Psalm 3 was written by David when he was ousted by his son Absalom and had to escape from Jerusalem. He expresses his trust in God here. He says, "Lord, You are my Glory and the Lifter of my head." (Ps. 3:3). We usually sing that verse in a comfortable building on a Sunday morning. David sang it while he was escaping for his life from Absalom!! Many of these psalms were written by David, not when he was in his palace, but when he was under pressure, running from cave to cave. Many of these inspired psalms would never have been written if David had not faced pressure. Some of the greatest lessons God teaches us are in times of pressure. It is through pressure that God makes us a blessing to others. It is when a tube of toothpaste is squeezed that the paste comes out. God also squeezes us through our enemies, so that His word comes forth from us. The more the pressure, the richer our ministry becomes.

Psalm 22 is a Messianic psalm with prayer and praise. Verse 1, here, is what Jesus said on the cross: "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" On the cross, Jesus was like a worm and poured out like water (Ps. 22:6,14). Dogs (evil men) surrounded Him and they divided His garments (Ps. 22:16,18). But in Ps. 22: 22, we come to the resurrection: "I will declare Your name to My brothers." Jesus called His disciples His brothers directly for the first time on the day of His resurrection (Jn.20:17). This verse is also quoted in Hebrews 2:12 in this context. It goes on to say, "I will praise You in the midst of the congregation (church). You who fear the Lord, praise Him" (Ps. 22:22,23). Jesus is the One Who leads us in praising the Father in the church. Only those who fear the Lord are exhorted to praise the Lord, for only their praise will be sincere. We see the result of the work of the cross and the resurrection in Psalms 22 verses 22 to 30. There we have three verses on praising God (Ps. 22:22,23,26) and two verses on worshipping God (v.27,29), followed by one verse on service (v.30). So it is praise, praise and praise, followed by worship and worship, and then service. How few have understood the importance of praise and worship as a preparation for effective service!

Psalm 25 is a psalm about guidance and protection. David's prayer is, "Lord, show me Your ways. Teach me Your paths."(Ps. 25:4). Guidance is promised to those who acknowledge that they are sinners (Ps. 25:8), who humble themselves (Ps. 25:9), who obey His testimonies (Ps. 25:10), who fear Him (Ps. 25: 12), and who look to Him (Ps. 25:15). God reveals His secrets to those who reverence Him (Ps. 25:14).

Psalm 27 is a psalm of fearless trust in God. Here David proclaims that he will not fear, "even if a host encamps around him", because the Lord is his defence (Ps. 27:1-3). David desired only one thing from the Lord - to see the beauty of the Lord and to dwell in God's temple at all times (Ps. 27:4). This should be the only thing that we desire too.

Psalm 34 describes the Lord as the Helper of the righteous. David wrote this psalm when the Lord delivered him from certain death, as he pretended to be mad in front of King Abimelech. So he says, "I will bless the Lord at all times. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him. Taste and see that the Lord is good." (Ps. 34:1,6,8). David recognized that "the angel of the Lord surrounds those who fear Him and delivers them"(Ps. 34:7). He also saw that "the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears are always open to their cry", and that "the Lord is near the brokenhearted" (Ps. 34:15,18). David goes on to say from his experience that "the afflictions of the righteous are many" (Ps. 34:19). Don't ever imagine that if you are righteous you won't have problems. You will have more problems. "But the Lord will deliver you out of ALL of them" (Ps. 34:19). Then there is yet another Messianic prophecy: "He keeps all His bones; not one of them will be broken" (Ps. 34:20) - which was fulfilled on the cross.

In Psalm 101 David speaks about the blameless way in which he has sought to live. "I will give heed to the blameless way. I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart" (Ps. 101:2). Every one of us must be able to say that. It is in our home that we must walk blamelessly first of all. To be blameless does not mean that we never fail. It means that when we fail, we apologize and set the matter right. We must be blameless in our financial dealings too.