BE STILL, MY CHILD: 366 Devotional Readings from the Psalms ..... “Thou hast
put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine.
Be Still, My Child B
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Be Still, My Child
366
DEVOTIONAL READINGS FROM THE PSALMS
J U A N I T A
P U R C E L L
REGULAR BAPTIST PRESS 1300 North Meacham Road Schaumburg, Illinois 60173-4806
BE STILL, MY CHILD: 366 Devotional Readings from the Psalms © 1997 Regular Baptist Press Schaumburg, Illinois Printed in U.S.A. All rights reserved
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To my three sons—Frank, Dan, and Cary, my daughters-in-law, and my nine grandchildren “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children [and grandchildren!] walk in truth” (3 John 4).
Contents Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 January
Psalms 1–16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
February
Psalms 17–27 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
March
Psalms 27–37 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
April
Psalms 37–48 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
May
Psalms 49–56 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
June
Psalms 56–72 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
July
Psalms 73–86 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
August
Psalms 87–101 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
September Psalms 102–108 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 October
Psalms 108–119 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
November Psalms 119–138 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316 December Psalms 138–150 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346 Why Sink When You Can Swim Verses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377
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Preface
The word “psalms” comes from a Greek word that means “song sung to the accompaniment of a plucked instrument.” Psalms was the hymnbook of the Hebrews. The individual psalms were written over a period of one thousand years from the time of Moses to the return from exile in Babylon. While David was the primary writer, other writers are also featured. As you read through Psalms, you encounter a diversity of emotions: fear of the enemy, confidence in God’s goodness and power, praise to God, questions to God, cries to God for help and mercy. This devotional book will take you through the entire book of Psalms in one year. These devotional readings are designed to help you get to know God well enough to trust Him with your finances, your marriage, your job, your children—with everything in your life!
If your faith is weak, it is because your knowledge of God and His Word is weak. The only way to increase your faith and trust in God is to increase your knowledge of God. And you do that by spending time in His Word. “Be Still, My Child, and learn of Me,” is God’s invitation to you in the book of Psalms. ❖ Be still—slow down! Take time in God’s presence; Listen to His whisper, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Set aside all your busyness, thoughts, and jobs to be done. Just be still and quiet before God. He will not compete with your busyness; You must choose Him first! When you put Him first, you finally Really get to know Him. 9
In this quietness there is peace; In this quietness there is fullness of joy; In this quietness He restores your soul; In this quietness He strengthens you for the next conflict.
He has done all that needs to be done to teach you to trust Him; He has given you His Holy Spirit to help and strengthen you; He lifts you up when you utterly fail; He encourages you when you think, “There’s no use trying again.” He believes in you; do you believe in Him?
When you truly know how great your God is, All your doubts and anxieties will begin to fade; When you truly learn to trust His power and might,
Do you really know Him well enough to trust Him? Slow down; be still! Take time in God’s presence. Then, and only then, will you understand why He said, “Be still, and know that I am God.”
You will never have to fear again. He is in control of Heaven and earth; He stands ready to work for those who trust Him; For those who sincerely believe, “Nothing is impossible with God!”
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January 1
Psalm 1
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“But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night” (Psalm 1:2).
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SALM 1 could be called “The Secret of the Happy Life.” The firm ground on which we build that happy, blessed life is found in verse 2: “But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” The law of the Lord is the Word of God. Are you reading the Word daily? Is it changing your life? I fear that many people who read the Bible each day are only going through the “motions of devotions.” Their lives never change. God isn’t interested in our getting more information in our souls; He wants us to get more of Him in our souls. He wants us to develop an intimate relationship with Him each day, not just read our Bibles out of habit or duty. Would you like to quit going through the “motions of devotions” and start getting to know God better? If your answer is yes, I
suggest that you keep a journal each day. Here’s how I do it. I read the Bible verses suggested in the devotional book I am using. I then read several verses before and after those verses to understand the verses in their context. I select one verse that is especially meaningful to me. Then I read the thoughts in my devotional book. I am now ready to write in my journal. I write down my selected verse, and I write a prayer to the Lord, telling Him I want to use that verse in my life that day. We’re constructing our future thought by thought; To be blessed this year, we must do as we ought!
❖ Will you do as you ought and read God’s Word each day this year?
