Month: April 2021

Psalm 102, 103, 104

~ Patricia ~ 12 Comments

Psalm 102:

In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth,
    and the heavens are the work of your hands.
 They will perish, but you remain;
    they will all wear out like a garment.
Like clothing you will change them
    and they will be discarded.
 But you remain the same,
    and your years will never end.
 The children of your servants will live in your presence;
    their descendants will be established before you.”

❤️

Psalm 103-I hung on every word: In Comments I want you to write the ONE (or two) verse that you loved the most.  Maybe it is from a song or is it is familiar, or maybe it was a verse you have never read before but loved.  You don’t have to use your real name if you are shy.  Please!!!

Some really familiar scriptures in this one!

Psalm 104- I don’t know how geologists study the earth and not see God.  How can the details just happen??  Psalm 104 is the Creation Psalm

Verses 1-2=Day 1

Verses 2-3=Day 2

Verses 6-18=Day 3

Verses 19-23=Day 4

Verses 25-26=Day 5

Verse 21-30=Day 6

 

1 Chronicles 7-10

~ Patricia ~ 1 Comment

YOU DID IT!  You crossed the finish line of a 9 chapter genealogy! Process that!  Would you have done that 120 days ago??

Chapter 7: I know this is hard and I would be lying if I didn’t say I just looked for names I recognized (there were more than I thought I would.  My favorite was:  Another descendant was named Zelophehad, who had only daughters.    Hey I know them!  When the Israelites return from captivity this genealogy is the RECORD that they will use to prove they are a descendant of Abraham.  Super important! So we finish with Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, and Asher. (Did anyone notice we were missing 2 tribes)  The one to really notice is Dan!  OUCH.  He is also missing in Revelation.   (feel free to click here for a recall)

I talk about the captivity and because we are still leading up to it, it might confuse you.  So here it is in a nutshell:  

  • They are IN the land.
  • God told them what to do when they go there.
  • They DID NOT LISTEN
  • God will send Prophet after Prophet warning them to repent and follow God
  • They don’t
  • God says “I put you in that land-I can take you out of that land”
  • HE DOES!!!  He HANDS THEM OVER TO THEIR ENEMIES-they are Captive.  The Captivity.
  • When they are released, the temple is a pile of rubble so most scatter to greener pastures…only a REMNANT return.

Chapter 8 The Benjaminites-Benjamins’ genealogy is related to the fact that is the descendants of Judah and Benjamin will form the core of the Remnant that returns.  (When we divide the Monarchy, Judah and Benjamin will be one side (2 tribes)  and the other 10 tribes will be the other so this makes sense)

Chapter 9 Ezra the Author of this book,  writes about the Remnant of Israelites that will return after the captivity to rebuild the Temple (What do you mean to rebuild it…how does it get destroyed??….I guess you are going to have to keep reading to find out!)  So chapter 9 is the “Restoration Community”.

9:1 All Israel was listed in the genealogies recorded in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. They were taken captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness. 2 Now the first to resettle on their own property in their own towns were some Israelites, priests, Levites and temple servants.

OK, that was tough to get through without skimming (so I clicked the LISTEN option)

Chapter 10- FINALLY!!!

We get back to History and as we begin the transition to the DAVIDIC MONARCHY.  As much as we love David, like EVERY person we have read about in the Bible that God has chosen for His purposes he will be far from perfect.  The ONLY government that would be perfect is a THEOCRACY (under 1 God)- and the people said: “Yeah, that ain’t working for us…we want a king like our enemies have”.  So God gave them what they asked for….Saul.

We end today with a recap of where we left off last week, but the Chronicler told it from God’s point of view.   So if I asked you “Who killed Saul”? Some might say:

  1. The Philistines
  2. His Arm bearer
  3. His Own wishes (Himself)
  4. The Amalekite who brought the crown to David (remember that!)

But as we read the Psalms the one thing we hear over and over is GOD is in control.  David TRULY believed that.  Do we??

After 14 years of running for his life and countless opportunities to kill Saul (and I am sure he could rationalize his actions to his friends), HE TRUSTED GOD….for 14 years!!!

13 Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord; he did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance, 14 and did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.

