Psalm 15

Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle?
Who may dwell in Your holy hill? v.1

Read chapter 15
This psalm seeks to answer this question.  A most important question indeed.  Who is it that may abide and dwell in God's tabernacle and holy hill?  The tabernacle or tent was the center of operations for Israel where God dwell and the priest ministered from, where offerings took place and the law was put forth.  Hill in scripture is a metaphor for government so here speaks of who may dwell or have a pace in God's government.  Before the tabernacle was only for priests to be allowed.  God's government to come is the kingdom of God we wait and pray for.  So David is asking who will be allowed to help govern in His future government, what criteria will be used to choose God's leaders.  The rest of the psalm gives that answer.  It's not a "perfect" person, but one who fears God and works righteousness, one whose heart is after God.  Is this a place you desire?  That the center of our lives will be God's rights decrees.  Is God in our future idea of the kingdom or just a place where we're "lazy"?

Psalm 14

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. v.1

Read chapter 14
The word "fool" in scripture isn't how we'd today use fool as someone MENTALLY deficient, but one who's MORALLY deficient.  Those that don't believe in God isn't because they came to this intellectual conclusion of reason but because of their desire and actions they don't want anyone to have to answer to.  In the original text it says "there is no LORD" (not "there is no God").  This is huge in that the Hebrew word for LORD is Yahweh, the relation God-Jesus Christ.  Sure many people make God in their own thoughts and images but here they are saying there's no God like Yahweh.  It's not the concept of God they reject but the concept of Yahweh.
Who are some intellectual people you know that are morally fools?  Who are "mentally fools" but know God?  How would you define who Yahweh is based on scripture and not just making up what we want our God to be like?

Psalm 13

How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?...
But I have trusted in Your mercy;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. vv.1,5
Read chapter 13
This psalm is one of my favorite songs by Shane & Shane (musicians).  I cant help but sing it as I read through the whole psalm, which is somewhat fitting since verse six says "I will sing to the Lord."  This psalm is a short prayer of David, yet still very powerful.  He hits three main areas: 
1.  his sadness of feeling forsaken
2.  his request for deliverance
3.  a confession and praise to the Lord
I love seeing these things in a prayer.  It's okay to be real and honest with the Lord in your frustration and not try to make it seem like yo have it all together.  He also wants us to ask, it may not be answered how we want but He hears.  And to praise Him for what amazing things He has done and that alone should cause us to rejoice and trust in His unfailing love.  What are your prayers like?  There's no right or wrong way to pray, but are they relation?  Are they just a show?  Are you honest and open?  Spend time now in prayer.

Psalm 12

Help, Lord, for the godly man ceases!
For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men...

5 “For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy,
Now I will arise,” says the Lord;
“I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.” vv.1,5

Read chapter 12
This seems to be a psalm of today when the godly men seem to be scarce, when wicked men prevail more than ever before, when wicked men think they'll prevail forever since they seem to get away with their own schemes, when the poor and needy are oppressed.  The thing and moment we are all waiting for is the Lord to speak.  For Him to arise out of His time of silence.  For His words that are pure and perfect to put a stop and end to the wicked, ungodly men.  The Lord is compassionate as we see that He will arise because of the poor and needy.  His heart aches for them.  This is my daily struggle and prayer.  Struggle to find godly men and women and prayer for the Lord to break His silence and bring in His kingdom to make right all things.  How can we continue to be godly people in this wicked time?  Pray for His return and the home you have in it.

Psalm 11

If the foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do? v.3

Read chapter 11
Foundations are very important.  Without them, nothing would last or couldn't be built upon really.  If a house doesn't have a foundation, once a storm comes the house will come crazing down.  So it is with our walks with teh Lord.  We need to be founded in the truths of the Bible.  We need to know what we believe.  We need to be able to be firm in our faith that nothing will waver us.  Without a foundation in God we can do nothing, we have no base to rest upon.  In this psalm it's referring to a great time of trouble, when Israel is under attack by the wicked.  Their temple has been seized and they're told to flee to the mountains.  Their temple was their foundation, their base of operation and without it what could they do?
Are you founded in the truths of scripture?  How can one become founded in God so that they could never be moved?

Psalm 10

The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God;
God is in none of his thoughts...He has said in his heart,
“God has forgotten;
He hides His face;
He will never see.” vv.4,11
Read chapter 10
The scariest and saddest circumstance is that there's no thoughts of God in a persons mind.  Without even thoughts of God causes one to be wicked.  There doesn't seem to be any moral code even.  The thought that God's forgotten or doesn't care or doesn't even know pushes one to rebel especially if they think they're getting away with it since not receiving a just punishment right then and there.  How true this still is today, that those who don't even think about God wax worse and worse and don't even seem to care or notice.  In a time of absolute grace and silence from God, it can be easy to think that God's forgotten or doesn't care, but we have to hold on to the sure hope that He will return to judge the world, that He is alive and present today and to understand His current administration with mankind.  Let's seek Him while He's hidden and not let the wicked's proud countenance get in our way!  How do you respond when it seems like God has forgotten or why He's silent?  What encourages you in those moments?  What thoughts of God are currently in your mind?

Psalm 9

I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart;
I will tell of all Your marvelous works...
The Lord is known by the judgment He executes;
The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.

Meditation. Selah vv.1,16

Read chapter 9
There's no half-heartedness here, but David praising God with his WHOLE heart, his whole being.  What does it look like to praise God with our whole heart?  What causes for half-heartedness or even only a quarter of our hearts?
From this joy and praise of the Lord leads us to want to shout it on the rooftops of God, of what He's done and who He is.  It's our object of studying the scriptures and seeing that God's works are very marvelous.  Not only the ones in the past but also the ones to come!  We indeed pray for "Your kingdom come" but do we know what the Kingdom is, what we're praying for?  As we study and search we learn it's more than we can imagine and something we can't keep to ourselves.  What marvelous works of God do you desire to share with others?  Do you tell of what you've learned?  If not, why?
The Hebrew word for meditation is Higgaion, followed by Selah meaning pause.  The writer is telling the reader to literally meditate and pause on God, of who He is and what He's done and will do. So I tell you "HAGGION, SELAH."