Lifting Our Eyes and Giving Thanks: Psalms 123 and 124

This script presents the full text of Psalm 123 and Psalm 124, both identified as Songs of degrees, with Psalm 124 attributed to David. Psalm 123 is a prayer that lifts its eyes to the Lord who dwells in the heavens, comparing the faithful to servants watching the hand of their master and a maiden watching her mistress, waiting for mercy. It pleads repeatedly for God’s mercy and describes a soul overwhelmed with contempt, scorn, and the disdain of the proud. Psalm 124 reflects on Israel’s deliverance, declaring that if the Lord had not been on their side, enemies would have swallowed them and the waters would have overwhelmed them. It blesses the Lord for not giving them as prey, pictures escape like a bird freed from a broken snare, and concludes that help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth.

00:00 Psalm 123 — Lifting Our Eyes to Heaven for Mercy
00:43 Psalm 124 — If the Lord Had Not Been on Our Side
01:15 Psalm 124 — Delivered from the Snare: Our Help in the Lord’s Name

Psalm 122: Glad to Go to the House of the Lord

This script presents Psalm 122, a Song of Degrees of David, expressing joy at being invited to go into the house of the Lord and to stand within the gates of Jerusalem. It describes Jerusalem as a city compact together, where the tribes of the Lord go up to give thanks to the name of the Lord, and where thrones of judgment are set, the thrones of the house of David. The psalm calls listeners to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, promising prosperity to those who love her, and asks for peace within her walls and prosperity within her palaces. It closes with a personal commitment to seek Jerusalem’s good for the sake of brethren and companions, and because of the house of the Lord our God.

00:00 Psalm 122 Introduction — A Song of Ascents (David)
00:08 Joyful Invitation: Going to the House of the Lord
00:13 Standing in Jerusalem: The City Built Compact Together
00:22 Why the Tribes Go Up: Worship and Thanksgiving
00:31 Thrones of Judgment: The House of David
00:37 Pray for Jerusalem’s Peace and Prosperity
00:48 Personal Blessing & Closing: Seeking Jerusalem’s Good

Psalm 121: The Lord Our Keeper

This episode presents Psalm 121, a Song of degrees that begins with the speaker lifting their eyes to the hills and asking where help comes from, then answering that help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. The Psalm emphasizes God’s vigilant care: He will not allow the foot to be moved, and the One who keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. The Lord is described as a personal keeper and as shade at the right hand, guarding day and night so that neither sun nor moon will strike. It concludes with a promise of preservation from all evil, the keeping of the soul, and God’s protection over going out and coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

00:00 Psalm 121 Intro — A Song of Degrees
00:07 Looking to the Hills: Where Help Comes From
00:17 The Lord Watches Over You (Never Sleeps)
00:31 God as Your Keeper and Shade
00:38 Protected Day and Night
00:44 Preserved From Evil — Now and Forever

Psalm 120: A Cry for Deliverance from Deceit and Strife

This episode reflects on Psalm 120, a Song of degrees, where the psalmist remembers crying to the Lord in distress and being heard. The prayer is plain and urgent: deliverance from lying lips and a deceitful tongue, and a sober warning that false speech is met with sharp arrows of the mighty and coals of juniper. The psalmist laments living among those who hate peace, saying, "Woe is me," as he sojourns in Mesech and dwells in the tents of Kedar. As one of the Songs of degrees, this psalm belongs to a collection associated with ascent, and it reads like a pilgrim’s honest confession that even when he speaks for peace, those around him are for war. The devotional heart of the psalm is encouragement for the believer who feels worn down by conflict and manipulation: in distress, cry to the Lord, because the God who hears is also the God who delivers.

00:00 Psalm 120 Intro — A Song of Ascents
00:07 Crying Out in Distress — God Hears
00:10 Prayer for Deliverance from Lies & Deceit
00:16 Judgment on the False Tongue
00:20 Sharp Arrows & Coals of Juniper — Consequences of Slander
00:24 Living Among Those Who Hate Peace
00:33 A Heart for Peace, Surrounded by War

Psalm 119: Loving the Word, Walking in the Way

This episode consists of the text of Psalm 119, a sustained meditation on the blessing of walking in the law of the Lord and seeking God with a whole heart. The psalmist repeatedly asks to be taught God’s statutes, to be given understanding, and to be strengthened and quickened according to God’s word, while committing to keep the commandments diligently. Throughout, God’s word is described as a source of wisdom, delight, comfort in affliction, and guidance, including the declaration that it is “a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path,” and that it is settled forever. The speaker contrasts love of truth with hatred of false ways, and asks for mercy, salvation, deliverance from oppressors, and help against persecutors and the wicked, while maintaining praise, meditation, and hope in God’s judgments. The psalm ends with a confession of straying like a lost sheep and a plea for God to seek and remember the servant who does not forget the commandments.

