Psalms 44:17

 Psalms 44:17 says, All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.  David said even though the people of Israel were suffering, that they had not dealt falsely with God and His covenant.  This must be our declaration as followers of Christ today, no matter what is happening in our life.  Still, this was not true for all Israelites, nor is it true of all who profess to be followers of Christ today.  Verse eighteen adds, Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy way;  David said that they remained true in their walk with God, and so must we as Christians.  Verse nineteen states, Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death. David once more says that God had broken them.  God is never going to break His people, though He may allow them to be broken, or defeated, by those who do not believe in Him.  Even if this happens, we need to continue to live by faith and to praise God.  Verse twenty declares, If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god;  David then said if they had forgotten God's name and reached out to a strange God.  We must make sure that we never do this as Christians.  Verse twenty-one adds, Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.  David asked if they had done this would God not search out this fact, as He knew the secrets of their hearts.  We can be certain that if we have turned away from following God's will in our lives, even if it is only in our thoughts, that God is aware of it.  Verse twenty-two states, Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.  David said that the people of Israel were being killed like sheep before the slaughter for God's sake.  Even if we as Christians are killed today, we must die for the glory of God.  Verse twenty-three declares, Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever.  David felt that God must be asleep and asked Him to arise and not cast them off forever.  As followers of Christ, no matter how bad things may be going in our lives today, God is never asleep but is always with us.  God will never cast off or desert those who are His.  Verse twenty-four adds, Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression?  David said he thought God was hiding His face from the people of Israel and forgetting them in their oppression.  We may sometimes hear Christians say that it seems like God has forgotten them, but He never will.  Verses twenty-five continues, For our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaveth unto the earth.  David said that they were very oppressed.  If we feel oppressed today as Christians, we need to simply look to God in praise.  Our status in life should never determine whether we believe that God is with us or not.  Verse twenty-six concludes, Arise for our help, and redeem us for thy mercies’ sake.  David asked God to rise up and redeem them for God's sake.  We must always look to God to redeem us from bad situations in life, and if He does we must give Him the glory. 

Psalms 44:9

Psalms 44:9 says, But thou hast cast off, and put us to shame; and goest not forth with our armies.  David said God was no longer with them, that He had cast them off and no longer went with them against their enemies.  In reality, the people of Israel had cast God off.  As followers of Christ, God will never desert us, and if we feel He is no longer with us, we need to examine our own life to see if we have fallen away from Him.  Verse ten adds,Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy: and they which hate us spoil for themselves.  David said God caused them to fall back to their enemies, but it was their lack of faith in and disobedience to God that led to their defeat.  God did not just abandon them for no reason, nor will He ever abandon us for no reason.  Verse eleven continues, Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat; and hast scattered us among the heathen.  David said God had left them at the mercy of the heathen.  At least David acknowledged God as the source of their success, but he did not put the blame for their defeat on their lack of faithfulness.  We must acknowledge God as the source of our strength as Christians, but we must never blame Him if we are overcome by the wicked of the world.  As long as we put our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, God has already given us an everlasting victory.  Verse twelve states, Thou sellest thy people for nought, and dost not increase thy wealth by their price.  David seems to imply that God gave His people up for nothing and somehow made Himself more wealthy by doing so.  Since everything already belongs to God, this is a foolish idea.  God will never have to abandon His people for His own benefit, nor will He do so.  Verse thirteen adds, Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us.  Though the people of Israel may have become a reproach and a source of derision to those around them, it was their own sins that had caused this.  They had turned away from God.  If we feel that we have become a source of scorn to the people around us today as Christians, we need to examine our relationship with God.  We know that God will never abandon us, so we must simply remain faithful to Him, no matter what.  Verse fourteen says, Thou makest us a byword among the heathen, a shaking of the head among the people.  David was still seems to be putting the blame for the failure of Israel on God, instead of on their disobedience to God.  If life is going badly for us today as followers of Christ, we cannot begin to question or blame God.  We need to continue to praise God for our salvation, and continue to put our faith in Him.  We also need to examine our life and see if we have allowed sin back in.  Verse fifteen adds, My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me,  David said he was continually confused and shame had covered his face.  We do not need to be confused about God's love and protection of Christians today, no matter what is happening in the world.  As long as we remain faithful to God,  there will never be a reason for us to feel like we are covered with shame.  Verse sixteen continues, For the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth; by reason of the enemy and avenger.  David said that his confusion came because his enemies seemed to be victorious, even though they spoke blasphemy against God.  Even if those who deny God or attempt too attribute His work to something else may seem to be flourishing today and Christians beaten down, we know that through faith in Christ that we have already won the victory, so we need to keep praising God no matter what. 

