Psalm 72 Illumination

Illumination is the ability to, despite our circumstances, see the Truth behind the appearance and make that Truth the basis for all of our thoughts and actions. Intuitive knowledge (spiritual understanding) is the key to abiding in Christ consciousness. Wisdom and understanding are the true source of power, for they give us the ability to create our experiences.  Divine understanding, at its essence, means accepting God as the only Power and Presence in our lives.

Psalm 80 Look Within

As we take our spiritual journey, we should expect to have trials and tribulations along the way. These experiences help us broaden and strengthen our understanding and faith. There are times, however, when we are caught off guard by these troubles and instead of looking within for guidance; we are seduced into relying on external signs for information and direction. Undoubtedly when we make these errors, we experience a great deal of suffering in our lives.

Psalm 146 Trust in God

Human beings are strange creatures in that we trust that the sun will rise and set but do not trust in the omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence of God. No other creature in all of creation has less than absolute faith in Spirit; that which is behind, within and around everything we experience. It is absurd for us to trust in the sun but not trust in God. Each and everyday we are confronted with the miracles that are proof of this Presence, yet we question.

Psalm 72 Illumination

Illumination is the ability to, despite our circumstances, see the Truth behind the appearance and make that Truth the basis for all of our thoughts and actions. Intuitive knowledge (spiritual understanding) is the key to abiding in Christ consciousness. Wisdom and understanding are the true source of power, for they give us the ability to create our experiences.  Divine understanding, in essence, means accepting God as the only Power and Presence in our lives.

Psalm 100 Present in Praise

Have you noticed that it is difficult to praise God when we are focused on the past or the future? The only moment in which we can truly experience the Divine is now. This poem calls every fiber of our being in to joyous praise. We are to be fully present in the present. Giving thanks to God should be done with gladness not fear or moroseness. Singing is an activity that draws our whole being into praise. When we sing the sound causes vibrations within and around us, creating harmony. Also singing relaxes the left or analytical brain. It allows us to be fully present in the moment.

Psalm 46 Permanent Sanctuary

God is a creative force. Underlying these words is a great truth. There is nothing in the world that is consistent but change. If we attempt to maintain the status quo or prevent things from changing, we ensure our own unhappiness. It is out of harmony with nature and God to attempt to hold on to anything. That includes love, money, and joy. By allowing all things to course through our lives rather than stagnate, we clear room for more good. When we understand that life is change, we can begin to relax and go with the flow.

Psalm 145 The Nature of God

When we begin to understand the nature of God, we cannot help but be awestruck and humbled. Thanksgiving and love are the only appropriate response. As we step out in faith, we do so based on the character of God (bless your name forever and ever), not our own worthiness. We can declare that God is foremost in our life (I will extol you, my God and my King) when we begin to understand the nature of our relationship with God. The reason that we are saved is because of God’s steadfast love. But the breadth and depth of God is infinite; and just when we think we know all there is to know about God’s wonders, we are surprised by something greater.

Psalm 65 Jehovah-Jireh, Provider of All Things

In those grace filled moments in which we see the world from the God’s eye view; we see pure, perfect potential in every circumstance. We know that there is no limitation in the world. There is no situation that does not have its ‘silver lining’ in a spiritual context. Every moment is an opportunity to be loved and loving. As children of God all that is God’s is ours. However, we can only receive that which we understand. And so we must come to the realization that we are and have all that we need and want. We have the steadfast love of God.

Psalm 119:97-104 Discipline

It is not through intellectual understanding that we follow God. It is through surrendering to the Divine that we attain wisdom and understanding. Knowing God is not an overnight process but a lifelong one. Age does not necessarily bring wisdom, for one who is obstinate may have lived many years, but has not learned the true lessons of life. We can only hope that each day, in fact every minute and second, that our mind is open and receptive enough to learn all of the new lessons before us. When we follow the law it is a sweet thing because we can rest in the comfort of God’s protection and in the Truth.  8KQGVYRRHRJQ

Psalm 66 - God's Grace

Most of us are blessed with grace filled moments in which we recognize that all of the blessings of our lives are not because of anything that we have done to deserve them (who has kept us among the living and has not let our feet slip). All of the marvelous works in our life and in the world are because of the nature of God (his name). When we realize that God has taken care of every detail—from our conception, to the beating of our hearts, to the way the brain processes information—we cannot help but give praise. There is so much around us that we cannot explain or replicate with human understanding. All of these gifts give us clues to the character of God.

