Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Verses marked esv are taken from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Verses marked nkjv are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Verses marked nasb are taken from the New American Standard Bible, copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.lockman.org) Verses marked nlt are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Verses marked msg are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Cover by Dugan Design Group Published in association with The Christopher Ferebee Agency. 52 Weeks Through the Psalms Devotional Copyright 2018 James Merritt Published by Harvest House Publishers Eugene, Oregon 97408 www.harvesthousepublishers.com ISBN 978-0-7369-7126-3 (Milano Softone ) ISBN 978-0-7369-7127-0 (ebook) All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher. Printed in China 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 / RDS-SK / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents There Is No Music Like God s Music... 7 Part One: Up Close and Personal 1. Happiness in High-Def (Psalm 1)... 11 2. A Song for Today (Psalm 3)... 13 3. The Role of a Lifetime (Psalm 8)... 17 4. What Are You Going to Do with God? (Psalm 14)... 19 5. Here, There, and Everywhere (Psalm 19)... 21 6. Back to the Future (Psalm 22)... 25 7. He s Everything I Need (Psalm 23:1)... 27 8. A Bridge Over Troubled Waters (Psalm 23:2).. 29 9. His Way Is the Right Way (Psalm 23:3)... 31 10. No Fear (Psalm 23:4)... 33 11. Me, Myself, and God (Psalm 23:5)... 37 12. Final Destination (Psalm 23:6)... 39 13. Farewell to Fear (Psalm 27)... 41 14. Planting Your Feet (Psalm 32)... 45 Part Two: Poetic Justice 15. The Great Depression (Psalm 42)... 49 16. Take Refuge (Psalm 46)... 51
17. What Does God Want from Me? (Psalm 50)... 53 18. Sin Sick (Psalm 51)... 55 19. Goodbye to Guilt (Psalm 51 reprise)... 57 20. Betrayed and Broken (Psalm 55)... 59 21. Misery Needs Company (Psalm 56)... 61 22. Under Fire and Under Water (Psalm 66)... 63 23. God Bless Us, Every One (Psalm 67)... 65 Part Three: Always Faithful 24. Lasting Leadership Lessons (Psalm 78)... 71 25. The Prayer of a Patriot (Psalm 80)... 73 26. Getting the Big Picture (Psalm 84)... 75 27. Revive to Thrive (Psalm 85)... 77 28. The Way to Pray (Psalm 86)... 81 29. Help Yourself to Happiness (Psalm 89)... 83 30. Rainy Days and Mondays (Psalm 90)... 85 Part Four: Under Control 31. Security Blanket (Psalm 91)... 89 32. Sabbath Song (Psalm 92)... 91 33. Going Global (Psalm 96)... 93 34. Thank You, God (Psalm 97)... 95 35. Open the Doors (Psalm 100)... 97 36. Are You Lonesome Tonight? (Psalm 102)... 99
37. Never Forget (Psalm 103)... 103 38. God Thing (Psalm 115)... 105 39. Some Other Time (Psalm 118)... 107 40. Coming Clean (Psalm 119:9-16)............ 111 Part Five: All in All 41. Follow the Directions (Psalm 119:18)... 115 42. Flip the Switch (Psalm 119:105)... 117 43. A Song for Any Day (Psalm 121)... 119 44. Can I Get a Witness? (Psalm 126)... 121 45. PG: Parental Guidance Required (Psalm 127).. 125 46. No Place Like Home (Psalm 128)... 127 47. United We Stand, Divided We Fall (Psalm 133)... 129 48. Heartbreak Hotel (Psalm 137)... 133 49. Great God (Psalm 139:1-18)... 137 50. Why You Should Come Clean with God (Psalm 139:19-24)... 141 51. How Great Is Our God (Psalm 145)... 143 52. Doxology (Psalm 147)... 145 About the Author... 155
There Is No Music Like God s Music p Let me make the songs of a nation, and I care not who makes its laws so said Andrew Fletcher. Perhaps the greatest king who ever lived, David, would have wholeheartedly agreed with him, for he wrote no laws, but he did write many of the songs of the only nation that died and remained dead for some 2,000 years only to come roaring back to life in the twentieth century namely, Israel. These songs are known to us as psalms, and though David did not write them all, he wrote some of the most famous. No one can deny the power of words, and it has been proven time and time again that the pen is mightier than the sword. That power is magnified when the words are put to music. That is exactly what the Psalms are God s word put to music. First sung by choirs before they were proclaimed by teachers and preachers, these songs can warm the heart on the coldest day, lift the soul from its lowest depths, and sooth the most troubled spirit. The songs run the gamut of problems we all face in 7
life, from disease to disaster to death. They inspire you to reach higher and compel you to dig deeper. They always hit the right note at the right time and not once are they ever off-key. Indeed, they do lead you to green pastures and beside still waters. They do restore the most broken soul. This is why these pages offer you a year s worth of short but substantive and strengthening vignettes in the form of 52 Weeks Through the Psalms Devotional. Like a catchy tune you can t get out of your head, these chapters will take you week by week and day by day on a musical journey the likes of which you can t get from a radio, computer, or even a live concert. Simply put, in the end, these are God s songs, composed in his heart and given from his hand. There is no music like God s music. I pray that this little book will be soft listening to your ears, easy reading to your eyes, and most of all, powerful help and healing for your heart. May the one who is the True Composer of these songs meet you where you are and take you where he wants you to be and bless you in the journey. 8
Part One Up Close and Personal God is a God we can approach and have an intimate relationship with. p
