Meditations

“For You bestow on him blessings forever; You make him glad with the joy of Your presence.” (Ps 21:7) Few national anthems move me as much as our own. How many others do you know that are a prayer? We don’t proclaim our greatness before other nations; we proclaim our yearning before God: “Nkosi Sikelel’.” Lord, bless us. Bless our leaders. Bless our people. Bless our continent. Without You, we are nothing! The “Royal Psalms”

“You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.” (Ps 18:29-30) Today, we’re skipping a few psalms (as they were discussed in two previous Al Psalmend series) and diving into the longest psalm in the first Book of Psalms (Ps 3-41). Psalm 18 is perfect for a “blue Monday.” On those days when everything

“I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praises to Your name, O Most High.” (Ps 9:3) Matthew Henry, an 18th-century theologian, wrote a precious line in one of his commentaries on Psalm 9. I share it here in the original English: “Holy joy is the life of thankful praise, as thankful praise is the language of holy joy.” How can one know if the joy you experience in life is a

“O Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but you.” (Ps 5:2-3) Did you notice? Not once, but three times, directly after one another, David prays in Psalm 5: “Listen to my words.” “Hear my sighing.” “Pay attention to my cry.” Why is this so important? Why does he keep asking? It reminds me

“In peace I will lie down and fall asleep, for you alone, Lord, make me secure.” (Ps 4:9) Where Psalm 3 is called “The Morning Psalm,” Psalm 4 is “The Evening Psalm.” In Psalm 3:4, the poet declares, “When I lie down, I sleep well; I wake up again because the Lord watches over me.” But in Psalm 4, sleep does not come easily at first. This is the psalm of a restless person with