Shows
One Verse at a TimeLuke 3:29–God, Produce In Us a Steadfast HopeThis episode looks at Luke 3:29, “the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi.” More names in this genealogy that we may recognize, but we don’t know these people. What can they teach us? Patience and endurance in the midst of seemingly hopeless circumstances. May God do that work in us.2022-04-0105 minOne Verse at a TimeHaggai 2:4–God, Remind Us Of Your PresenceThis episode looks at Haggai 2:4, “Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. Work, for I am with you, declares the LORD of hosts.” God’s message to the people as they stare down the bleakness of their present circumstances? I am with you. May God’s presence be our strength and the motivating force behind our work.2021-12-1705 minOne Verse at a TimeHaggai 2:2–God, Help Us Think Rightly About our Leaders and Our Own ResponsibilitiesThis episode looks at Haggai 2:2, “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say.” Yahweh speaks to the leaders, but he also speaks directly to the people. We can draw principles of both respect for leaders and individual responsibility from such a text. May we draw those principles with God’s help.2021-12-1505 minOne Verse at a TimeLuke 2:36–God, Help Us to Imitate Hannah and AnnaThis episode looks at Luke 2:36, “And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin.” God is working a new exodus in the life of Jesus (Joshua). May we imitate Anna (Hannah) by recognizing the miraculous child of God and proclaiming his salvation to the world.2021-11-0206 minOne Verse at a TimeHaggai 1:14–God, Wake Us UpThis episode looks at Haggai 1:14, “And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. And they came and worked on the house of the LORD of hosts, their God.” Sometimes we need God to wake us up from our slumber. May it be so in our lives so that we live for him in all that we do.2021-09-1405 minOne Verse at a TimeHaggai 1:12–God, Do The Work of Repentance in Our HeartsThis episode looks at Haggai 1:12, “Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared the LORD.” The people hear God’s word, think about it rightly, feel in their hearts appropriately, and turn from their sin. May that be true of us as we encounter God’s word in our lives.2021-09-1205 minOne Verse at a TimeHaggai 1:1–God, We Thank You for Our Prophet, Priest, KingThis episode looks at Haggai 1:1, “In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest:” This verse sets the stage for the book of Haggai, and it also gives us a picture of the various roles God gives to his people, all of which are fulfilled by Christ Jesus.2021-09-0105 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 6:9–God, You Hear Me, So Why Wouldn’t I Pray?This episode looks at Psalm 6:9, “The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD accepts my prayer.” We have a God who knows us and who hears us when we pray. Why wouldn’t we pray to him? Let’s thank God together for the blood of Christ, which purchases our bold entrance into the throne room of heaven.2020-10-0304 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 6:8–God, You Hear My WeepingThis episode looks at Psalm 6:8, “Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.” When we call out to God, we know that we need to leave a life of sin behind. As we do this, we know that God hears the sound of our weeping. Oh, what sweet joy to have a Father who hears us.2020-10-0204 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 6:7–God, I Can’t Do This On My OwnThis episode looks at Psalm 6:7, “My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes.” There is a level of sorrow that causes our bodies to waste away. We need to admit our need for mercy—both from sin and from suffering. Thankfully, we have a God who loves to answer that prayer.2020-10-0103 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 6:6–God, Help Me Not Be Numb to My SorrowThis episode looks at Psalm 6:6, “I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.” The depth of sorrow David feels toward his sin, suffering, and trials is enormous. May God give us grace to come to him with this level of emotion and to feel appropriately about these things in our lives.2020-09-3004 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 6:5–God, Give Me Breath to Praise You While I Am Still AliveThis episode looks at Psalm 6:5, “For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise?” David appeals to the glory of God as grounds for his salvation. God is worthy of glory and praise, so he should save David so that he can praise him. No one praises God in death. However, there is an idea that the righteous will be raised from Sheol to be with God forever.2020-09-2904 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 6:4–God, Save Me Because Of Your Loyal, Covenant-Keeping LoveThis episode looks at Psalm 6:4, “Turn, O LORD, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love.” The very return of God’s felt presence to a situation is the deliverance we seek in distress. So we pray for his presence to be known in times of trial. We also pray for salvation from distress not on account of our worthiness, but on account of God being a God who keeps his promises.2020-09-2805 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 6:3–O Father, I Know You, So How Long Will You Leave Me in DistressThis episode looks at Psalm 6:3, “My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O LORD— how long?” Again we see the close connection between our body and our soul. We also see David calling out to God based on their covenant relationship. We can pray to God asking “How long?” In our trials because we know him personally!2020-09-2705 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 6:2–God, I Am Broken and I Need You to Heal MeThis episode looks at Psalm 6:2, “Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled.” Our bodies and souls are closely