Psalm 101

I've been living in Psalm 101 this week. It is one of the readings assigned in the book I'm currently using.

A couple of passages have captured my attention.

I will sing of your love and justice;
to you, O LORD, I will sing praise.
I will be careful to lead a blameless life -
when will you come to me? (101:1-2)

These verses just seemed to "sing" to me as I read them out loud this morning at the piano in the sanctuary. So much so that a melody came to my mind.

(We're going to learn these verses in a new song together Sunday for those of you who will be in church.)

Another phrase that caught my attention was, I will set before my eyes no vile thing (v3).

If the Psalmist needed to say that in his day, how much more do we need to be vigilant about what we set before our eyes today?

Isn't this a great prayer for us to pray for our children or our spouses?
"God, help them to set no vile thing before their eyes."

"Vile things" are everywhere.

- Images and thoughts that would twist the good God has created. (Money, sex, power. All can be healthy and God-pleasing. But all can be used to destroy too.)

- Systems and sets of priorities in the world that tell us WE are the center, the beginning, the end, the most important thing; and cause us to neglect God and those around us.

Think about our entertainment, our relationships, our talents, our time. They can be used in "vile" ways. (One synonym for "vile" is "worthless". There are lots of things that are worthless. There are things that tempt us to live worthless lives and spend our energies in worthless ways.

OR we can live in ways that ADD value to life.

Here's another phrase I'm contemplating:
Every morning I will put to silence all the wicked in the land (v8a).

"Every morning".

If the Psalmist had to work hard, consistently, daily, to set his mind right, do I need to do any less?

When we talk about a daily devotional time, this is why.

"Every morning....PUT TO SILENCE..."

Another great prayer starter:
"Every morning put to silence voices that compete for my attention"
"Every morning put to silence noises that would cause me to fear or worry instead of trust"
"God, put to silence things that really aren't that important so I can concentrate on the most important issues"
"Father, put to silence voices that tell me I'm alone or forgotten by You.

What is the Spirit impressing upon you right now that you need to "put to silence"?

My prayer for you today is that the Spirit will use Psalm 101 to help you sing God's praise through the way you live.

Grace & peace