Psalm 68 ~ Praying God's Word

Please read Psalm 68 and observe God.  (You may want to mark God and His synonyms and pronouns to make it easier to notice His actions and attributes.)

Meditate on verse 4.

Sing to God, sing praises to His name;

 lift up a song for Him who rides through the deserts,

whose name is the LORD, and exult before Him.

Noticing God in Psalm 68 will cause you to praise Him. Here are a few truths about God from Psalm 68:

            *God makes a home for the lonely (v. 6).

            *The LORD daily bears your burden (v. 19).

            *God is your salvation (v. 19).

            *God is to you a God of deliverances (v. 20).

            *To God the LORD belong escapes from death (v.20).

            *God gives you strength and power (v. 35).

Verse 4 says God rides through the deserts, and verse 33 says He rides upon the highest heavens.  You may be in a “highest heaven” season of life; praise God if you are and recognize that He is with you.  You may be in a “desert” time of life. Which of the truths about God do you need to meditate on today, knowing that God is riding with you through the desert?   Praise Him even in the desert.

Pray Psalm 68:28 and 35 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“God command strength for _________ and me.

Show Yourself strong on behalf of us, O God.

O God, You are awesome.

 Please give strength and power to us.

We bless You, LORD.

Because of Your name, Jesus~”

Psalm 67 ~ Praying God's Word

Please read Psalm 67.

Meditate on verses 1 and 2.

God be gracious to us and bless us,

 and cause His face to shine upon us—

that Your way may be known on the earth,

 Your salvation among all nations.

The psalmist had a purpose in mind when he asked God to bless him.  He wanted God’s salvation to be known throughout the earth.  Notice the repeated sentence in this psalm:

Let the peoples praise You, O God;

let all the peoples praise You.

—Psalm 67:3, 5

With the request for God to bless was the understanding that when blessing came, it would point people to the Savior.  As the blessed acknowledged and praised the Giver of every good and perfect gift, the world would come to know and fear God (James 1:17; Psalm 67:2, 7).

What is your motivation for asking God to bless you?  Do you recognize EVERY good thing in your life as coming from God?  (Your heart will not even beat one more beat apart from your Creator.)  Are you praising Him with your entire being—thoughts, words, and actions?  As you do, you point a lost world to the Savior.

Pray Psalm 67:1-3 and 7 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“God, be gracious to ________ and me and bless us.

Cause Your face to shine upon us—

that Your way may be known on the earth,

Your salvation among all nations.

Let us praise You, O God.

Let others praise You!

God, bless us that all the ends of the earth may fear You.

For Your sake, Jesus Christ our Savior and LORD~”

Psalm 66 ~ Praying God's Word

Please read Psalm 66.

Meditate on verse 16.

Come and hear, all who fear God,

and I will tell of what He has done for my soul.

The psalmist was excited about the LORD and wanted people to know what God had done.  He recalled things the LORD did in the past, like turning the sea into dry land (Psalm 66:2).  He acknowledged what God was doing in the present, like not allowing his feet to slip (Psalm 66:9).  He admitted that God had tested him and laid an oppressive burden on him, but it was not without purpose; the LORD refined him like silver is refined (Psalm 66:10-11).  And, after going through the fire, the LORD brought him into a place of abundance (Psalm 66:12).

Do you have a story to tell about journeying with the LORD?  What has He done for Your soul?  Recall His faithfulness in the past; recognize His faithfulness today; rest assured of His faithfulness in the future.

Pray Psalm 66:8-9 and 18-20 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“We bless You, God, and sound Your praise abroad.

Please keep _________ and me in life,

 and do not allow our feet to slip.

Do not let us regard wickedness in our hearts;

we want You to hear us.

Give heed to the voice of our prayers!

We bless You, God.

Do not turn away our prayers

nor Your lovingkindness from us.

For the sake of Your name, Jesus~”

Psalm 65 ~ Praying God's Word

Please read Psalm 65.

Meditate on verse 4a.

How blessed is the one whom You choose

and bring near to You.

God choosing to draw people near to Himself is a powerful reoccurring theme in the Bible.  In this Psalm, David reflected on being near God in the courts of the

tabernacle and the satisfaction of being with God.  He was in awe of God and wrote this beautiful thirteen-verse praise to the LORD.

As you pray these verses of praise to God, enjoy the fellowship of the LORD’s presence with you.

“There will be silence before You, and praise in Zion, O God,
and to You the vow will be performed.
O You who hear prayer, to You all men come.
Iniquities prevail against me;
as for our transgressions, You forgive them.
How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You
to dwell in Your courts.
We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple.

