Psalms 145:14

Psalms 145:14 adds, The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.  This refers to all the animals of the world.  Verse fifteen adds, The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.  David said that all of the animals looked to God, though they do not know Who He is, to provide them with food when they needed it.  Of course, that is also a part of the responsibility of people, who were created to have dominion over the animals and to care for them.  Verse sixteen continues, Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.  God does provide for the needs of all living things.  Of course, in the sin filled world, mankind often gets in the way of God's plan.  Verse seventeen declares, The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.  What David said then has not changed.  God is still righteous in all His works and holy in all His ways.  If things are going badly in the world or in our lives as Christians, we do not need to blame God as or first course of action.  Verse eighteen adds, The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.  Though God is close by everyone, He is really just close to those who call on Him in faith by His truth.  If God's nearness is to have any meaning to us, we must call out to Him in faith, beginning by accepting the truth that Jesus Christ died for our sins and is the only way to salvation.  Verse nineteen continues, He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.  David said that God would save those who reached out to Him for salvation.  This should be our only desire from God until we are saved, and then doing His will should become our only desire.   Verse twenty states, The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.  This may not happen in our lifetime, but one day all the evil, those who do not believe in God, will be sent away to everlasting destruction.  Of course, once we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we are spiritually preserved by God forever. Verse twenty-one adds, My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.  We, like David, need to speak praises to God in the world today and pray that everyone will come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord and bless God's holy name forever.

Psalms 145:1

Psalms 145:1 says, David’s Psalm of praise.  This is identified as a psalm of praise by David, then verse one says, I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.  David said he would extol, or praise, God and bless His name for ever and ever.  As Christians, we should always praise God, throughout life everlasting.  Verse two adds, Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.  David did not say on good days or one or two particular days a week he would praise God, but that everyday he would.  We cannot just praise God when things are going well or one or two hours on one or two days a week set aside as days to gather together to worship God, but we must praise Him continually.  Verse three declares, Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. We should praise God because of His greatness, and not because of what is happening in our life.  God's greatness is unsearchable, or above our understanding.  Verse four adds, One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.  David said that because of Who God is, that each generation should teach the next to praise Him.  This is our responsibility today as well.  If one generation is skipped, the next will be in danger of never hearing about God.  Though I don't believe any person will ever be able to justify themself because they claim to have never known about God, it is much easier to come to Him by faith when the gospel is shared.  Verse five continues, I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.  Like David, we as followers of Christ must tell others of the majesty and wonderous works of God, beginning with sharing the gospel.  Verse six states,  And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness.  David said when people spoke of God's terrible, or well known acts of judgment, that they would declare God's greatness.  We must always proclaim God's greatness, even if He is acting in judgment against the sin and unrepentant sinners in the world.  Verse seven adds, They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.  This is what we should do as Christians, and we should do this no matter what is happening in the world.  We sing God's righteousness because He alone is righteous.  Verse eight says, The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.  We are so blessed that this is true.  If it were not for the grace and compassion of God, there would be no hope for salvation.  If God acted hastily out of anger everytime we sinned, we would be damned forever.  Verse nine adds, The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.  God is indeed good to all, because He offers salvation to everyone.  Unfortunately, too many people never accept His salvation plan and will one day be separated from His tender mercies forever.  Verse ten continues, All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee.  We as Christians are the saints of God and we should bless,or praise, Him.  Saints are not some super righteous group, but are simply sinners saved by grace who are set apart for doing God's work.  Verse eleven states, They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;  We should never forget tell others of the glory of the kingdom of God and of His power in the world.  Verse twelve adds, To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.  We as followers of Christ must tell others of the mighty acts of God and the glorious majesty of His kingdom.  If we personally don't know of any other mighty act of God, we know of His mighty act of providing a way of salvation if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.  Verse thirteen declares, Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.  This will never change.  God's kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion will last through all generations. 