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January 2
Psalm 1
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“And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper” (Psalm 1:3).
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HE WRITER of Psalm 1 is unknown, but the message is clear: the righteous are blessed and the wicked are cursed. The Lord wants to bless us, but we must meet the conditions laid down in verses 1 and 2. We must separate ourselves from the ungodly lifestyle of the world, and we must read God’s Word each day. God promises prosperity to those who will follow these two simple commands: “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper” (v. 3). Does this mean we will never fail or have difficulty? Is this a guarantee we will have good health and much wealth? No; this is a promise of spiritual prosperity and growth. There will be a stability about our lives that will result in attitudes and actions that honor God and lead to a blessed life for us. Would you like to live life with a capital
L? If so, let me recommend the “Vine Life.” What is the “Vine Life”? It is living out the commands in John 15:1–5. John 15 says Christ is the vine and we are the branches. If you disconnect a branch from the vine, what happens? It withers up and dies. Only as the branch is connected to the vine can the sap keep flowing into the branches. Only as we stay connected to the Vine each day will His life flow through us so we can continue to grow. How do we stay connected to the Vine? By spending time in His presence each day, reading and meditating on His Word. (“Day and night” in Psalm 1:2 indicates that meditating should be a daily practice.) When we learn to live the Vine Life, our “leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” ❖ Will you start living the Vine Life today so you can experience life with a capital L? 12
January 3
Psalm 1
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“The LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish” (Psalm 1:6).
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HE LORD knows the destiny of the righteous person and the unrighteous person. The destinies are as different as the lifestyles. The godly person who meditates on God’s Word and obeys it will be spiritually prosperous, happy, and holy. The ungodly person who lives to please the flesh and the Devil will be condemned to eternal torment (Revelation 20:11–15). God not only knows our eternal destiny, He also knows what is going on in our lives right now. Psalm 139 tells us how closely He keeps track of His children. He is behind us and before us, and His hand is upon us. This is the hand that leads us and upholds us. Job 23:10 says, “He knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” The way that He takes us is sometimes
down a dark path that seems senseless and unreasonable to us. God wants us to learn to walk by faith and not by sight. This kind of faith develops best when things seem fuzzy and foggy to us, even when it seems that God is far away. During these times nothing works like we thought it would, and we wonder if God is still in control. We could call this kind of faith “Job-like” faith. Such faith cannot be shaken because it has developed as a result of our being shaken. When we begin to look at life with the eyes of faith, we see “things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). ❖ Is it enough for you to know the Lord knows the way even when you don’t?
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January 4
Psalm 2
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“Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us” (Psalm 2:3).
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HE PEOPLE in the psalmist’s day were just as vocal against God as people are today: “Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us” (v. 3). The unbeliever, as well as the believer in rebellion against God, sees the principles of God’s Word as strong bands or cords that bind them. These people want to break away from God and His Word so they can be free. People do not want rules and restraints to repress their feelings and actions. They want to be free to do their own thing. Many groups today tell people that the church and God’s rules are outdated. Some people have fallen for these lies; they are looking for the freedom they believe has been denied them by the “repressive rules” of God’s Word. They truly believe that if they can get rid of these cords and bands they will find the peace and joy they are seeking. What a sad disappointment is awaiting them!
Satan will put his cords and bands around them, and they will be chained to their sin. Every freedom has a bondage. You can be free from your toothbrush, but in time you will be a slave to cavities. Or you can be a slave to your toothbrush and free from cavities. But you cannot be free from your toothbrush and free from cavities. This kind of freedom does not exist in any area of life. A bondage goes with every freedom. Wise are the people who choose well their bondages and their freedoms. We can choose to be slaves to God and put ourselves under His authority, or we can choose to be slaves to sin and free from God. The latter choice is a dead-end street that leads nowhere. Doesn’t it make sense to make ourselves slaves to God? Everything He asks of us is for our good. ❖ Do the bands and cords of God’s Word bother you or bless you? Whose slave are you? 14
January 5
Psalm 2
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“Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling” (Psalm 2:11).
