Daily Bible Reading Plans to help you read and understand God’s Word

Scripture Reading: Psalm 90:1-17, Psalm 91:1-16, Psalm 92:1-15, Psalm 93:1-5, Psalm 94:1-23, Psalm 95:1-11

The late winter days of the Lenten season never seem to be short. Here in southeastern Michigan, the gray skies won't lift. The cold, damp weather wraps one in a chill that seeps down to the bone. The snow has matched the monochromatic color of the sky so that there is no above and no below. There is no way to escape the gray shadows of my mind and heart. I am a man in a mood from which I need relief.

The blunt honesty of the psalms often provides the awakening I require. They jostle me out of my slumber and stupidity and place me on a higher vantage point by which I can see the world. The opening words of Psalm 92 are a splash of ice-cold water to my face. “It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praise to your name, Most High” (Psalm 92:1). Hear it again, “It is good.” The psalmist beckons me out of my colorless life and into the world of vivid glory and dramatic beauty by putting before me the rightness of remembering and meditating on God.

In this song, a choice is offered. Continue to be the “stupid person” (v.6) who does not consider and meditate on God’s character, His works, and even His kingdom or take to heart God's expansive majesty. The fool stays in the gray, continuing to live in unexamined ignorance. But the person who recounts and reflects on God's awesome deeds finds themselves flourishing (vv.12–13).

Even being able to navigate the evil and injustice of a broken world requires the ability to remember and reflect on God. Knowing that the wicked will one day be met with divine justice gives strength to continue holding fast to the Lord in faith. God will have His day of justice. He will make all things right. His eternal kingdom will be established forever.

It is good to give thanks to God. When I fail to consider Him or pause and meditate on His kindness and mercy, I become a self-absorbed, self-centered, self-righteous judge of everything around me. But the psalmist calls us to give thanks, to sing, to praise His name. As we remember and declare His faithful love, His Spirit changes our hearts. His works are magnificent and worthy of our contemplation.

As the winter breaks and the Lenten season draws to its height and conclusion, may the spiritual clouds that sit over our hearts be pushed aside in the light of God’s grace. May we meditate deeply, and as a result, worship joyfully the Triune God who has loved us and given us His Son. May we rest by the still waters of His mercy and flourish, bearing the fruit of praise all the days of our lives.

Written by Jeremy Writebol