intertwined together. When our soul faces distress—due to our own sin, a trial we face, or enemies pursuing us—our bodies are taxed. We ask God to heal our bodies and to get us through.2020-09-2604 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 6:1–God, Correct My Sin in Your Love, Not Your WrathThis episode looks at Psalm 6:1, “O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath.” We don’t want God to stop disciplining us because that would mean he doesn’t not love us (Prov 3:11–12). Instead we cry out for mercy and correction out of his love since justice has been satisfied on the cross.2020-09-2504 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 5:12–God, Give Us Hearts To Rejoice At Your BlessingsThis episode looks at Psalm 5:12, “For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield.” God makes us righteous as we take refuge in him, and then he blesses us abundantly. May we rejoice at the great blessings God gives us both here and now and for eternity, even in the face of great suffering and wickedness.2020-09-2404 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 5:11–God, Save Us for Your Glory and Our JoyThis episode looks at Psalm 5:11, “But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you.” We call on God to protect us so that we can give him the honor, glory, and praise he deserves from hearts overflowing with joy.2020-09-2304 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 5:10–O Just God, Judge the Evildoers in Our WorldThis episode looks at Psalm 5:10, “Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you.” It is not wrong to pray for God to judge evildoers. We can pray for their salvation without sacrificing justice when we see how God’s justice is perfectly poured out against sin in the cross of Christ for those who God gives the gift of faith.2020-09-2204 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 5:9–God, Remove From My Life Falsehood, Destruction, and Words of DeathThis episode looks at Psalm 5:9, “For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue.” We ask for God to remove these things from our lives, whether it be from the entertainment we take in, from the people we surround ourselves in, or we see it rising up in our own hearts.2020-09-2104 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 5:8–God, Remove Evildoers from My Life for My Sake AND TheirsThis episode looks at Psalm 5:8, “Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me.” We need God to lead us in his righteousness because we can’t do it on our own. We need him to remove evildoers from our lives when we are tempted to fall into sin, and we also need to be different from the sinners around us so that they will be called into a life of holiness. May God give us grace to do so.2020-09-2005 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 5:7–God, Your Loyal Love Brings Me Into Your PresenceThis episode looks at Psalm 5:7, “But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you.” God hears the righteous, but we only enter his presence because of his loyal, covenant love toward us. We thank him for that love, and we ask for hearts that worship him with the respect due to him.2020-09-1905 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 5:6–God, Keep Me from Being at Odds with YouThis episode looks at Psalm 5:6, “You destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.” There’s no way around it: God hates sinners. Yes, he loves them in that he wants them to be saved, but he hates them unless they are washed clean by the blood of Christ. This should make our prayers for our unsaved friends earnest, and this should cause us to fall on our knees in repentance for sin every day.2020-09-1804 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 5:5–God, Help Me to Love the Sinner by Hating ThemThis episode looks at Psalm 5:5, “The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.” We need to pray that God would help us to only boast in Christ, the cross, and in knowing him. We also pray for the eyes of God, who hates sinners because they are defined by their sin. We should love the sinner by hating them (at least what is defining them—the fact that they are not washed clean in the blood of Christ).2020-09-1705 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 5:4–O Holy God, Carve Out the Evil From My LifeThis episode looks at Psalm 5:4, “For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you.” We don’t pray to a God who is uninvested in the world. He is against evil! We pray confidently because of this truth. We also pray that he would not allow us to dwell with evil either.2020-09-1604 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 5:3–God, Give Me Eyes to Watch For You WorkingThis episode looks at Psalm 5:3, “O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.” It’s not a law to pray in the morning, but it might be a good principle to follow. We can present our case to God, and then we wait expectantly with eyes to watch him working.2020-09-1505 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 5:2–God, You are MY King and MY GodThis episode looks at Psalm 5:2, “Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray.” We pray to our King and God. He is not far off or distant, so we can pray in hope because we know who we pray to, and he knows us.2020-09-1404 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 5:1–God, Hear My Words and the Prayer of My HeartThis episode looks at Psalm 5:1, “Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning.” We ask God to listen to our words and to give heed to the prayers of our heart. We do this because we have been brought into the throne room of God by the blood of Jesus.2020-09-1304 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 2:5–God, Give Me a Firm Foundation to Stand OnThis episode looks at Colossians 2:5, “For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.” Paul, though he is not