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Dear Friends, This month of May, 2025, we are memorizing Psalm 23 together. I am sure you will find many encouragements in this Psalm written by David. I would like to focus some thoughts on Psalm 23:3. “He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.” The paths mentioned in this verse are really ruts! So, David is calling us, as the Lord’s sheep, to develop healthy rhythms in our lives. We all should seek to live in righteous ruts. In his book, “A Shepherd Looks at the Twenty-third Psalm,” Philip Keller lists several fresh attitudes we need…

Dear Friends, David concludes his song in Psalm 16 with these words: Psalm 16:11 NIVYou make known to me the path of life;you will fill me with joy in your presence,with eternal pleasures at your right hand. These words sound like the very words of our Savior Jesus Christ. First, He experienced life, death, and the pathway into immortality. Jesus truly died and, on the third day, His tomb was empty. His resurrected body left the tomb and He appeared to many! Jesus was then filled with joy in God’s presence. After his ascension, his perfect prayer in John 17…

Dear Friends, In the final strophe in the prayer in Psalm 16 David expresses his confidence in life beyond the grave! These verses are quoted by Peter in Acts 2:25-28 and applied the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the reason the psalm is called a Messianic psalm.  Psalm 16:9-10 NIV9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, 10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. “Therefore” is the link between what is stated before with what is…

Dear Ones, In Psalm 16:5-6, we discovered that David celebrates his life. As he continues this prayer, he rejoices in the guidance he has received from the Lord. Psalm 16:7 NIVI will praise the LORD, who counsels me;even at night my heart instructs me. David bows his knees in worship of the LORD who gives his wise advice!  Where do we find wisdom?  We find it in God’s word!  He is generous in giving wisdom and guidance! Jesus is called the Wonderful Counselor in Isaiah 9:6. David goes on to explain that this counsel can come at any time, even…

Contentment is a struggle, right? We look for it in all the wrong places. Money, status, relationships, our favorite coping mechanisms. In Psalm 16, David reveals where he found contentment in life. Psalm 16:5-6 NIVLORD, you alone are my portion and my cup;you make my lot secure.The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;surely I have a delightful inheritance. First, he declares his focus in life is on the Lord alone. This is written as a superlative!  The Lord is my filet mignon, the very best of the best. God himself is the focus, not just the gifts…

Dear Ones, David continues to celebrate joy in his relationship with other believers by stating the heartache he feels toward all who reject the Lord. He is distressed to observe a lack of trust in the Lord. He is overwhelmed by their choice to follow anti-Christs. He is not expressing hatred but deep, personal sorrow!  Psalm 16:4 NIVThose who run after other gods will suffer more and more.I will not pour out libations of blood to such godsor take up their names on my lips. David has seen idol worshippers busy at the task of exalting unreal “gods.”  His eyes…

It makes sense then that we should view our fellow believers as saints! How would your view of others be transformed if you saw them as fellow saints in God’s holy family?

Dear Ones, Are you ever hungry? As humans, we all experience hunger. On days like Pi Day, we may be more aware of that craving in this earthly life. Let us look now at our soul’s hunger and where satisfaction can be found. Psalm 16 begins with a joyful celebration of an intimate relationship with God! In 16:1, David calls out to God for protection. In 16:2, he echoes his trust in the Lord. Psalm 16:2 NIVI say to the LORD,“You are my Lord;apart from you I have no good thing.” David confesses to the Great I AM, the LORD,…

Dear Friends, Psalm 16 begins with a simple prayer request. Psalm 16:1 NIVKeep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge. This request is made to MY God. David is well acquainted with God; his request for protection is very personal. The picture is of a watchman guarding a city, soldiers protecting their king, or a shepherd gazing upon his sheep. The King James Version translates it: “Preserve Me, O God.” The simple reason for this request is that David has chosen to “take refuge” in God. The concept of God as our refuge is very prominent in…

Dear Friends, For the next two months, March and April 2025, we will be memorizing Psalm 16. This song is quoted by Peter in his sermon on Pentecost and by Paul in Acts 13:35 at Pisidian Antioch. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead fulfilled this psalm! For this reason, I chose this passage for our memory work this Resurrection season. Psalm 16 was written by David and carries the title of miktam, which is used of only six psalms. This title may mean “something hidden now revealed” or “truth which is precious like gold.” Here is an outline of five expressions…