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HE WORDS “serve,” “LORD,” “fear,” and “trembling” all have a strong emphasis on submission. At first glance the words “fear” and “rejoice” seem to be in the wrong order. Serve and rejoice should go together, and fear and trembling should go together. But God’s Word teaches that rejoicing is a by-product of serving the Lord with reverential fear and awe. Psalm 112:1 and 128:1 say the person who fears the Lord is blessed or happy. Do “fear” and “joy” seem to be contradictory words to you? Some things seem contradictory that are not, such as oxygen and nitrogen. These may be spoken of as contradictory gases; yet when they are combined in
right proportions, they make the atmosphere sweet and life-giving. So it is with fear and joy. These two seemingly contradictory emotions can coexist in the believer’s heart when they are combined in the right proportions. God’s children have the ability to say yes or no to their Heavenly Father. If we say yes to Him in reverential fear and submission, we will be blessed and experience a life full of joy. On the other hand, if we say no, “Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker!” (Isaiah 45:9). ❖ God wants to do great things in your life, but you have the ability to submit or resist. Which are you doing?
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January 6
Psalm 2
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“Blessed are all they that put their trust in him” (Psalm 2:12).
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HE WORD “trust” means “to take refuge in.” I love the picture of security that the word “refuge” symbolizes. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1); “He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust” (Psalm 91:2); “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes,” or those who rule over us (Psalm 118:9). The leaders of our government cannot give us a sense of security. Social Security is not secure anymore. New inventions and technology do not offer peace and security. We have only one source of true security: God Himself! “Blessed are all they that put their trust in him” (v. 12). All of us have probably read or heard this statement, “The safest place for a Christian to be is in the center of God’s will.” “But,”
you may say, “what if I get in trouble, and God doesn’t come through for me?” Our problem is that we have already determined how God should come through for us. He never told us how He would do it, just that He would do it! God did not promise we would never face danger, but He did promise His help whenever we face danger. (See, for instance, Isaiah 41:10.) He did not promise we would never hurt, but He did promise that whatever happened would be for our good (Romans 8:28). Whatever He allows is for our good if it helps make us more like the Lord Jesus (Romans 8:29). So we have nothing to fear—not even death—because He is our refuge and strength. ❖ Are you trusting God? Are you safe and secure?
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January 7
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Psalm 3
“But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head” (Psalm 3:3).
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HEN David wrote this psalm, he was experiencing one of the most trying circumstances anyone can endure: turmoil in his family. David was alone with God, away from everyone and everything he loved. He was reaping some of the results of his sin with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11). The rebellion of his son Absalom was one calamity that had fallen upon him (2 Samuel 15). Absalom was threatening to usurp the throne. Not only was David’s life in danger, but his honor as a parent was being tested. Can you imagine the heartache and shame David was experiencing? David may have lost confidence in his son but not in his God. He was confident God would protect him and be his shield. He was confident God would remove the shame and failure he was feeling and replace it with glory. He was
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confident he would be filled with joy again. His head was bent in sorrow, but he knew he would again lift his head and sing praises to God. “But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head” (v. 3). We must never doubt in the dark what we know in the light. God is good; God loves me; I will again lift my head and sing. Anyone can sing when the sun is shining brightly, but only confidence in God can give us a song in the night. Don’t lose hope! Hope is admitting that troubles do exist, but believing they won’t last forever. Hope believes that God will lead us through the darkness to the sunshine of His love. ❖ Don’t give up; don’t lose hope! You will lift your head and sing again.
January 8
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Psalm 3
“I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me” (Psalm 3:5).
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AVID was chased out of Jerusalem. Who was chasing him? His own son and an army of men who were threatening to kill him (2 Samuel 15:13–17). If anyone had reason to be filled with fear and anxiety, certainly it was David. Yet we read he laid down and slept. How could a person sleep in a wilderness when he was being chased like an animal? David had a shield of protection around him. The Lord God was his shield, protector, and sustainer. It was not the enemies on the outside that would keep him awake but the agony on the inside. David slept because he did the same thing we must do: he pillowed his head on the promises of God. He didn’t have aspirin or sleeping pills. He had something better: absolute confidence that God would sustain him. “I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for
the LORD sustained me” (v. 5). My husband and I like to go to the Atlantic Ocean and watch the waves toss to and fro. Sometimes it is so peaceful. But when a storm is coming, the mountainous waves are loud and threatening. However, it is always quiet and peaceful on the ocean floor. Scientists say that if you stretched a rope of sand from one side of the ocean floor to the other, nothing would disturb it. So it is in the midst of the worst storms in the believer’s life. When we pillow our heads on the promises of God, our sleep will be sweet for we have perfect peace. In fact, it is a peace that “passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).