Psalms 144:9

Psalms 144: 9 says, I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee.  In the midst of David's problems, he said he would sing a new song of praise to God accompanied by musical instruments.  Even if we are surrounded by problems, we need to sing a new song to God everyday, though I don't believe that means we have to create a new song.  We simply need to sing praises to God each new day.  Verse ten adds, It is he that giveth salvation unto kings: who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword.  David said he was singing praises to God because of Who God is.  God is the deliverer of not only those in power, but of even the lowest of individual who puts their faith in Him.  As Christians, we know that this means accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse eleven states, Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood:  David asked God to deliver him from the hands of strangers who spoke vanities and to rid him of them.  God has already provided us with everlasting victory over all who stand against His people.  We will still be in their midst though until Jesus Christ returns.  Verse twelve adds,That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace:  David asked God to remove him from the presence of his enemies and their lies so his children could grow up safely.  As followers of Christ, it is our responsibility to teach our children about Jesus Christ, so that they might grow up to become a part of the family of God.  Verse thirteen continues, That our garners may be full, affording all manner of store: that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets:  David then asked that God bless them abundantly materially.  This really wasn't a call for God to make them really rich, but for Him to abundantly meet their needs.  We should not expect Godcto make us materially wealthy today, but instead should rely on Him to meet our everyday needs abundantly.  Verse fourteen concludes, That our oxen may be strong to labour; that there be no breaking in, nor going out; that there be no complaining in our streets.  David asked that their work animals be strong and that their would be no complaining in the streets by God's people.  David also asked for peace, in that their would be no one breaking into their country in war.  We have God's peace with us as Christians, no matter what is happening in life, if we remain faithful to Him.  Verse fifteen declares,  Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD.  As followers of Christ, we should be happy, rejoicing people because Jesus Christ is our Savior and Lord.  Even in the midst of great trouble, this should be true. 

Psalms 144:1

Psalms 144;1 says, A Psalm of David.  This is identified as a psalm of David, then verse one says, Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:  As king, David was known as a great fighting man, but he gave God credit for his success.  We need to give God the credit for all our victories over sin today, since it is by His power that we are successful.  Verse two adds, My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me.  Like David, God should be our goodness, fortress, high tower and shield, because as Christians He is our Deliverer from power of death and and sin.  We must therefore put our trust in Him.  Verse three declares, LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him!  David asked what man was that God would make note of him.  The only real value we have as people is the value that God gives us.  We are God's creation, and He could just totally destroy us because of our sinful thoughts and actions, but He chooses to redeem us instead.  Verse four adds, Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.  David said people were like a vanity, or nothing compared to God, who soon passed away physically.  Still, our soul lives on forever, and we are of such great value to God that He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place.  We only have to accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord in order to claim everlasting life with God instead of being  separated from Him in hell.  Verse five states, Bow thy heavens, O LORD, and come down: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.  David asked God to come down from the heavens and give him victory in his battles.  We do not have to ask God to come down from the heavens to help us, because the Holy Spirit indwells us as Christians.  Verse six adds, Cast forth lightning, and scatter them: shoot out thine arrows, and destroy them.  David asked God to use His power to destroy his enemies, but I believe our prayer today should be that God would save our enemies through their turning to Him for salvation.  Verse seven continues, Send thine hand from above; rid me, and deliver me out of great waters, from the hand of strange children;  David asked God to deliver him from the hand of strangers.  I believe these would be people who are strangers both to David and to God.  Verse eight concludes, Whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.  David said that those who fought against him spoke lies about both God and David, and that their strength was based on lies.  No matter how powerful those who fight against God and His people, those who put their faith in Jesus Christ, may be today, their strength is based on a lie that they are more powerful than God.

Psalms 143:1

Psalms 143:1 says, A Psalm of David.  This is identified as a psalm of David, then verse one says, Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.  David asked God to hear him based on God's goodness and righteousness and not on David's.  When we ask help from God, it must be in accordance with God's goodness and righteousness and not our own.  Verse two adds, And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.  Just like David, we must acknowledge that no one is justified before God by their own merit.  As followers of Christ, we are all simply sinners saved by grace, unworthy of God's forgiveness.  Verse three continues, For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.  David said that his enemies had reduced him to almost nothing.  He was living in darkness amongst the dead.  Until we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, no matter how successful we may be in the world, we are living in spiritual darkness amongst those who are spiritually dead.  Verse four states, Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.  David said his spirit was overwhelmed and his heart was desolate.  I believe that as Christians we should never feel this way, because the Holy Spirit is always with us, but sometimes when things go terribly wrong, we may.  Verse five adds, I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands.  Like David, when things look bleak, we need to remember how God has been with us in the past in bad situations.  Verse six continues, I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.  David said he reached out to God and his soul thirsted for God like a dry land thirsts for water.  Our soul as a follower of Christ should always thirst for His living water.  Verse seven says, Hear me speedily, O LORD: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.  As David asked then, we need for God to hear us quickly when we are in distress, to keep us from being like those who go down into the pit of the unrighteous.  We have everlasting life if we have put our faith in Jesus Christ, but we can still fall into bad habits if we are not careful and follow after some of the ways of the world.  I believe having worry and doubt are two of the ways that we can become like those of the world.  Verse eight adds, Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.  David asked that God allow him to hear His voice of lovingkindness in the morning, to guide the way that he should walk, because he lifted up his soul to God.  This should be our prayer every morning.  Verse nine states, Deliver me, O LORD, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me.  Like David, we must turn to God to deliver us from our enemies.  We cannot be spiritually successful on our own.  Verse ten adds, Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.  David asked God to teach him to do God's will, because He was David's God.  We cannot do God's will or truly learn His ways if He is not our God, which is only possible by putting our faith Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.  Verse eleven continues, Quicken me, O LORD, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.  When we ask God for deliverance, we must always do so not just for our own benefit, but so that He might be glorified.  Too often I believe that God blesses us by delivering us out of a bad situation and we never give Him the glory.  Verse twelve concludes, And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant.  As Christians, out of His mercy God has already cut off our enemies, forever, in the spiritual aspect. 

