Psalm 121: Lifting My Spirits with Praise

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2 ESV)

I don’t remember when I first read Psalm 121. I was probably a teenager, reading through the Book of Psalms for the first time. The psalms have always brought comfort, especially as I learned the meaning behind many of them. They are full of emotion, praise, hope, lament, requests for vengeance, and longing for a better tomorrow. Continue reading “Psalm 121: Lifting My Spirits with Praise”

Praying the Psalms for Encouragement

“But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.” (Ps 39:7)

My spiritual discipline for 2020 is prayer, and what a year of prayer it has been! From global issues like COVID-19 to national issues such as racial disparities and the election to personal issues like community, I’m learning to “pray continually” (1 Thess 5:17). But sometimes, situations are overwhelming, and words are hard to find. When that happens, I use prayer prompts I find online or in a Bible study plan. Often those prompts are from the Psalms. Continue reading “Praying the Psalms for Encouragement”