Daily Devotions from the Book of Psalms

Two of the books of the scriptures that should be studied daily are the book of Proverbs and the book of Psalms. The book of Proverbs will show one how to be biblically wise in the things of the Lord. That book is primarily for spiritual guidance in this existence. But even an ungodly person will prosper by studying and applying its principles. In the same sense, the book of Psalms will also benefit anyone who studies it on a regular basis. The reason that the psalms are so valuable is because they are experiential. One can read exactly how David had felt while he was running from a king who wanted to kill him. One can read about some of the saints at a time when they were being held against their will in a foreign land.The reader of the psalms can also sometimes read that the psalmists had wanted their enemies to be destroyed. But one can then read about how they had trusted the Lord even when everything around them was falling down. That is why the book of Psalms is so valuable. The message of the psalms is simply to trust the Lord and to live for Him no matter what. If life is going well, then trust the Lord and live for Him. If life is not going so well, then trust the Lord and live for Him. Within the one hundred and fifty psalms, one can read over and over about how the saints of God had looked to the Lord for help when times were tough. But one can read that they were also quick to praise Him in good times as well as in bad times.Now before concluding this Introduction, there is still one more important thing to share. It is that from a spiritual perspective, one might say that all people can be divided into the three groupings of J-O-Y, Y-O-J, or just Y. That being the case, it is the belief of this author that the most content and most satisfied people in all the world are the J-O-Y's. The least content and least satisfied are the Y-O-J's. The unhappiest and most miserable individuals are the Y's. So who are the J-O-Y's, the Y-O-J's, and the Y's? They are the individuals whom Jesus identified in Matthew