Psalms 44:1

 Psalms 44:1 says,To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, Maschil.  Once more, we have David's instructions and then verse one says, We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.  David said that their fathers had told them of God's work in the past.  As Christians, we need to tell our children about how God has worked in the past, both in Biblical times and in our own lives.  Verse two adds, How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out.  David said that their fathers told them how God afflicted the heathen and drove them out of the land that He gave to the people of Israel.  What we need to share as well as this is how Jesus Christ came to defeat all the enemies of God and how He drives sin out of the lives of those who accept Him as Savior and Lord, and then gives them the ability to continue to overcome sinful temptations in their life.  Verse three continues, For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them.  David said that the people of Israel did not get the land by military might, but by the power of God.  We need to put our faith in God's power more than in military power today.  Verse four declares, Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.  David said that God was his King, even though David was the king of Israel.  He then asked for deliverance for the people of Jacob, or Israel.  As followers of Christ, first and foremost we must always declare to the world that God is our God.  God is not just some mystical force, but He is our personal Savior and Lord, and He has already delivered us to victory over sin and given us everlasting life if we accept Him by faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse five adds, Through thee will we push down our enemies: through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us.  David said that by the power of God and in His name that they would tread down any enemy that rose up against them.  God still gives us the same power today, even if we lose our life standing for Him.  We already have everlasting life through our faith in Jesus Christ and will never be defeated by the world.  Verse six continues, For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.  David said he wouldn't trust in implements of war to save him.  No matter how powerful we as a nation may be militarily, we must never put our faith in our military might, but must always put our faith in God.  Verse seven states, But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us.  David gave God credit for saving the people of Israel from their enemies, and so must we today as followers of Christ.  Verse eight adds, In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah. David said the people of Israel put their faith in God and boasted of Him all-day long.  This is what we as Christians should do today, and not just on certain days at certain times.  We must witness for God at all times, because He is with us at all times.

Psalms 43:1

 Psalms 43:1 says, Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.  David called for God to plead his cause against an ungodly nation and asked God to judge him and deliver him from deceitful and unjust men.  One day, God is going to judge everyone, and the only way to not be judged as deceitful and unjust is by putting our faith in Jesus Christ.  When God's judgment comes, followers of Christ will be delivered from an ungodly land forever.  Verse two adds, For thou art the God of my strength: why dost thou cast me off? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?  David was evidently feeling a little sorry for himself, asking why God, the source of his strength, had cast him off.  We may sometimes be the same way, but we need not feel sorry for ourselves, because no matter what happens, God never casts off or abandons those who are His through their faith in Jesus Christ.  Even when everything in life may seem to be going wrong, God is always with us if we are Christians.  Verse three states, O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.  God has already done what David asked Him to do.  He has sent out His truth and light through Jesus Christ.  David asked God to allow His truth and light to guide him to God's holy hill and tabernacle.  One day, God will bring us to His everlasting place of worship, and until then, no matter what may be going on in our life, we need to always give Him our praise.  Verse four adds, Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.  David said that when God sent His light and truth, then he would go to the altar of God and be exceedingly joyful and sing praises to Him.  God has sent His light and truth, Jesus Christ, into the world already today, and if we accept Him as our Savior and Lord, then we should be exceedingly joyful and give our praise to Him.  We should gather together as believers in Christ and sing our praises to Him.  Verse five asks, Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.  David asked why his soul was cast down and disquieted.  If we are cast down and disquieted in our soul today as Christians, we need to ask ourselves the same question.  Through our faith in Jesus Christ, God has already given us everlasting salvation, so why should we be worried about the things of this world?  David then said he would praise God, Who was the health of his countenance and his God.  Like David, if we are feeling cast down and disquieted, we need to simply look to God and give Him our praise.  The things of this world should never come between God and us.