Psalm 137 Confusion and Chaos

The rivers of Babylon represent the currents of confusion and sense consciousness that we cannot pull ourselves out of at times.  These are the times that try us, when we get caught in this current inevitably we feel totally out of control of our lives and the events in our lives.  We can understand why the psalmist wept when he remembered Zion, which is a loving, peaceful state of mind.  Often when we are caught up in sense consciousness we are told by the media, our friends and our families that we should be happy about the material things we have attained.  However we feel unhappy and in bondage to our house, our job or whatever may be the problem. 

Psalm 91 Protection

To live in the shelter of the Most High and abide in the shadow of the Almighty, means to turn our life over to God and turn our thoughts to Spiritual things.
When we dwell in the consciousness of the Christ, we dwell in the house of the Lord. By turning our thoughts to Truth, we establish the seeds of faith (v. 2). Once we have faith there is no fear, for in the spiritual realm the opposite of fear is faith, not courage. But it is our choice to “make our home in God.”

Psalm 79 Blasphemy

We blaspheme against the Lord when we do not acknowledge and embrace our oneness with God and each other. As we hold on to duality, we cannot be healed. We experience physical, mental and emotional sickness in their multitude of forms. When we allow ourselves to engage in irreverent thoughts we experience pain. Fortunately the laws of Being exist to help us find and unearth those mistaken thoughts and correct them. Every day is a new day when we decide to give up our old beliefs for new ones.

Psalm 14 Foolishness

The dictionary says a fool is someone who lacks understanding. It is true that only a fool would say that there is no God. When we believe there is no God is we have undoubtedly been seduced by the trappings of intellect and the physical realm. If we look to the world for strength, purpose, and support, we can be tricked into believing that there is no higher power. Unfortunately, when we succumb to these ideas our thoughts and deeds are all corrupt because we believe them to be of our own doing and for our own exaltation. The intention with which we act is erroneous and the results can be nothing less.

Psalm 139 God is All

When we sit back and truly contemplate all that we are, we cannot help but be mesmerized. Each beat of our heart takes so many interrelated processes working in exact harmony. We know that it is impossible that human being could create something so perfect. If we sit and observe the precision of nature, we are filled with a profound reverence for life and for God. One can only take comfort in the immanence and steadfast love of God. We should take time to contemplate our lives and marvel at the wonder that is our existence.

Psalm 81 "Problem Solving"

It is interesting how most of us only approach God only when we have exhausted everything we know how to do. Instead of making God our partner in life, we try our own hand at troubleshooting. We spend our mental, emotional and physical energies in a process of trial and error with the limited information we know. Our left brains are highly effective at organizing ideas and detail but cannot appropriately orient the ideas in the larger context. Effective problem solving requires the whole brain.

Psalm 71 Maturity

As the years pass, our bodies, minds and spirits go through changes. Conventional wisdom says that as our stay on this planet is prolonged, we must experience deterioration in our bodies and minds. We have been taught that these changes that take place are negative and that we should fight them to the extent that we can with medical and scientific intervention. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, we must inevitably experience change in our bodies and minds, but none of this has to be viewed as negative or as deterioration. It is just different.

Free Kindle Download August 21-25!

We have exciting news!

For those of you who have a Kindle or have downloaded the Kindle Reader app for your computer, iPhone, iPad, Android device, or Windows device.

You can download a free digital copy of He Restores My Soul: Life Affirming Meditations on the Psalms for a limited time only. From tomorrow, August 21st through Sunday the 25th you can get your copy HERE.

Take advantage of this limited time opportunity to get the entire commentary.


Pam

Psalm 80 Look Within

As we take our spiritual journey, we should expect to have trials and tribulations along the way. These experiences help us broaden and strengthen our understanding and faith. There are times, however, when we are caught off guard by these troubles and instead of looking within for guidance; we are seduced into relying on external signs for information and direction. Undoubtedly when we make these errors, we experience a great deal of suffering in our lives.

Psalm 50 Judgment Days

Most of us have a visceral response when we hear the word judgment. It brings to mind a wagging finger and a disapproving stare, or worse. Our response is stronger when we expand this idea to Divine judgment. But is there a way for us to view judgment differently?

