Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 27)

Day 27 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Morning: Psalms 120-125

Evening: Psalms 126-131

Today’s Devotional Thought:

"I lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where does my help come from?" (Ps 121:1, CSB)

For some reason, Psalm 121 keeps returning to my mind throughout my seminary years. I spoke to many of you about it when I first took Summer Hebrew. I came back to it when I was suffering from chronic insomnia and panic attacks last year. And now here we all are, looking for answers in these uncertain times.

Where have you been looking lately? How's your eyesight? Have you been checking your 401k more than usual lately? Are you worried you won't have (or currently don't have) a job? Are you wondering if you have Covid, or will get it? Are you just freaking out about society right now?

The psalmist opens with, "I lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where does my help come from?" (Ps 121:1, CSB), and usually we would take this as looking toward the ascending road to Jerusalem. It's even located with other “Psalms of Ascent” leading to a declaration of crowning praise in Psalm 135.

However, there's a second aspect to Psalm 121 that I don't think was far from the psalmist's mind: What did mountains and high places represent to people back then? It was often a place of worship but not to the covenant-keeping God of Israel; it was where pagans went to worship, where they thought their "gods" were.

What "gods" have you been looking toward? I find myself worried, anxious, and confused throughout all of this. How does God answer these anxieties? "My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth"

He is not one of these lowercase fake gods; He is our one true, covenant-keeping Lord. He is the protector of Israel that does not slumber (v.4), and makes the claim that He will keep you from all "harm" (v.7). And that word isn’t any softer in Hebrew; it can mean evil, misery, or other horrible things in general. But that's quite the promise God is making there.

Let's turn ourselves from looking toward our false gods and idols in our life, and return to the promises God makes to us in the Gospel. When our hearts have been transformed by Christ's death and resurrection, we have the privilege of thinking about the world differently. We have our hopes set on our Lord and protector who delivers us from all evil. This is not escapism; this is the Gospel radically shifting where we set our priorities and hopes.

I pray for myself today, that I might repent of my own idolatrous heart and turn in faith to our forgiving Lord who protects and keeps all of our tomorrows, all of our comings and going now and forever.

Ways to Pray:

  1. Adoration: Father, you are the only Lord that can keep us from all evil.

  2. Confession: Our eyes so often chase after idols and gods to bring us comfort in life.

  3. Thanksgiving: Thank you, Father, that through your Son we can fix our eyes on you for help and comfort. You alone protect our tomorrow!

Monday through Friday: Written by Pastor Stern

Saturday and Sunday: Written by Jonathan Hatt

Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 26)

Day 26 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Morning: Psalms 119:105-144

Evening: Psalm 119:145-176

Today’s Devotional Thought:

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”  (Psalms 119:105 ESV)

I love the heart and passion of Psalm 119. The psalmist loves the Word of God with all his being, and he desperately wants the Holy Scriptures to shape every aspect of his life.  If only we were so passionate for the Bible today!

So during COVID-19, let’s seek to be “Bible-people” as never before. God’s Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our paths. Let’s read the Bible, pray the Bible, memorize the Bible, and meditate on the Bible. Like the psalmist, we should awake before “the watches of the night” and meditate on God’s promises (Psalms 119:148).  As the Apostle Paul says,

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.  (2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV)

Ways to Pray:

  1. Thank you, O Father, for giving me the Bible in a language I can read.

  2. Forgive me for not loving it enough!

  3. As many are blindly wandering during COVID-19, let them find your Word as the light to their feed and the lamp to their path.

Monday through Friday: Written by Pastor Stern

Saturday and Sunday: Written by Jonathan Hatt

Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 25)

Day 25 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Morning: Psalms 119:33-72

Evening: Psalm 119:73-104

Today’s Devotional Thought:

“Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end. Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.”  (Psalms 119:33-37 ESV)

Psalm 119 is a love letter about the Word of God. The Psalmist is obsessed with God’s Torah and can’t stop talking about it, like a star-crossed lover. And that’s why it’s the longest chapter in the Bible! But Psalm 119 is also one of the most helpful psalms to pray during COVID-19. The Apostle John says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). So, the more we love the Word of God and meditate on his Word, the more we’ll be able to face the current world without fear.

