Psalm 11

I praise You Lord and Warrior God, that You do not change.  As bad as it was in this psalm, where the foundations of law and order had collapsed and the righteous felt impotent, You were still reigning, watching and examining.  You love justice and the virtuous will see Your face; You are still that same God.  And God, the righteous seem to choose impotence and passivity; but You are God.  You reign, You watch, You examine.  You know.  You are our Protection.  Teach us how to respond, what to do in these times.  We are followers; but we choose the wrong things to follow, blogs, shows, political agendas, sports, ......  May we be known as Followers of the Most High God, before our names are associated with any other thing. God, I pray that we would be more excited about what You are doing than with any season finale or new shows..  Let us know that we are most satisfied in You and You alone.  I ask that You would give us all, beginning with me, a most holy distaste for the things of this world, that we would recognize and embrace the True, the Real, the Holy.  Your Name not ours, Your fame not anothers, Your glory not man's, Your judgments not humanity's, Your pleasure not mine.  Soli Deo gloria.

Psalm 10

The wicked are too proud to seek God.
    They seem to think that God is dead.

Pride.  Holy Spirit, please keep me from embracing or entertaining anything, especially pride, which would keep me from seeking You.  Please hearten me and keep me seeking You all the days of my life.  It's funny to me that since You have always been that the enemy would say that You are dead.  Doesn't he realize that if You're gone, he's gone, too. 

And by the way, enemy of my God, my Lion is bigger and better than you will ever dream of being.  Just in case you didn't remember that FACT.

Psalm 9

I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
    I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.
I will be filled with joy because of you.
    I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.

I am not here, yet.  Lord, I want to praise You and You are worthy of my full-out praising - but I fear my whole heart is not always available.  I distract.  I wonder about other things.  I commit my whole heart to You for praise - Teach me, Omniscient and Omnipotent Rabbi, how to praise with my whole heart.  Increase my capacity to remember all the marvelous ways You interact in and around me; because I want to tell of all that You have done.  Joy, that filling and fulness of joy is from and because of You.  Make it so, my God, make it so.  Please teach me how to sing praises to Your great Name, as You know I don't get songs or singing.  I desire to do all of these things that the Psalmist says he will.  Help me join in the sacred chorus of praise and storytelling for Your fame.

Psalm 8

what are mere mortals that You should think about them, human beings that You should care for them?
But, You do. You think and care and include us; You incline Yourself towards us, You emptied Yourself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men…You humbled Yourself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross … for us, for me. i am awed. i praise You. i worship You. who am i that You would consider me? i am Yours, by Your grace.

O Lord, our Lord, Your majestic Name fills the earth!
May Your majestic Name fill my world, my life, my mind, my heart, my song.

Psalm 7

I praise You Lord, that I can pour out my heart to You; that You know me, my innermost thoughts and motivations, my activities and my passivities.  You know where I have chosen well and when I have blown it.  I am safe with You.  All my words are safe with You.  All my feelings and reactions and questions are safe with You.  I am completely vulnerable with You; but You are completely trustworthy.  No blog, no facebook, no twitter, phone call, no ..., no, nothing this world offers can compare to You and Your unfailing love and reception of me.  I thank You and will thank You, my Lord and my God; for You are faithful and just.  In gratitude and wonder will I sing praise to Your Name, the LORD Most High and my own precious Savior. 

Psalm 6

LORD God and my Sovereign; Master and Designer of Time, the Universe and Creation - I add my voice to David's psalm.  You are the only answer to what I need, You are my only Defense, You are Love and from that You incline Yourself to me, provide for me and receive my prayers.  In Your wisdom, You allow circumstances which I would never choose to be mine to be mine.  May I ever turn to You, ever sing with joy to You, ever thank and praise You and ever trust in Your unfailing lovingkindness.  You. Not circumstances, men, powers, authorities, recipes, my figuring, my experience.  Only You!  Forever You. 

Psalm 5

For to You I pray. (I could seek answers/direction from anywhere; but I choose YOU, God of All)

In the morning, O LORD,You will hear my voice (I commit my choice and the time to You, my Lord)

In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch. (I will not distract or detour. I will wait before You for You have the only answer I need)

But as for me, by Your abundant loving-kindness I will enter Your house (nothing of myself grants me the privilege of Your presence, only by Your grace – I praise You for Your consideration)

O LORD, lead me in Your righteousness because of my foes; … Hold them guilty, O God; … For they are rebellious against You. (recognizing the enemies’ efforts against God’s plan which involves me is not personal is freeing. Their actions are rebellion against God. I can choose my way; but not the way of another)

Lord, make me smart, spiritually savvy to walk in Your righteousness and to rebel against the enemy’s strategy. And I ask that You would bring many of the enemy’s soldiers into Your camp, as new soldiers for Your Kingdom. May they take refuge in You and be glad, may they ever sing with joy as You shelter them and they love You and exult in You. Your favor is the force field we need. I thank You for Your merciful provision of grace.