Psalm 107 Giving Up The Fight

Have you noticed that it is hard work to rebel against God? In a sense, it is similar to fighting against the laws of nature. If we try to act contrary to the law of gravity, eventually we are bound to get hurt. Likewise, when we resist the Laws of Mind and Being, much unnecessary pain and suffering result. It takes a lot of mental energy to actively resist the presence of Spirit in our lives. And yet so many of us are deeply committed to this practice.

Psalm 85 Understanding and Growth

The challenge in walking the spiritual path is that the more we learn, the more disciplined our lives must become. We must become the evidence of our understanding. Spiritual growth is never a straight upward climb. There are always surges forward followed by times of retreat and backsliding. When we become deeply aware of our spiritual nature (restored the fortunes of Jacob), the edges of our lives are smoothed and we seem to coast along more easily. Inevitably, we will be asked to explore another growing edge. These opportunities are challenging and at times it can feel as though we are being punished (will you be angry with us forever).

Psalm 52 Personal Will

Through the mere force of our personal will we can accomplish incredible things. It can also lead to death and destruction. The human will is one of the most powerful forces in our world. Will is the means through which all our thoughts become manifest. However its power must be harnessed and put to constructive use.

Psalm 82 Our Gifts for God

Have you noticed that some of your greatest gifts can take you down the path that leads to your worst downfall? We all have gifts that are obvious to us and to the world. But we must never forget how and why these gifts came to be in our possession. God has given us faculties which are designed to be placed in service of the Divine. Just as our weaknesses can become a source of strength, our gifts can become an impediment to our spiritual growth. It is all in the intention behind the use of the gift.

Psalm 30 The Great Physician

Is it God’s will for us to experience health? Doctors who understand will tell you that they do not and cannot heal. The medical profession has been trained in some protocols that may (or may not) hasten the process of healing. But healing is a process that the created Universe seems to be bathed in. There is a healing Presence that we have the opportunity to experience in all facets of our lives.

Psalm 77 Remembering the Past

Often we are told do not dwell on the past, because we cannot change it. For most circumstances this is true, but there is a situation in which dwelling on the past may be constructive. When times are tough and it seems that our faith is tested, it can be helpful to revisit the past and remember how when things seemed the darkest, the light broke. When we thought there was no solution, from out of the blue one suddenly appeared. Whenever we experience any situation we believe we cannot bear, we should look back to the times when God in loving-kindness delivered us from our stress and strife. If we can look back objectively, we will see that in every situation there was a life lesson that we are grateful for now.

Psalm 42 & 43 Altar Living

We all encounter times when we have doubts about our faith, particularly during difficult circumstances. Rather than allowing ourselves to get into a frame of mind that God is not with us, we must remember to see God in all circumstances, even those that on the surface appear to be evil or tragic. Believers know that Spirit is working in everything and is working for good. If we can look back at our lives objectively, we recall the many times that the guidance of Spirit led us through dark times and remember how when the experience was over we were grateful for the resulting good.

Psalm 5 The Straight and Narrow Path

When we approach God we must do so with a pure heart (right intention). Spoken words alone are not enough. Behind the words are our true beliefs, which will impact the outcome. We all have problems that we want to take to God, but it is important for us to understand that desire is not just a mental exercise. Sighing and crying for an answer to prayer indicates the emotional posture that a pure intention requires. We have to reach the point where we truly want to turn our problems over to Spirit with all of our heart. Most often we find ourselves finally able to turn our problems over to God, once we come to the conclusion that we have done all that we can do ourselves (in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch). 

Psalm 146 Trust in God

Human beings are strange creatures in that we trust that the sun will rise and set but do not trust in the omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence of God. No other creature in all of creation has less than absolute faith in Spirit; that which is behind, within and around everything we experience. It is absurd for us to trust in the sun but not trust in God. Each and everyday we are confronted with the miracles that are proof of this Presence, yet we question.

Psalm 113 Conscious Praise

Praise is something we do every minute of everyday; most of us do it unconsciously. It does not require that you secret yourself away somewhere or that you go to a church. This writer gives us clues as to the practice and purpose of praise. The psalmist says in verse one that servants of the Lord should praise God's name. A servant, unlike a slave, is someone who willingly serves and obeys his master. Those who would praise God must do so willingly. The way that we praise God is through God's name. God's is I AM that I AM. Whenever we utter the words I am, we are setting the Laws of Mind into motion. When we use the words I am to affirm the good in our lives, we are praising God. In light of this, it behooves us all to spend some time thinking about how often we use those words in a negative light, taking the Lord’s name in vain. 