Psalms 142:1

Psalms 142:1 says, Maschil of David; A Prayer when he was in the cave.  This is identified as a maschil, or prayer, of Davd, written in the cave, then verse one says, I cried unto the LORD with my voice; with my voice unto the LORD did I make my supplication.  This was written when David was hiding from Saul in a cave.  Even after God chose David to be king, not everything was perfect in his life.  We should not expect everything in this world to be perfect after we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord either.  David cried out to God during this time, and so should we as Christians in times of trouble.  Verse two adds, I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble.  David said he poured out his complaint to God.  I don't believe that he did that in a demanding way, but as a prayer for help.  I believe that we should let God know our concerns in life, not because He doesn't already know them, but to show our faith in Him.  Then, we should have faith in His answering us in the best way possible.  Verse three continues, When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me.  David said even when he felt spiritually overwhelmed that God knew the path that he should take, and where the snares that his enemies had laid for him were.  God is with us and knows the source of all our problems even when we are feeling spiritually overwhelmed.  Verse four states, I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.  David said he could find no one to help him.  If we are ever feeling alone in our spiritual walk, we need to look to God for strength as followers of Christ.  Verse five adds, I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.  David cried out to God, declaring God to be his refuge in the land of the living.  God is our refuge as Christians, not only in this life but in the everlasting life to come.  Verse six continues, Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I.  David, known for his strength and bravery, asked God to deliver him because his enemies were stronger than he was.  David's strength always came from God, and so does ours.  Verse seven concludes, Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.  David asked God to bring him out of the prison that he felt he was in because of Saul wanting to kill him.  He said he wanted this so that he could praise the name of God, knowing that God would deal bountifully with him.  When we ask God for help in times of trouble, we should always do it so that God's name can be praised, and never for our own profit or glory.  God has already dealt bountifully with us by providing salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. 

Psalms 141:1

Psalms 141;1 says, A Psalm of David.  This is identified as a psalm of David, then verse one says, LORD, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee.  Once again,  David was crying out to God and asking God to hear him.  If we as Christians call out to God in faith, we can be certain that He will hear us.  Verse two adds, Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.  David asked that his prayer be as sweet as incense before God and as important as the evening sacrifice.  God does value our prayers more than our sacrifices I believe, and they are always sweet for Him to hear, even when we pray out of distress, because they show our faith in Him.  Verse three states, Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.  David asked God to guard his mouth.  Verse four adds, Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.  David then asked God to keep His heart from being inclined toward those that worked evil and to keep him from eating their dainty things. We need God to guard what we say and what we a)low to come into our life as followers of Christ.  Even if something looks and tastes sweet, even if only mentally, but is evil in God's sight we must not allow it to come into our life.  Verse five says, Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities.  David said that he wanted the righteous, those who truly believed in and followed God's laws, to tell him of his faults.  David said he would continue to pray for them if they were in trouble.  We should welcome the correction of other Christians if we have allowed some sinful practice to come into our life, and we should still pray for them.  Too often when corrected we become vindictive towards those who correct us, even if we know they are right.  Verse six adds, When their judges are overthrown in stony places, they shall hear my words; for they are sweet.  David said that if those who judged him were overthrown, he would still reach out to them with the sweet words of truth.  We should not rejoice when our enemies are overthrown, but should still reach out to them with the sweet news of the gospel.  Verse seven states, Our bones are scattered at the grave’s mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth.  Matthew Henry says David was complaining about how his fellow Israelites were being destroyed with no compassion for them even in death.  We may at times feel that as followers of Christ that the whole world is against us, but I don't believe that we should complain about it.  God has already assured us everlasting victory.  Verse eight adds, But mine eyes are unto thee, O GOD the Lord: in thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute.  Like David, we must put our trust in the Lord, and if we do He will never leave us destitute.  Verse nine says, Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity.  We need to rely on God to keep us from falling into sinful snares today as David asked of God then.  Verse ten adds, Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal escape.  David asked that the wicked be allowed to fall into their own traps as he escaped.  One day, if we have put our faith in Jesus Christ, we will escape all the snares of the wicked and they will indeed fail by their own snares.