with them in person, can rejoice at the work God is doing to give them a firm foundation of order in their faith. They are not just grasping at the latest everything in life for a foundation, but rather they are standing on the truth. We pray for God to give us the same firm foundation to stand on and the same firm...2020-09-1204 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 2:4–God, Help Me to Resist Worldly ArgumentsThis episode looks at Colossians 2:4, “I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments.” We look to Christ alone for wisdom, so we need God’s help to avoid and resist the other seemingly plausible arguments in the world.2020-09-1105 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 2:3–God, Help Me to Look to Christ Alone for WisdomThis episode looks at Colossians 2:3, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” We look to Christ and Christ alone as wisdom. Where can we look to find wisdom? In him, and oh, what treasures we will find!2020-09-1004 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 2:2–God, Help Me to Know Christ MoreThis episode looks at Colossians 2:2, “that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ”. We boast in our care for those we minister to not out of pride, but in order to encourage their hearts. We want unity in our places of ministry, and we want a group of people together pursuing the knowledge of Christ more and more each day.2020-09-0904 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 2:1–God, Give Me a Deep Affection for Those I Minister ToThis episode looks at Colossians 2:1, “For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face”. We need God’s help to have a deep affection for those in our charge. We pray for God to give us a place and people to serve, and that we would love them with as strong of a desire as Paul describes here.2020-09-0804 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 1:29–God, I Work Hard By Your Power in MeThis episode looks at Colossians 1:29, “For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” We work hard, but we do so out of the strength and power God works within us. Why is it like this? So that God gets all the glory!2020-09-0704 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 1:28–God, Give Me the Wisdom to Proclaim Christ WellThis episode looks at Colossians 1:28, “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” We need wisdom from God to proclaim Christ well as we warn against false beliefs and teach true beliefs. We do this with the hope of taking part in God bringing others into complete maturity in Christ.2020-09-0604 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 1:27–God, Thank You for Christ in UsThis episode looks at Colossians 1:27, “To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Christ dwells in us, which is our hope for future glory. Our hope is grounded in being made new according to the image of the Son and sharing in his god-ness, not becoming gods ourselves but sharing in the joy-filled attributes that make him God.2020-09-0504 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 1:26–God, Thank You for Revealing Your Mysteries to UsThis episode looks at Colossians 1:26, “the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.” Some mysteries lay hidden in the Old Testament but are now revealed in the New. One of these is the indwelling of Christ in us by his Spirit. We praise God for revealing mysteries to us and for dwelling in us!2020-09-0404 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 1:25–God, Help Me to Live Out the Task Assigned for Me in Your Global MissionThis episode looks at Colossians 1:25, “of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known.” We thank God for gifting us and bringing us to a specific body of people in order to take part in his global mission.2020-09-0304 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 1:24–God, May My Sufferings Show Off the GospelThis episode looks at Colossians 1:24, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church”. What could possibly be lacking in Christ’s afflictions? Nothing, in the sense that his afflictions accomplished redemption. However, they are lacking an in-person presentation to the nations, and so Paul rejoices to both preach this good news and to show it through his own suffering. May our suffering and preaching do the same for lost people in our lives.2020-09-0204 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 1:23–God, Help Me to Continue in the FaithThis episode looks at Colossians 1:23, “if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.” By God’s grace alone we continue in the faith. This verse does not contradict the Perseverance of the Saints because as long as we remain in the faith we evidence God’s saving work in our lives. We pray for grace to remain in Christ and not turn to other false hopes.2020-09-0104 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 1:22–God, Thank You for All You Give Me in ChristThis episode looks at Colossians 1:22, “he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,”. In his earthly life and death on the cross, Christ brought alienated people back into right relationship with God. Now we have holiness, blamelessness, and irreproachability through our union with him.2020-08-3104 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 1:21–God, Help Me to Think with a Redeemed MindThis episode looks at Colossians 1:21, “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,”. We once stood far off from God, and this was seen in our hostile thoughts toward him and our evil deeds against him. We can pray now that God would keep our minds from getting caught up in narratives of the world that are against him.2020-08-3004 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 1:20–Son of God, Thank You for Taking Chaos and Making PeaceThis episode looks at Colossians 1:20, “and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” Praise