Psalm 4

1 Answer me when I call to you,
O my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;
be merciful to me and hear my prayer.

2 How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame?
How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?
Selah

3 Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;
the LORD will hear when I call to him.

4 In your anger do not sin;
when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.
Selah

5 Offer right sacrifices
and trust in the LORD.

6 Many are asking, "Who can show us any good?"
Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD.

7 You have filled my heart with greater joy
than when their grain and new wine abound.

8 I will lie down and sleep in peace,
for you alone, O LORD,
make me dwell in safety.

In this psalm, the Lord promises us a few things:

1. The Lord will hear our prayers (verse 3).
2. The Lord will give us joy that is far deeper than what material things give (verse 7).
3. The Lord will grant us peace (verse 8).


I really desire the things that the psalmist has mentioned. But he also talked about something like a prequisite - that I need to offer the Lord the right sacrifices and trust Him. One of the best sacrifices that we can give to the Lord is TIME. We need to spend time with Him.

Everyday before food, a psalm a day.

For the past few days, I have been reading the book of Psalms. The amount of joy, wisdom and peace that I get out of it is amazing. I just sense the closeness of God.

And I want to continue this. My commitment is to blog daily about the things that God have spoken to me through the book of Psalms.


Dear Holy Spirit, I pray that everyday, I will put spending time with You as the top priority in my life. That each day, before I have my breakfast, I want to first have my spiritual food - the word of God. I do not want to rush in each day and do things without first consulting You. I offer this as a sacrifice before You. Holy Spirit, take complete control of my life. Sustain me each day, even if I am physically tired. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen!

Psalm 3

1 O LORD, how many are my foes!
How many rise up against me!
2 Many are saying of me,
"God will not deliver him."
Selah

3 But you are a shield around me, O LORD;
you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.

4 To the LORD I cry aloud,
and he answers me from his holy hill.
Selah

5 I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.

6 I will not fear the tens of thousands
drawn up against me on every side.

7 Arise, O LORD!
Deliver me, O my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
break the teeth of the wicked.

8 From the LORD comes deliverance.
May your blessing be on your people.
Selah

This psalm was written by David while he was fleeing away from his son, Absalom. I could imagine the depth of emotions that David had.

The fear. The despair. The helplessness. The sadness. The weariness.

2 things I felt God spoke to me as I read this psalm.
1. In verse 3, David acknowledged that God was His shield. He was well-protected.
2. In verse 5, David acknowledged that God was the one who sustained Him.

Firstly, there have been times in my life that I felt that some people were just unfriendly and against me. I felt like retaliating, to be honest. To treat them the same way as they did to me. An eye for an eye.

However, that wasn't what David did. He chose to trust in the Lord. He believed that God was His shield. God will bring him through whatever circumstances. God will protect him.

Jesus put it plainly in Luke 6:27-33. Love your enemies. Let God be the one who vindicates you.

Secondly, there are times that I personally felt burnt out. There were so many things that needed my attention, and I just felt like giving up, and not doing anything. But now, I know that my response should be like David.

Let God be the one that sustains me. I don't want to rely on my own strength.

In order for me to really recognize that God is my shield and He is the one who sustains me, I need to grown in INTIMACY with Him in the Year of Sabbath, 2008. Everyday before food, 1 psalm a day is a commitment that the church have made corporately.


Dear Father-in-heaven, help me remember that You are always my shield. When I am in difficult circumstances or when I faced broken relationships with people, You will protect me and vindicate me. Lord, I want to trust You in all things. And also, I pray that I will always allow You to sustain me, whether is it good times or bad times. Help me also grow in intimacy with You. In Jesus' name I ask and pray. Amen!

Psalm 2

1 Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?

2 The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the LORD
and against his Anointed One.

3 "Let us break their chains," they say,
"and throw off their fetters."

4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.

5 Then he rebukes them in his anger
and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,

6 "I have installed my King
on Zion, my holy hill."

7 I will proclaim the decree of the LORD :
He said to me, "You are my Son ;
today I have become your Father.

8 Ask of me,
and I will make the nations your inheritance,
the ends of the earth your possession.

9 You will rule them with an iron scepter;
you will dash them to pieces like pottery."

10 Therefore, you kings, be wise;
be warned, you rulers of the earth.

11 Serve the LORD with fear
and rejoice with trembling.

12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry
and you be destroyed in your way,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

This psalm really speaks a lot to my heart. Often the negative influence of this fallen world is so strong. Many people choose to live according to their desires and selfish ambitions. Either they have heard of God, but they deny Him, or they simply don't believe in God.

In both cases, they are against God.

The Lord's word is clear. These people will not have victories. They will not be victors.

On the other hand, for those whom God has called His children, He will make nations their inheritance, and the ends of the earth their possessions (verse 8). God's promises to us is that He will make us the head, and not the tail; the top and not the bottom (Deu 28:13).

Do you have victories at your workplace or your school? Ask of Him (but don't do it out of selfish ambition because God hates it - Gal 5:19-21).



Dear Father-in-heaven, You're the One that has created ALL things. And I know that because I believed in Jesus, I am Your son, not Your slave. Today, I ask of You, that You will give me a greater foothold in my workplace, so that through my life, men can praise You. I ask all this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Psalm 1

1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.

4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

In this psalm, God's promise to us is that we will be fruitful in every aspect of our lives, just like trees growing near streams. He wants to makes us successful. He wants to bless us.

But there're conditions attached to this promise.
1. We must not seek the counsel of the world or be part of it.
2. We need to meditate His word day and night.

Honestly, I don't know how many times I have given up reading God's word or spending time with Him and went on to do my own things. This psalm just awakens something in me. I need to know and meditate upon His word.


O'Lord, I confess to You the times that I walked away from Your word. I pray that this day, I make a fresh new commitment to You. I want to know Your word and apply it into my life. I want to be like a tree by Your streams of living water. Help me meditate upon Your word day and night. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.