Psalms 68:1

Psalms 68:1 says, To the chief Musician, A Psalm or Song of David.  After the introduction of this as a psalm of David, verse one says, Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him. David asked that God's enemies be scattered and flee before Him.  Today, God's enemies may think that they can stand up to Him or even defeat Him by denying either His existence or His power, but one day, when His day of judgment comes, they will all try to flee from Him, and they find out that it is even impossible to do that.  Verse two adds, As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.  David asked that God's enemies disappear like smoke or to melt away like wax.  This is about how powerful God's enemies are, even if they appear to be very powerful today.  Verse three states, But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.  As followers of Christ, we are the righteous today, not because of our righteous but because of the righteous of Jesus Christ, and we should be rejoicing in our life, not just when things are going well, but at all times.  Verse four adds, Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.  David tells people, especially the people of God, to sing praises to God and rejoice before Him.  JAH is David's term for Jehovah in this Psalm, but He is the one and only all powerful God.  Verse five says, A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.  David said that God was the God of the orphans and widows.  We as God's people should always help the orphans and widows today so that God may be glorified.  Verse six adds, God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.  David said that God brings those that put their faith in Him together in His family and frees them from their chains of sin, but the rebellious are left to dwell in a dry land, a land cut off from God.  Verse seven declares, O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah:  David said that God went before the people in the wilderness, and no matter what we are going through today, as Christians we can be certain that God is going before us.  Verse eight adds, The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.  As David said, God has the power to move the heavens and the earth, as He showed when He shook Mt. Sinai when He gave His law to Moses.  We are even told that as followers of Christ that if we have the faith of a mustard seed that we can move mountains if it is necessary to do so to accomplish God's work.  Verse nine says, Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary.  David said God sent refreshing rain when His people were weary.  God will meet our needs today and refresh our faith as long as we continue to put our faith in Him.  Verse ten adds, Thy congregation hath dwelt therein: thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor.  We as Christians are the congregation of God and we should dwell in His presence.  We also have the task of showing God's goodness to the poor.  Verse eleven states, The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.  As David said, God has given His word and as Christians it is our responsibility to publish, or share it with the world around us today.   Verse twelve adds, Kings of armies did flee apace: and she that tarried at home divided the spoil. David said that kings fled from His word, and that God's people divided the spoils.  God will always be with us even before the most powerful people in the world, and we have already been promised the victory through faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord. 

Psalms 67:1

Psalms 67:1 says, To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm or Song.  After the introduction of the Psalm, verse one says, God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah.  This should be the prayer of every person today, and especially Christians.  Of course, as Christians God has already been merciful to us by forgiving our sins through our faith in Jesus Christ, but we need His mercy and blessing everyday, and we need God's Light to shine on us always.   Verse two adds, That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.  As Paul said, we need God's mercy and grace so that we can show His way to the world.  This is our commission as followers of Christ and not just something that we are to do to bring honor to ourselves.   All that we do as Christians should bring honor and glory to God.  Verse three states, Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.  David called on all the people to praise God.  We cannot expect all the people to praise God if we do not praise Him ourselves.  If people are truly to see Jesus through us, we need to continually live by His grace and power and to reflect it to the world.  Verse four adds, O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah.  David called on all the nations to be glad and sing for joy because God judges people righteously and for all nations to let God rule them.  This will happen one day, when Jesus Christ returns in judgment, but until then we can only live with Him ruling our heart and life and witnessing to others that they might become a part of God's kingdom.  Verse five continues, Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.  Again, we cannot control whether all the people praise God or not, but we can certainly control whether we do or not, and if all people are to praise God, then that definitely includes us.  We should praise God at all times and not just when life is going well.  Verse six declares, Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us.  David said that when everyone truly praised God that the earth would yield its increase.  If the world seems to be failing to provide its increase today, that is because too many people do not give praise to God and follow His way in life.   Verse seven adds, God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.  As David said then, if we follow God's way through faith in and obedience to Jesus Christ, He will bless us.  Our obedience to God, even in the storms of life, should cause others to fear what will one day happen to them if they don't put their faith in Him.  

