I must confess that I found these five psalms grouped together in an article published on June 13, 2019, titled, “5 Psalms to Read in the Morning: To Help Start Your Day with God’s Peace and Strength,” by Debbie McDaniel, a pastor’s wife and contributing writer on IBelieve.com. She opens her article with the following:
Sometimes when we wake up in the morning, our minds might already start racing before our feet even touch the floor. Hearts burdened, spirits heavy, worry begins to creep in before we’ve fully started our day. There’s so much in this life we can start to feel anxious about, even when we know Truth and believe that God’s in control. Fear can be a daily battle, and we may wrestle with feeling great pressure under the weight of responsibilities we’re carrying.
If you’ve found yourself there recently, here’s hope from God’s Word. The Psalms offer countless verses of real-life struggles and prayers for God’s strength and covering. No matter what we may be facing today, we can choose to set our hearts and minds on His truth, believing that He is with us and giving us strength, every step of the way. (Quote source and complete article are available at this link.)
The list of the five psalms in the order they are mentioned in this article include:
Psalm 121 – (Our help comes from the Lord)
Psalm 103 – (God is our Redeemer, and crowns us with love and compassion)
Psalm 91 – (God will protect our way)
Psalm 46 – (God calls us to find rest and peace in Him)
Psalm 23 – (The Lord is our Shepherd and He will lead the way)
Several year ago I started praying Psalm 23 (NKJV) almost everyday in the morning when I first wake up, and again at night before I drift off to sleep, and sometimes throughout the day (I memorized it several years ago). For me, it seems that no matter what the circumstances might be at any given moment, it is a psalm that can calm my soul and center me on Who and what is important. It is without a doubt my most favorite psalm.
Psalm 23 (NKJV): The Lord the Shepherd of His People
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.
Of the remaining four psalms mentioned above, I would be hard pressed to pick my second most favorite psalm in that list as they are all very inspiring. Here are the remaining psalms listed above in the order they are listed.
Psalm 121 (NKJV): God the Help of Those Who Seek Him
I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.
Psalm 103 (NKJV): Praise for the Lord’s Mercies
Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The Lord executes righteousness
And justice for all who are oppressed.
He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel.
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
As a father pities his children,
So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
And its place remembers it no more.
But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,
To such as keep His covenant,
And to those who remember His commandments to do them.
The Lord has established His throne in heaven,
And His kingdom rules over all.
Bless the Lord, you His angels,
Who excel in strength, who do His word,
Heeding the voice of His word.
Bless the Lord, all you His hosts,
You ministers of His, who do His pleasure.
Bless the Lord, all His works,
In all places of His dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Psalm 91 (NKJV): Safety of Abiding in the Presence of God
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.
Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”
Psalm 46 (NKJV): God the Refuge of His People and Conqueror of the Nations
God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah
There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,
The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;
God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;
He uttered His voice, the earth melted.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
Come, behold the works of the Lord,
Who has made desolations in the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariot in the fire.
Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
I’ll end this post with a quote found at the end of the article I mentioned at the beginning of this post (the article is at this link):
It’s a new day ahead my friends, and a gift straight from God’s hand. If you woke up this morning, then we can be assured that God has great purpose for our lives, for this day. May He help us to lift our eyes and hearts towards Him; choose to find joy and live every moment for His glory. (Quote source here.)
Amen? . . .
Yes . . .
And Amen . . . .
YouTube Video: “Stand in Faith” by Danny Gokey:
Sara's Reflections 