DECEMBER 11, 2025 Psalm 118:5 I called on the Lord in distress; the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place. The Hebrew word translated as “distress” is derived from a root word that means “to limit, to constrict” or “confine.” The word is also used to denote something that “presses” and “squeezes,” thus applying pressure to whatever is being […]
DECEMBER 10, 2025 Psalm 118:1 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Hodu l’Adonai ki tov; ki l’olam chasdo: these words are recited every day somewhere in the world. It is the Hebrew way of saying, “God is good, all the time.” It is a general expression of thanks to God that acknowledges […]
DECEMBER 9, 2025 Psalm 117:1-2 Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples! For His merciful kindness is great toward us, and the truth of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord! This psalm holds the distinction of being the shortest chapter in the entire Bible, consisting of only two verses. Nevertheless, great and profound truth is expressed in […]
DECEMBER 8, 2025 Psalm 116:16 O Lord, truly I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant; You have loosed my bonds. Throughout human history, there have been those who felt justified in enslaving others who were weaker or who were deemed to be inferior. As for those in bondage, being forced into servitude seldom had the effect […]
DECEMBER 7, 2025 Psalm 116:16 O Lord, truly I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant; You have loosed my bonds. In the previous devotion, we emphasized what it truly means to be a servant of God as opposed to thinking we are when, in fact, we are subservient to our own will. In the verse above, […]
DECEMBER 6, 2025 Psalm 116:16 O Lord, truly I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant; You have loosed my bonds. In Hebrew thinking, to be regarded as a servant means that a person will not accept the mastery of anyone except for the one he calls “lord.” Put simply, […]
DECEMBER 4, 2025 Psalm 116:12-13 What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me? I will take up the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. What can we, mere mortals who are finite and lowly, possibly give to the Eternal God and exalted Lord of Creation? As it is […]
DECEMBER 5, 2025 Psalm 116:16 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. All my life, I’ve heard this passage invoked as people met to memorialize the passing of a loved one. However, as a younger man, I never truly understood the depth of this idea — that the Creator looks upon […]
DECEMBER 3, 2025 Psalm 116:10-11 I believed, therefore I spoke, “I am greatly afflicted.” I said in my haste, “All men are liars.” With these words we are reminded that Jewish commentators believe this psalm was written by David. That being so, the statements above make reference to the chaos that ensued when Absalom rose up against […]
DECEMBER 2, 2025 Psalm 116:8-9 For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. Experiencing hardship and suffering can squeeze the very life from a person. It can be so intense, at times, that a person can […]
DECEMBER 01, 2025 Psalm 116:3-4 The pains of death surrounded me, and the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow. Then I called upon the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I implore You, deliver my soul!” In the previous devotion we highlighted the psalmist’s joy over the fact that God heard his cries and […]
NOVEMBER 29, 2025 Psalm 115:17-18 The dead do not praise the Lord, nor any who go down into silence. But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forevermore. The statement that the dead do not offer praise to the Lord seems so overtly obvious that it makes one wonder why it must even be […]