1 Happiness in High-Def Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night (Psalm 1:1-2 esv). p When Psalm 1:1 talks about the man who is blessed, the Hebrew word literally means to be happy. Perhaps the Hebrews title for this song was, How to Be Happy. Contrary to what some people think, God is not some cosmic killjoy who loves it when we are miserable. God wants you to be happy, but he wants you to be happy his way. He wants you to be happy internally, externally, and eternally. The psalmist shows us that the key to a happy life is living a God-centered life The truly happy person is a person who is living a rooted life, a life of purpose, a life that makes an 11
impact on others. Real happiness is found in favoring the right people, following the right principles, and fulfilling God s purpose. Do you want to be miserable? Live a you-centered life. Do you want to be happy? Live a God-centered life. This is how you live a high-def life. 52 Weeks Through the Psalms p Happiness begins internally as we make God the Lord of our life. But why then do so many of us try to find happiness through external means? This exotic vacation, that new wardrobe, the Corvette, the climb up the corporate ladder all these and more seem to promise us the happiness that only a Godcentered life can bring. God wants us to be happy, and he has provided us all we need to live out that happiness, that blessedness. And that provision is him: knowing him, loving him, serving him, worshiping him. This is the high-def life. 12
2 A Song for Today O Lord, how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me. Many are saying of my soul, There is no deliverance for him in God. Selah. But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head (Psalm 3:1-3 nasb). p I have three enemies that work 24/7 to get me away from God. I know every day when I get up they are just waiting for me: an enemy around me, an enemy within me, and an enemy beneath me. The world is my external foe. It says, I am just a product of chance and my life has no meaning. The Bible fights against this foe by declaring, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and me too! The flesh is my internal foe. My flesh will say, Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow I may die. But the Bible says, So whether you eat or drink or 13
whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). The devil is my eternal foe. The devil will whisper in my ear, You can get away with it! But the Bible says, Be sure that your sin will find you out (Numbers 32:23). David s enemies don t just mock him, they also mock God. In Psalm 3:2 they say, There is no deliverance for him in God (nasb). They laugh at David s faith and make fun of David s Father. They do not see David living a victorious life and so they do not see God either. Even when the people of this world can t see God, they can see our faith. Be assured, they will measure the size of our God by the size of our faith. Through the way we live our lives every day, we must show the world, by our great faith, that we serve a great God. No matter the foe, there is no god like our God. 52 Weeks Through the Psalms p We ve all been there that solitary place of sorrow where it feels like no one can help us. Like David, we re surrounded by enemies, be 14
they the world, the flesh, or the devil. We cry out to God, but there is no reply. We are walled in, it seems. It seems. The truth is, just as we identify with David in his troubles, we can also identify with him in his victory. We find that our God is a shield for us, the lifter of our head. Like David, we see that victory is found in the Lord and we belong to the one with whom victory resides. The people of God are a people of victory, today and every day. 15
3 The Role of a Lifetime You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority (Psalm 8:6 nlt). p Every one of us has a God-given passion to do something. We have been given both a passion and a gift to have sovereignty over certain areas of life. That passion is what gives life meaning and makes us productive. It s one thing to have a passion for something, but it s another thing to live it out. Sadly, most people are not living out their passion. According to a recent survey, only 45 percent of American workers say they are satisfied or extremely satisfied with their jobs and only 20 percent feel passionate about their jobs. The truth is you have unique gifts that no one else has and you are given these gifts to fulfill a unique calling that no one else can fulfill. When you wake up every morning, even though you cannot control the day, you can control how passionate you ll be as you enter it. You can use your gifts to do what God has called you to do with the enthusiasm that God deserves 17
You need to take the unique passion that God has given you, wrapped up in that unique personality that is you and you alone, and let that passion drive you every day to be what God wants you to be and do what God wants you to do. That is your role of a lifetime. 52 Weeks Through the Psalms p There s nothing sadder than a passionless life. Even more so as Christians. God has birthed in all of us gifts and talents uniquely fitted for us. These gifts and talents are not given by God frivolously. They have been given for a purpose a divine purpose. When we discover our unique gifts and allow them to become our passion in life, we find a life with true meaning eternal meaning. A person s gifts may not seem grand to the common eye. We re not all called to be a Billy Graham or a modernday Susanna Wesley but we are called to be us. We are called to live out a uniquely designed destiny meant for no one else on earth but us. No matter whether that destiny is small or great in human eyes, faithfulness to that calling brings rewards both here and in eternity. Have you discovered your role of a lifetime yet? 18