The book of Psalms are songs. Our hearts and minds grasp the sounds of songs, helping us to express our deepest emotions and to memorialize our experiences. How much easier it is to remember the words to a song? They spring back into our minds from seemingly nowhere reminding us of our own feelings of joy, sorrow, pain, loneliness, triumph, and despair. Within the book of Psalms, we find Powerful Psalms of Praise, promise, provision, protection, preparation, petition, and penitence. But why should we study these? Are they not the same prayers we need!
Jerry Falwell in his book “Building Dynamic Faith” wrote “the more you know and obey the Word of God, the more faith you will develop” [1] He believed the key to dynamic, unwavering faith was in bible study and prayer. He felt strongly that one should read the Bible through every year, but also to “Read five psalms every day to know God intimately and read one chapter in the Proverbs every day to gain wisdom”[2] Then he would read Old Testament scripture in the morning and New Testament at night. This plus devoted time to prayer both morning and night were key to his faith walk with God. No matter how busy he got.
Note that meant every month, he read the entire book of Psalms in order to know God more intimately. Should knowing God more intimately not be our goal as well? So, let us look more closely at some powerful Psalms to help us express our praise, petition and penitence while learning more of God’s provision, promises, and protection all preparing you to live a dynamic faith transforming life for you and all surrounding you.
POWER PSALMS OF PRAISE
Lord, our Lord,
Psalm 8 (NASB)
How majestic is Your name in all the earth,
You who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!
2 From the mouths of infants and nursing babies You have established strength
Because of Your enemies,
To do away with the enemy and the revengeful.3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have set in place;
4 What is man that You think of him,
And a son of man that You are concerned about him?
5 Yet You have made him a little lower than God,
And You crown him with glory and majesty!
6 You have him rule over the works of Your hands;
You have put everything under his feet,
7 All sheep and oxen,
And also the animals of the field,
8 The birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea,
Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.9 Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth!
Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
Psalm 100 (NASB)
2 Serve the Lord with jubilation;
Come before Him with rejoicing.
3 Know that the Lord Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving,
And His courtyards with praise.
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
5 For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting
And His faithfulness is to all generations.
POWERFUL PSALMS OF PETITION
How long, Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
2 How long am I to feel anxious in my soul,
With grief in my heart all the day?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
Enlighten my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
4 And my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
And my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken.5 But I have trusted in Your faithfulness;
Psalm 13 (NASB)
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has looked after me.
When you feel He doesn’t hear you, He hears, He remembers His promises and He sees you right there. He never forsakes you. Amid the sorrow He sees your pain; yet He knows what will bring you the greatest joy in Him. So, He waits as He did when He watched His Son pay the price for you on Calvary’s tree. That is why David could say, “I will sing to the Lord, because He has looked after me.”
God, hurry to save me;
Lord, hurry to help me!
2 May those who seek my life
Be put to shame and humiliated;
May those who delight in my harm
Be turned back and dishonored.
3 May those who say, “Aha, aha!” be turned back
Because of their shame.4 May all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
Psalm 70 (NASB)
And may those who love Your salvation say continually,
“May God be exalted!”
5 But I am afflicted and needy;
Hurry to me, God!
You are my help and my savior;
Lord, do not delay.
POWERFUL PSALMS OF PENITENCE
Be gracious to me, God, according to Your faithfulness;
Psalm 51 (NASB)
According to the greatness of Your compassion, wipe out my wrongdoings.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my guilt
And cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my wrongdoings,
And my sin is constantly before me.
4 Against You, You only, I have sinned
And done what is evil in Your sight,
So that You are justified when You speak
And blameless when You judge.
Penitence for self and nation
Out of the depths I have cried to You, Lord.
2 Lord, hear my voice!
Let Your ears be attentive
To the sound of my pleadings.
3 If You, Lord, were to keep account of guilty deeds,
Lord, who could stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with You,
So that You may be revered.5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
Psalm 130 (NASB)
And I wait for His word.
6 My soul waits in hope for the Lord
More than the watchmen for the morning;
Yes, more than the watchmen for the morning.