God for the fullness of deity dwelling in the God-man, Jesus Christ, and for putting the chaos of a broken world into order on the cross.2020-08-2904 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 1:19–Jesus, We Praise You as the Perfect God-ManThis episode looks at Colossians 1:19, “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,”. The Son of God, in the fullness of time, took on human nature for us and for our salvation. Praise God!2020-08-2804 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 1:18–Son of God, You are Supreme Over AllThis episode looks at Colossians 1:18, “And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.” These are the last two truths of Colossians 1:15–18: Head over the church; firstborn from the dead. Jesus is the source of and authority over the church, and he was raised as the first fruits of the new creation. In him we shall also be raised to new life forevermore. All praise and glory and honor to him!2020-08-2705 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 1:17–Son of God, We Praise You for Holding All Things TogetherThis episode looks at Colossians 1:17, “And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Though Jesus Christ was born in a manger in Bethlehem, the divine Son of God has existed co-eternally with the Father. He became flesh and dwelt among us, but he was before everything. Since the beginning all things have held together in him.2020-08-2604 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 1:16–Son of God, We Exist Through You and For YouThis episode looks at Colossians 1:16, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” We exist by means of the Son of God, and we exist for the Son of God. That holds true for all of creation!2020-08-2504 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 1:15–God, Thank You for Revealing Yourself to Us in JesusThis Episode looks at Colossians 1:15, He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” Jesus fully and truly reveals God to us because the fullness of God dwells in him. He is also above all created things because the Son is the means by which they were created in the first place.2020-08-2405 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 1:14–God, Thank You for My Unity with ChristThis episode takes a look at Colossians 1:14, “in whole we have redemption, the forgiveness of sin.” We are united to Christ through faith, and so in him we die, rise again, ascend to heaven, and will return with him. In the words of my friend Nick Roen, “What’s mine is his, and what’s his is mine.” Praise God!2020-08-2304 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 1:13–God, God Thank You for My New CitizenshipThis episode looks at Colossians 1:13, “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,”. God has taken us out of bondage to our flesh and now has brought us into the kingdom of his Son, where we now live according to the Spirit. Praise God!2020-08-2204 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 1:12–Father God, Fix My Eyes on My InheritanceThis episode looks at Colossians 1:12, “giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” We can give thanks with joy to God for the inheritance that he has made us worthy to receive by adopting us into his family through Jesus’s blood. May God fix our eyes on this eternal inheritance so that we can face present trials with joy.2020-08-2104 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 1:11–God, Help Me Stay Connected to YouThis episode looks at Colossians 1:11, “May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.” We need to stay connected to our power source in order to face trials! We need to fall on our news and ask God to keep us strengthened as we face the struggles in our lives.2020-08-2004 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 1:10–God, Help My Life to Be Pleasing to YouThis episode looks at Colossians 1:10, “so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” We need God’s help to live in a way that pleases him! Paul’s prayer gives us an idea of what that looks like.2020-08-1905 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 1:9–God, Help Me to Know Your WillThis episode looks at Colossians 1:9, “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,”. We need God’s help to know God’s will. Paul knows this and so he prays it for the Colossians. We can pray this same prayer for ourselves and for those we know.2020-08-1804 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 1:8–Holy Spirit, Thank You for Working the Fruit of Love Into My LifeThis episode looks at Colossians 1:8, “and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.” We thank God for those people in our lives who we see abounding in the fruit of love. We also ask that the Spirit would continue to work more and more love into our lives.2020-08-1703 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 1:7–God, Thank You for Teachers of Your WordThis episode looks at Colossians 1:7, “just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf”. We thank God for the pipeline of teachers who can help explain the less-clear parts of teaching to us. We also pray that God would help us to have the humility to be taught and the confidence to teach others the truth of the gospel.2020-08-1604 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 1:6–God, Thank You for the GospelThis episode looks at Colossians 1:6, “which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth,”. The gospel has spread beyond the personal reach of Paul and is bearing fruit anywhere and everywhere it is believed. The gospel provides the hope that drives true love. We can pray for God to help us dive deeper and deeper into gospel realities for the sake of love.2020-08-1504 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 1:5–God, Thank You for Hope that Leads to LoveThis episode looks at Colossians 