Psalm 16 Divine Protection

One of the most important aspects of a relationship with the Divine is that it improves the believer’s everyday life. This is commonly referred to as the protection of God. For the faithful there is a perspective on every situation that is beyond the worldly appearance. Without faith in God and the spiritual perspective, the world seems to be an evil place. This prayer of thanksgiving to God is a strong affirmation of faith that there is no good apart from the Divine. The spiritual life offers us the ability to see any circumstance from the divine point of view (holy ones in the land).

Many of us worship false gods: money, prestige, stature, etc. When we keep worldly pursuits foremost in our lives, we make ourselves miserable (multiply their sorrows). These things offer temporary fixes, but in the end they drain us of life (offerings of blood) and cannot satisfy our souls.

When we choose the inner path (the Lord is my chosen portion and my cup) and we willingly surrender to Divine will, we find ourselves satisfied with the way that our life has turned out because we have all that we want, need, and some things we never dreamed of (the boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places). We can claim our abundant Divine inheritance (goodly heritage).

As we embrace the guidance of the Lord, even when things are unclear or befuddled (night) the power and presence of the Christ within (heart) leads us in the right direction. With God at the core of our every thought and feeling (keeping the Lord before me), we cannot be swayed or confused.

When we allow our lives to be led by Spirit, we can be certain that we too can reap the fruits of our Divine inheritance (fullness of joy, pleasures). We are secure in heart, soul, and body because we have been shown the spiritual journey rather than being left to the death of the worldly concerns. God's path is the path to eternal life.

And so it is! Amen

Psalm 1 Happiness

So often we find ourselves very unhappy although we are following the culturally prescribed path to happiness. The media tells us if we buy more things, we will be happy. Our friends and family tell us that if we become powerful lawyers, doctors or CEOs we will be happy. These worldly things may bring a semblance of happiness, but it is always transient. Any time that we look outside of ourselves for happiness, we will inevitably be disappointed.

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 86 Comfort

Once we have given our lives to God, we can reach out to God in humility in the times that are the darkest and find light. The comfort we need is available by calling upon God in our time of need and opening our hearts to guidance (teach me thy way). Sometimes we create our own troubles by making life more complicated than it needs to be. We allow warring ideas to confuse us. Spiritual guidance always gives an integrated perspective (please unite my heart).

Psalm 95 Steadfast Faith

God is steadfastly loyal and loving, regardless of our behavior. But what is the human initiative in this relationship? And what does it mean in terms of our life, if we fulfill our promise and potential in God’s eyes? We have the gift of freewill. That power can be put to use in the service of Spirit or it can be squandered pursuing the things of the world.

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 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 62 There Is Only God

The spiritually awake person knows that through all of the experiences in life and no matter how real the physical world may seem, there is only God. When we understand this, we view the world through a different light. Many of the situations in the world believed to be evil or wrong take on a new context if we know that God is present in every situation. We can bless each and every person and situation, as a lesson to bring us closer to our true spiritual nature.

Psalm 106 Obstinacy

Image by greg.turner via FlickrWhen we successfully navigate a challenge to our faith, we must be careful not to rest on our laurels. Also we must not take personal credit for the success, it is only through Spirit that we are able to rise above our weaknesses. We can be assured that there will be a greater challenge ahead of us and we must always be prepared for that lesson.

Psalm 78 Revelation

Image via WikipediaWhile study and spiritual practices are an important part of the journey, there comes a time at which these helpful tools have a limited capacity to help us move forward. Knowing God is a process of transformation for us not a destination. We must never be attached to the ideas or practices so that we miss that God is constantly revealing new and more profound aspects of God’s self to us.

Psalm 17 Effective Prayer

Image via WikipediaWhen we approach God in prayer, we must do so with an understanding of the Truth. God is divine law and just like the laws of nature there are certain rules (principles) that must be adhered to in order to effectively communicate with God. The golden key is the phrase hears my prayer from lips free of deceit. We must approach God with a pure heart, and God will see the intention behind our supplication.

Psalm 126 Awaking 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 accept on 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.

Psalm 63 Hunger and Thirst

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 being’s 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 138 Self Sufficiency

Self sufficiency is the greatest hindrance to our spiritual development. Many of us believe that through sheer willpower we make our lives happen. But of course that is not true. There is an underlying force that creates life that we cannot explain or control and that is the breath of God. It is that invisible vitality which inspires our being: it is our soul. When we live in harmony with that inspiration from Spirit, we feel truly alive.

Psalm 71 Spiritual Maturity

As the years pass our bodies go through changes, along with our minds and spirits. Human race consciousness teaches 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 should 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 this Divine energy that moves us forward through the process of evolution. It is the source of all life. From every beat of our heart, to the seed that becomes a plant, this life force creates life. We can choose to cooperate with that force or we can attempt to fight it, for God has given us freewill. We must understand and accept that there are consequences of resisting. This force moves us towards the greatest good at all times.

Psalm 148 The Rejuvenating Action of Praise

It has been said, “prayer and praise change people, not God.” What happens to us when we offer praise to 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.