Daily Reflections

from the Book of Psalms

June 18, Anointing of Joy

There are some people who don’t trust joy. They claim it is an emotion and cannot be trusted as a reliable source of guidance or confirmation. If joy comes, that’s all well and good, but duty, rationality, and freedom from emotions are preferable when worshiping, making decisions, and walking out discipleship.

June 17, In Jesus

The Psalms are about Jesus, even though David and others wrote them out of the reality of their own experience and need. In Jesus, we have a God who understands the human dilemma and the frailty of mankind. In Jesus, we have a man who became like you and me in all things except sin, and...

June 16, Bible Hope

The psalmist was in a tough place, (Psalm 77:11) as they often were, and he determined to take solace and encouragement from the miracles God performed for Israel in ages past. In other words, the psalmist went to the Scriptures to find help in time of trouble.

June 15, Mourning

The psalmist made an honest confession of an emotional breakdown over some issue that caused him to mourn and grieve. Some people do not allow themselves to mourn or fail to understand the importance of role of mourning. They also may not realize mourning isn’t just...

June 14, Your Burden-Bearer

David broke into praise when he realized that God is both a long-term Savior as well as a short-term Helper who bore his burdens, not just every once in a while, but daily! What does it mean that God bears burdens? It means that He carries something so you don’t have to.

June 13, Scheming or Planning?

God put the ability in people to plan, but of course the Fall caused mankind to plan and scheme how to take care of themselves. This planning branched out into people’s desire to reach God on their own terms instead of God’s. This is exemplified by the story known as the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11.

June 12, Private Devotions

David understood the importance of establishing a rhythm for his day, and that rhythm began with a time of worship or devotions. Many have insisted that this is the only pattern to follow, but I do not agree. It’s important that you establish a daily pattern or...

June 11, The Will and the Help

This seems like a prayer that anyone could or should pray, but on closer examination, it is a dangerous prayer that could lead to a tumultuous answer. The psalmist was praying that God would do whatever He had to do to change the psalmist on the inside, in his heart. What’s more...

June 10, Wealth

Our society has a strange love affair with wealth. We want it, honor it, hoard it, spend it, and ruthlessly pursue it, even though it is always a fickle partner who goes to the highest bidder and cannot really bring what we want most—peace and contentment.

June 9, Heart to Heart

Today’s passage from a different translation captures the conversational tone of many psalms as the psalmist pours his heart out to the Lord. It is impossible to offend the Lord with your honest, transparent prayers, for God knows what’s on your heart before you utter a word.

June 8, Loneliness

It’s convenient for people to avoid you when you are going through difficulty and they do it for many reasons. One is that they lack empathy and just don’t understand what you are going through. Another is that they don’t want to say the wrong thing, so they say no thing.

June 7, Opposition

The first book of Psalms, which is comprised of Psalm 1 to 41, is filled with verses that chronicle David’s persecution and opposition as the king. One may not think David would not have encountered so much trouble, for God had powerfully and sovereignly chosen David and was with him.

June 6, Do Good to Enemies

David once again cried out that God would deal with those who were evil. Some are uncomfortable with the psalmists’ cries for vengeance, but at least they were not taking matters of revenge into their own hands! They were crying out for God to do it. What’s more...

June 5, God’s Will

If your desire is to know God’s will, then you will do so, for you cannot do what you do not know. This requires that you sincerely desire to know His will, which can be tricky because it involves trust and overcoming fear. If you truly commit to God’s will before you know what it is, your next step is 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.