,
“There is no help for him in God.” Selah
3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.
4 I cry aloud to the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy mountain. Selah
5 I lie down and sleep;
I wake again because the Lord sustains me.
6 I will not be afraid of thousands of people
who have taken their stand against me on every side.
7 Rise up, Lord!
Save me, my God!
You strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.
8 Salvation belongs to the Lord;
may your blessing be on your people. Selah
Psalm Three Notes
This has been one of my favorite Psalms for a while—verse three in the ESV/KJV my favorite part of it: “my glory, and the lifter of my head.” If you love this Psalm as much as I do, give this song a listen by the Prestonwood Choir.
With enemies on all sides, David says he can lie down and sleep, because the Lord is watching over him. I’m not a king with enemies chasing me, but I am a person who feels anxiety and stress over many worries. I have felt rejected, forgotten, and alone, and these words are a reminder that God is the one who helps me look up and brings me peace.
To engage with this Psalm, I wrote a paraphrase and created the digital collage below in Canva.
Psalm Three Paraphrase
Lord, there are people who do not like me, who reject my seat at their table. They choose not to include me, to leave me in my loneliness.
But you, Lord, are there. You offer me protection, comfort, and encouragement. Tilting my head up towards the sky, away from my troubles.
Though you are far, you are near. Near enough to hear me and to answer. Because you are with me, Lord, I can sleep. I am safe and unafraid with you by my side.
Justice is yours. You will deal with my oppressors. And you will deal with me. Save those who belong to you and bring ruin for their foes.
A Night Prayer
For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A psalm of David.
1 Answer me when I call,
God, who vindicates me.
You freed me from affliction;
be gracious to me and hear my prayer.
2 How long, exalted ones, will my honor be insulted?
How long will you love what is worthless
and pursue a lie? Selah
3 Know that the Lord has set apart
the faithful for himself;
the Lord will hear when I call to him.
4 Be angry and do not sin;
reflect in your heart while on your bed and be silent. Selah
5 Offer sacrifices in righteousness
and trust in the Lord.
6 Many are asking, “Who can show us anything good?”
Let the light of your face shine on us, Lord.
7 You have put more joy in my heart
than they have when their grain and new wine abound.
8 I will both lie down and sleep in peace,
for you alone, Lord, make me live in safety.
Psalm Four Notes
God hears the prayers of the righteous, and in Christ we are declared innocent—vindicated (v. 1). David says he’s been set free by God. From what affliction have you been set free?
Others may look down on us for pursuing God while they chase earthy dreams. But earthly beauty fades and silver tarnishes. God has allowed us to come close to Him and see His glory. Make Him the only beauty you want to chase, a beauty that lasts eternally.
“There’s nothing good in this world” is what the cynic says. But the Lord is good and He is here. His glory shines from east to west, north to south. May our eyes see it. Trust in the Lord to keep you safe and may your anxieties keep you awake no longer.
For meditation, I chose verse six. It feels so timely right now with so much going on in the news, separating us into divisions with both sides saying “What’s the world coming to?”: Many are asking, “Who can show us anything good?” Let the light of your face shine on us, Lord.
The Refuge of the Righteous
For the choir director: with the flutes. A psalm of David.
1 Listen to my words, Lord;
consider my sighing.
2 Pay attention to the sound of my cry,
my King and my God,
for I pray to you.
3 In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;
in the morning I plead my case to you and watch expectantly.
4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil cannot dwell with you.
5 The boastful cannot stand in your sight;
you hate all evildoers.
6 You destroy those who tell lies;
the Lord abhors violent and treacherous people.
7 But I enter your house
by the abundance of your faithful love;
I bow down toward your holy temple
in reverential awe of you.
8 Lord, lead me in your righteousness
because of my adversaries;
make your way straight before me.
9 For there is nothing reliable in what they say;
destruction is within them;
their throat is an open grave;
they flatter with their tongues.
10 Punish them, God;
let them fall by their own schemes.
Drive them out because of their many crimes,
for they rebel against you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them shout for joy forever.
May you shelter them,
and may those who love your name boast about you.
12 For you, Lord, bless the righteous one;
you surround him with favor like a shield.
Psalm Five Notes
“Consider my sighing.” I love that David is sighing and groaning before God. Sometimes we just don’t have the words to say, but God knows what’s going on in our hearts and minds even if our mouths can’t utter the words.
Psalm Four is considered a night prayer, and Psalm Five sounds like a morning prayer. Are we ending and beginning our days with prayer? God longs to hear from us, because of His faithful love. Here is my Psalm Five Paraphrase below.
A Prayer for Mercy
For the choir director: with stringed instruments, according to Sheminith. A psalm of David.
1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger;
do not discipline me in your wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, Lord, for I am weak;
heal me, Lord, for my bones are shaking;
3 my whole being is shaken with terror.
And you, Lord—how long?
4 Turn, Lord! Rescue me;
save me because of your faithful love.
5 For there is no remembrance of you in death;
who can thank you in Sheol?
6 I am weary from my groaning;
with my tears I dampen my bed
and drench my couch every night.
7 My eyes are swollen from grief;
they grow old because of all my enemies.
8 Depart from me, all evildoers,
for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my plea for help;
the Lord accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies will be ashamed and shake with terror;
they will turn back and suddenly be disgraced.
Psalm Six Notes
How long, Lord, must we suffer at the hands of our enemies? David cries for God to turn back to him for relief, rest, and love. But no matter how alone David feels, he knows “the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.” Can you say that confidently?
Read the prayer below and see the Instagram Reel here, inspired by Psalm six.
Prayer for Justice
A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite.
1 Lord my God, I seek refuge in you;
save me from all my pursuers and rescue me,
2 or they will tear me like a lion,
ripping me apart with no one to rescue me.
3 Lord my God, if I have done this,
if there is injustice on my hands,
4 if I have done harm to one at peace with me
or have plundered my adversary without cause,
5 may an enemy pursue and overtake me;
may he trample me to the ground
and leave my honor in the dust.Selah
6 Rise up, Lord, in your anger;
lift yourself up against the fury of my adversaries;
awake for me;
you have ordained a judgment.
7 Let the assembly of peoples gather around you;
take your seat on high over it.
8 The Lord judges the peoples;
vindicate me, Lord,
according to my righteousness and my integrity.
9 Let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
but establish the righteous.
The one who examines the thoughts and emotions
is a righteous God.
10 My shield is with God,
who saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a righteous judge
and a God who shows his wrath every day.
12 If anyone does not repent,
he will sharpen his sword;
he has strung his bow and made it ready.
13 He has prepared his deadly weapons;
he tips his arrows with fire.
14 See, the wicked one is pregnant with evil,
conceives trouble, and gives birth to deceit.
15 He dug a pit and hollowed it out
but fell into the hole he had made.
16 His trouble comes back on his own head;
his own violence comes down on top of his head.
17 I will thank the Lord for his righteousness;
I will sing about the name of the Lord Most High.
Psalm Seven Notes
Where is your refuge? Is it in the Lord or in the praise of men? People are fickle, praising you one day and ignoring you the next. Let your worth be found in God alone and not in the vain words of people. God is the one we will answer to soon enough. Let him do the judging and brush off the criticism of others.
Share Your Thoughts with Me!
I hope week one has gone well for you and that the words of Scripture are a life line for you in a world of wind and waves. I’d love to hear your thoughts on any of these Psalms. Share in the comments or tag me on social media!
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