7 Israel, wait for the Lord;
For with the Lord there is mercy,
And with Him is abundant redemption.
8 And He will redeem Israel
From all his guilty deeds.
PSALMS OF PROVISION
The Lord is my shepherd,
Psalm 23 (NASB)
I will not be in need.
2 He lets me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For the sake of His name.4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
6 Certainly goodness and faithfulness will follow me all the days of my life,
And my dwelling will be in the house of the Lord forever.
4 I sought the Lord and He answered me,
And rescued me from all my fears.
5 They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces will never be ashamed.
6 This wretched man cried out, and the Lord heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him,
And rescues them.8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;
Psalm 34 (NASB)
How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
9 Fear the Lord, you His saints;
For to those who fear Him there is no lack of anything.
10 The young lions do without and suffer hunger;
But they who seek the Lord will not lack any good thing.
11 Come, you children, listen to me
Powerful PSALMS OF PROMISES
Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Psalm 1 (NASB)
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
2 But his delight is in the Law of the Lord,
And on His Law he meditates day and night.
3 He will be like a tree planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season,
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.
Do not get upset because of evildoers,
Psalm 37
Do not be envious of wrongdoers.
2 For they will wither quickly like the grass,
And decay like the green plants.
3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
Live in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
6 He will bring out your righteousness as the light,
And your judgment as the noonday.
Two Powerful Psalms of Protection
One who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will lodge in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!”
3 For it is He who rescues you from the net of the trapper
And from the deadly plague.
4 He will cover you with His pinions,
And under His wings you may take refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and wall.5 You will not be afraid of the terror by night,
Or of the arrow that flies by day;
6 Of the plague that stalks in darkness,
Or of the destruction that devastates at noon.
7 A thousand may fall at your side
And ten thousand at your right hand,
But it shall not approach you.
8 You will only look on with your eyes
And see the retaliation against the wicked.
9 For you have made the Lord, my refuge,
The Most High, your dwelling place.
10 No evil will happen to you,
Nor will any plague come near your tent.11 For He will give His angels orders concerning you,
To protect you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will lift you up,
So that you do not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will walk upon the lion and cobra,
You will trample the young lion and the serpent.14 “Because he has loved Me, I will save him;
Psalm 91
I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name.
15 He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
16 I will satisfy him with a long life,
And show him My salvation.”
12 The wicked plots against the righteous,
Psalm 37 (NASB)
And gnashes at him with his teeth.
13 The Lord laughs at him,
For He sees that his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow
To take down the afflicted and the needy,
To kill off those who are upright in conduct.
15 Their sword will enter their own heart,
And their bows will be broken.
Powerful Psalms of Preparation
Psalm 73 (NASB)When my heart was embittered
And I was pierced within,
22 Then I was stupid and ignorant;
I was like an animal before You.
23 Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You have taken hold of my right hand.
24 You will guide me with Your plan,
And afterward receive me to glory.25 Whom do I have in heaven but You?
And with You, I desire nothing on earth.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 For, behold, those who are far from You will perish;
You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You.
28 But as for me, the nearness of God is good for me;
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
So that I may tell of all Your works.
Make me know Your ways, Lord;
Psalm 25 (NASB)
Teach me Your paths.
5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
For You I wait all the day.
Concluding Thoughts
And so, the Psalms are source of hope, strength, and joy amid all the trials of this life. Let us learn to turn to them, everyday of our lives. Remembering verses to help us face each day. Thereby, transforming our life and the lives of those surrounding us.
DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR AND LORD? He is our only Hope in Life and Death! Our Joy is found in Him.
Therefore if you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord: I urge you today. Go to my page titled How to Be Saved by clicking on this link. There is nothing more important than this; because He is the way, the truth and the life. Therefore, I urge you to seek Him today.
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DISCLOSURES
©Effie Darlene Barba, 2023
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. Furthermore, I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned except for my own books. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Credits
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
[1] Falwell, Jerry; Building Dynamic Faith:2005, Thomas Nelson; Nashville,TN, pg 54
[2] Ibid, page 55