1:5, “because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel,”. Knowing the future changes how we live in the present. We can thank God for the living hope we look forward to forever enjoying that waits for us in heaven. We can also ask him to help our hope to fuel great acts of love.2020-08-1404 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 1:4–God, I Thank You for the Faith and Love I See in OthersThis episode looks at Colossians 1:4, “since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints,”. We can thank God for how he has saved and works faith in others around us. We can also thank him for the acts of love we see him working in others around us.2020-08-1304 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 1:3–God, I Thank You for the ChurchThis episode looks at Colossians 1:3, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,”. We should be a thankful people. Thankfulness drives away bitterness. We can always thank God first before we move into prayers for people to grow.2020-08-1204 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 1:2–God, Thank You for My New Identity by Your GraceThis episode looks at Colossians 1:2, “To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.” We now see the recipient of Paul’s letter. In Christ we receive a new identity. We are holy ones set apart for God into a new family of brothers and sisters. We also thank God for his grace to us in these words.2020-08-1104 minOne Verse at a TimeColossians 1:1–God, Thank You for Your Will Being DoneThis episode takes a look at Colossians 1:1, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother.” Don’t worry, we will come back to the Psalms at some point! But for now, we are transitioning to the book of Colossians. This intro sets us up for the message of the book, which is that the fullness of God dwells in Christ Jesus, who is our hope and glory.2020-08-1004 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 4:8–God, Help Me to Lie Down and Sleep in PeaceThis episode looks at Psalm 4:8, “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.” God gives us rest for our souls. We can go to bed in peace even in the midst of crisis because God alone makes us dwell in safety. We can also look death in the face confidently because God will carry us through that final sleep and into eternal life and joy with him.2020-08-0904 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 4:7–God, Help Me to Find Joy in YouThis episode looks at Psalm 4:7, “You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.” Why gain the whole world and lose our soul? We can have true and lasting joy only in right relationship with God. All other grain and wine and material abundance will be fleeting in comparison to eternal joy in God’s presence.2020-08-0803 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 4:6–God, Lift Up the Light of Your Face Upon UsThis episode looks at Psalm 4:6, “There are many who say, “Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!”” When doubt rises from other people, or even in our hearts, we can respond by calling ourselves to look to God for blessing and asking him to bless us.2020-08-0704 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 4:5–God, Help Me Offer Sacrifices Pleasing to YouThis episode looks at Psalm 4:5, “Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the LORD.” David continues his call for the sons of men to repent by telling them to offer right sacrifices. For us in the Church age, these sacrifices look like praise to God and doing good to others. We also have a chance in this verse to renew our trust in Yahweh.2020-08-0604 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 4:4–God, Help Me to Reflect Honestly on My SinThis episode looks at Psalm 4:4, “Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah.” May God give us grace to tremble with fear at our own sin patterns and then turn from them to righteousness and holiness. May God give us grace to reflect honestly and confess our sin before him.2020-08-0504 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 4:3–God, I Praise You for Prayer in Jesus’s NameThis episode looks at Psalm 4:3, “But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.” God has set apart a people for himself, and those he has called he will also make holy. God hears us when we pray because he has saved us and made us new. We can pray to God in Jesus’s name because of faith in him, being washed in his blood and raised to new life and holiness in his resurrection.2020-08-0404 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 4:2–God, Help Me to Love Truth and Honor Your AnointedThis episode takes a look at Psalm 4:2, “O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah.” When we call on God to hear our distress, we also proclaim to the world who we trust in. We also call out those (including ourselves) who mock Christ’s sacrifice and his kingship by turning to empty, deceptive things over God. We pray that God would help us to love truth.2020-08-0304 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 4:1–God, Enlarge My Joy, Character, and TrustThis episode looks at Psalm 4:1, “Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!” We recognize that our very righteousness comes from God, and that on account of being found in his righteousness he hears us. We also look back at how he has grown us through past trials before we present our current trials before him.2020-08-0204 minOne Verse at a TimeWhy capital letters in LORD? Yahweh, the Name of GodThis episode pauses to talk about the name LORD, and how it appears all over the Psalter. Yahweh means, “I am what I am,” or in other words, the self-existent one. No one causes God to exist, and instead he causes all things to come into being. We trust in that God!2020-08-0104 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 3:8–God, Salvation Belongs to YouThis episode looks at Psalm 3:8, “Salvation