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Psalm 12:6 (tvo) The Psalms, like our modern day praise and worship songs, remind us of who God is. In light of current situations, these songs of praise may not always “feel” true. Because, quite frankly, life does not always seem to line up with scripture. But, the Psalms and good modern worship songs alike remind us of the truth that goes beyond our feelings. They remind us that contrary to the message the hardships of this life may convey, the word of God can be trusted.

Psalm 11:3 (tvo) One of the foundations of life is family, and if we see this foundation being destroyed we can do something about it. First of all, pray. Get refocused on God and what His plan for the family is. Second of all, do what you can to love and support each other in the family. Sometimes this means reaching to others for help and support. If your family is being destroyed, you don’t have to just watch it happen. Do what needs to be done to bring healing and restoration to your family.

Psalm 10:17-18 (tvo) There are a couple things I love about this passage. First of all, God encourages the afflicted. Have you ever felt afflicted? Yeah, me too. In those times we are feeling afflicted (discouraged, suffering, or in pain), God will encourage us. In order for us to hear this encouragement, we need to take time to mentally and emotionally step away from the source of the affliction to create the space necessary to hear. Second thing I love about this verse, God defends the fatherless and oppressed. This is a way of saying that the most vulnerable will be protected by God. One way God does this, is through us. Stand for those who cannot stand for themselves. Doing so reflects the true nature of God, and in the process you will find the encouragement you need.

Psalm 9:1 (tvo) Here we are at the end of another week, and we find the Psalms once again expressing thankfulness to God. We talked earlier in the week about the importance of thankfulness in relation to how we think about the world around us. Training ourselves to see the good things in our life is an effective way to lift our mood, and increase our quality of life. This verse takes it a step forward, and encourages us to share with others. Our joy increases when we share that joy with others. Don’t be afraid share the good things God has done in your life with others. Doing so cements those things more firmly in our own minds, and can be the encouragement other people need.

Psalm 8:3-4 (tvo) The world in which we live is a beautiful display of the creative power of God. Even with the majesty of nature, the crown jewel of creation is humanity. This means we, people, have value. Regardless of their situation in life, all of humanity is cared for by God, and should be honored by us His followers. Part of representing God well is loving others the way He has loved us.

Psalm 7:17 (tvo) Amazing things happen when we choose to be thankful, especially when our current situation is less than ideal. Thankfulness helps us to reframe negative situations, by opening our eyes to see the good. In fact, over time our brains can be trained to be drawn to reasons for gratitude, which should make us generally more optimistic people. We can change the way we think about our life by choosing to see the reasons for thankfulness. A new found sense of thankfulness may not change the difficult situations we are facing. But thankfulness will change our perspective on the situation; a new perspective leads to a change in our approach to the situation; a change in our approach should allow us to begin to make a positive impact on the aforementioned negative situation. So maybe, just maybe, training ourselves to find reasons for thankfulness truly can change our life.

Psalm 6:6-7 (tvo) When we are feeling overwhelmed by the pain of this life, God is always a place we can turn. In God we find the motivation, encouragement, and the strength we need to carry on. Sometimes God does this through our time in prayer, but God also uses those He has put around us to motivate, encourage, and strengthen us in our time of need. If you find yourself struggling today, don’t be afraid to reach out to God through prayer and to trusted friend through honest conversation. Or better yet, be a source of motivation, encouragement, and strength for someone else. Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do for ourselves is to use the strength we have to bless others.

Psalm 5:1-3 (tvo) We all face hardships and frustrations, for some this year has presented more than its fair share of hardship and frustration. Because of these frustrations, it would be easy to choose despair. But, in spite of all this we still have many reasons to choose Thanksgivingfullness (my favorite made up word). One reason for Thanksgivingfullness is that we serve a God who loves and hears us. The proof of God’s love and attentiveness can be found in the thousands of blessings in our life that often go unnoticed or unacknowledged. The good friends who are there when we need them, a family that provides joy and excitement, and provision that meets our needs. These “little things” show us that God does indeed give ear to our words, and give us a reason to choose Thanksgivingfullness. Happy Thanksgiving!

Psalm 4:4 (tvo) This verse is full of practical application. First of all, anger in and of itself is not a sin. In fact, there are some things in life that should make us angry. Anger becomes a problem when we allow our anger to control us, and drive us to counterproductive action. In anger, our knee jerk reaction is often just to do something…anything. Sometimes that ends up being saying something hurtful to the ones we love, throwing something, putting a hole in a wall, or all three at once. These reactions to anger are less than helpful, and because of their harm to others are actually sinful reactions to a very powerful emotion. Instead of reacting purely on the emotion of anger, the Psalmist tells us to search our hearts and be silent. Essentially saying, when we feel the anger rising, we should take a moment to calm down and think about our response. Doing so should help us make sure our reactions to anger are helpful rather than harmful. Anger is a powerful emotion, but it can be controlled.

