from "The Old Testament," NKJV
PSALM 14
(To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David)
The fool has said in his heart,
"There is no God."
They are corrupt,
They have done abominable works,
There is none who does good.
The Lord looks down from
heaven upon the children of men,
To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.
They have all turned aside,
They have together become corrupt;
There is none who does good,
No, not one.
Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge,
Who eat up my people as they eat bread,
And do not call on the Lord?
There they are in great fear,
For God is with the generation of the righteous.
You shame the counsel of the poor,
But the Lord is his refuge.
Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
When the Lord brings back the captivity of His people,
Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.
Psalm 20
(To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David)
May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble;
May the name of the God of Jacob defend you;
May He send you help from the sanctuary,
And strengthen you out of Zion;
May He remember all your offerings,
And accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah
May He grant you according to your heart's desire,
And fulfill all your purpose.
We will rejoice in your salvation,
And in the name of our God we will set up our banners!
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.
Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed;
He will answer him from His holy heaven
With the saving strength of His right hand.
Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;
But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.
They have bowed down and fallen;
But we have risen and stand upright.
Save, Lord!
May the King answer us when we call.
Psalm 23
(A Psalm of David)
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.
The Psalms belong to those books in the Old Testament known as Wisdom Literature. They help us to answer five universal questions: How did we get here? What holds life together? Why are we here? What happens when we die? What will be the fate of the universe? There are 150 psalms divided into five books, each ending with a song of praise to God. They were composed by Jewish sages in the Hebrew language, who employed a wide variety of poetic literary techniques, to express strong human emotions. They are as relevant and popular today as they were thousands of years ago. Psalm 23 is my absolute favorite because reading it instantly calms me and gives me hope.
Dawn Pisturino
