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- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
Ps. 3
If we choose to accept it, God gives us a peace that even the greatest turmoil can’t break. I see it in David’s words in this Psalm. “I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the LORD sustains me.” (Ps. 3:5). I don’t think David is speaking only of God’s protection that keeps him safe in his sleep here. I think he is also speaking of the peace that allows him to lie down and sleep in the first place. It is the peace that comes from trusting in God because you know with every fiber of your being that, “Salvation belongs to the LORD”. (Ps. 3:8a).
Ps. 4
Funny – I wrote my comment on Psalm 3 before reading Psalm 4. Yet I see the exact same message in Psalm 4. “I will both lied down and sleep in peace, for you alone, LORD, make me live in safety..” (Ps. 4:8).
Ps. 12
I see a truth about God’s salvation in this Psalm. He says, “I will provide safety for the one who longs for it.” (Ps. 12:5b). Jesus’ sacrifice and His righteousness do us no good if we don’t want them. Why wouldn’t we long for the safety God offers? Because, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick” (Jer. 17:9a). Our nature is bent toward death and destruction, “and what is worthless is exalted by the human race.” (Ps. 12:8b).
Ps. 13
The beginning of this Psalm speaks of troubled times. David is full of anxious concerns, is being dominated by his enemy, and feels rejected by God. Yet David continues to trust in God, believing His deliverance will come. The final verse says, “I will sing to the LORD because He has treated me generously.” (Ps. 13:6).
That is an interesting statement to me because David wrote it at a time when he obviously did not feel like he was being treated generously. Maybe David is saying that he will sing even in his troubles because God was generous to him in the past. I think that is both good and appropriate. However, I had the thought that this could also be seen as a statement of future hope. Even though David felt abandoned and overwhelmed at the time, he was confident that God would step in with His deliverance so that David could look back and sing God’s praise. What it says to me is that what God has done in the past gives us confidence in what He will do in the future so that we can rejoice in Him even when our present is hard.
Ps. 28
“If You remain silent to me, I will be like those going down to the Pit.” (Ps. 28:1b). The Psalms are full of similar statements. To me, they are all references to the truth that there is no life apart from God.
Ps. 55
Ah – more prophecy of Jesus’ death! “It is not a foe who rises up against me…But it is you…my companion and good friend! We used to have close fellowship; we walked with the crowd into the house of God.” (From Ps. 55:12-14). Indeed, Jesus was betrayed by Judas, one of His closest twelve companions.