52 Weeks Through the Psalms Devotional

James Merritt

Description

Journey Further into Favorite Psalms to Refresh Your SpiritMake the most of each week with the hope, comfort, and wisdom available to you in the book of Psalms. This devotional mines the riches within the beloved passages of select psalms and offers gems of truth you can carry close to your heart day by day.With recommended verses to read, a snippet from the companion book 52 Weeks Through the Psalms, and a devotion centered on that week's theme, you'll find each entry includes plenty to ponderand much to inspire spiritual growth in your life. Alongside Dr. James Merritt, you'll discover that psalms are more than songs to be sung or music to be played but truth to be heard and learned.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Harvest House Publishers
• Date de parution: 08 janvier 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780736971270
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE , OREGON
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version , NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
Verses marked ESV are taken from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Verses marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version . Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Verses marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible , copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. ( www.Lockman.org )
Verses marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Verses marked MSG are taken from THE MESSAGE , copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Cover by Dugan Design Group
Published in association with The Christopher Ferebee Agency.
52 Weeks Through the Psalms Devotional
Copyright 2018 James Merritt
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97408
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
ISBN 978-0-7369-7126-3 (Milano Softone )
ISBN 978-0-7369-7127-0 (eBook)
All rights reserved. No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The authorized purchaser has been granted a nontransferable, nonexclusive, and noncommercial right to access and view this electronic publication, and purchaser agrees to do so only in accordance with the terms of use under which it was purchased or transmitted. Participation in or encouragement of piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of author s and publisher s rights is strictly prohibited.
Contents


There Is No Music Like God s Music
Part One: Up Close and Personal
1. Happiness in High-Def (Psalm 1)
2. A Song for Today (Psalm 3)
3. The Role of a Lifetime (Psalm 8)
4. What Are You Going to Do with God? (Psalm 14)
5. Here, There, and Everywhere (Psalm 19)
6. Back to the Future (Psalm 22)
7. He s Everything I Need (Psalm 23:1)
8. A Bridge Over Troubled Waters (Psalm 23:2)
9. His Way Is the Right Way (Psalm 23:3)
10. No Fear (Psalm 23:4)
11. Me, Myself, and God (Psalm 23:5)
12. Final Destination (Psalm 23:6)
13. Farewell to Fear (Psalm 27)
14. Planting Your Feet (Psalm 32)
Part Two: Poetic Justice
15. The Great Depression (Psalm 42)
16. Take Refuge (Psalm 46)
17. What Does God Want from Me? (Psalm 50)
18. Sin Sick (Psalm 51)
19. Goodbye to Guilt (Psalm 51 reprise)
20. Betrayed and Broken (Psalm 55)
21. Misery Needs Company (Psalm 56)
22. Under Fire and Under Water (Psalm 66)
23. God Bless Us, Every One (Psalm 67)
Part Three: Always Faithful
24. Lasting Leadership Lessons (Psalm 78)
25. The Prayer of a Patriot (Psalm 80)
26. Getting the Big Picture (Psalm 84)
27. Revive to Thrive (Psalm 85)
28. The Way to Pray (Psalm 86)
29. Help Yourself to Happiness (Psalm 89)
30. Rainy Days and Mondays (Psalm 90)
Part Four: Under Control
31. Security Blanket (Psalm 91)
32. Sabbath Song (Psalm 92)
33. Going Global (Psalm 96)
34. Thank You, God (Psalm 97)
35. Open the Doors (Psalm 100)
36. Are You Lonesome Tonight? (Psalm 102)
37. Never Forget (Psalm 103)
38. God Thing (Psalm 115)
39. Some Other Time (Psalm 118)
40. Coming Clean (Psalm 119:9-16)
Part Five: All in All
41. Follow the Directions (Psalm 119:18)
42. Flip the Switch (Psalm 119:105)
43. A Song for Any Day (Psalm 121)
44. Can I Get a Witness? (Psalm 126)
45. PG: Parental Guidance Required (Psalm 127)
46. No Place Like Home (Psalm 128)
47. United We Stand, Divided We Fall (Psalm 133)
48. Heartbreak Hotel (Psalm 137)
49. Great God (Psalm 139:1-18)
50. Why You Should Come Clean with God (Psalm 139:19-24)
51. How Great Is Our God (Psalm 145)
52. Doxology (Psalm 147)