If you want to get ahead at all in your reading:

Apr 30: Ps 102-104
May 1: 2Sam 5:1-10; 1Chron 11-12

Psalm 81, 88, 92, 93

~ Patricia ~ 14 Comments

Good Morning.  I can’t sleep.  I am anxious (I know the scripture that I need for that but my heart hurts and I needed more). So I opened my Bible and I read this:

“I removed the burden from their shoulders;
    their hands were set free from the basket.
7 In your distress you called and I rescued you,
    I answered you out of a thundercloud;
    I tested you at the waters of Meribah.

and I sit in tears. Maybe someone else needed that today.

The reading is short today and I read it to see what God would say to me directly/personally,  what it meant in the historical context of the time, but also how it could have been written today.

Psalm 81-I crossed out Israel and wrote America.

11 “But my people would not listen to me;
    Israel (America) would not submit to me.
12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts
    to follow their own devices.

Scripture is TIMELESS!

Psalm 88-I know many of us reading this have been through some HARD times.  This is a unique Psalm that it does not end in hope, but in darkness.  It is OK, that when you are in your deepest pit you can take it to verse

1:Lord, you are the God who saves me;
    day and night I cry out to you.
2 May my prayer come before you;
    turn your ear to my cry.

If you are going to pour out your misery, He is there.

Psalm 92- My prayer life has been like the Psalms at times…coming to Him in desperation.  However, Psalm 92 is a Psalm of just thankfulness.   It is very beautiful to read once through and then read it again 1:1 to the Lord.

Psalm 93– Have you ever been at the beach and knocked down by a wave, that feeling of it overpowering you.  That is the smallest of God’s mighty strength.  Submit an emotion today to God that you need HIs mighty hand on to conquer it.  He can.

I need prayers today.  I have a daughter in Chatanooga and I am visiting her today.  She’s wonderful but needs her mom.  If you can fold us into your prayers,  I would appreciate it. ❤️

1 Chronicles 6

~ Patricia ~ 2 Comments

Listen, I am not going to pretend like this is an exciting chapter.  It’s not.  But if you were Jewish, and you were returning to Jerusalem with Ezra in 500 years, you would want to know if your family was recorded. It matters to them.

At the center of the genealogies, we come to Levi.  Quick recap: There are 12 tribes of Israel (from the 12 sons of Jacob).  Levi gets carved out as a Priesthood to care for the Tabernacle (leaving 11).  Joseph’s line gets split in 2 (Ephraim and Manasseh) so that brings us back to 12.Map of The Journeys of Jacob (Bible History Online)

So here is a recap visual of our tabernacle:

What Was the Tabernacle (Mishkan)? | My Jewish Learning

Let’s go way back to the Burning Bush.  Remember Moses said I cannot do what you are asking me to do!! I am slow at speech.  (As if God didn’t know!! Ha).  God put Moses’ brother Aaron on the job with him.  Moses had 1 brother and 1 Sister: (Look on the bottom left corner)

Parashat Korach - Quick Summary

 

Chapter 6 starts with the above

6 The sons of Levi:

Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

2 The sons of Kohath:

Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.

3 The children of Amram:

Aaron, Moses and Miriam.

Aaron (regardless of the countless crazy mistakes he makes) receives the privilege of the High Priest.  ALL High Priests come from the line of Aaron.  Wait!  Flag on the field!   All High Priests are SUPPOSED to come from Aaron.  Well, If the author of this book is Ezra, what Ezra does not know is that by the time Jesus is born, the High Priest position has become a “political” position and corrupt!

If you have an interest in following the entire priestly genealogy I keep a copy in the Handouts section. (or click here)  You will see the line ends with the captivity:

Verse 15: Jozadak was deported when the Lord sent Judah and Jerusalem into exile by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.

STUDY 7: The Priests. The Day of Atonement. – BIBLE Students DAILY

Then we read the Temple Musicians.

Verse 31:These are the men David put in charge of the music in the house of the Lord after the ark came to rest there. 32 They ministered with music before the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, until Solomon built the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. They performed their duties according to the regulations laid down for them.

We see that David (a musician himself) put together a worship team at the tabernacle and then they moved to the Temple that Solomon builds in Jerusalem.  Wait, Solomon?  David does not build the temple??  No, he is not allowed!  If you don’t know why….you will have to keep reading!

These verses lay out the vision for cooperation among the Levites in the worship at the Temple (soon to come).  Of course, I put a heart next to Asaph after reading yesterday’s Psalms!!

