psalm 91

 7 A thousand may fall at your side, 
ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.

This is one of my favorite sections in the whole Bible. When you think of who is in charge of all of life and how he covers those who trust in him, God is way bigger than even my oldest brother…and he is tough!

God protects those he loves. Many times it takes place in this life; always forever.

Pray for protection.

psalm 90

“May our sovereign God extend his favor to us! Make our endeavors successful! Yes, make them successful!”

Some people are wary of using “success” language when it comes to life and faith, yet, what is the alternative? “Lord, failure is what I seek?” I want my life to go well. I want to be successful. On God’s terms and in God’s ways.

Pray for success.

psalm 89

“I will give you an eternal dynasty and establish your throne throughout future generations.”

Christians see this psalm as referring to Jesus and why not? He is on the throne. That’s a good thing.

Pray for Jesus to rule on the throne of your life.

What a wonderful time I had in Chicago attending my nephew’s bar mitzvah. I had the privilege of witnessing Luke’s ritual from youth to manhood. This also gave me a chance to meet all of my Jewish “in-laws and relatives” who are dear people. I had three days of festivities- eating, more eating, and many, many conversations (good practice for “not being a jerk” with people of a different faith). Making those connections is very meaningful to me, as I haven’t been to an event with these folks since my brother’s wedding 14 years ago. Here is my nephew Luke, with the Rabbi.

Mazal Tov!

psalm 88

“You cause my neighbors and friends to keep their distance; those who know me leave me alone in the darkness.”

This is the only psalm that doesn’t end on a hopeful or encouraging note. It is what it is. God’s effectiveness isn’t totally correlated to our attitude. He can work in spite of us.

Pray not to base so much on how you feel.

psalm 87

“The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.”

When Jesus raised from the dead, God’s Kingdom broke in for good. God’s favorite place is no longer Jerusalem, it is wherever he dwells; which is especially with you. Do think of where you live the same way as the psalm writer thinks of Jerusalem? Why not? Through Jesus, it is a foretaste of the New Jerusalem.

Pray for love for your city.

psalm 86

“Make me wholeheartedly committed to you.”

How can we expect deep and lasting transformation in our lives for the good unless God is the source? We can’t. Halfhearted won’t do. Neither will anything less. We may not know it because we haven’t given ourselves over to him.

Pray for God to take it all and mean it.

psalm 83

 17 Let them be ashamed and terrified forever. Let them die in disgrace.

We always try to be peaceful with our emotions, but it is not as if it is totally biblical or anything. Vengeance is God’s, but we can cheer him on. Not very mature, but the only reason we could be pacifist, actually.

Pray for active peace.

5 But these oppressors know nothing;
      they are so ignorant!
   They wander about in darkness,
      while the whole world is shaken to the core.

Everyone has an ideal view of the world. That which we value makes up our value’s system. So, when we make a value judgment about someone else, we are always speaking through a preset filter. How does a biblical worldview stack up? The poor and vulnerable are always on God’s radar.

Pray for those who are vulnerable.

Psalm 66

If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, my Lord would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer.

If we are honest before God we recognize our need for his forgiveness and we receive it. If we are not honest as his people, we choose not to receive the forgiveness he has already given on the cross. It doesn’t do us any good if we don’t think we need it. If we don’t know God and we are not seeking him we don’t receive the benefits of that forgiveness because we are not aware it exists. If we don’t know God and are open and seeking, he will find a way to draw us to the place of confessing our sins and realizing the forgiveness that is already available.

Pray for openness before God.