August 9, 2025

Richard and I took a short trip to Nevada so Richard could attend a driving school. We went to the local Walmart to pick up a few essentials for our morning coffee. You can get to know the people of an area by how they act at Walmart. I now understand how miserable it must be to live in a desert, but these people could tell we were the outsiders and showed us their true colors. We were just outside of Death Valley, so I understand their misery, living so near a place called Death. Being uninterested in car racing, I took a little trip out to the Badwater Basin, in Death Valley National Park, where the elevation is 282 feet below sea level, the lowest elevation on earth. It was a salt flat, so I took off my shoes and stood there, realizing that I had stood on the ground nearest to hell, and that is the closest I will ever come to it; thank you, Jesus. Even though the place was dry, hot (up to 112 degrees while we were there), desolate, and void of greenery, we both maintained our joy. If you are happy in the Lord, it doesn’t matter where you are, even near the pit of hell, God is there with you, which is cause to be joyful. 

David began Psalms 61 sad, but concluded it full of the joy of the Lord. It may have been penned while on the run from Absolam, but he still found reason to praise God and knew God would hear him even being away from the  Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant. So, whatever situation you find yourself in, worshipping God will raise your countenance, and He can hear you no matter where you are. 

So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows. Psalms 61:8

Pictured is some salt I collected. The photo from yesterday’s post is from where I was standing in the salt at Badwater Basin.

August 8, 2025

In Psalms 60, David is now king, and is in his heyday, and he has just triumphed over Edom.  With Joab commanding his army, he killed over twelve thousand men in the valley of salt. 

To the chief Musician upon Shushaneduth, Michtam of David, to teach; when he strove with Aramnaharaim and with Aramzobah, when Joab returned, and smote of Edom in the valley of salt twelve thousand. O God, thou hast cast us off, thou hast scattered us, thou hast been displeased; O turn thyself to us again. Psalms 60:1

David used this psalm as a teaching tool to remind the people not to credit themselves with a victory that God gave them. He was so excited for the win that he never wanted God to leave them to fight battles alone. From the way this psalm reads, it seems David thought God had left them to fend for themselves, then God showed up and gave them success. So, this is your reminder that if you feel you are losing, wait for it, and watch as God shows you your victory. Also, make sure you never take the credit for what God has done on your behalf, and make sure to praise Him whether you are in the valley or on the mountain top.  

Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies. Psalms 60:12

August 7, 2025

David was married to Michal, Saul’s daughter. Saul had staked out their home, watching David’s movements because he had designed to destroy him. However, as dreadful as Michal was, she helped David escape through a window. Psalms 59 was a poem about David’s prayer during that time. 

Have you ever wondered why God doesn’t just destroy your enemy as a way to remove you from their clutches? Here is what I learned: If God took them out right away, we wouldn’t be able to watch them dangle before the drop. We might think the judgment comes too slowly, but that gradual demise and outpouring of God’s wrath is a more painful option for our enemy. I’ve watched this happen! Someone whom I’ve never had a beef with set their designs against me without cause, and now, nearly 30 years later, they live in the worst part of town, have medical problems, and are barely making ends meet. I didn’t wish that upon them or even pray against them, but God saw what they had done to me and many others and served them His form of justice. 

David didn’t let his troubles overpower his worship and praised God, even during his pain. Never let your circumstances dictate your worship or overrule your joy.

Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defence, and the God of my mercy. Psalms 59:17

August 6, 2025

David had not yet ascended to the throne when it is thought that Saul may have brought charges against him in a judicial court, which gave Saul the authority to go after him. If true, David wrote Psalms 58 in response to the court's unjust act, who were probably bribed with gifts from Saul to render such judgment. David held nothing back in his response to their accusations of him being a lone wolf. The government was corrupt, much like we see today. They tremble when a leader with a proclivity for justice comes into power because their misdeeds will come under scrutiny.

Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men? Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth. Psalms 58:1-2

God is just, so those who’ve had evil dealings will face his wrath, and the righteous will watch as they fall from their pedestal. Little by little, we are seeing God’s recompense of the wicked come to fruition, and soon we will rejoice in the demise of their activity. We look forward to a righteous government where Jesus is King and all our hopes and dreams come true under his reign.

The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth. Psalms 58:10-11

August 5, 2025

David felt remorse for cutting off the skirt of King Saul's robe when he found him in the cave.

And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt. 1 Samuel 24:5

David wrote Psalms 57 as a prayer of repentance. To us, it might seem that he should have felt more victorious, having spared Saul's life and knowing he had the upper hand. However, he felt guilty because Saul was God's king, even if he was bad. Then David suddenly shifts from prayer to praise, exalting God and giving Him the praise He deserves. Once again, I feel called out for my lackluster worship. Even though I make it a point to spend time with God in the early morning hours, it takes me an entire cup of coffee to awaken enough to comprehend the text and learn enough to enable me to write my thoughts. According to this psalm, I need to kick it up a notch and bring more lively worship to our awesome God. He is worthy of our best. 

My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early. Psalms 57:7-8

August 4, 2025

Betrayal is one of the deepest emotional pains that I have ever felt, and is the hardest to get over. It’s pain cuts deep into the heart, especially when you think you have a friend and find out it was just a façade; everything you told that “friend” comes rushing back to you with regret. It is thought that David wrote Psalms 55 when he was running from Absalom, finding out that his friend and confidant, Ahithophel, had been part of the plot to overtake his throne. 

It is in this psalm that we find out that David prayed three times a day, morning, noon, and night. He opened up to God, and God rewarded him with peace in his situation. However, David didn’t pray for his enemies to be delivered from evil; he prayed that their days would be cut short and would go down quickly into hell. If you’ve ever been betrayed, you can get behind a prayer like that and understand why David prayed this way. Should we pray against our enemies this way? Is that how Jesus prayed when he was betrayed? No. He prayed that the Father would forgive them because they didn’t know what they were doing. However, we are not Jesus, but we do carry the Holy Spirit, so we should listen to him and feel sorry for those who come against us. Ultimately, they will regret their actions one day. 

Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. Psalms 55:22

August 3, 2025

We may have enemies in our own ranks. Other “Christians” may turn out to be our enemy and an enemy of God. Though the name Christian may be an enduring term to us, so many use it, even when they have very little association with the One True God. David was hiding from Saul among the Ziphites, but they were Israelites who were loyal to Saul and told him where David was. They were aligned with the wrong side. Saul’s men surrounded David, but word came to Saul that the Philistines had invaded the land, so they left to pursue them. David honored God by freely sacrificing to Him and offering praise for delivering him from his troubles. David knew where his help was coming from, and the words written by him reflect his thankfulness, but to offer a sacrifice put his money where his mouth was. Today, we make joyful offerings to our church as a sacrifice of gratitude to God for all He has done for us. Do you even know the joy of being delivered if you don’t tithe or make an offering? No amount of money could ever repay Jesus for what he did on the cross for us, but it can help the church continue to spread the good news. Give back; you only have what you have because of God.

I will freely sacrifice unto thee: I will praise thy name, O LORD; for it is good. For he hath delivered me out of all trouble: and mine eye hath seen his desire upon mine enemies. Psalms 54:6-7