Psalms 42:1

 Psalms 42:1 says, To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah.  Once more we have the introduction, then verse one says, As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.  Like David, we must need and seek after God's will as much as a deer needs and seeks water.  A deer cannot go long without needing and hunting water, and we should never go any time without needing and seeking God and His will for our life.  Verse two adds, My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?  David said that since his soul thirsted for God, when would he come and appear before God.  As Christians, the answer to this question should be that we are continually before God.  Verse three continues, My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where  is thy God?  David said his tears feed him day and night as his enemies asked him where his God was.  Though we may at times cry feeling that the world is too much to handle, if we have put our faith in Jesus Christ, we don't have to wonder where God is.  Verse four declares, When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday.  David said that he had gone with the multitude to the house of God and kept His holy days.  Though we go to the house of God, or the church building, to worship weekly, we need to remember that as Christians wherever we are is God's house all the time.  We cannot have a Sunday faith and a weekday faith.  Verse five asks, Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.  David asked why he had let the things of the world to cast him down.  We have no reason to let the things of the world get us down, because through Christ we already have the everlasting victory.  Verse six adds, O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar.  David said that since his soul was cast down, he would remember God and His past works in the world.  If we begin to feel cast down in spirit,  we need to simply remember what God has done in the past, especially when He sent His only begotten Son to die in our place.  Verse seven says, Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.  David said that the waves and billows of God had gone over him.  We need to allow the love of God to wash over us at all times, but especially in times of trouble.  Verse eight adds, Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.  David said that since God was with him day and night, or at all times, that he would pray to the God of his life.  Since God is with us as followers of Christ at all times, we need to pray to Him, the only true God that there is.  Verse nine declares, I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?  David asked a rhetorical question I believe when he asked why God had forgotten him and why he was mourning in the presence of his enemies.   Since we know that God will never forsake us as Christians, we have no need to mourn if the people of the world seem to be multiplying against us.  Verse ten states, As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God?  David said that his enemies daily reproached him and asked where his God was.  The people of the world may look at Christians when they suffer and ask where their God is at these times of suffering, but we never should.  We know that no matter what happens, God is always with us as long as we put our faith in Him.  Verse eleven adds, Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.  David then asked why he was cast down in His soul when he knew that God was his God and the One Who sustained his life.  As followers of Christ, if we begin to allow our situation to get us down, we need to ask why, because God is always with us.  Like David, we need to continue to praise God, no matter what. 

