“O LORD, we beseech You, do send prosperity!” Psalm 118:25 An Urgent Request Beseech – Not often, but important.  Only eleven times is the word annah used in the Old Testament.  Only three times in the Psalms.  But it is an important word because it expresses the emotional intensity and urgency for a request.  When…

“For His lovingkindness is great toward us, and the truth of the LORD is everlasting.  Praise the LORD!” Psalm 117:2 Beginning and End Praise the LORD – Psalm 117 opens with a command to praise.  Halelu.  It ends with the same resounding note.  A single word.  Haleluyah.  By adding the syllable “yah” the word adds…

“Praise the LORD, all nations; laud Him, all peoples.” Psalm 117:1 Worshipping in Silence Laud – David chooses not to repeat the word halal in this second phrase.  Like a great Hebrew poet, he chooses to modify or amplify the meaning of the first phrase with an extension in the second phrase.  We are to…

“Praise the LORD, all nations; laud Him, all peoples.” Psalm 117:1 Words That Matter Most Praise – In the shortest Psalm (only two verses), David gives us the greatest command:  everyone, everywhere is to praise God.  When life is boiled down to its absolutely essential ingredient, one thing remains:  praise.  Without praise, life is empty…

“Forever, O LORD, your word is settled in heaven.” Psalm 119:89 The Context of Time Forever – We are a mathematically derived temporal society.  We mark the passage of time by the use of mathematically precise divisions.  We view our world, in fact, our universe through the lens of the clock so much so that…

“May my heart be blameless in Your statutes, so that I will not be ashamed.” Psalm 119:80 Life Without Shame Blameless – Shame destroys.  It is far more crippling than guilt.  If I am guilty, I can repay.  If I am guilty, I can repent.  If I am guilty, I can recover.  But shame is…