None of these shortsighted tricks work on our regret, shame, grief, and misery - freedom only comes through acknowledgement and confession. Honesty brings healing. Transparency fuels transformation. Admission positions us to be available to receive Christ’s mercy and forgiveness.

As we turn the page to David's desperate pleas for mercy, forgiveness, and cleansing found in Psalm 51, it seems fitting that we find ourselves in the middle of summer. There's no escaping the overwhelming heat - if you dare step outside, the humidity hits you, zapping every ounce of energy and taking a toll on one's body. So to avoid it, we retreat behind closed doors. The hidden sin David carried with him had a similar effect; it made him miserable, weighed him down, and consumed him.

This week's time spent in Psalm 46 has reaffirmed our trust in God as our refuge, strength, and ever-present help while realigning our hearts with His ways. Recognizing His greatness, faithfulness, and protection invites us to stop striving and, instead, depend on Him in every circumstance. Rather than rush past this powerful insight, Scripture, specifically the book of Psalms, invites us to engage in a contemplative practice called Selah. 

Our hearts search for reassurance. Our souls yearn for comfort. Our minds work to clear the clutter and cut down on the confusion. With all those factors playing a part, it's no wonder why tidbits, snippets, and little morsels of truth in a single verse of Scripture grab our attention. We gravitate toward the comfort and inspiration they bring while often ignoring the context that surrounds them.

God's transformative peace is available to us whenever we need it. His peace and provision never run dry - they don't cease but constantly refresh and bring an unshakable hope that only He can provide. Our response to those streams is gladness and joy - a peace that passes all understanding and the ability to be content in every circumstance, including unsettling times.

Regardless of whether our hearts are heavy or jumping for joy, His presence and help are beside us. In the bad and the good, His Spirit is there to guide, encourage, and inspire us. The God we worship isn't detached, distracted, or distant.

The context of Psalm 46 runs similar to many other poems inside the book of Psalms. The author finds themselves in some uncertain and troubled predicament with chaos unfolding around them. Yet, rather than begin with words of distress, Psalm 46 opens up with a declaration - God is our refuge, strength, and ever-present help.

How does God advise us to respond to this madness of this world? Quite simply, He tells us to learn a new song. God urges us to be still, wonder, and reflect on His love. Amid the crisis, worship allowed the author of Psalm 42 to have confidence in God’s goodness.

Yesterday, we saw how he preached to himself and allowed God's truth to shape his perspective, not his dire circumstances. Today, we want to spend some time exploring how preaching to ourselves leads us to the fourth habit that battles a downcast soul - acknowledging God's love by recalling His past faithfulness.

We've got to stop listening to ourselves and start speaking to ourselves. We respond to the enemy's lies by shouting back God’s truth. This is what’s taking place in Psalm 42. The author is having a tough conversation with his soul and not holding back any punches. He goes further than simply asking why his soul is downcast; he urges it to continue hoping in God and praising Him.

When it comes to matters of faith, many of us wrongly assume that the strength of one's faith is dependent on how free it is of doubt. If that were the case, then the author would be in trouble because questions upon questions fill the verses of Psalm 42.

"Why, my soul, are you downcast?" I know... it's not the type of question you were expecting to greet you on a Monday and probably caught you off guard. But, as we turn the page to a new week, and with it, a new psalm, we encounter the remarks of an anguished soul. Despair is the backdrop for Psalm 42 - anguish seeps from its pages.

Our responsiveness to His grace and guidance hinges on our ability to remember and rejoice. And, in today’s devotional we want to practice just that - and spend some time remembering and rejoicing God’s faithfulness, care, and forgiveness. This devotional will be a bit different in its format and flow, and this is an intentional switch on my part. First, you will read Psalm 32, and then I will walk you through a guided exercise on remembrance and rejoicing - and in doing so, invite you to be honest with God about our whole hearts.

Over the past few days, we’ve witnessed David speak about the devastation hidden sin causes to our soul and spirit and the joy that comes when we put words to our struggles and find they get met with forgiveness. The last four verses of Psalm 32 shift from David reflecting on his own life to David prophetically speaking in God’s voice to His people. His message is this: we can’t just embrace forgiveness and go our way; we must let forgiveness form and influence who we trust and what we allow to guide our steps.

Today, as we turn our attention to verses 5 through 7, we see the freeing power that comes when we acknowledge our struggles and confess our sins. This is the loving response that Christ offers to anyone who possesses the courage to come to him.

Today, as we delve deeper into Psalm 32, we'll spend some time looking at the toll hidden struggles take on our mind, body, and soul. This topic will indeed be weighty, so before we begin, I want to provide space for you to pray about where your heart is heavy and what role unspoken struggles play a part in it.

This week, as we turn our attention to Psalm 32, we'll witness a different type of turmoil; rather than being beyond our control, this fight resides within ourselves - the pain of hidden struggles, unconfessed sin, and covered-up shame.

Today’s devotional will be a bit different in its format and flow, and this switch is done with intentionality. Rather than internalize the words of this beloved psalm, we want to leverage them to display others-focused love and care. First we will read Psalm 27 together. Then we’ll spend our time contending for and praying over a friend or family member who finds themselves in a waiting period, facing struggles, or encountering adversity.

Yesterday, we encountered a once confident David experiencing a dark night of the soul - the Lord felt hidden and inactive, leading to David’s lament. He asks God to hear his cries and not hide His presence. The pleading from David continues but shifts to a desperate prayer for guidance -” teach me Your way, O Lord.” For God to be our teacher, we must posture ourselves as a humble student willing to listen, receive, and act upon His wisdom, correction, and guidance.

Up to this point in our journey through Psalm 27, David's confidence in the Lord has been rock-solid, expressing itself through courage, celebration, and contemplation. Today, we encounter a vastly different David - one shaken and struggling. He can't sense God's presence or hear His voice. Instead, he's crying out to God. His words feel oddly familiar because his laments have, at times, been our laments.