Psalm 60: The Psalmist sees God as the one who has defeated Israel in some capacity. But the Psalmist quickly moves into promise of hope that even in the midst of struggle, maybe even in the midst of punishment the people have somewhere to go,
You have set up a banner for those who fear you,
that they may flee to it from the bow. -Psalm 60:4
A reminder to us that when in tough times, even when those times are due to our wrong and sinful ways, God has set a banner for us to see, a place for us to return for safety, refuge, and renewal. What a wonderful promise!
Psalm 61: This Psalm to me feels like a plea from one who feels isolated, separated from the things in life that feel comfortable, feel safe. The Psalmist knows in who past security and comfort has been found, “You have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.” And then as is so often the case, almost as a statement of faith, or not almost but definitely as a statement of faith that it will happen the last verse (v. 8) is a word of praise in expectation of a positive outcome.
Psalm 62: Let the opening stanza of this Psalm be the reality of our hearts today and every day.
For God alone my soul waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.
2 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. -Psalm 62:1, 2
The last line is a beautiful dose of reality, “I will not be GREATLY shaken.” I will be shaken in certain instances, but praise Jesus through Him I will not be GREATLY shaken.
Psalm 63: Read the first 8 verses of this Psalm. Do you, do I have this great of recognition of the need for God in our lives? I’ve met people who do, the difference in the peace they have and I often have is far different. The greatest example of this great dependence on God I’ve ever seen was one of my mentors Pastor Hazel Burns. You could hear the dependence in her prayers, you could see the dependence in her boldness, you believed God trusted her to rely solely on Him by supplying her with amazing divine encounters! “O God, You are my God!”
Psalm 64: I see in this Psalm a reminder that as I cast judgments or even lay plans of revenge against another if I do so I do so at the risk that those things would come back to be used against me. I know that most would put themselves in the position of the one that is being attacked, but I am not so arrogant to believe that it is not my tongue and my plotting and my heart that are the ones laying evil. Help me Jesus.
Psalm 65: This psalm, beyond the beauty of the message, just the rhythm and the flow of the lyrics are beautiful and pleasant to read. But to me the greatest beauty of this Psalm is the proclamation of God’s divine power in verses 5-13 that affirm His power to forgive our sins (verses 1-4).
“When iniquities prevail against me, you atone for our transgressions.” -Psalm 65:3
Psalm 66: The most powerful line in this psalm to me is in verse 16
Come and hear, all you who fear God,
and I will tell what he has done for my soul. -Psalm 66:16
I wish more believers in Christ even if they knew nothing else of God they would follow the example here of the Psalmist and be an evangelist through their testimony. If you and I know nothing else we still know what our experience with God has been and that is the hardest thing for an unbeliever to argue with. “Come and let me tell you what God has done for me.” That should be our opening evangelistic line to our neighbors, coworkers, and the strangers on the street.
Psalm 67:
May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us, Selah
2 that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations. -Psalm 67:1, 2
Are God’s blessings and grace all about me? Or should they be all about making Him better known and better loved? I believe the correct answer is the latter.
Psalm 68: I didn’t really resonate with this Psalm when I read it, so I went to my commentaries and I am so glad I did! Because I got out of it this one little nugget. The translators all translate the names in this psalm as “God” or “Lord.” But in this psalm almost all the remarkable titles of Deity are employed to describe and praise the God of the universe. “Elohim,” v. 2; “Adonai,” v. 12; “Shaddai,” v. 15; “Jehovah,” v. 17; “Jah,” v. 19; “Al,” v. 20. Each name of God paints a different picture of God. Let us learn the names of God sometimes, just saying God does not reveal enough of who He is.