Summer in the Psalms: Week 2, Psalm 15-28

Welcome to Week 2!

What a great first week we’ve had!  I am so thankful to be right here, soaking up the Word of God with such incredible women.  If you are just joining us, grab a cup of coffee and your Bible and get ready for some significant praise and joy.  The Psalms is full of both!

If you were at Foothills on Sunday morning, the opening song was “O Praise Him” by David Crowder.  As I stood there singing I thought of you, my fellow “Psalm-ers”, feeling as if we’ve been warming up for this all week:

Turn your gaze to Heaven and raise 
A joyous noise 
Oh the sound of salvation come 
The sound of rescued ones 
And all this for a king, angels join to sing 
All for Christ our King!

How infinite and sweet 
This love so rescuing 
Oh how infinitely sweet 
This great love that has redeemed 
As one, we sing… 

As one, we sing.  What is so cool is that there are so many different women doing this online study.  Some attend Foothills, some don’t.  Some live in other cities and states. Yet, as one, we sing.  Don’t you know the God of the universe hears our collective hearts praising Him, seeking to know Him more, to hear from Him through this amazing book, chapter by chapter, verse by verse…

Feel free to invite your friends to join us, even as we get further into the study. God’s Word is fresh and alive and pays no mind to when and where one starts to read it.  It will always have Life to offer.

With that, here’s some insight and direction into the next set of chapters for Psalms.

CHAPTERS 15-28

1. Some Overall Themes (I say some because there are so many, but these are a few that stood out to me…)

Righteousness.  Chapters 15 and 24 ask and answer this question:  “Who may dwell on Your holy hill?”  Righteousness is a recurring theme in Psalms.  Are we seeking to have His righteousness be a known part of everything we do and say?  

Rescue.  Psalm 18:1-19 is one of my favorite portions of scripture.  Hear from each of these verses what God Almighty does for you.  As one commentary puts it, this chapter is a “royal drama of divine rescue”.

The Importance of God’s Word.  Psalm 19:7-11 contains a list of available character traits for those who choose to spend time in God’s Word.  Verse 8 is one of the best:  “The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”  More joy and light? Yes, please.

God’s Leading in Our Lives.  Psalm 23 and 25 speak strongly to how the Lord leads us and how open the psalmist’s heart is to hearing from Him.  

JOY!  Psalms 28 in the NLT has a fantastic verse in it.  Verse 7 says “the Lord is my strength and shield.  I trust Him with all my heart.  He helps me and my heart is filled with joy.  I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.”   I love it.  What if that was literal?  What if we were filled with joy, so much so that we just burst out in song? That just makes me laugh thinking about it.  Don’t kids do that, just start singing as they walk through life?  Oh, to have the faith of a little child…

2.  Questions to Ponder As You Read

  • What are ways the Lord pursues you, cherishes you and loves you?
  • What’s revealed about how the Lord leads you?
  • Have these chapters given you more confidence in who God is?  What about Him do you believe more today than you did yesterday?

3.  Reflection 

Is your life marked by joy?  Over and over David finds himself full of joy, praising God for His goodness.  Yes, he had seasons of heartache and grief, seasons of disappointment. Psalm 22 is full of anguish.  But I love David’s resolve in Psalm 21:6-7 – “You will make him joyful with gladness in Your presence.  For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the lovingkindness of the Most High he will not be shaken.”  As we walk through our week, as we are tempted to be shaken and anxious, may we remember joy.

4.  Challenge

Last week I challenged us to begin a Praise Journal.  If you haven’t yet, grab a notebook or a stack of 3×5 cards and start writing out your heart of praise before the Lord.  

There is something that happens in our spirit when we praise our good God.  

It takes the focus off the circumstances of our lives and causes us to look fully at Him.  “Turn your gaze to Heaven and raise a joyous noise.”  Such a good reminder.  Take time to praise Him this week.

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Aren’t you encouraged when you hear about God moving in the lives of others, in women just like you?  If you have a verse or a theme that has impacted your life, share it with us!

3 Comments

  1. Terri Starck on June 14, 2011 at 8:01 am

    Our family is going through a rough time and I am amazed at how God is moving. He does bring joy amidst hard times. Thank you, Julie, this is encouraging.

  2. Susie June on June 15, 2011 at 9:34 am

    I am just catching up with you ladies in week 2 and I love this! Thank you Julie. I have spent all morning on Psalm 19, especially verse 7-11 and I just can’t seem to get beyond this yet. He does give us joy and His light in the midst of hard times, Amen! I jotted down these attributes about who He is:
    Perfect, Trustworthy, Right, Radiant, Pure, and Sure.
    The verse that I am meditating on this week is v. 14, oh how I need this.
    May the words of my mouth and the meditaion of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer!
    Missing you all!
    Susie June

  3. Heidi on June 18, 2011 at 6:25 am

    Turning my head to heaven this week meant seeing the sky as blue as I have ever seen it on some days and as black and rumbling on other days. It’s been a crazy weather week in Connecticut. God has shown his power in the sky (literally). It’s so amazing to me. Thanks and praise to Him who makes himself known to us in the Word.

    Heidi

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