The pattern of our spiritual history seems to be this -- God does a great miracle, we rejoice, we forget, and things return to a worldly normal, where God is barely acknowledged.

Throughout the Scriptures we see different times that God appointed for His people to come together. One such time for the nation of Israel was the Feast of Tabernacles. It was an annual feast when the people would praise God and remember His faithfulness and care for them during their time in the wilderness.

In Psalm 80, we can see the psalmist (Asaph) speaking on behalf of a community (the people of Israel) and asking God to intervene and save them/rescue them from their troubles. I think we could accurately call this a “corporate lament”.

Have you ever felt like you couldn’t take it anymore? That your suffering was too great to bear? Have you ever been broken hearted because the wicked were triumphing over God’s people? Asaph felt that way. He wrote Psalm 79 from a place of great despair, during the time of Israel’s exile in Babylon; from a place of unspeakable pain, he pleaded with God. Asaph addressed God humbly and honestly, and he gave us a model of prayer for when we are in distress.

This psalm shows that though we have experienced trouble followed by victories in the past, we are easily discouraged whenever the next challenge arrives on the scene. As the children of Israel did in the wilderness, the soul and the flesh are ever ready to forget God’s continuous flow of victories and provision.

Psalm 76 begins with declarations of honor to the name of the Lord. In this Psalm, God’s name is lifted high. His mighty acts, on behalf of His people and righteous nations that honor Him, are extolled.

Psalm 75 is a song of thanksgiving. The Psalmist gives thanks for deliverance from the troubles of Psalm 74. This is a Psalm of faith because it anticipates a miraculous deliverance in the future. As one reads this Psalm, it seems to anticipate the events of the end times. In this Psalm we see parallels to the prophecies of Ezekiel, Daniel, and Revelation.

That is why even a Psalm that is hard to understand and get our heads wrapped around about sea monsters and the destruction of a temple can speak to us today.

God is the same God who we can plead with, and He will NOT leave us.

Though in the natural life’s shortness and our true essence as sojourners might seem like negative thoughts – they should give us hope and peace. I personally think David is bringing them up because of the comfort it was giving him.

Life in view of eternity with God makes sense. Without God in the picture – it doesn’t make sense.

After a week of carrying burdens for our nation – peace flooded my heart as I read these words. This feeling on contentment in His promises is exactly why I need Jesus and the communion with Him in His Word.

This is true living!

Over and over again in Psalm 37 – God speaks these powerful words to our souls – “Do not fret!”

In Psalm 34, David poured out a Psalm about the happiness of those who trust in the Lord after he pretended he was crazy in front of King Abimelech and was driven away from the Philistines.

When we feel that our life has gone down into a pit – this is not the END of our story.

In God’s heart – there is always redemption!

To understand the pain within David’s life, yet the ultimate redemption – we need to start with the end of the story first. This Psalm was written as a dedication of the house of David.

One beautiful warm day in Guatemala City, I was sitting on the porch at base camp for Youth with a Mission. There was a perfect breeze. I had just eaten dinner, and a feeling of contentment came over me as I thought about the service project that my friend Nita and I had worked on earlier that day.

I love to pray! I love to ponder on prayer, and I love to wait to hear or discern God’s direction or responses to those prayers. As I was reading Psalm 37 today, I was struck by the clarity with which that Psalm illustrated God’s powerful love and protection for His people. We are all familiar with these verses:

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your ways to Him, and He will do it.” Psalm 37:4-5