Psalm 8 Dominion

God granted humankind dominion over the earth at the time of the creation (Gen 3). What does this mean? It does not mean that we have the right to do whatever we want to do to the rest of the creation. What it does mean is that we have complete control over our world.  What each of us experiences individually is a product of our mental and emotional state.

Psalm 104 Divine Creativity

We have the opportunity to participate in the field of Divine creativity each and every day. God is constantly reaching towards us (laying the beams of his chambers). We need only be receptive. This current of life imparts divine ideas (messengers) and the cleansing and purifying activity of the Holy Spirit (fire and flames your ministers).

Psalm 97 Right Relationship

When we allow ourselves to acknowledge the presence and power of God in our lives, we begin the process of understanding our relationship with God.

God is in our consciousness surrounded by mystery (clouds and thick darkness). Despite this mystery, we are given a clear path by the Presence and Power of the Christ within us. Once we understand our right relationship with God (righteousness) and constructively call the laws of Mind into action (justice), we can approach the throne. We can only come forward in the knowledge that we are each children of God, inheritors of the fullness God's estate.

Psalm 67 Deliverance To

So often we think of God’s saving grace as something that lifts us out from things that we consider undesirable. I think this is because so many of us only turn to God when things get bad and we feel we cannot handle it ourselves. But this is only half the story. These verses remind us that the from implies a to. Being saved is not only deliverance from “bad things,” it must be also understood as delivered to an abundance of good.

Psalm 148 The Rejuvenating Activity of Praise

Prayer and praise change people, not God.  To praise God essentially requires us to willingly put God at the center of our lives. We must surrender all of ourselves to the Spirit.

Psalm 23 Green Pastures

Green is term we use to describe those who are inexperienced and childlike in understanding. But “green-ness” is critical to a fresh perspective and new understanding. Although many of us desperately cling to the “same-ness” and stability in our lives, living is about change and transformation. If we fight to stay the same, we find everything continues changing around us. It is in the new that we are best able to embody those childlike qualities, we desire. When we can drop the facade of expertise and knowledge, we allow ourselves to just experience what is. The excitement and anticipation in facing the unknown is palpable.

Psalm 30 The Great Physician

Is it God’s will for us to experience health? Doctors who understand will tell you that they do not and cannot heal. The medical profession has been trained in some protocols that may (or may not) hasten the process of healing. But healing is a process that the created Universe seems to be bathed in. There is a healing Presence that we have the opportunity to experience in all facets of our lives.

Psalm 150 Joyous Celebration

Praise does not change God but it most definitely changes us!  The energy fields around us are a true reflection of our state of mind. When we are living in accord with the principles of Being; we exude grace, beauty of thought and character, and comeliness and the body is healthy and strong. It is heard in our voice and with every gesture. Cultivating the ability to express our luminous soul is the most powerful music we can play.  There is a natural rhythm, harmony and joy (music) established throughout the consciousness, when the soul radiates the power and presence of God.

Psalm 118 Rebirth

We celebrate the resurrection of the Christ this week. This triumphant story has a profound connection to our own walk with God.  Death is an important part of our spiritual life.  In order to know God, we must die to what we think we know so that we are available to God's revelation. The creative power of God (right hand) raises us up and out of the confusion of the world. If we open our hearts and minds, Spirit can show us the straight and narrow path (open to me the gates of righteousness), the way to our inner Christ. Only when we surrender our lives to God can we enter into our spiritual domain.

Psalm 118 Death

Do you respond to the idea of death, with resistance or acceptance? The dramatic stories of the holy week in the Jewish and Christian traditions remind us that we must be willing to face death directly in order experience salvation. Are you in tune with the small deaths that you are confronted with daily? As spiritual seekers, we must die day-by-day to our attachments to the world.

Psalm 126 Awakening from the Dream

Have you noticed that we tend to label things we do not want or do not like, evil? It is interesting how we take our own expectations and standards and make them the benchmark for ‘right’ in the world. Much of the suffering in this world is merely a dream (or perhaps nightmare) of our own creation. This is not to say that we should completely discount the presence of evil in the world, but it does help us take a step back and look more closely. More often than not our experience of suffering is caused by our own inability to let go of what we think should be and instead accepting what is.