Atonement: (covering sin)

48 Their fellow Levites were assigned to all the other duties of the tabernacle, the house of God. 49 But Aaron and his descendants were the ones who presented offerings on the altar of burnt offering and on the altar of incense in connection with all that was done in the Most Holy Place, making atonement for Israel, in accordance with all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.

Only the High Priests entered the Most Holy Place, once a year to make an Annual Atonement for the sins of the nation.  The Most Holy Place was behind the curtain, where the Ark sat with God’s presence.

The Sanctuary. - ppt video online download

Finally, we have an account of their settlements (since they were not given a territory), they were placed in specific locations BY GOD so that everyone would have the ability to bring their sacrifices to the Lord regardless of where they lived,

 

Psalm 73, 77, 78

~ Patricia ~ 5 Comments

Click here to read

The Psalms are subdivided into 5 sections.  Psalms 73-89 are “Book 3” – Psalms of Asaph. His name appears in the superscription at the head of those psalms. If we look at the psalms written by Asaph, we can see that all of them have to do with the judgment of God, and many involve the prayers of the people at a moment of a particular event.

Asaph was a gifted worship leader. He understood where the gift came from, and he used his music to praise the Lord and communicate His Word to a needy world.

Psalm 73:

This Psalm is AMAZING!!  (Did a song come to mind? Put it in comments)

If you are a Christian and have never felt like the first half of this Psalm at least ONCE  (or a thousand times) in your life…I would struggle to believe you.  Why do faithful Christians struggle yet, we watch the lost prosper??? 

Do you dwell on that, or do you meditate on the BIG picture!

23 Yet I am always with you;
    you hold me by my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
    and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
    And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is the strength of my heart
    and my portion forever.

27 Those who are far from you will perish;
    you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
28 But as for me, it is good to be near God.
    I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;
    I will tell of all your deeds.

Saturday I got a text from a friend about something in “my world” that is crashing down.  The text said: “It’s going to be Ok!”.

It is. ❤️

Psalm 77

I am digging Asaph!  He says it like it is.  Asaph’s struggle was: DOUBT.  Oh that’s a BIG one for many of us.  Think of something really difficult, pray about it, and then see what you say to yourself when you finish- Here, I will go first…

Dear Lord,

My dad is getting very old.  He makes no claims to be being a Christian, he actually says horrible things about my Christianity, and I know when he dies he will not go to heaven.  PLEASE give him a reason to see you and know you before it is too late”.  I know all things are possible through you.  Love, Patricia.

Then a mumble: “Umm, that ain’t happening”

See!  Doubt!!  When I do that I am saying “my dad’s lack of faith and desire to be a Christian is stronger than God”.

BUT starting in verse 11 reminds me: remember the miracles, who is greater than God?  Clearly, if he can handle the parting of the Red Sea….he can handle the small things like us.

Psalm 78- Oh my stars,  it is so good.  At first, I was like “Oh this is so long” but honestly when I turned the last page I was sad it was over!

Starting in verse 9, the psalmist will retell history.  Look at the sinfulness of man verse the Love of our Lord!

Connecting this Psalm to the Chronicles starts at verse 65.  Remember, the purpose of the Chronicler is the line of David to the Messiah. BUT don’t miss out on verse 71.  David is not elevated as a king…he is described as a SERVANT.

70 He chose David his servant
    and took him from the sheep pens;
71 from tending the sheep he brought him
    to be the shepherd of his people Jacob,
    of Israel his inheritance.
72 And David shepherded them with integrity of heart;
    with skillful hands he led them.

 

1 Chronicles 3-5

~ Patricia ~ 7 Comments

This is a VERY visual read.  I recommend listening to it while you follow the charts.  I will attach a “listen to here in a minute”.  Look at the visuals first to get your bearings:

If the focus of this book is DAVID as the Covenant Line that will bring the Messiah, look at the top—Jesse.  Does Jesse ring a bell?  Kind of? (It is ok to say NO, we are taking in SO MUCH INFORMATION THIS YEAR).  You can find him on many of the handouts so far, but here is the cool answer: Remember back in Genesis, Judah went and slept with what he thought was a town prostitute (it was really his widowed daughter in law, Tamar) and did not have any money so he gave her the “Scarlet Cord”.  At the time I talked about following that scarlet cord to Jesus…so in today’s read we begin with the sons of David, but it is important to see verse 9,  TAMAR (a female) is mentioned. You may recall the name Jesse from the end of the book of Ruth too.

