During 2025, Peachtree Church is focusing on the Book of Psalms with a series called Dwell, through which we seek to deepen our conversation with God and open ourselves to hearing his response. The practice of praying three times each day will unite the voices of our hearts and souls as we seek the day when we will see the full realization of the Kingdom of God, promised in Revelation 21:3: “…Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.”
We will email devotionals twice weekly with Monday’s providing an overview of the Psalm as a whole, and Wednesday’s focused on that week’s Daily Dwell.
I have a message from God in my heart
Psalm 36
concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:
There is no fear of God
before their eyes.
In their own eyes they flatter themselves
too much to detect or hate their sin.
The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful;
they fail to act wisely or do good.
Even on their beds they plot evil;
they commit themselves to a sinful course
and do not reject what is wrong.
Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.
Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
your justice like the great deep.
You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.
How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house;
you give them drink from your river of delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.
Continue your love to those who know you,
your righteousness to the upright in heart.
Devotional
I go to the eye doctor regularly. My mother has glaucoma and my doctor wants to be careful with my eye pressure, which is good. She brings out all the scopes and lenses and eyedrops and projected eye charts and I leave with a good check having been done on my eyes. I know I will be able to see clearly for another year.
And when I go to church, or pray, or do my devotionals, or read my Bible, or have deep conversations with others about the life of faith, I get another kind of check on my vision, my perspective, the eyes of my heart. Can I see clearly, the way God sees? Am I able to focus on something and someone besides myself? Am I able to clearly see God, and by seeing Him, see that all else is made clear?
Our Psalm for today is written by David, who has noticed that there are people whose focus is totally on themselves and their desires. He says that they have such pride in themselves they don’t even detect their own sinfulness. He observes their self-centeredness by noting that they have no worshipful regard for God. They speak and act in ways that show they don’t care about truthfulness or spiritual wisdom. When they lie down to sleep, they don’t say their prayers, but they devote themselves to thinking about how they will bring down their enemies. When they decide on an evil action, they never swerve or depart from their evil goal. Their focus is always and only on themselves.
Then the Psalmist turns from the wicked to focus on God, and it’s all worship! We’ve heard his words put to glorious music before. (Try going to YouTube and looking for Third Day’s “Your Love O Lord” to hear this part of the psalm put to music.) David is filled with awe and wonder as he thinks about the enormous love and faithfulness of God, as high as the heavens, as huge as the mountains, as deep as the ocean. God is a refuge to all, and those who belong to his house feast on His goodness. So good is it to be focused on God like this, that it’s like drinking from a river in Eden, or the river that flows through the New Jerusalem! To drink deeply of all that God offers is like drinking from pure light and life.
David ends the Psalm by restating the fates of those who are focused only on themselves, and the fate of those who trust in God and have their eyes fixed on Him.
For Reflection
- What happens in people’s relationships when their focus is primarily on themselves? How does this effect their spiritual life and legacy?
- Does self-focus bring what they want?
- What happens when we shift our focus to God and his abundant life?
Prayer
Oh Lord, our God, how beautiful is your love and grace! How refreshed we are in your presence! When I think of You, my selfish wishes and rants fall away. My temper is calmed. My unending wants stop pulling at me. You alone are my delight forever. Give me your light and your life! In Jesus’ name, Amen!
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Devotionals