Psalms 41:1

 Psalms 41:1 says, To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.  Again we have the introduction, then verse one says,  Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.  Once more, David tells us that those who help the poor are helped, or blessed, by God.  I believe a person has to do this to bring honor to God, and not himself or herself, in order to be blessed by God.  Verse two adds, The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.  David continues to speak about those who help the needy and says that God will keep him or her from his or her enemies.   Once more, I believe that we must have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ for this to be true.  Verse three continues, The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.  David then said that God would be with those who helped the poor even if they were sick in bed.  This was not a promise that God was going to enrich them materially, but that He would be with them no matter what happened in this life.  We, as followers of Christ, should not help the poor so that God will reward us, but should do it so that God will be glorified.  Verse four declares, I said, LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.  David asked God to heal his soul because he had sinned against God.  This is the prayer that we must pray when we come to Jesus Christ for salvation.  We must acknowledge our sin and our inability to find forgiveness outside of accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse five adds, Mine enemies speak evil of me, When shall he die, and his name perish?  David said his enemies asked when would he die and his name be forgotten.  As Christians, the people of the world may ask the same thing of us, but we can be sure that our name will never be forgotten by God, even if no one in the world remembers us for long.  Verse six continues, And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity: his heart gathereth iniquity to itself; when he goeth abroad, he telleth it.  David said if his enemy came to see him that he spoke vanity, or meaningless words, and that his enemy then told the world about David's suffering, because or the iniquity of the enemy's heart.  Many non Christians today love to talk about it when Christians suffer, claiming that it shows that either God doesn't exist or that He has little power.  What they fail to understand is that God is with us always, even if we are suffering, and that through faith in Christ we have already been given everlasting life with God.  Verse seven adds, All that hate me whisper together against me: against me do they devise my hurt.  David said that all those who hated him were whispering about him and devising ways to hurt him.  We,as Christians, may sometimes feel that the world is against us, but as long as we remain faithful to God, it really doesn't matter.   This world is not our home.  Verse eight states, An evil disease, say they, cleaveth fast unto him: and now that he lieth he shall rise up no more.  David said that his enemies said that he would never rise from the evil disease that clung to him.  Still, it was not in this life that David had hope, and neither should it be for us as Christians.  Verse nine adds, Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.  David said even his trusted friends had turned against him.  If we are suffering as Christians, sometimes even those that we thought to be trusted friends may turn away from us, but we as Christians should never be that way toward those who are suffering, especially our fellow Christians.  Verse ten says, But thou, O LORD, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite them. David asked God to be merciful to him so that he could requite them.  We as followers of Christ need to realize that God has already been merciful to us, and one day He will silence our enemies.  Verse eleven adds, By this I know that thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me.  David said that by God lifting him up and silencing his enemies that he would know that God favored him.  Through faith in Christ, God has already lifted us up over our enemies forever.  Verse twelve continues, And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity, and settest me before thy face for ever.  Like David, through our faith in Christ, we can be certain that God upholds us and we will see His face forevermore one day.  Verse thirteen concludes, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.  David then asked that the name of the LORD be blessed forever.  As Christians, this should be our goal in life, that we live in such a way that God's name will be glorified. 

Psalms 40:10

Psalms 40:10 says, I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.  David said that he had not kept the righteousness of God to himself, but he had declared it to the congregation.  We are to share the truth of God with all those around us and not keep it hidden for our benefit only.  Veree eleven adds, Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.  David asked that God not withhold His tender mercies and lovingkindness from him.  As Christians, as long as we are faithful to God, He will never withhold His lovingkindness and mercy from us.  Verse twelve continues, For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.  David, called a man after God's own heart, said that innumerable evils had fallen on him and that his own iniquity made it impossible for him to even look up.  David, even though he was at times very faithful, recognized his own times of giving in to sin.  We as followers of Christ are not perfect and may at times fail to live up to our calling, but we are forever forgiven by our faith in Him.  Verse thirteen states, Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me.  David asked that if it pleased God that He deliver him from his situation and his sins I believe.  We can never demand that God deliver us from our situation or or sins, but must always put everything in His hands.  Verse fourteen adds, Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil.  David asked God to give him victory over his enemies, and as Christians God has already given us everlasting victory over all our enemies, even if times in life they seem victorious.  Verse fifteen continues, Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me, Aha, aha.  David asked that those who mocked him because of his faith be put to shame.  Those who mock or make fun of Christians today will be put to shame when God's judgment comes, and we need to be content with this promise.  Verse sixteen declares, Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified.  David asked that those who sought the LORD continually magnify, or praise Him.  As followers of Christ, we need to continually magnify God in our everyday life.  Verse seventeen adds, But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.  David, a man known for his great power and faith, declared himself to be poor and needy and asked God, Who was his help and deliverer, to not tarrying in helping him.  As Christians, the Holy Spirit is always with us, and we need to simply live knowing that God has already delivered us to everlasting life with Him.  The evil of the world can never defeat us as long as we remain faithful to God.