Insight for Today
A Daily Devotional by Chuck Swindoll

Psalm 116 is the lament of a man surrounded by grief and sorrow, most likely because death has touched his life. Let's take a few moments to probe a little deeper into a song of sadness. The first line of the psalmist's song is surprising.

It is easy for those who are strong and healthy to forget how many tears of sorrow and grief are shed every day. All around this aching world—perhaps in your own home or in your heart this very week—sadness abounds.

Psalm 101, David's spiritual manifesto in song, began with a list of admirable qualities the king desired to cultivate. He then took a good look around him to determine how he would respond to different kinds of individuals.

Having identified four qualities to cultivate, David's spiritual manifesto in Psalm 101 continues with several declarations, each intended to keep him on course in pursuit of his divine purpose. David no longer looks within, he looks around.

Psalm 101 names four great qualities a believer must possess in order to discern his or her divine purpose. Without these four virtues to clarify one's vision, confusion abounds.

I once heard the president of a seminary express his concern over the school by saying, "I fear we may be turning out graduates with a great number of beliefs but not enough conviction." Conviction gives beliefs a backbone.

Some people seem to drift aimlessly through life, headed in no specific direction. Without clearly defined objectives, it is not surprising that many adopt a lifestyle that lacks definition and purpose.

Having called the whole world to join him in song, the psalmist declares the reason God deserves universal thanksgiving and praise. His rationale for worldwide celebration is based on three facts concerning the Lord's character.

Psalm 100:4 contains two commands. Both of these commands urge us to speak directly to the Lord. Give thanks to Him (100:4). The Hebrew command "give thanks" is a single verb that means "to confess, praise, acknowledge, extol, thank."

Psalm 100 is an extended command to worship the Lord, giving specific instructions to follow. The first three commands in 100:1–2 are directly related to cultivating a spirit of joy.

Psalm 100 wastes no time with preliminaries. Rather than try to convince the reader to praise the Lord for His goodness and our many blessings, the composer issues three commands in the first two verses.

Rarely will one of God's heroes show up in the Scriptures having lived a life free of failure. Take Peter, for example. As soon as you read the name, you remember his story. Peter experienced the extreme highs and lows of life.

While we have experienced financial ups and downs in the last century—some of them significant—we nevertheless benefit from an unprecedented level of abundance.

Having predicted your success in battle against the attacks of the devil (Psalm 91:5–10), this Psalm continues with several commitments from the Lord. He has promised to give you a tactical advantage.

In Psalm 91:1–4, the songwriter has acknowledged the Lord as his refuge when under attack by the forces of evil. Now in 91:5–10, he sizes up his enemy and calculates his (and our) chances of surviving the battle.

While the first two verses of Psalm 91 depict the faithful character of God, verses 3 and 4 describe what God does. The psalmist names three actions the Lord takes on our behalf.

We must never forget that believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are not removed from the presence of wickedness. In fact, our Savior prayed specifically: "I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one" (John 17:15).

Enemy attack? There was a time in my life when I had no enemies. Once I began ministry, however, that changed. It should come as no surprise that many who serve God in full-time ministry become targets of demonic assaults.

David closes this psalm of worship with a pen portrait of his situation. To our surprise, he wasn't absolutely alone, because verse 9 testifies of those who sought his life to destroy it. Nor was he free from criticism and slander.

In his wilderness experience, David made five decisions that would deepen his connection with God. First, he decided to imagine the Lord's physical presence. Then he decided to express praise for God out loud.