Daily Reflections

from the Book of Psalms

May 5, Being Taught

You and I need to be taught the truth and that is why we need to be part of a local church. We need to hear the Word regularly from someone who is capable of teaching God’s word and God’s ways with skill and accuracy. What’s more, that need never ends, but the problem can be that the longer you are in a church...

May 4, God’s Response

Someone once said, “God is playing chess with man; He matches his every move.” This passage indicates there is some truth to that saying. It seems that God responds to people in the way they respond to Him and other people. God is willing to show Himself faithful, blameless, pure, or shrewd, and He ultimately...

May 3, Run and Hide?

David was always facing some kind of opposition and trouble, and in today’s passage some of his advisers were urging him to run away and hide. There were times when David did that, but then there were times when he stood his ground, fought or faced the danger. Whatever his strategy, his life philosophy can be...

May 2, Comfort Others

Obviously David was in great distress when he wrote Psalm 6 due to circumstances that are not identified. The interesting thing is that, in the midst of his pain, David took time to write down what he was thinking and feeling, under the direction of the Holy Spirit.

May 1, Contentment

It seems that David’s generation was similar to every generation, in that people were seeking prosperity by any and every means possible. David was countering their materialistic pursuits with a declaration that God was enough for him. Let’s look at Eugene Peterson’s translation called The Message to...

April 30, Leadership Perspective

While almost all the psalms are written by leaders, the conclusion toward the end of the book is “don’t put too much hope in leaders, for they are mortal and will die, just like everyone else.” There are other lessons for followers in this passage: don’t put your leaders on a pedestal and don’t expect them to...

April 29, Entrusted to Him

People ask me if I am afraid to travel, especially if it’s to a place that has been in the news due to some unrest or violence. My standard response is, “I gave my life to the Lord, I didn’t loan it to him to take back whenever it was convenient. If He chooses to take me home in my bed or on a plane, that’s up to Him.”

April 28, He Will Save You

David always seemed to be in trouble, some of it through his own doing and some of it because of his God-assigned purpose. Regardless of the source of his trouble, he always looked to the Lord, crying out to Him for help and deliverance. What’s more...

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...

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.