Image result for biblia jesse padre de david | Bible family tree ...

Now look below, if you want to print it… click here.  You should be able to recognize Jesse and David so far.  Do you remember the ‘wife swap’ issue (Michal) with King Saul (left side of the chart).  As we read I want you to follow David—Solomon—-Rehoboam. So cool!  Pause it when you need to find your spot on the visual.  Click here to listen.

Staring in verse 10:

The Kings of Judah (If you have never read 1 and 2 Kings…here is the movie trailer). The 12 tribes of Israel are going to divide (like a civil war). Judah verse Israel.

10 Solomon’s son was Rehoboam…

Now look at the line of Rehoboam (left side)

Chart of the kings of Judah and Israel | NathanRichardson.com | Bible timeline, Scripture mastery, Scripture study lds

I will stop the visual line here but notice that 17 says:

17 The descendants of Jehoiachin the captive:

Verse 17-34: the descendants during a time when the nation will be taken as captives.  What??? 

Suddenly we have Jabez and his prayer:

STEEMCHURCH........ PRAYER OF JABEZ.... — Steemit

YOUR HOMEWORK IS TO RESEARCH IT AND WRITE ME A COMMENT ON IT!!!  .

In chapter 4 it is not surprising we find a short genealogy of Simeon.  Simeon wasn’t supposed to receive land (from when he avenged Dinah’s rape with the massacre at the circumcision). But Judah let them have some of their land. Look familiar?

Map of the Promised Land

But in Judges, Simeon cooperated with Judah so they sort of became one tribe for a while.

Chapter 5: Look at the map above again.  We now read about the 2 1/2 tribes on the east side of the Jordan River “Transjordan Tribes”. Reuben, Gad, and 1/2 of Manasseh all have genealogies listed.

I should have addressed this earlier (sorry).  If the author of this book is possibly Ezra, who is he and why is he writing this book?  Look at this timeline: Found on Bing from www.pinterest.com | Bible timeline, Bible for kids, Bible lessons

Look at 1000 BC.  After the Temple is built the nation is going to split as mentioned earlier.  Jeroboam and Rehoboam will be the first “divided kingdom”. The nations will be called “Israel” and “Judah”. Now, look at the last line: 482 BC- Ezra.  He is writing this AFTER the EXILE (the captivity).  He writes the Chronicles to show the genealogy of those who return to rebuild the temple.  So will he write about the line that does not return? No.   (Think of the issues we have regarding the Civil War monuments). Does that make sense?

25 But they were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors and prostituted themselves to the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them. 26 So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria (that is, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria), who took the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh into exile. He took them to Halah, Habor, Hara and the river of Gozan, where they are to this day.

Only half of the divided kingdom will survive the Exile.  The line with the Covenant to Judah (The messianic line). Judah.

If you are confused, just keep going…it will all make sense when you do your 2nd read through one day. 🤪.   This book is written in hindsight.

Don’t forget your Jabaz assignment!

Psalm 43, 44, 45, 49, 84, 85, 87

~ Patricia ~ 1 Comment
  • Click here to read
  • You know I don’t write much on Psalm days.  God will highlight for you. ❤️

Psalm 43

Is your soul downcast?

Why, my soul, are you downcast?
    Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
    for I will yet praise him,
    my Savior and my God.

(For my friend John: :I will praise you with the lyre) 😂 Sorry, I had to.

Psalm 44: What an interesting Psalm.   As I read it I try to stay in the context that Israel was constantly in a cycle. But impossible not to see modern application!

Index of /devotions/photos-diagrams/diagrams/feb-digrams

Psalm 45: Don’t forget to peek at the Psalm chart:  Click here.

A royalty Psalm ❤️

Psalm 49-Instructive Psalm for Godly living (Wisdom) and celebrating God’s Word

Psalm 84: a gittith.  Honestly, I am not 100% sure what it looks like but I think something like this:

Psalm 81-The Band | theoutwardquest

Psalm 85- I read this several times this morning.  In my head I was trying to pull out the stanza of the four I would highlight. ❤️

Psalm 87:  This Psalm gets my heart ready for what is coming up:  The Temple will be built.  The Ark of the Covenant will settle in its rightful dwelling soon.  Mt. Zion.