For today, let’s focus on Psalm 119:33-37, going verse by verse.

Verse 33: “Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end.” After all, we’re slow, stubborn, hard-hearted people who need God to teach us if we’re ever going to learn anything.

Verse 34: “Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart.” Again, we pray that God will give us understanding, so that we can keep his Word with our entire being. And this is a great prayer before you read the Bible or pray.

Verse 35: “Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.” We can pray either side of this equation. On the one hand, we might not delight in God’s commandments like the psalmist. Thus, our prayer might be, “Lord, let me delight in your law.” But at the same time, we may delight in God’s law, but we still need him to lead us.

Verse 36: “Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!” I think we’re all tempted to pursue selfish gain. But instead of simply praying, “God, don’t let me do bad things,” the psalmist asks God to take the reins of his heart to turn it from the world to God’s Word. This should be our prayer as well.

Verse 37: “Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.” Finally, the psalmist knows that he has spent way too much time looking at “worthless things.” So, he asks God to turn his eyes from those things to Scripture. And how much time do we spend looking at worthless things each day? Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. Netflix. Amazon Video. DisneyPlus. We pray, “Lord, even if I’m not watching inherently sinful material, turn my eyes from worthless things to look at Christ more and more today.”  

Ways to Pray:

  1. Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end.

  2. Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart.

  3. Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.

  4. Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!

  5. Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.

Monday through Friday: Written by Pastor Stern

Saturday and Sunday: Written by Jonathan Hatt

Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 24)

Day 24 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Morning: Psalms 116-118

Evening: Psalm 119:1-32

Today’s Devotional Thought:

Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!  (Psalm 117 ESV)

As the shortest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 117 has a powerful message for our world during COVID-19. It is an exhortation for the nations to praise and extol the Lord. But it also tells us why to do this—God’s steadfast love and faithfulness.

So as we pray for the world, let’s pray for a vaccine. Let’s pray that people don’t lose their jobs. Let’s pray for minimal economic impact. Let’s pray for minimal loss of life. But most of all, let’s pray that the nations praise and exalt the Lord more and more through this crisis. Rather than turning away from God, may we all see his steadfast love and faithfulness. It endures forever! Praise the Lord!

Ways to Pray:

  1. God, I praise and extol you today because of your steadfast love and faithfulness.

  2. Forgive me for not reveling enough in your steadfast love and faithfulness. Let me praise you more today than I did yesterday!

  3. Father, may the name of Christ be praised in all the nations. Please use this global pandemic to expand your gospel through the world.

  4. Please bless missionaries who are proclaiming your steadfast love around the world. I pray specifically for....

Monday through Friday: Written by Pastor Stern

Saturday and Sunday: Written by Jonathan Hatt

Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 23)

Day 23 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Morning: Psalms 110-113

Evening: Psalms 114-115

Today’s Devotional Thought:

“He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.” (Psalms 112:7 ESV)

Seen any bad news recently? Are you afraid of what might come next for your family, job, business, or nation? In a coronavirus world, we’ve seen enough bad news to last a long time. But we’ll likely see more in the weeks and months ahead, as death tolls rise and the true economic impact is felt.  But according to Psalms 112:7, true believers don’t need to be afraid.

Of course, Scripture never promises a constant flow of good news to true believers. Jesus says that his Father “sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). But if we’re really trusting the Lord, our response to bad news should be different. What if we test positive for coronavirus? What if we lose our job? What if we lose our business? What if this pandemic stretches on for another six months? By God’s grace, we won’t react like the world around us; instead, we can react in confidence and hope.

But yes, this may seem simplistic, especially for those facing real bad news. And yes, the call to trust God in the face of bad news is simple. But I once heard someone say, “It’s simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.” And that’s true here as well. If we really trusted the grace, love, mercy, faithfulness, wisdom, justice, goodness, omnipresence, omnipotence, and holiness of God, we wouldn’t be afraid of anything. It’s simple! But as we all know—if we’re honest—it’s not always easy to trust the Lord when things are hard.