By awesome deeds You answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation.
You who are the trust of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest sea;
who establishes the mountains by His strength,
being girded with might;
who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves
and the tumult of the peoples.
They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs;
You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy.

You visit the earth and cause it to overflow;
You greatly enrich it.
The stream of God is full of water;
You prepare their grain, for thus You prepare the earth.
You water its furrows abundantly;
You settle its ridges; You soften it with showers;
You bless its growth.
You have crowned the year with Your bounty,
and Your paths drip with fatness.
The pastures of the wilderness drip,
and the hills gird themselves with rejoicing.
The meadows are clothed with flocks,
and the valleys are covered with grain;
they shout for joy, yes, they sing.”

Psalm 64 ~ Praying God's Word

Please read Psalm 64.

Meditate on verses 1 and 10.

Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint;

preserve my life from dread of the enemy.

The righteous man will be glad in the LORD

and will take refuge in Him,

and all the upright in heart will glory.

David asked God to preserve his life from dread in Psalm 64 (v. 1).  The enemy was devising, counseling, and talking evil against David (vs. 2, 5, 6).  Their tongue was sharp, but God is sharper (v. 3).  “God will shoot them with an arrow” (v. 7).

David trusted God to take care of all his enemies; even the ones who were talking about doing him harm, but had not carried out their wicked plans.  David wanted God to protect him from dreading what might happen. 

Do you suffer from dread—dread of the unknown, dread of what others might be saying or thinking, dread of what you think people are scheming to do…? God wants to replace your dread with trust in Him. 

Pray Psalm 64:1-2 and 10 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“Hear _______ and my voice, O God, in our complaint.

Preserve our life from dread of the enemy.

Hide us from the secret counsel of evildoers,

from the tumult of those who do iniquity.

Make us righteous, so we will be glad in You, LORD. 

We take refuge in You. 

Make us upright in heart, so we can glory—

In Your name, Jesus~”

Psalm 63 ~ Praying God's Word

Please read Psalm 63.

Meditate on verse 3.

Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,

my lips will praise You.

Psalm 63 is another one of David’s psalms that was written as he hid from King Saul in the Judean wilderness (1 Samuel 22).  I have been in this wilderness, and it is indeed a “dry and weary land” (Psalm 63:1). 

David’s lips may have been chapped and his throat parched because of his desert experience, yet he chose to praise the LORD in spite of circumstances.  The lovingkindness of his LORD was better than life (Psalm 63:3).  Life was difficult for David, but God was faithful.  The praise on David’s lips brought refreshment to his soul.

You or someone you love may be in an emotionally dry and weary place.  Pray with praise to the LORD of lovingkindness.  Encourage the one you love to do the same.

Praising God causes you not to forsake the fountain of living water, which is the LORD (Jeremiah 17:13).

Pray Psalm 63:1, 3-4, and 6-8 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“O God, You are _______ and my God. 

We shall seek You earnestly.

Our souls thirst for You;

 our flesh yearns for You in a dry and weary land

where there is no water.

 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,

 our lips will praise You.

Help us bless You as long as we live;

help us to lift up our hands in Your name. 

Please cause ________ to remember You on their bed,

to meditate on You in the night watches. 

Be their help, and in the shadow of Your wings,

 let them sing for joy. 

Let their soul cling to You. 

Uphold them with Your right hand.

In Your name, Jesus~”

Psalm 62 ~ Praying God's Word

Please read Psalm 62.

Meditate on verses 1 and 2.

My soul waits in silence for God only; from Him is my salvation.

 He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold;

I shall not be greatly shaken.

David’s relationship with the LORD was intimately personal.  The personal possessive pronoun “my” was used 14 times in Psalm 62.  Observe what David called God:

1.     My salvation (vs. 1, 2, 6, 7)

2.     My rock (vs. 2, 6)

3.     My stronghold (vs. 2, 6)

4.     My hope (v. 5)

5.     My glory (v. 7)

6.     My strength (v. 7)

7.     My refuge (v. 7)

Because the LORD was his God, David gave a powerful, commanding invitation for others to trust God.

Trust in Him at all times, O people;

Pour out your heart before Him;

God is a refuge for us.

—Psalm 62:8

What is your relationship with the LORD?  Is He your stronghold and salvation?  Are others drawn to a relationship with Christ because you know Him intimately?

Pray Psalm 62:2 and 8 over those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, You are my rock, my salvation, and my stronghold.

Please be _____________’s rock, salvation, and stronghold.

Do not let them be greatly shaken.

Help them trust in You at all times.

Let them pour out their heart before You.

God, be their refuge.

In Your strong name, Jesus~”