Also by James Merritt
About the Author
About the Publisher
There Is No Music Like God s Music

L et me make the songs of a nation, and I care not who makes its laws -so said Andrew Fletcher. Perhaps the greatest king who ever lived, David, would have wholeheartedly agreed with him, for he wrote no laws, but he did write many of the songs of the only nation that died and remained dead for some 2,000 years only to come roaring back to life in the twentieth century-namely, Israel. These songs are known to us as psalms, and though David did not write them all, he wrote some of the most famous.
No one can deny the power of words, and it has been proven time and time again that the pen is mightier than the sword. That power is magnified when the words are put to music. That is exactly what the Psalms are God s word put to music. First sung by choirs before they were proclaimed by teachers and preachers, these songs can warm the heart on the coldest day, lift the soul from its lowest depths, and sooth the most troubled spirit.
The songs run the gamut of problems we all face in life, from disease to disaster to death. They inspire you to reach higher and compel you to dig deeper. They always hit the right note at the right time and not once are they ever off-key. Indeed, they do lead you to green pastures and beside still waters. They do restore the most broken soul.
This is why these pages offer you a year s worth of short but substantive and strengthening vignettes in the form of 52 Weeks Through the Psalms Devotional . Like a catchy tune you can t get out of your head, these chapters will take you week by week and day by day on a musical journey the likes of which you can t get from a radio, computer, or even a live concert. Simply put, in the end, these are God s songs, composed in his heart and given from his hand. There is no music like God s music.
I pray that this little book will be soft listening to your ears, easy reading to your eyes, and most of all, powerful help and healing for your heart. May the one who is the True Composer of these songs meet you where you are and take you where he wants you to be and bless you in the journey.
P ART O NE

Up Close and Personal
God is a God we can approach and have an intimate relationship with.
1

Happiness in High-Def
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the L ORD ,
and on his law he meditates day and
night (P SALM 1:1-2 ESV ).

When Psalm 1:1 talks about the man who is blessed, the Hebrew word literally means to be happy. Perhaps the Hebrews title for this song was, How to Be Happy.
Contrary to what some people think, God is not some cosmic killjoy who loves it when we are miserable. God wants you to be happy, but he wants you to be happy his way. He wants you to be happy internally, externally, and eternally. The psalmist shows us that the key to a happy life is living a God-centered life The truly happy person is a person who is living a rooted life, a life of purpose, a life that makes an impact on others. Real happiness is found in favoring the right people, following the right principles, and fulfilling God s purpose.
Do you want to be miserable? Live a you-centered life. Do you want to be happy? Live a God-centered life. This is how you live a high-def life.
52 Weeks Through the Psalms

H appiness begins internally as we make God the Lord of our life. But why then do so many of us try to find happiness through external means? This exotic vacation, that new wardrobe, the Corvette, the climb up the corporate ladder all these and more seem to promise us the happiness that only a God-centered life can bring. God wants us to be happy, and he has provided us all we need to live out that happiness, that blessedness. And that provision is him : knowing him, loving him, serving him, worshiping him. This is the high-def life.
2

A Song for Today
O L ORD , how my adversaries have increased!
Many are rising up against me.
Many are saying of my soul,
There is no deliverance for him in God. Selah.
But You, O L ORD , are a shield about me,
My glory, and the One who lifts my head
(P SALM 3:1-3 NASB ).

I have three enemies that work 24/7 to get me away from God. I know every day when I get up they are just waiting for me: an enemy around me, an enemy within me, and an enemy beneath me.
The world is my external foe. It says, I am just a product of chance and my life has no meaning. The Bible fights against this foe by declaring, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth -and me too!
The flesh is my internal foe. My flesh will say, Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow I may die. But the Bible says, So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).
The devil is my eternal foe. The devil will whisper in my ear, You can get away with it! But the Bible says, Be sure that your sin will find you out (Numbers 32:23).
David s enemies don t just mock him, they also mock God. In Psalm 3:2 they say, There is no deliverance for him in God ( NASB ). They laugh at David s faith and make fun of David s Father. They do not see David living a victorious life and so they do not see God either.
Even when the people of this world can t see God, they can see our faith. Be assured, they will measure the size of our God