JANUARY Attributes: Psalms 13-17

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore..” -Psalm 16:11

CHAPTER OF THE WEEK: Psalm 16  You can read it every day or just once, pray it, meditate on it, talk about it, or find other resources about it.

VERSE OF THE WEEK: Psalm 16:11 You can memorize it, read it every day or just once, pray it, meditate on it, talk about it, or find other resources about it.

ON THE LOOKOUT: This month’s theme is attributes of God. Need a reminder about what an attribute is? Check out this post. Be on the lookout for attributes of God in your Bible reading this week. You can highlight them, keep track in a separate journal, make some kind of art with them, pray them to God, or text them to your friends.

RESOURCE OF THE WEEK: Sermon on Psalm 16 by John Piper YouTube link.

SONG OF THE WEEK: “Pleasant Paths (Psalm 16)” by Artist YouTube link, Spotify link.

PLAYLIST FOR THE WEEK: Here is a playlist with songs from Psalm 13-17 YouTube link, Spotify link.

CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK: In addition to watching out for attributes of God, each day look for one verse or phrase that you want to remind yourself of throughout the day. Maybe you need to remind yourself of Psalm 13:5: “But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.” Or maybe you need to chew on Psalm 16:5: “The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.” or maybe you need to constantly pray Psalm 17:8: “Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings”.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “May we never allow our feelings to dictate our theology, but instead allow our theology to dictate our feelings” – from Delight: A Walk Through the Psalms by The Daily Grace Co.

THOUGHTS on Psalms 13-17

It was really hard to choose one Psalm to focus on this week because all five (Psalm 13-17) were so interesting! It was also very challenging to keep up on studying one new Psalm each day. They are so rich and full of wonderful insights! But, Psalm 16 was the most impactful for me. Maybe it’s because this is a Psalm of praise, thanksgiving, and confidence amid many Psalms of lament, sorrow, and distress. The words do not ignore injustice and sin, but in this chapter David clings to a better way, God’s way, and the result is an overflow of thanksgiving that is inspiring.

Confirmation of God’s work. All throughout this Psalm there are wonderful exclamations of how good it is to follow God!  I can’t help myself, I just have to make a list. Look at these amazing ways God works!

This should be enough encouragement to last us the rest of the day! I looked at each one of the ways God works and tried to think of a specific time God worked that way in my life. Then I looked at David’s responses and tried to think of times He was my refuge, or was my one good, or strengthened me so I wasn’t shaken, or brought me fullness of joy. Even if life is hard right now, at one time or another in my life, I knew and felt these things were true. Because I have a history with a faithful God, I can trust that He is with me in all the storms of life.

Confidence in God’s work. With all the great things going on in this chapter, it’s easy to forget that the very first thing out of the Psalmist’s lips was “Preserve me, O God”. If David was asking for preservation, it’s because life was stormy at that moment. I love the progression in this Psalm from logic to feelings. Imagine reading this Psalm as if it starts as someone very discouraged who is just trying to tell himself facts to keep going. So after he asks for God’s help, he states a fact, “in you I take refuge.” Then verse 2 almost seems like a mantra to repeat to ourselves when we are most discouraged, “…You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” The Psalmist then acknowledges the help he gets from other believers and futility of nonbeliever’s lives. Then He’s back to listing ways God has been faithful. The great thing is, by the end of verse 8 he’s proclaiming that because of God, he will not be shaken. Then he is filled joy and gladness. It seems his emotions have finally aligned with what his mind knew of God all along. God is the best part of his life and following God brings greater joy and security than anything the world has to offer. This recounting of God’s faithfulness and the benefits of living for Him, seems to remind David not just in his mind, but also with his emotions, that he can have confidence in God.

Praying this Psalm when we are discouraged can help our emotions align with the truth of God. I’m definitely not trying to say we should be rays of sunshine all the time and never be sad, but a Psalm like this can be such a refreshing way to get out of an emotional slump. I’ve heard many preachers recommend to preach the gospel to yourself every day. That’s also a great way to get out of a rut because the gospel helps us gain perspective. When we are reminded of God’s work, it can be a real mood changer. So this week, when you’re discouraged or in an emotional loop of being frustrated, sad, lonely, etc. consider reading Psalm 16 to gain some perspective. See if you can stay mad after really thinking about how God is working in your life.