Psalms 66:11

Psalms 66:11 says, Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins.  David was still talking about God purifying the people of Israel through trials.  Verse twelve adds, Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.  David said that even though God allowed them to be purified by trials that He brought them through the trials to a wealthy place.  As followers of Christ, God may allow us to go through trials of faith in this lifetime, but He will bring us through to our heavenly home.  Verse thirteen states, I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows,  David said that he would keep his vows to God and worship Him, as we must today as Christians even when we are going through trials in life.  Verse fourteen adds, Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble.  David said that these vows were spoken when he was in trouble.  If we make a vow to God in times of trouble, we need to be sure that we fulfill that vow when God delivers us out of the trouble.  Even though our salvation is secure through our faith in Jesus Christ, God still expects us to be faithful in carrying out promises made to Him, even those made in times of trouble.  Verse fifteen continues, I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams; I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah.  David said that he would offer burnt sacrifices to God.  Today, we know that it really isn't the burnt offerings that are important, but our faithfulness to God that is.  The burnt offerings were just a sign of faithfulness to God.  Verse sixteen declares, Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.  David asked anyone who feared or believed in God to come and hear what God had done for him.  We should be ready to share what God has done for us today, not only with those who believe in God and salvation through Jesus Christ, but with anyone that we meet.  Verse seventeen adds, I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue.  David said he praised God with his words, and so should we.  Verse eighteen says, If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:  David said that if He allowed iniquity in his heart that God would not hear Him. Even as Christians, we cannot expect to hold on to evil in our heart and expect God to hear our prayers until we confess that evil and ask for His forgiveness.  Verse nineteen adds, But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.  David said that God heard him, and God will hear us today when we cry out to Him in faith and obedience.  Verse twenty concludes, Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.  David said he blessed, or praised, God for hearing his prayers.  We today need to always praise God for hearing our prayers, even in the midst of trials and tribulations. 

Psalms 66:1

Psalms 66:1 says,To the chief Musician, A Song or Psalm.  After a short introduction, verse one says, Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:  David called on all the lands, or everyone, to make a joyful noise unto God.  We need to do this today, especially as followers of Christ.  Verse two adds, Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.  As David said then, we need to honor God's name in all that we do and praise His glorious love and mercy towards us.  Verse three continues, Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.  David said that people were to acknowledge the power of God over His enemies.  We have no need to fear those who oppose God today, because He has already won the victory for Christians.   Verse four concludes, All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.  David said there is coming a day when people from all parts of the world will worship God and sing praises to Him.  We know that the Bible tells us that Christ will return only after the gospel has been preached throughout all the world.  It is our responsibility to proclaim the gospel to everyone we meet.  Verse five states, Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men.  David called on everyone to come see the works of God.  Terrible does not mean bad, but awesome as Matthew Henry says.  Verse six adds, He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him.  David then reminded the people of Israel about when God parted the Red Sea so they could escape Egypt.  We as followers of Christ simply need to look back to when He died for our sins.  There is no greater miracle.  Verse seven continues, He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.  As David said,  God rules by His power forever. Whether people want to acknowledge this or not, it is no less true.  Just because God gives people free will to rebell against Him does not mean that He is no longer in charge, as those who deny or defy Him will one day realize.  Verse eight declares, O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard:  As David called on the people in his day to do, we as Christians must make our praise to God heard.  Verse nine adds, Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved. David said that people should praise God because He held their souls in life and would not let them be moved.   As followers of Christ, God holds our souls forever through our faith in Jesus Christ, and nothing can ever move us away from Him as long as we are faithful.  Verse ten adds, For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.  David said that God had proved them, as a refiner purifies silver.  When trials come in life today, instead of questioning God,we need to just continue to be faithful to Him.  He may be purifying our faith by what we are going through. 

Psalms 65:1

Psalms 65:1 says, To the chief Musician, A Psalm and Song of David.  After David's introduction, verse one says, Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed.  David said praise waited for God in Zion, and vows to Him would be performed.  One day, all those who have made a vow to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord will continually praise God with no obstacles between God and them.  In the meantime, the church praises God, because all praise is due God.  Verse two adds, O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.  David said God hears prayers and that all people would one day come to Him.  At that time, only the Israelites and those who had become Israelites by faith came to God in prayer, but the day was coming when all people would come to God by faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse three states, Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away.  Like David, just because we stand with God through faith in Jesus Christ doesn't mean that everyone is going to like us.  As a matter of fact, those who deny God will more likely stand against us, but one day God will purge them away.  Verse four adds, Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.  David said that those that God chose would be blessed and satisfied with the goodness of God's holy temple and dwell in His courts.  God extends His merciful salvation to anyone and everyone who will accept it, and everyone who does accept God's salvation should be satisfied with living in the goodness of His grace.  Verse five declares, By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea:  Matthew Henry says this applies to the destruction of the enemies of God's people.  This should give those who put their faith in God no matter where we are or whatever is happening in the world assurance today.  Verse six adds, Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power:  David said that we can have faith in God because He is the Creator and Sustainer of the world.  We as followers of Christ serve the God of unlimited power, so we should never live in fear.  Verse seven continues, Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.  David continues to speak about the power of God over the world.  God controls the seas as well as the land.  We serve the God of unlimited power.  Verse eight says, They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.  David said that those who lived anywhere in the world, no matter how remote the place might be, feared the tokens of God.  God causes the sun to rise and set, and people acknowledge that this has to be because of some great power, but too often they worship the sun and moon instead of worshipping the Creator of the sun and moon.  Verse nine adds, Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it.  David said that God provided the rain to grow the crops needed to feed the people.  Whether people want to admit it or not, we owe God the praise for meeting our needs.  Verse ten continues, Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrows thereof: thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing thereof.  David continues to give God the credit and praise for providing for the needs of people. We as God's people today should especially give Him praise and thanks for providing for our needs, the greatest of which is salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.  Verse eleven states, Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.  Verse twelve adds, They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side.  David said that God blessed the people every year with the birth of livestock.  The whole earth is dependent on God whether people ever acknowledge it or not.  Verse thirteen concludes, The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.  God blesses us with what we need in the world, though not necessarily with what we want.  We need to learn to give God the glory no matter what.  As Christians, He has already provided for all our needs forever. 