belongs to the LORD; your blessing be on your people!” God does the work! We don’t save ourselves; he does the saving. We praise him, and we look forward in hope to him working blessing into our lives even in the midst of crisis. This is a verse worth memorizing!2020-07-3104 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 3:7–God, Battle for Me in My TrialsThis episode looks at Psalm 3:7, “Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.” We call on God to fight for us in our battles, and we also take confident that he doesn’t need to remove us from circumstances to save us. He can just remove the power of those circumstances to destroy us.2020-07-3004 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 3:6–God, I Will Not Fear, for You Sustain MeThis episode looks at Psalm 3:6, “I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.” We wake up in the morning with confidence because God sustains us. We can pray a morning prayer denouncing the trials that we face, not because of our own faith or might, but because God sits on the throne.2020-07-2903 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 3:5–God, I Rest in You; I Rise Up in YouThis episode looks at Psalm 3:5, “I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.” Even in overwhelming crisis, God gives his people sleep! We thank him for rest, and we acknowledge every morning that we are alive another day only because God kept us here and prepared this day for us.2020-07-2804 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 3:4–God, Thank You for Hearing My PrayersThis episode takes a look at Psalm 3:4, “I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah.” God hears our prayers from his throne! He controls all things at all times in all places, and he hears our prayers. Praise God!2020-07-2704 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 3:3–But You, God, Have Better Things in StoreThis episode looks at Psalm 3:3, “But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.” When we are in crisis we need to pour our hearts out before God and then transition to looking at God himself and the way he defends the defenseless, gives glory to the gloryless, and gives joy to the sorrowful.2020-07-2604 minOne Verse at a TimeSelah—What does it mean and how can it help us?The end of Psalm 3:2 hits us with a special word in the Psalms, “Selah.” This word, even if we can’t determine an exact corollary for translation, prompts us to pause and reflect. It prompts us to ask God to tune our hearts to the melody of the Psalm.2020-07-2503 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 3:2–God, Remind Me of My Salvation in ChristThis episode takes a look at Psalm 3:2, “many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God. Selah.” David continues detailing the crisis he is walking through. He laments how others are cursing him, saying God doesn’t want to save him and that his trials are simply a result of his own evil (cf. 2 Sam 16:5–8). We can reflect on this situation by praying that in our own times of despair we would not allow the Devil to accuse us and say we are not save-able—that even if we repent God doesn’t want us because we a...2020-07-2404 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 3:1–God, Here is My CrisisThis episode takes a look at Psalm 3:1, “O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me;” When David faces a crisis, when his enemies multiply and he feels abandoned, he runs to Yahweh in prayer. God invites us to do the same.2020-07-2303 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 3 Superscription—God, Help Me Rest When Trials ComeThis episode looks at the superscription to Psalm 3, “A Psalm of David, When He Fled From Absalom His Son.” We can understand deeper the idea of lament by seeing the deeply personal circumstance from which this Psalm arose. David’s son rebels against him and he must flee his own palace (cf. 2 Sam 15–19). We also see how Jesus does the same things years later as he is betrayed by one of those closest to him.2020-07-2203 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 2:12–God, Teach Me to Be Happy (Again)This episode takes a look at Psalm 2:12, “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” This verse has plenty of connections back to Psalm 1. We see that those who will not believe in the Son perish in the way of the wicked. The righteous find refuge in him as they meditate on God’s instruction, and thus they find happiness and joy as well.2020-07-2104 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 2:11–God, Give Me a Healthy Fear of YouThis episode takes a look at Psalm 2:11, “Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.” What does it mean to fear God? And how can we also delight in him at the same time?2020-07-2004 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 2:10–God, Humble Me Before YouThis episode looks at Psalm 2:10, “Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.” In light of everything that has come before this, we should live in wisdom and heed God’s warning. He is King; we are not. Our plans for “freedom” will actually lead us into captivity to sin.2020-07-1903 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 2:9–Jesus, Thank You for the RodThis episode takes a look at Psalm 2:9, “You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” Jesus judges justly against sin and evil, but for those who are found in Christ through faith the rod becomes a comfort.2020-07-1804 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 2:8–Jesus, Unite the Nations Under Your KingshipThis episode looks at Psalm 2:8, “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.” We rejoice that Jesus is king over all, and we ask God to make earth now united across racial and ethnic lines just as things are in heaven/will be for eternity.2020-07-1705 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 2:7–Father, Thank You for Sending