But thankfully, that’s when we can look to Christ with fresh eyes. For if you read all of Psalm 112, you’ll notice that the person in verse 7 is one who fears God and loves the commandments. But he surpasses you and me because Psalm 112 is ultimately a description of Jesus Christ. He’s the only perfect person in history whose heart was truly “firm, trusting in the Lord.” 

Therefore, when we feel afraid of bad news, rather than feeling guilty or ashamed, we can take those fears to Jesus, repent, and ask him to help our unbelief. And the Bible says,

“God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Ways to Pray:

  1. Forgive me for being afraid of bad news and for not trusting you.

  2. Thank you that I don’t need to be afraid of bad news, no matter what comes down the pike.

  3. Please let me trust in Christ more and more, so that I don’t need to be afraid. Let me rest in his completed work.

  4. Lord, as I interact with my friends, family, and neighbors, let me respond to bad news in a way that is surprising—even to me. Let me be a faithful witness for the sake of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Monday through Friday: Written by Pastor Stern

Saturday and Sunday: Written by Jonathan Hatt

Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 22)

Day 22 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Morning: Psalm 107

Evening: Psalms 108-109

Today’s Devotional Thought:

“Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.” (Psalms 107:13 ESV)

I love the structure of this psalm because we’re presented with four scenarios and four times we get to see how God operates in the world.

So let’s think about these four sections individually:

First: The Desert Wanderers (verse 4-9)

In verse 4, we read of “some” who wandered in desert wastes without food or water until they “cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress" (v. 6). Then the psalmist exhorts them to praise God for their deliverance: “Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!” (v. 8).

Second: The Rebellious Prisoners (verses 10-16)

In verse 10, we read of “some” who “sat in darkness” because they had “rebelled against the words of God.” But they “cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress” (v. 13). Then the psalmist exhorts them to praise God for their deliverance: “Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!”  (v. 15).

Third: The Sinful Fools (verses 17-22)

In verse 17, we read of “some” who were “fools through their sinful ways.” And because of their sin, they suffered affliction and drew near to death. But they “cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress” (v. 19). Then the psalmist exhorts them to praise God for their deliverance: “Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!”  (v. 21).

Finally: The Proud Sailors (verses 23-32)

In verse 23, we read of “some” who were proud sailors, setting out to make their fortunes. But a storm blew in and they were about to die until they “cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress” (v. 28). And, as before, the psalmist exhorts them to praise God for their deliverance: “Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!”  (v. 31).

The Application for Us

So why does the psalmist repeat these phrases four times in a row? Well, we’re a lot like the desert wanderers, the rebellious prisoners, the sinful fools, and the proud sailors. We think we’re so great, but then we get ourselves into trouble. But we can always cry out to the Lord in our troubles, knowing that he will deliver us from our distress.

This is good news during COVID-19. We have more distress than normal. But where do we turn? Will God answer? Will he deliver? Well, this psalm shows the modus operandi of our gracious God. He hears and delivers. So we have reason to praise him for “his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!”

Ways to Pray:

  1. Lord, I confess that I'm prone to wander away from you like the people in this psalm.

  2. Thank you, Father, that I can call out to you in my distress and you answer me.

  3. In the midst of my trials today, let me remember that I can turn to you in prayer.

  4. Let everyone facing severe trials through COVID-19 call out to you in the midst of their distress.

  5. Thank you for your steadfast love, for your wondrous works to the children of man! 

Monday through Friday: Written by Pastor Stern

Saturday and Sunday: Written by Jonathan Hatt

Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 21)

Day 21 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Morning: Psalm 105

Evening: Psalm 106

Today’s Devotional Thought:

“Save us, LORD our God, and gather us from the nations, so that we may give thanks to your holy name and rejoice in your praise” (Psalm 106:47, CSB).

If you have time to do your evening reading early, I would encourage you to read both of the readings together (Psalm 105 and 106). These psalms I think ought to be read together. Consider both and you will see that the author is using the same technique from two different angles. In Psalm 105, the author says, “Look at all the glorious deeds and wonders our LORD has done! For the patriarchs (v. 9-22), for Israel in Egypt (v.23-36), and for Israel in the desert (v.37-44).”