Psalm 32 Acknowledging Our Sins

Do your sins define who you are? Are they opportunities for you to learn and grow? Or do you hide your sins from yourself and others to maintain a facade? To sin is merely “to miss the mark” and we are all constantly doing that. How we process our missteps is just as important as the actual sin.

It is important to remember that we must acknowledge our sins before we can be healed of them. What does that mean? It does not mean that we wallow in them, feel guilty about them, give them power over us, or punish ourselves over them. It merely means that we must delve deep enough within our consciousness to know they are there. We cannot heal a trait that we do not recognize. As the psalmist says, we try to hide our iniquities from God. In reality, God is omniscient and so we have really only tried to hide our sins from ourselves.

Psalm 63 Hunger and Thirst

When making a commitment to the spiritual journey and actively seeking God, we literally tap into the strong human craving to reconnect with Spirit (my soul clings to you). This basic need is frequently described as hunger and thirst. For all human beings this desire is present, and it is a basic compulsion in us all. Unfortunately, most of us do not understand that this underlying discontent that we all feel is a spiritual need. So we set off to placate the urge with things physical, emotional and mental. But these cannot quench the thirst; only the spiritual journey can do that. So we see many people in orgiastic relationships with sex, falling in love, money and intellectual theories. But at their core they remain discontented because they have not reached towards the heart of the problem. In all of us there is a core yearning that can only be satiated by spiritual enlightenment and a relationship with God.

Psalm 27 Spiritual Warfare

When we are in the middle of difficult circumstances, there is nothing more powerful than knowing that God is there with us and that all is well. Our needs are already known and supplied. We do not have to ask God for anything, we merely have to open our minds to the knowledge that there is only God in our life and bless our circumstances. In the knowledge and understanding of our rightful place as children of God, what should we fear? If all that is God’s is ours, how can there be any lack? 

If God is for us, who is against us? (Rom 8:31)

Psalm 91 Protection

To live in the shelter of the Most High and abide in the shadow of the Almighty, means to turn our life over to God and turn our thoughts to Spiritual Truth. When we dwell in the consciousness of the Christ, we dwell in the house of the Lord. By turning our thoughts to Truth, we establish the seeds of faith (v. 2). Once we have faith there is no fear, for in the spiritual realm the opposite of fear is faith, not courage. But it is our choice to “make our home in God.”

Psalm 99 Mystery and the Sacred Life

What does it mean to live a sacred life? At its heart is a single principle:  to engage the world from the the Christ presence within us. We are created in God’s image and likeness, and as such our thought life (peoples) and physical life (earth) were created for the purpose of serving God. Spirit protects that divine spark within each an every one of us (he sits enthroned upon the cherubim). We only have to ask to be shown its magnitude, but that spark is always lit, no matter how dim the light appears to us.

Psalm 24 Sincerity

Contemplative moments (ascend the hill of the Lord ) are ones in which we are acutely aware of the Presence of God within us and in our midst and our connection to that Presence. It is interesting that while we are in the world, we are never separate from God (the earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.) And yet even the most devout people proclaim the experience of separation from God. Despite the presence of God everywhere, in the world there are many distractions, internal and external, that seduce our attention and energies away from this truth. During these times it is critical that we stay connected to our deep down, burning desire to know God (clean hands, pure heart.)

Psalm 71 Maturity

As the years pass, our bodies, minds and spirits go through changes. Conventional wisdom says that as our stay on this planet is prolonged, we must experience deterioration in our bodies and minds. We have been taught that these changes that take place are negative and that we should fight them to the extent that we can with medical and scientific intervention. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, we must inevitably experience change in our bodies and minds, but none of this has to be viewed as negative or as deterioration. It is just different.

Psalm 19 Divine Intelligence

There is an underlying intelligence in all things that is evidenced by the constant change in the world. Nothing stays the same. That is because of the Divine energy that moves us forward through the cycles of life. It is the source of all life. From every beat of our heart, to the seed that becomes a plant, this force creates life. We can choose to cooperate with that force or we can attempt to fight it, for God has given us freewill. But there are consequences of resisting.

Psalm 36 Unbounded Love

So often we define God’s love by our limited human ideas of what it means to be loved. But love in the divine sense is at the same time similar to and very different from human love. Sometimes I think of it this way: take the highest and healthiest aspects of human love and expand. God’s love is the impulse to oneness or unity. It is the knowledge that we are all of one Source and the feelings, thoughts and actions that come from that understanding.