Big truths produce big responses. "You're a dad!" "You won!" "You're free!" Psalm 100 points us to some of the biggest truths of all for the believer: "God made you!" "God cares for you!" "God is good, loving, and faithful!" In response, the psalm calls us to offer big praise. It is called a "Psalm of Thanksgiving." Because God is our good Maker and Shepherd, we should give joyful thanks to Him.

"Holiness" can seem distant to us. We know God is holy, but how does it impact daily life? Psalm 99 shows the connection. It praises God for being holy, or "set apart." He’s unique, higher than all beings. While we often rightly relate sinlessness with "holy", Psalm 99 points out that God is holy in greatness, justice, and forgiveness. He’s set apart from all others. So, He deserves our praise.

Very few things make us burst out in joy. Maybe the thrill of a roller coaster, the victory of your favorite sports team, or the announcement of good news has had that effect on you. Psalm 98 teaches us that the Lord deserves our outbursts of praise because His salvation is the best news, His reign as King is the greatest thrill, and His righteous reign will be the supreme victory.

We are drawn to displays of power. When one shows wisdom or intelligence, we want to talk with them. When one shows strength, we want them on our side. When one is successful, we promote their leadership. While we wait for the Lord's powerful return, we can be distracted to follow lesser powers. Psalm 97 paints a powerful picture of the Lord's return and calls us to devote ourselves to Him alone.

The world, our lives, and even the earth groans at the mess. Can anyone fix our mess? Can anyone establish righteousness again? Psalm 96 answers the question - yes - but it calls us to worship the King who is coming to judge the earth. He will fix everything! He offers salvation to the unrighteous. He will rule with righteousness. He will establish righteousness and truth all over the world.

If you asked anyone, "What do you worship?" they’d probably give you one of two answers: "God (or a divine being)" or "nothing." Most people don't realize our lives are full of worship. While we may not physically bow down, our choices show our worship. When I do something for myself, I am bowing to myself in worship. Instead, Psalm 95 invites us to worship the Lord as King, Maker, and Shepherd.

Notice how often revenge is a theme of movies and books through the years! We rarely see true justice served and so we want to take matters into our own hands. But Psalm 94 reminds us to turn to the King of the Universe. Vengeance belongs to Him, and we trust Him. When the anxieties caused by injustice multiply within us, only the comfort of the Lord's perfect nature can delight our souls.

This world is full of power struggles. Whether it's nations on the global scale, or siblings in the home, we encounter the battle for control. Psalm 93 stops the striving by turning our attention to the Lord and reminding us that He reigns. Period. He is the King of the Universe. No power can compete with Him. From eternity past, and for eternity future, the Lord reigns.

Fear stalks us in the night. Just when something gives us some sense of security, we find ourselves fleeing to something else. Where can we find safety? Not in politics, money, doomsday prepping, or in people. Psalm 91 teaches us that we'll only feel safe when we take refuge in the Lord. The more we draw near to Him in faith, the more we experience assurance of safety and security with Him.

Life is short. Someone we love passes away. Someone younger than us is given a terminal diagnosis. Our own health takes a turn for the worse. The curse of death is all around us. In Psalm 90, Moses laments the curse of death. In a time when he was surrounded by the passing away of his own generation, he takes refuge in his eternal God. Psalm 90 teaches us how to live in light of our brief lives.

On any day, a brief glance at the news proves the presence of evil in the world. As believers in Jesus, we know that He will one day make everything right, but it can be difficult to stay encouraged while we wait. Psalm 89 reviews God's promise to David of an eternal Kingdom with an eternal King. While it doesn't mention Jesus by name, it looks forward to the reign of God's promised Messiah.

"Darkness is my only friend." If you’ve felt that way, Psalm 88 will help you. The Psalmist finds himself in such a dark place of discouragement that he despairs even of life itself. He feels alone and hopeless. And yet, amid all his trouble, he makes the right choice: he turns to God. Psalm 88 is a testimony of faith-based persistence. In the darkness of despair, keep crying out to God.

There are places we love to go to but returning home feels comforting. But no place on earth can compare to God's home, the home He has prepared for His children. Psalm 87 is about that home: Zion, the City of God. This joyful Psalm tells us about that City and helps us get excited about our true home. Believers live as strangers, travelers. Learn to delight in your home - the City of God.

Certain things in life shake us to our core and leave us feeling unstable. It can even be difficult to pray in those times, not knowing what to say or where to begin. In Psalm 86, David found stability in the unchanging nature of God. He prayed to God based on His mercy, grace, and love. This rich prayer teaches us how to regain stability in our souls, even when we are troubled.

Everyone and everything feels the brokenness caused by sin. Sometimes we are broken by our sins or by the sins of others. In our brokenness, we need restoration. Psalm 85 is a prayer for restoration. After experiencing decline and distance from God, Israel asks for renewal and revival, "Restore us, O God!" It's a Psalm filled with hope and help for all of us who feel the brokenness of sin.

Do you have places you love and desire to return to? The writer of Psalm 84 certainly did. Potentially from a foreign land but certainly amid personal difficulty, the psalmist yearns to return to God’s dwelling place - the Temple of Jerusalem. Like Psalm 84, we can feel distant from God’s presence. As we encounter trials, we must cultivate a similar desire to seek God’s strength and protection.

“911, what is your emergency?” Maybe you have had to call for help before and been helped by a stranger when trouble entered your life. We often don’t accept help from others in our desire to be self-sufficient, but emergencies quickly reveal our need for help. The truth is that we all need help. We all recognize our need to seek the LORD for help in times of trouble.

Psalm 82 reminds those in authority that God is the righteous judge. He holds all judges accountable. This gives us hope even through times of injustice. It also reminds us that we all will answer to Him - we all must bow to the righteous Judge of the universe.

When we find ourselves in trouble, we tend to look for help in all the wrong places. Even if we do look for God's help, we have our own imaginations about how He should help. Psalm 81 reminds us that while God is ready and able to do the "spectacular" for us, we actually get back on track simply by listening to His Word. God has spoken, and His instructions are the key to everything in this life.

We often find security and stability in all sorts of things without realizing it. But what happens when those things fail? In Psalm 80, Asaph laments the fall of the northern tribes to Assyria. As the nation falls apart, Asaph rightly turns to the Lord for salvation. He asks for God's face to shine on them. It's a poetic request for God's grace and favor to fall upon them and save them.