And then there’s Israel, or at least what they do in Psalm 106. They sin in Egypt (v.6-12), they sin in the desert in multiple ways (v.13-32); they didn’t even conquer the land God promised them (v.34-43). God and the Israelites have a very troubled history. It’s pretty easy to follow their relationship through the Old Testament; both of these psalms summarize most of the narrative of Hebrew Scripture.

It’s because of these two psalms that I find 106:1-5 fascinating. These verses are basically dead center, and they call upon the covenant love that God shows (v.1-3), and for God to remember the psalmist in days of trouble (v.4-5). Why do I know that these are days of trouble? Look at our verse today; see how he ends it: a cry for deliverance. This is actually how Book IV of Psalms ends (Not including the praising of God at the end!).

You might easily make a list of your life a lot like Psalm 106, looking at this sin and that sin, the long history that you have with God. You can spend a long time contemplating the mistakes you have made. What’s interesting is this: the psalmist doesn’t end this history with, “Come on, Israel! Do a better job!” He looks at them crying out to God for deliverance, and God lovingly rescuing them from bondage (v.44-46).

That’s the Gospel right there. That’s what it means for us to be rescued from sin, to turn away from our sin and turn to Jesus as our Savior. When we cry out for deliverance, our holy God is right there to deliver us from sin, but also to thank him and to rejoice in his praise. That’s just another way of saying we are delighting in God for who he is.

Let us rejoice in the fact that God always answers our cries for deliverance, and he doesn’t leave us there. He empowers us to live a transformed life where our happiness is found in God himself!

Ways to Prays:

  1. Father, no matter how long my history of sin and mistakes are, you immediately rescue everyone who cries out to you

  2. You not only rescue us from our sin, but you change our hearts so we can find our greatest joy in you alone

  3. Adoration: You are the faithful, covenant-keeping God from Genesis to Revelation. You even show your same faithful love to us today

  4. Confession: We have not only been like unfaithful Israel in thought, word, and deed, but we often don’t cry out for deliverance found only in you.

  5. Thanksgiving: Thank you, Lord, and help us to realize that you do not rate our cries for help based on emotions, or need, or work. You answer everyone who cries out for deliverance from the bondage of sin.

Monday through Friday: Written by Pastor Stern

Saturday and Sunday: Written by Jonathan Hatt

Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 20)

Day 20 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Morning: Psalms 102-103

Evening: Psalm 104

Today’s Devotional Thought:

“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12, CSB)

I’m given over to anxiety about myself. I don’t just mean I have a few blue days; I mean that I get very anxious or upset about myself quite often. For example, one issue I’ve often struggle with is sleeping. My insomnia was so bad last year that I had to go talk to a doctor. I’m pretty good at making up my own guilt and shame to condemn myself; I’m a master craftsman of negative thoughts.

This verse has always been one of my greatest comforts in life. In fact, it’s a verse that I encourage anyone struggling with self-esteem, anxiety, or depression to memorize. Especially when we are alone in isolation, our greatest fears are not just about what we think of ourselves. What does God think of me? 

Here’s the Gospel hope for you today: God is overtly gracious to those who turn to Him for forgiveness. If you’ve read this psalm before, have you ever pondered how great this image is? You can’t measure directional indicators: East and west will never touch. They are infinitely apart from each other. God’s promise doesn’t stop there: “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him” (v.13). Here’s the dual promise of placing your trust in Jesus Christ alone as your Lord and Savior. You are not only forgiven of your sin; you are brought into God’s family. 

The Father loves you infinitely more than you love yourself. And for those of you struggling with self-esteem, you can immediately understand what great relief that brings you. He doesn’t love you based on your performance. He loves you before creation itself existed. One of my favorite theologians, named Geerhardus Vos, once said, “The best proof that God will never cease to love us lies in that he never began.”

Your heart might be condemning you today, building anxieties and worries in your life. God the Father wants us to cry out to him in our need. His mercy, his grace, his love for us is greater than any condemnation we can create within our hearts.

Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!

