"He heals the brokenhearted
and bandages their wounds." Psalm 147:3 (NLT)

Meditation: Heal me, Lord, in body and soul, for I have sinned against you.

"He sends the snow like white wool." Psalm 147:16 (NLT)

Meditation: Lord, wash away my sins and make me whiter than snow.

"Let every created thing give praise to the LORD,
for he issued his command, and they came into being."
Psalm 148:5 (NLT)

Meditation: I bow down and worship before the Lord, my maker, who watches over me like a shepherd caring for his flock.

"Praise the LORD from the earth,
you creatures of the ocean depths,
fire and hail, snow and clouds,
wind and weather that obey him,
mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
wild animals and all livestock,
small scurrying animals and birds,
kings of the earth and all people,
rulers and judges of the earth,
young men and young women,
old men and children.
Let them all praise the name of the LORD.
For his name is very great;
his glory towers over the earth and heaven!" Psalm 148:7-13 (NLT)

Meditation: Why does all creation stir to praise you, Lord? "They long to be, just like me, close to you." (Karen Carpenter)

"For the LORD delights in his people;
he crowns the humble with victory." Psalm 149:4 (NLT)

Meditation: The Lord delights in me because I seek to do his will.

"Let the praises of God be in their mouths,
and a sharp sword in their hands." Psalm 149:6 (NLT)

Meditation: In the Old Testament, enemies were subdued violently. In the New Testament, Jesus preached a gospel of love: we restrain evil by loving those who hate us. 

"Let everything that breathes sing praises to the LORD!
Praise the LORD!" Psalm 150:6 (NLT)

Meditation: I praise the Lord by loving all his creatures, saints and sinners alike.

____________________

This concludes my series of commentary on the psalms. In the next blog, I will begin a series on Christian music. Stay tuned!

____________________

Here is Psalm 11 from my book, "Praying the Psalms for the Unborn Child." 

Psalm 11 Holy Week The LORD a Refuge and Defense. 1In the LORD I take refuge; How can you say to my soul, "Flee as a bird to your mountain; 2For, behold, the wicked bend the bow, They make ready their arrow upon the string To shoot in darkness at the upright in heart. 3If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?" 4The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD'S throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. 5The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked, And the one who loves violence His soul hates. 6Upon the wicked He will rain snares; Fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup. 7For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; The upright will behold His face. This psalm details why we should trust in the Lord Jesus Christ18, our rock and our Savior. It is also the prayer of Jesus who was treated unjustly, yet had the courage to endure suffering until the bitter end. Trusting in the Lord gives us courage to deal with situations from which we can not escape (11:1). It helps us to defeat the devil and his minions (11:2) when they threaten society with collapse. So what is a good person to do (11:3)? He trusts in the Lord who sees all, who dwells in His immovable Church on earth and rules from His unshakable throne in the kingdom of heaven (11:4). We embrace virtue because the Lord can read the hearts of men, both good and bad, and He rejects those who do evil (11:5). He will cast into hell the wicked (11:6), but since He is a just judge, His face will shine upon those who do what is good (11:7). Prayer for life: Dear Lord, I feel trapped and insecure. The life I knew has changed dramatically because of my pregnancy. Still, I will trust in You, for You are my rock. I will have this baby, for You will always be at my side to support me. May Your face shine upon me and my child all the days of our lives. Amen.

Have a blessed day!
John

¹⁸The Orthodox Study Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008. 687. Print.

Scripture (Psalms 1-21) taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Copyright © 2010 by John P. Gross. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this material must be done in its entirety with the copyright notice intact. This book is not for sale, but is offered to the public free of charge in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary and for the glory of God.