A Trivial Devotion: 5/19/13 - 5/26/13 | Ancient jerusalem, Bible history, Bible mapping

1 Chronicles 1-2

~ Patricia ~ 6 Comments

Let’s begin!!  Chapter 1 I am so excited for you to read this and say “Hey…I kind of get it”

Historical Records From Adam to Abraham

You need to dig into your memory bank!

Verse 1: Adam, Seth ,Enosh,  Kenan,  Mahalalel, Jared,  Enoch,  Methuselah, Lamech,  Noah.

Verse 1-3- These are straight from Genesis 5.  Read down the right side for the Hebrew meaning. (and the sentence it makes)

THEN…The flood

Questions about Noah's Flood - creation.com

Verse 4- Noah’s 3 Sons

  • Japheth– Gentiles (Me and You)
  • Ham- (Pig)- Cursed Nation  (Enemies)
  • Shem-“S”-Salvation- Adam to Jesus

Noah Japheth Shem Ham Cush Nimrod – Musicians4Freedom

The Legacy of Noah's Sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth

Genesis chapter 9 happened-remember Ham was the brother that disrespected Noah when he was drunk and naked- so his family line becomes the cursed nation

verse 17- Of the three sons, the one the Chronicler will focus on is Shem.  This family line will continue all the way to Mary and the birth of Christ.

 

Red Circle: Joktan’s genealogy that is known in the Bible before “the earth was divided”- The scattering after the tower of Babel occurred.

Blue Circle: Peleg’s genealogy that is known in the Bible which continues down to the time of Christ

Verse 28: The Family of Abraham

V:35 Esau’s sons (see above)

V:38The people of Seir (before they were called Edomites, their pre-name was Seir)

V:43 The Rulers of Edom:  So why are we talking about the ENEMIES of the Israelites.-The Edomites?

Well, first we need to know who they are…and who they are not!

  • The Edomites are the family line of Abraham right? BUT are they in the family line of David?  No.  He might be Abraham’s grandson but Jacob stole the Covenant line.  These were the kings that ruled when the Israelites whined…” we want a king like the other people do” in Judges.  This was who they took their example from??

Genesis Week 10 – Joseph's Slavery God's Promises “Now Joseph had ...

Phew! That was ALOT in chapter 1!  Moving on.  Does at least 20% make sense??  Then you are 20% ahead of where you were 112 days ago!

Chapter 2- Israel’s Sons. (Jacob’s Sons)

Do we start with SON #1 Reuben? NO- He slept with Dad’s Concubine!

Do we start with SON #2 Simeon? NO– He and his brother Levi told the Shechamites to get circumcised so they can marry into their family and then killed them all while they were healing to avenge the rape of their sister.

Do we start with SON #3 Levi? NO- Because of the above reason BUT they did redeem themselves at the golden calf debacle so they get to be the Priesthood

Do we start with SON #4 Judah? YES!  Judah will be the one who gets the blessing of the Covenant!

(By the way, if we were together in person you would be laughing your butt off at me….I would be drawing and circling names all over the place….” Remember Onan….the pull and pray contraception guy”.  HOT MESS I AM!  Maybe we should ZOOM this lesson!!!  Oh the Humanity!!!)

Also…If you really are reading these instead of skimming, you should recognize things like JOAB right above this and the brothers..we just read about this! (the translation on the above visual ‘Chelubai”=”Caleb”.

 So here is the question…overall, can you look at the picture below and explain it?  NOT every detail, but in general.  Yes or No??

What two nations were Jacob and Esau? - Quora

 

 

1 Chronicles Overview for tomorrow 🤪

~ Patricia ~ Leave a comment

We just started 2 Samuel but we are going to read the Chronicles along with it (and weave in the Psalms).  It all fits together.  The other day someone texted me “Who wrote 2 Samuel?”  I texted back “God”.  Not sure he found me as funny as I find myself. 😂  So to answer who wrote Chronicles, many people say Ezra.  The Chronicles are a range of records and sources pulled together for historical purposes.  For Geeks like me, it is a dream to read!

A chronicler compiles this information and writes a book less about what is actually happening but more about the meaning of the events.  God’s interpretation.  Not interpretation as we think of it today,  like a point of view.  All of the Bible is approved by God.

  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Tim 3:16)

The Chronicles,  like the Samuels,  were one continuous book, but Greek translators divided it.  Originally called Dibre Hayyamin meaning “Events of the Days”.  The theme of the book revolves around Covenant.

