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Psalms for Peace (4, 23, 27, 34, 46, 62, 121, and 139)
In this calming episode of 'Bedtime Bible Stories for Adults,' we explore selected Psalms that offer peace and comfort in times of distress. With heartfelt reflections and soothing readings,...
Psalms for Peace (4, 23, 27, 34, 46, 62, 121, and 139)
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Speaker A
Good evening. Welcome to Bedtime Bible Stories for Adults. I would like to thank Emily, Robert, Kate, Robin and Nicole for their support of this podcast. A special thank you to Alicia, Christopher and Sheila for their generous donations. Friends, my heart is heavy as I'm sure most of yours is too. So many tragedies in the past few weeks. The Bible says there is a time to mourn, but it also says that we do not mourn as the rest of the world does. That has no hope. We have hope. We were not meant to turn on our phones and see the news and images left and right. So if you feel affected, that's normal. If your emotional and physical health has suffered, that's normal. But Genesis 50, verse 20 says that what they intended to harm God intended it for good to accomplish the saving of many lives. Praise God for those that are being reached. Since the last episode we reached a milestone of 50,000 followers and I just thank God so much for that. Life is short. The life after this one can be eternal if you accept the gift. So we pray for wisdom and trust in God and we pray that he will use us during our short time on Earth. I wanted this episode to bring us peace. I almost called it Psalms for Anxiety, but no, I wanted it to be associated with something positive. According to Google, the opposite of anxiety is trust. And when you have trust, you have peace. I hope you find rest listening to this collection of the most peaceful chapters in Psalms, including my favorite Psalms 23 Sweet dreams take a deep breath in and breathe out slowly. Relax your forehead and brow. Unclench your jaw. Deep breath in and exhale slowly. Relax your shoulders. Tilt your head from side to side, feeling the stretch on the sides of your neck. Deep breath in and exhale. Another deep breath in and exhale. Let gravity do its job and just relax. Answer me when I call to you. My righteous God, give me relief from my distress. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer. How long will you people turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods? Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself. The Lord hears when I call to him. Tremble and do not sin when you are on your beds. Search your hearts and be silent. Offer the sacrifices of the righteous and trust in the Lord. Many Lord are asking who will bring us prosperity. Let the light of your face shine on us. Fill my heart with joy when their grain and new wine abound in peace I will lie down and sleep for you alone. Lord, make me dwell in safety. The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me to devour me. It is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear. Though war break out against me. Even then I will be confident. One thing I ask from the Lord. This only do I seek. That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling. He will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me. At his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy. I will sing and make music to the Lord. Hear my voice when I call, Lord, be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you. Seek his face. Your face, Lord, I will seek. Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger. You have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me. God, my savior. Though my Father and Mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. Teach me your way, Lord. Lead me in a straight path. Because of my oppressors. Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes. For false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations. I remain confident of this. I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord. Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. I will extol the Lord at all times. His praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the Lord. Let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me. Let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord and he answered me. He delivered me from all My fears. Those who look to him are radiant. Their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him. He saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Fear the Lord, you his holy people. For those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Come, my children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn from evil and do good. Seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil to blot out their name from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them. He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all. He protects all his bones. Not one of them will be broken. Evil will slay the wicked. The foes of the righteous will be condemned. The Lord will rescue his servants. No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned. God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear. Though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea. Though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God. The holy place where the most high dwells. God is within her. She. She will not fall. God will help her. At break of day, nations are in uproar. Kingdoms fall. He lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress. Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear. He burns the shields with fire. He says, be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord Almighty is with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress. Truly my soul finds rest in God. My salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation. He is my fortress. I will never be shaken. How long will you assault me? Would all of you throw me down this leaning wall, this tottering fence. Surely they intend to topple me from my lofty. They take delight in lies. With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse. Yes, my soul, find rest in God. My hope comes from Him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation. He is my fortress. I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor will depend on God. He is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times. You people, pour out your hearts to Him. For God is our refuge. Surely the lowborn are but a breath. The highborn are but a lie. If weighed on a balance, they are nothing together, they are only a breath. Do not trust in extortion or put vain hope in stolen goods. Though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them. One thing God has spoken. Two things I have heard. Power belongs to you, God, and with you, Lord is unfailing love. And you reward everyone according to what they have done. Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress. My God in whom I trust, surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge. His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, 10,000 at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you say, the Lord is my refuge and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you. No disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. They will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra. You will trample the great lion and the serpent. Because he loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him. I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him with long life. I will satisfy him and show him my salvation. I lift up my eyes to the mountains. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip he who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you. The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm. He will watch over your life. The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise. You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down. You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in, behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there. If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me. Your right hand will hold me fast if I say, surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me. Even the darkness will not be dark to you. The night will shine like the day. For darkness is as light to you. For you created my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you. When I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed by body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God. How vast is the sum of them. Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you. If only you, God, would slay the wicked away from me. You who are bloodthirsty. They speak of you with evil intent. Your adversaries misuse your name. Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you? I have nothing but hatred for them. I count them my enemies. Search me, God, and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.