Ways to Pray:

  1. Adoration:  Father, we can cry out to you in any hour with every anxiety because you care for us deeply. You cast out sins beyond what our minds can even apprehend. You are our loving Father who has always loved us from the foundation of the world

  2. Confession: My heart often condemns myself, my actions, or my thoughts. I often want to stay in my own misery for people to feel sorry for me.

  3. Thanksgiving: Thank you that you never turn us away, that you never condemn those who find their identity in their Savior, Jesus.

Monday through Friday: Written by Pastor Stern

Saturday and Sunday: Written by Jonathan Hatt

Monday through Friday: Written by Pastor Stern

Saturday and Sunday: Written by Jonathan Hatt

Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 19)

Day 19 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Morning: Psalms 95-97

Evening: Psalms 98-101

Today’s Devotional Thought:

“Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day” (Psalms 96:1-2 ESV).

A Christian friend once struggled to appreciate the Old Testament because it felt irrelevant to his daily life. Therefore, as a remedy, I suggested reading the Old Testament with an eye on the nature of God. Who is He and what has He done? For yes, our context is very different from ancient Israel, but our God is the same. And I have always found that this God-centered view brings relevant application out of nearly any passage of Scripture.

Psalm 96 is no different:

  • Verse 3: God has glory and His works are marvelous.

  • Verse 4: God is great and worthy of praise.

  • Verse 5: God made the heavens.

  • Verse 6: God has splendor, majesty, strength, and beauty.

  • Verse 7: God has glory and strength.

  • Verse 8: God’s name is glorious.

  • Verse 9: God has the splendor of holiness.

  • Verse 10: God is reigning as King and Judge.

  • Verse 13: God is coming to judge the earth in righteousness and faithfulness.

So during COVID-19, let’s keep our eyes and hearts fixed on God. Who is He? What has He done? And the more we read and pray the Bible with God at the center of everything, the more we’ll overcome our fears, anxieties, and temptations during this difficult season. Everything the Bible says about God was true yesterday, is true today, and will be true tomorrow. Praise the Lord! Therefore, the entire Bible is profoundly relevant for each and everyone of us today because we receive glorious windows into His nature and works.

Ways to Pray:

  1. Your works are marvelous. Let me see them today.

  2. You are great and worthy of praise! Let me worship you more today.

  3. You made the heavens. Let me trust you more today.

  4. You have splendor, majesty, strength, and beauty. Let be love you more today.

  5. You have glory and strength. Let me rely on you more today.

  6. Your name is glorious, O Lord. Let me glory in you and nothing else today.

  7. You are reigning as King, Lord Jesus. Let me submit to your Lordship over my life more today.

  8. Lord, you are coming to judge the earth in righteousness and faithfulness. Thank you and let me hope in you more today.

Monday through Friday: Written by Pastor Stern

Saturday and Sunday: Written by Jonathan Hatt

Praying the Psalms During COVID-19 (Day 18)

Day 18 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Morning: Psalms 90-92

Evening: Psalms 93-94

Today’s Devotional Thought:

“Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil.” (Psalms 90:15 ESV)

If you’ve been following these daily devotionals, you’ve probably noticed that I usually expound one or two verses from the daily reading. But today, I want to guide you through a short, inductive study of Psalm 90.

Find a notebook and something to write with. Then open your Bible (or device) to Psalm 90.

  • Read verses 1-2. What is this saying about God? How is it relevant during COVID-19? Take time for prayers of adoration, praising God that he is “from everlasting to everlasting.”

  • Read verses 3-11. What is this saying about God? What is this saying about humanity and our dealings with God? What is this saying about you and me before God? Does it speak to your struggles or sorrows today? Take time to confess your sin, focusing on your own frailty and God’s glorious sovereignty.

  • Read verses 12-17. In this section, Moses turns from prayers of adoration and confession to prayers of supplication. How many requests does he make? What are they? Write them down. What seems most relevant for your life today? Take time and pray these requests back to God in light of your individual struggles and our global crisis.

Monday through Friday: Written by Pastor Stern

Saturday and Sunday: Written by Jonathan Hatt