Did the Israelites still fit into God’s Plan?  Times were difficult and dark.  Could our Messiah come from the Line of David? 

The Chronicles will talk about true worship and true kingship in the line of David.  The chronicler actually wrote:

  • 1 Chronicles
  • 2 Chronicles
  •  Ezra
  • Nehemiah

1 Chronicles is the history of the Jewish Nation.

2 Chronicles is a book of great revival.

1 Chronicles is not a book you will hear many people reading casually or even studying.  However, it is a book of great importance.  The first 9 Chapters are an extensive genealogy!  Yes, you read that correctly.  If you have been reading since January you are going to be filled with joy when you read it and actually understand it!!  If you have jumped in late I promise to make this as painless as possible with lots of great visuals.

These genealogies will give us an overview of God’s work from creation to the return after the Babylonian captivity. If you don’t know what the captivity is…you will have to keep reading….😜. The Hebrews (that term will change to Jews after the captivity) place great importance on their heritage because they needed to prove they were a descendant of Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation.

So tomorrow we will begin with chapters 1 and 2 of 1 Chronicles.  If you want to take a peek at them you can.  I really hope you see chapters like this are readable, where maybe in the past you were like “who in the world understands this stuff??”.  YOU DO NOW!

 

 

Psalm 6, 7, 8, 10, 14, 16, 19, 21

~ Patricia ~ Leave a comment

If you can, go outside to read these. Especially Psalm 19. (a bit chilly this morning 🥶)

Psalm 6- a Penitential Psalm

The other day we read Psalm 130.  It stuck out in my head because it was the Psalm that talked about The Lord not keeping a record of my sins (like my husband does so that he can bring them up all the time…😂).  I liked it so much I did a little more research about it.  What I found is there are 7 Psalms that are called “Penitential”.  If any of you grew up catholic is might sound familiar.  During Lent, these Psalms would be recited as a way for us to recognize and repent of our sin.  Go back and read 130 if you want but as you read Psalm 6, think about your view of sin.  How easy we rationalize it or dismiss it!   Psalm 6 is a better example of how we should bring our confession to the Lord. We will read the other 5 as David begins to fail. (I will point them out as we go)

Psalm 7- A Shiggaion.

We talked about this the other day too, it means to say with intense feeling, wild, strong lament.

I could have used this a few times in my life!  Have you ever been falsely accused?  I make A LOT of mistakes, I can usually admit it WHILE I am doing it.  BUT the one thing I struggle with the most is being accused of doing or saying something I didn’t do.

Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness,
    according to my integrity, O Most High.
9 Bring to an end the violence of the wicked
    and make the righteous secure—
you, the righteous God
    who probes minds and hearts.

Psalm 8- oh my stars…Go outside and look around! Morning readers, day readers, or nighttime readers.  Step outside! Read this:

When I consider your heavens,
    the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
    which you have set in place,
 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
    human beings that you care for them?

This Psalm is quoted both in 1 Cor. 15:27 and Hebrews 2:6

Psalm 10  How often do you think why do bad things happen to good people…as you watch bad people prosper!

Sometimes it is just hard to think God is hidden at times….but He is not! Oh the ending is so good.

Psalm 14– Here is your test for comprehension…Read Verse 7…does it make sense now? (If it doesn’t let me know).

Psalm 16- A Miktam!!  In my eyes, this is the opposite of a Shiggoin.  Miktam means to cover your lips.  This is a silent personal prayer. Try it!!

1 Keep me safe, my God,
    for in you I take refuge.

2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
    apart from you I have no good thing.”

Psalm 19– Doing this read-through is a commitment!  It shouldn’t be hard to carve out time for this, but for humans (all of us) we don’t always make it a priority.  My hope is that you have fallen in love with God’s Word more than ever.  I hope that when you read verse 10 it rings true for all of us, even me, who struggles with Psalms.  His words are:

They are more precious than gold,
    than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
    than honey from the honeycomb.

Every time I do a read-through I use a new Bible to see what I underline…EVERY year I have underlined 7-14!  It’s just that good.

Psalm 21– David remembered the speak to the Lord NOT just when he was struggling or needing help, but even after victory.  Oh, how I talk to God more when I need him than when things are going “good”.  I need to work on that!