Daily Reflections

from the Book of Psalms

September 18, Behind the Scenes

Sometimes you may think God did not answer your prayer, but you must consider the possibility that things would have been worse or different than they are if you had not prayed. There are times it may appear God is not acting on your behalf, but you can never say that with...

September 17, Times of Testing

What is your concept of a test? If you are like most people, you think of a piece of paper in front of you as an examination to determine how much you know or retained of a school subject. Yet when the Bible mentions a test, it is talking about something totally different.

September 16, Leaders and Followers

In today’s verse, the psalmist indicated that God was leading His people, all the while using Moses and Aaron to do so. God works through leaders, and since all leaders are imperfect people, we can conclude that a perfect God uses imperfect people to get His work done.

September 15, His Story

Yesterday you saw how important it is to recite your story of how God has worked on your behalf. You do that to remind yourself of His power and love when you most need it. Today, you see the psalmist going beyond his story to draw on God’s story of creation as a source of teaching and inspiration. God’s power is displayed in more ways than...

September 14, Your Story

The psalmists were constantly rehearsing and restating their history, both as individuals and as members of the people of God. They did this to help themselves in their current crisis, reminding themselves that God had been faithful in the past and He would be again. They needed that reassurance because they were...

September 13, Breaking Down Barriers

Almost all cultures tend to place those who have much above those who have not. The rich receive privileges, special laws and honor, while the poor receive whatever benefits their governments decide to give them. Yet wealth is a meaningless differentiation among human beings, for the wealth seems to be...

September 12, Your Source of Help

Ultimately, even if human help is involved in your deliverance, it is God who instigated or empowered the human help to be effective. You should be grateful to those who assist you, but your best and most profuse thanks should be to God. This is especially true of the company who pays you, for while God is using them...

September 11, Constant Battles

Both Psalms and Revelation inform the believer that warfare is the constant companion of those who put their faith in God. In Psalms, the battle is physical, for David was always under attack from his enemies, which were sometimes from his own family! In Revelation, the battle is spiritual, and the forces that align themselves against God attack God’s people with ruthless regularity.

September 10, Fulfill Your Vows

David outlined a series of blessings not for those who fast and pray, or who do great exploits for God, or who preach great sermons. David saw how God blessed those who helped the weak around them, who were mindful and empathetic of other people’s situations and helped them. Paying attention to others, even when your needs are...

September 9, Help the Weak

September 8, Mind Your Business

Today’s verse contains three commands for you to follow. The first is to “be still before the Lord.” Just the other day, you hopefully read an entry in this book named Silence, which urged you to spend some quiet time away from the noise of cell phones and computers. The next command is to “wait patiently” for Him. This does not mean you live a passive life, but rather...

September 7, A Spacious Place

David was in trouble again, but he took comfort in the fact that God saw and knew about it. David was surrounded by his enemies, but God put him in a spacious place. In other words, David had options that would allow him to escape or defeat his enemies, because the Lord was with him. God knows what you are going through and...

September 6, Dark Nights

There are seasons of life when things don’t go well. People betray you, businesses fail, sickness attacks, families struggle, or ministries go through hard times. When any of that happens, it can seem like the pain will never end, but the good news is that it does. What’s more, those dark nights are often followed by seasons of joy, restoration, and happiness.

September 5, Faith Victories

God gave David strength and it gave David great joy. Yet this strength was for a purpose, and that was to win battles and achieve great things that gave God glory. David then shared in that glory, and it led David to praise and worship. God is not empowering you to make you feel good or to help you out from time to time.

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.