Daily Reflections

from the Book of Psalms

April 27, Mind Your Business

I was in Zimbabwe and was about to follow a dynamic, animated, and hilarious speaker at a church conference. The people were standing and cheering him on and I was actually considering both changing my message along with my delivery when the Spirit “spoke” to me. He told me to...

April 26, Your Mercy Needs

It is easy to cry out for mercy when you have messed up or when you are in over your head or “out of the depths” as the psalmist phrased it. Then you are acutely aware of your need for God’s grace that you don’t deserve. It is much more difficult to maintain your sense of need when everything is going well.

April 25, Your Helper

The psalmist reflected on where his help came from, and he concluded it came from the Lord. He looked to the mountains the Lord created and realized the same God who created them created him. The writer also knew that his help did not come from within — his intelligence, wits, skill or business acumen — but rather...

April 24, Your Promises

There are times when you make commitments, only to find later that circumstances make them difficult to fulfill. Some are small things like, “I’ll call you soon” and then you don’t call the person, or “I’ll be praying for you” and then neglect to pray.

April 23, Generosity

God loves a generous person. The Bible is full of exhortations to be generous, reminding you how God rewards those who remember the poor. That assumes you know who the poor are, are in touch with their needs, and have the willingness to help. If you have time, do a search of the word poor in the book of Proverbs and you will...

April 22, Hatred

There is a human emotion often revealed in the psalms that is unpleasant to talk and think about, and that emotion is hatred. In today’s passage, David prayed about an enemy who had opposed him. David cried out to God to do bad things to that enemy. You may recoil at such talk, but there are important things to...

April 21, Your Humanity

The Lord is comfortable with your humanity, perhaps more comfortable with it than you are. He knows you and He still wants to use you, as you are today and as you will be in the future. Some people are convinced that God must do major reconstruction on their lives before He can use them.

April 20, The Kingdom

When Jesus started His ministry, He preached this message: “’The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!’” (Mark 1:15). Jesus came preaching the Kingdom and He expects you and I to do the same thing. That means that God wants to...

April 19, Praise and Worship

There is certainly nothing wrong with private devotionals in which you spend time worshiping and praising the Lord. The context of this passage, however, is for “us” to sing for joy, and that means a group of people worshiping in a corporate setting. Jesus gave His life for the church; it is the apple of His eye.

April 18, Walk in the Light

The word acclaim is not often used as a verb, but it means “to praise enthusiastically and often publicly.” What’s more, the people who acclaim the Lord and who walk in the light of His presence are called blessed. What does it mean to walk in God’s light? John explained it in his epistle when he wrote:

April 17, Price of Disobedience

Occasionally in the Psalms, it is the Lord speaking and not the psalmists themselves. In this passage, the Lord laments His people’s disobedience, reiterating His desire to help and deliver them if they would only listen to His voice. He had given them over to their stiff-necked ways, however, and they were not about to repent and turn to Him.

April 16, Worry

Israel saw many miracles as they left Egypt to enter the Promised Land. Yet each time they confronted a crisis, they had short-term memory loss and panicked, challenging the Lord to prove Himself again and again. They did not put their trust in Him and worried they would die in the Wilderness.

April 15, The Will of God

God is a God of guidance. If He wants you to do His will — and of course He does — then He must reveal to you what His will is. God is a great communicator and does not lack the means to reveal Himself to you. He can use His word, other people, or life’s circumstances.

April 14, Remember

When the psalmist wrote Psalm 66, Israel was scattered and in exile. As he reflected on their condition, he decided to remember the past works of God to help Israel rejoice in where they were. You would do well to do the same thing. When you reflect on God’s past goodness and mercy, it encourages you and gives you hope that God will once again move miraculously on your behalf.

Your Life Matters

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For centuries, people have turned to the Book of Psalms to help make sense and to find comfort in times of trouble. They have also gone there to find words to express the praise in their hearts for the magnificence and glory of God. In Your Life Matters: Daily Reflections from the Book of Psalms, John Stanko adds his own insight into the Psalms and how they relate to your life matters such as suffering, prayer, the poor, mercy, grace and leadership. For every day of the year, John assigns a reading from Psalms, picks a verse or passage, makes some devotional comments, asks some pointed questions and adds a cross reference to another portion of the Bible. Your Life Matters is practical, inspirational, and helpful, and is certain to become your daily favorite to help you reflect on your life and God’s role in it.