❖ Are you pillowing your head on the promises of God or on your problems?
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January 9
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Psalm 4
“Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer” (Psalm 4:1).
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AVID may have written this psalm after spending a night in the midst of danger. He cried out for help and mercy: “Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness . . . hear my prayer” (v. 1). David acknowledged God’s answer: “thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress.” David was strengthened and enlarged (grew) because of the trial. Outward stresses can strengthen us inwardly (spiritually) if we have adequate inner resources to face the outer circumstances. As hard as outward trials and distresses are to endure, they are never wasted if we accept them with an absolute faith in God, knowing He has everything under control. I have learned that the limitations and distresses in my life have been the very things that have led to my enlargement. I have
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learned that even childlike faith is enough to sustain me. I read of a lady who was complaining bitterly about the difficult trial she was experiencing. Her five-year-old child said, “Mommy, it will all work out before too long.” Oh, if we only had that childlike faith and confidence; then we, too, could say, “Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress.” Yes, outward trials will enlarge us spiritually if we accept them with an open heart that says, “Teach me, Lord, what You want me to learn from this experience.” Remember, outward stresses can strengthen us inwardly if we have adequate inner resources to face the outer circumstances. ❖ Do you have adequate inner resources? If not, why not?
January 10
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Psalm 4
“Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased” (Psalm 4:7).
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AVID was going through a time of turmoil and anguish—probably the same situation he faced in Psalm 3: running from Absalom (2 Samuel 15). He felt just like we do when we feel the loneliness of a wilderness experience. How can we make it through these times? Just like David did: keep our eyes on the Lord instead of our circumstances. When we do this, we can have joy in the midst of our circumstances. We can’t whip up this joy on our own; only God can put it in our hearts. “Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased” (v. 7). Harvesttime is a happy, prosperous time. Yet prosperity cannot bring joy to the heart when we’re hurting. Happiness can disappear in a matter of minutes, depending on the circumstances in our lives. But joy just keeps flowing because it comes from within; it is
dependent upon what God is doing in our hearts. This joy gives us unusual strength and power to move through difficult circumstances. I like Emma Moody Fitt’s thoughts on joy: “Happiness is caused by things which happen around us, and circumstances can mar it, but joy flows right on through trouble; joy flows on through the dark; joy flows in the night as well as in the day; joy flows all through persecution and opposition; it is an unceasing fountain bubbling up in the heart; a secret spring which the world can’t see and doesn’t know anything about. The Lord gives His people perpetual joy when they walk in obedience to Him.”
❖ Do you have the joy of the Lord in your life to help you move through your wilderness experience?
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January 11
Psalm 5
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“My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up” (Psalm 5:3).
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N PSALM 5:3 David pulled back the curtain and gave us a brief glimpse of his prayer life. Before he faced people, he turned his face toward God: “My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.” What a blessing we enjoy when we begin the day in God’s presence. Someone has said, “The morning is one end of the thread on which the day’s activities are strung; it should be well-knotted with devotion.” Not only did David lift his voice to God, he also lifted his heart. The expression “direct my prayer,” in the Hebrew text, implies coming to God with a calmed heart, a heart drawn away from the hustle and bustle of the day, a heart prepared to listen to God. When we come into God’s presence, do we come with a heart prepared to express our love and devotion to God? How often do we
rush in and out of God’s presence with nothing but our needs’ list in mind? Not once do we tell God we love Him. Not once do we praise Him for yesterday’s blessings and new mercies for today (Lamentations 3:22, 23). We are so rushed there is no time for God to speak to us. I am ashamed to say I do not always come to God with a heart prepared to listen to Him speak; I’m too busy speaking. When I sense my need to slow down and quiet my heart before I come into God’s presence, I need to pray, “Lord, I want to be open and honest with You right now. I have to admit I often rush in and out of Your presence without realizing I am coming into the presence of the King of Kings. Help me to slow down enough to prepare my heart and mind to hear You speak to me before I speak to You.” ❖ Do you need to pray that prayer with me? 21