Your SonThis episode takes a look at Psalm 2:7, “I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.” We rejoice at this thick gospel promise, cited in Acts 13:33 and Hebrews 1:5, which promises us the glory of our fully God, fully man Messiah. God’s Anointed One stands as the perfect mediator between God and man, and we thank God for his grace in sending his Son to die for sinners.2020-07-1605 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 2:6–King Jesus, Though the Nations Rage, We Praise YouThis episode looks at Psalm 2:6, ““As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.”” The nations are raging, but God laughs, looks at sinners with wrath, and says, “It doesn’t matter. Jesus is King, and that’s it.” We can praise God that no matter what, Jesus sits on the throne!2020-07-1504 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 2:5–God, Humble Me Before Your WrathThis episode takes a look at Psalm 2:5, “Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying,” God will judge sin. His wrath burns against those who rage against him. Though he is patient and desires all to come to repentance, he must punish evil. We respond with thankfulness for his patience with us as well as asking him to teach us to remember his power and hatred of sin.2020-07-1403 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 2:4–God, Show Me How to Mock My Own Plans for SinThis episode takes a look at Psalm 2:4, “He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.” Sinners make plans on earth, but the King of heaven and earth sits comfortably on his throne in the heavens. He mocks the foolishness of sinners who think they can find satisfaction under a different yoke than the “easy, light” yoke of Christ.2020-07-1302 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 2:3–God, Help Me to Love Christ’s YokeThis episode takes a look at Psalm 2:3, ““Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”” We now see the content of the nations raging from 2:1–2. They despise the yoke of Christ upon them, and they want to throw it away from themselves. We should not presume that we can just cast God away and get away with it. We should instead ask for grace to love Christ’s easy yoke.2020-07-1204 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 2:2–God, Keep Me from Rejecting You as King in My LifeThis episode takes a look at Psalm 2:2, “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying,” The New Testament preachers explicitly took this Psalm as a prophecy about Jesus, and so should we! How have we seen patterns of sin in our life rejecting the kingship of Christ and pursuing satisfaction elsewhere?2020-07-1104 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 2:1–God, Help Me Not to Rage in FoolishnessThis episode takes a look at Psalm 2:1, “Why do the nations rage and the people plot in vain?” This Psalm as a whole looks at people raging against God, God laughing at their foolishness, the divine Messiah promised, and a call for the foolish nations to repent.2020-07-1002 minOne Verse at a TimeSo What Exactly is Meditation?This episode pauses after the completion of Psalm 1 to look at the idea of meditation. What exactly is it, and how can we do it? I hope this podcast will lead us into more and more meditation on the truths of Scripture, deep thinking in order to understand, apply, and pray. Here is a link to the article referenced in the podcast: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/warm-yourself-at-the-fires-of-meditation.2020-07-0903 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 1:6–God, Make Me Like ChristThis episode takes a look at Psalm 1:6, “for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” This verse summarizes the entire Psalm: the way of the righteous leads to life with God, but the way of the wicked leads to death.2020-07-0803 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 1:5–God, Help Me to Choose the Path of the RighteousThis episode takes a look at Psalm 1:5, “Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;” This verse picks up on the language from past verses in the Psalm to show how standing in the way of sinners leads to destruction. Those who choose to stand in the way of wickedness will not stand in the congregation of the righteous when final judgment comes.2020-07-0703 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 1:4–God, Don’t Let the Winds of Life Drive Me AwayThis episode takes a look at Psalm 1:4, “The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.” The wicked do not find true life, lasting joy in the words of God. Instead, the winds of life (cultural movements, advice of wicked people, trials, temptations, etc.) drive them away.2020-07-0602 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 1:3–God, Plant Me by the Streams of Your WordThis episode takes a look at Psalm 1:3, “He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” The Psalmist gives us a great illustration of a prospering tree standing by the nourishing streams of God’s instruction. This tree does not wither when suffering comes, but instead bears the right fruit in the right seasons.2020-07-0504 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 1:2–God, Help Me to Delight in Your WordThis episode takes a look at Psalm 1:2, “but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.” Following verse 1, the Psalmist still wants to look at the life of the blessed, or happy, man. In verse 1 we see what the happy person avoids, and in verse 2 we see what the happy person pursues. The happy person finds delight and joy as they meditate on God’s word!2020-07-0403 minOne Verse at a TimePsalm 1:1–God, Teach Me to be HappyThis episode dives into Psalm 1:1, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;” In this Psalm, the Psalmist invites us into a truly happy life. The first step in this life is to avoid the path of sinners, wicked ones, and scoffers.2020-07-0303 min