00:00 Psalm 119 Begins: The Blessing of Walking in God’s Law
00:42 A Young Heart Made Clean: Seeking God’s Word Wholeheartedly
01:21 Open My Eyes: Finding Wonder, Strength, and Truth in the Word
02:48 Teach Me Your Statutes: Choosing the Way of Truth
03:31 Mercy, Salvation, and Boldness: Trusting God’s Word Without Shame
04:11 Comfort in Affliction: Songs in the Night and Steadfast Obedience
05:29 It Was Good I Was Afflicted: Learning Wisdom Through Trials
07:47 Forever Settled in Heaven: God’s Word, Faithfulness, and Endurance
08:29 O How I Love Thy Law: Sweetness, Wisdom, and a Lamp for the Path
09:59 My Hiding Place and Shield: Holding Fast Under Pressure
11:06 Time for the Lord to Work: Loving the Commandments Above Gold
12:05 Righteous and Very Faithful: Zeal, Purity, and Tears for the Law
12:46 I Cried With My Whole Heart: Nearness of God in Persecution
14:11 Great Peace for Those Who Love the Law: Praise, Hope, and Obedience
14:47 Final Prayer: Deliver Me, Teach Me, and Seek Your Lost Sheep

Praise and Thanksgiving: Psalms 117 and 118

The script presents the full text of Psalm 117 and Psalm 118. Psalm 117 calls all nations and peoples to praise the Lord for his great merciful kindness and enduring truth. Psalm 118 gives thanks to the Lord for his goodness and everlasting mercy, invites Israel, the house of Aaron, and those who fear the Lord to repeat that mercy endures forever, and recounts calling on the Lord in distress and being answered. It contrasts trusting in the Lord with trusting in man or princes, describes being surrounded by nations yet prevailing in the Lord’s name, and affirms the Lord as strength, song, and salvation. The psalm speaks of rejoicing among the righteous, being chastened but not given over to death, and entering the gates of righteousness to praise the Lord. It includes the declaration that the rejected stone has become the cornerstone, rejoices in the day the Lord has made, asks the Lord to save and send prosperity, blesses the one who comes in the Lord’s name, and ends with worship, sacrifice at the altar, and repeated thanksgiving for the Lord’s enduring mercy.

00:00 Psalm 117 — A Call for All Nations to Praise
00:21 Psalm 118 Begins — Give Thanks for Enduring Mercy
00:40 Help in Distress — The Lord on My Side
01:08 Surrounded by Enemies — Victory in the Name of the Lord
01:32 Strength, Song, and Salvation — Rejoicing in God’s Deliverance
02:01 Gates of Righteousness — Entering to Praise
02:15 Cornerstone & The Day the Lord Has Made
02:29 Save Now & Blessing in the Lord’s Name
02:46 Final Thanksgiving — Praise and Exalt the Lord

Psalm 116: Deliverance, Thanksgiving, and Vows of Praise

The script is a full reading of Psalm 116. The speaker declares love for the Lord because God has heard their voice and supplications, and resolves to call upon him for life. It recounts being seized by the sorrows of death and the pains of hell, calling on the Lord for deliverance, and affirming that the Lord is gracious, righteous, merciful, and a preserver of the simple who helps when one is brought low. The psalmist urges their soul to return to rest because the Lord has dealt bountifully, delivering their soul from death, their eyes from tears, and their feet from falling, and vows to walk before the Lord in the land of the living. It includes testimony of belief amid great affliction and the admission made in haste that all men are liars. In response to God’s benefits, the psalmist asks what can be rendered to the Lord, pledging to take the cup of salvation, call upon the Lord, and pay vows in the presence of God’s people. The passage states that the death of the Lord’s saints is precious in his sight, identifies the speaker as the Lord’s servant whose bonds have been loosed, and promises a sacrifice of thanksgiving and public fulfillment of vows in the courts of the Lord’s house in Jerusalem, ending with a call to praise the Lord.

00:00 Psalm 116 Opening: A Love That’s Been Heard
00:17 When Trouble Hits: Crying Out for Deliverance
00:31 God’s Mercy & Rest for the Soul
00:48 Delivered to Walk in the Land of the Living
00:58 Faith Under Affliction: Honest Words in a Hurry
01:06 How Do I Repay the Lord? The Cup of Salvation & Vows
01:20 Precious in His Sight: The Life of God’s Servants
01:34 Thanksgiving in the Lord’s House: Public Praise in Jerusalem
01:48 Final Doxology: Praise Ye the Lord

Trust in the Lord: Reflections on Psalm 115

In this episode, we delve into the profound depths of Psalm 115, a timeless piece of scripture that calls us to give glory not to ourselves but to God, for His mercy and truth. This Psalm contrasts the living God in the heavens with lifeless idols made by human hands, reminding us to place our trust in the Lord who is our help and shield. The episode also touches on the historical context of idol worship in ancient times and its futility. As you listen, you'll find a devotional reflection that encourages you to trust in the Lord with childlike faith, knowing that He is always mindful of us and will bless us abundantly. Join us in praising the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.

00:00 Introduction and Invocation
00:23 The Futility of Idols
00:50 Call to Trust in the Lord
01:05 Blessings from the Lord
01:38 Praise and Conclusion