Psalms 64:1

Psalms 64:1 says,To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. After David's introduction, verse one says, Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy.  David once more asked God to hear his prayers and preserve his life from his enemies.  We need to continually be in prayer to God, and we can be certain that He has already given us everlasting protection from our enemies.  Verse two adds, Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity:  As David asked of God then, we need Him to protect us from the secret counsel of our enemies.  There are many people today who are secretly working to destroy Christians, and we need to ask God for the wisdom to recognize who they are and what they are doing.  Verse three states, Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:  David said that those who secretly plotted against him then used their tongue like a sword or bow and arrows against him.  People today often use their tongue, their speech, as a weapon against God's people.  Verse four adds, That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.  David said his enemies shot at the perfect, or those who put their faith in God, from secret and suddenly.  As followers of Christ, we are not perfect, but we still often come under attack from those who would destroy us from ambush, as it were, and suddenly.  That is why we must always be ready to defend our faith.  Verse five declares, They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?  David said that his enemies, and therefore God's enemies, encouraged themselves in evil and privately laid snares for God's people.  Today, many people delight in things that are considered evil by God, and they often go out of their way to attempt to destroy those who are faithful to God.  Verse six adds,They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep.  David said that his enemies looked deeply into his life searching for iniquity, or sin.  People today often look into the past of Christians in order to find something to discredit them with, but we need to remember that God has washed away our past, present, and future sins if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse seven says, But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded.  David said that God would suddenly shoot down His enemies, and He will one day suddenly shoot down all of His enemies when Christ returns.  All we need to do is continue to put our faith in God.  Verse eight adds, So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves: all that see them shall flee away.  David said that those who worked to destroy him and against God's word would be destroyed by their own words.  One day, everyone who denies God will be condemned by their own words.  Verse nine continues,  And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing.  When God's judgment comes, all those who have denied God and failed to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord will be in fear.  They will also declare, or acknowledge, the work of God.  Verse ten declares, The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.  David then said the righteous would be glad in the LORD and that the upright in heart would glory in the LORD.  We can only be made righteous by accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  If we have, we must then be upright in our heart by following the guidance of the Holy Spirit. 

Psalms 63:1

Psalms 63:1 says, A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.  In his introduction, David said this psalm was written while he was in the wilderness of Judah, then verse one says, O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;  Like David, as Christians, God is our God and we should seek Him early each day and all day long.  Our soul should thirst for the presence of God in our lives as we would for water in the desert.  Verse two adds, To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.  David said he also desired to see God's power and glory in the wilderness as he had in God's sanctuary.  We need to acknowledge God's glory wherever we are, and not just in the His sanctuary.  Verse three declares, Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. David said that God's lovingkindness was better than life and he would praise God because of it.  We as followers of Christ today should know that God's lovingkindness is more important than anything in this world, even our life itself.  Verse four adds, Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.  David said that he would bless, or praise, God for as long as he lived, and so must we.  We cannot just praise God in the good times, but must praise Him in the bad times as well.  Verse five continues, My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:  David was in the wilderness when he wrote this, but he said he would be satisfied as he would be in times of prosperity and would praise God with joyful lips.  Verse six states, When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.  David said that he would remember God at night as well as during the day.  God and doing His will should be in our thoughts day and night.  Verse seven adds, Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.  David said that God had been his help in the past, so he would rest under the shadow of God's wing.  We as Christians should be able to look back to when God protected us in the past and know that we can rest in assurance of His protection today.  Verse eight says, My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.  We need to be like David said he was, and to follow hard after God, because it is His hand that upholds us.  Verse nine adds, But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth.  David said that those who sought to destroy his soul would go down into the lower parts of the earth.  Those who do not believe in God and seek to destroy our soul, or our spiritual relationship with God, will one day be sent down into hell.  Verse nine continues, They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes.  Whether those who are our enemies spiritually die by the sword, or are defeated in this lifetime or not, they will be one day.  Verse eleven concludes, But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.  David said everyone who put their faith in God would glory, but the mouth of those who didn't would be stopped.  It would be nice if this were true everyday, but it will only be true when Christ returns to call His people out of the wilderness of this world and to their heavenly home.