Palm 3:3-4 (tvo) Much of life is determined by our response to difficult situations, and our response is shaped by our overall perspective on life. In this section of the Psalms, David spends verses one and two lamenting the severity of the situation. His foes are many, and all hope seems lost. But then, David remembers the Lord. David’s response to the difficulty then changes, because he began to see that he did not need to fight these battles on his own, but that the Lord was his protector and deliverer. The severity of the situation did not immediately change, but through a changing of perspective, Psalm 3, which began as a cry for help ended as a song of praise.

Psalm 2:7 (tvo) Life gets lonely sometimes. We can try to say it doesn’t, and act as if life is always good and we never feel lost or abandoned. Acknowledging that fact we feel lonely; or overwhelmed; or hopeless; or whatever negative feeling we may be experiencing gives us the opportunity to begin to find healing, hope, restoration, and family. In God we find a father –protector, caregiver, provider, and encourager –that we so desperately need. This weekend, find some time to be completely honest with yourself, and God about your areas of need. You’ll find a father longing to make you family, and bring restoration to your life.

Psalm 1:3 (tvo) This is the type of life I want to live. A life that is firmly planted and consistently producing fruit. In our world today, one that at the moment is becoming increasingly chaotic, we need more people who will live a life of consistent reliability. According to this passage, the way we live this kind of life is by staying connected to God’s Word. Life is full of moments of despair and hopelessness, but God’s Word is a sense of calm in the midst of chaos. It is the thing that keeps us firmly planted and consistently producing fruit.

Starting tomorrow the tvos will begin looking at the book of Psalms. Have you ever felt like your faith was tired? Not that you have stopped believing in God, but that the weight of life was causing you to feel spiritually weary. When this has happened in my life, the Psalms have become my place of refuge and encouragement. The heart rending honesty from the Psalms as the writers give us a view into their moments of despair, and the eventual return of hope, have always been a source of restoration for my soul. If you find that your faith is tired, I pray that our time in this collection of poems will offer you the same type of refuge, encouragement, and restoration.

Matthew 28:19-20 (tvo) This is such a familiar passage to many of us that it may even seem trivial. Even though we may have heard it a thousand times, this verse is a powerful reminder that we have a purpose. Our lives were designed by God to make a positive impact on the world. Yes, we face many hardships as we are attempting to live out that purpose, but those hard times in no way negate our life’s purpose. In fact, those hard times usually end up being the things that push us to the next level. Go and make a positive impact on your world today.

Matthew 27:22 (tvo) People can be fickle sometimes. The same crowd that was cheering “Hosanna”, a shout of victory, as Jesus entered Jerusalem in Matthew 21, now, about a week later, are chanting for his death. What’s the lesson in this? Don’t put too much stock in what others say about you. There’s a great line from Rudyard Kipling’s poem If, “If all men count with you, but none too much”. When we judge ourselves based on the opinions of others we will eventually be disappointed, or hurt. Instead, listen to the voices of those closest to you, your friends and family. If they are people who truly care for you, their opinion of you will be based on neither your victories nor your failings, but on who you are as a person. Don’t get caught up in the crowd, instead listen to those who are closest and be the person God created you to be.

Matthew 24:12-14 (tvo) These three verses manage to find the good in the midst of the bad. Yes, wickedness increases as the love of many grows cold. But in the midst of this, the message of God’s kingdom spreads throughout the world. Finding the good in the midst of the bad is like a muscle that needs exercised, and is a life changing skill. Yes, bad things happen to all of us. We all have crappy days, weeks, months, or even years (cue that FRIENDS theme song in your head), but if we take the time to look for it, we will see that God is still doing good in our life. Strengthen your good seeing muscle. Start looking for the good in the midst of the bad.

Matthew 23:12 (tvo) This may not be a traditional “marriage verse”, but I think it offers some terrific insight into what it takes to develop a healthy marriage. Humility. A strong, and healthy marriage requires that both husband and wife think more highly of their spouse than of themselves. Individual humility exalts marriage above self. Side note: this is not an excuse for one spouse to rule over the other. When a marriage is built on humility, both husband and wife seek good for each other.

#marriage

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