A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 51

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 51
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow
 
Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. 
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight—That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge. 
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 
Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit (Psalm 51:1-4, 7, 10-12).
 
Oh, the good news that God is merciful!  Greater still, that He is merciful to us. Let our hearts celebrate, to the fullest measure, God’s mercies in our lives.
 
He is as merciful to us today as He was yesterday, and His mercies will welcome us to a new day tomorrow morning when we arise.
 
God’s mercies are tender mercies, lovingkindness mercies, and compassion mercies. His mercies bring to us the grace of forgiveness, the grace of forgiveness brings cleansing, and the grace of cleansing brings to our hearts the deliverance from all condemnation. 
 
Without God’s mercies we would be overcome and destroyed by the guilt of sin. Our bank accounts couldn’t purchase our redemption, our good deeds couldn’t balance the scales of justice, our sacrifices couldn’t stay the hand of judgment. 
 
God’s mercy is not saying to us:

• That’s okay, try harder next time.
• I’ll look the other way this time.
• No problem, no one is perfect.
• Win some, lose some.
• Don’t be so hard on yourself, I know you’re a good person at heart.

 
God’s mercy is saying to us:

• I know you’ve sinned against me. 
• I will not give you what you deserve.
• My Son took your judgement upon Himself so you could be forgiven.
• His blood will wash you whiter than snow.

 
Insights:

God has promised to supply all our need’s through His riches in Christ.
God has promised to bless us with all the spiritual blessings that are in Christ.
God has promised to forgive all our sins through the redeeming power of the blood of Christ.

#psalms #devotional #devotion #roylessin #meetinginthemeadow

©2026 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.
 
Restore, Renew and Refresh in the Psalms
Green Pastures. Quiet Waters. Righteous Paths.
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A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 50

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 50
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow
Offer to God thanksgiving…Whoever offers praise glorifies Me (Psalm 50:14, 23).
 
The Bible statement, “In Him we live, and move, and have our being.” is found in Acts 17. It was spoken by the Apostle Paul. It has some similarities to Psalm 50. Here are a few verses from that chapter…

“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.  Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.”

Every person born into this world is dependent upon God. Each of us was created by Him, with the purpose of knowing Him and living for Him. Those who miss this, miss it all!

There is no god like our God! Do you know a god greater than our God? Of course not!

Who is our God?

He is from everlasting to everlasting; He is all knowing; He knows the end of something before it begins; He is flawless, errorless, sinless; He is perfect perfectness; He is everywhere you’ve been and everywhere you haven’t been; He is over there and over here, at the same time; It doesn’t matter how high you go He is above you; it doesn’t matter how strong you are, He is stronger; He is never on the wrong side or the losing side; He is the Lord God almighty!

Do you know any other god like that? Of course not!

How do you respond to such an amazing God?

Here are three ways:

1. THANKSGIVING: Appreciation for what God does
2. PRAISE: Celebration for who God is
3. WORSHIP: Adoration for all God does and is

Insight: Every favor, every blessing, every gift that God has given to you has come freely, by grace. Thanksgiving, praise and worship are your gifts back to Him.

Insight: Give your life to the One who is All Wise, He’ll know what to do with it; Give your heart to the One who is Pure Love, He'll know how to care for it; Give your future to the One who is Forever Faithful, He’ll know how to secure it.

#psalms #devotional #devotion #roylessin #meetinginthemeadow

©2026 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

Restore, Renew and Refresh in the Psalms
Green Pastures. Quiet Waters. Righteous Paths.
meetinginthemeadow.com
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A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 49

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 49
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Hear this, all peoples; Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, Both low and high, Rich and poor together. My mouth shall speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart shall give understanding (Psalm 49:1-3).
 
Psalm 49 points us away from the deception of wealth and the false sense of security that riches can bring. “You can’t take it with you“ is a common saying people use regarding riches. However, the following saying can also be true, “You may not be able to take your treasures with you, but you can send them on ahead!” (Read Matthew 6:19-20).
 
True riches, and the richest riches, are Kingdom of God riches. Kingdom of God riches point us towards the things that last forever. Jesus placed top priority upon God’s kingdom when He told us to seek His kingdom first. Kingdom riches are secure. They have eternal value and relate to the things that matter most and last forever. 
 
Early in our marriage my wife and I joined a missionary organization that operated a Christian bookstore ministry in Puerto Rico. The staff in Puerto Rico lived communally and provided everything my wife and I and our two young children needed. Before leaving for the Island, we gave our few possessions to the missionary organization to use where needed.
 
Our time in Puerto Rico only lasted a year. We left with a treasure chest of life lessons but very little materially. When we landed back in Los Angeles we gathered our five suitcases (which contained all we owned) and waited outside for a family member to pick us up. As I stood looking down at those suitcases I was suddenly covered with a deep sense of God’s peace. In that moment God spoke these words to my heart…
“No possession you add to your life will increase the peace you now have, and no possession removed from your life will diminish that peace.”
 
True and lasting peace, hope, and love are Kingdom fruits that enter our hearts and remain because of the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the only source of Kingdom fruit.
 
Insight: The treasures of the fruits of the Spirit are Kingdom realities and are not for sale.

#psalms #devotional #devotion #roylessin #meetinginthemeadow

©2026 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.
 
Restore, Renew and Refresh in the Psalms
Green Pastures. Quiet Waters. Righteous Paths.
meetinginthemeadow.com
BlessedDayCards.com

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 48

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 48
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised In the city of our God, In His holy mountain. Beautiful in elevation, The joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, The city of the great King. God is in her palaces; He is known as her refuge. We have thought, O God, on Your loving-kindness the midst of Your temple. According to Your name, O God, So is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness. Let Mount Zion rejoice, Let the daughters of Judah be glad, Because of Your judgments. Walk about Zion, And go all around her. Count her towers; Mark well her bulwarks; Consider her palaces; That you may tell it to the generation following. For this is God, Our God forever and ever; He will be our guide Even to death (Psalm 48:1-3, 9-14).

All the insights that God is revealing to your heart are important treasures to pass on to the generation following. These insights are included as a vital part of your spiritual heritage to your children and grandchildren.

As we’ve already discovered, there are many Psalms that reveal who God is, what He does, and how His people respond to Him. Included below is a list of response questions that you can use while reading through the Psalms. These questions can help you discover new insights about your relationship with the Lord and your walk with Him.

Is there something in this Psalm or verse that…
*reveals who God is?
*reveals what God does, has done, or will do?
*reveals how God thinks or feels?
*reveals what God wants to do in me?
*reveals how I need to respond to God?
*reveals a step of obedience I need to take?
*reveals something I need to believe?
*reveals something new I have discovered?
*reveals a key word I would like to study?

One final question…
How can I turn this Psalm or verse into a prayer?

If a cluster of heavenly fruit hangs within reach, gather it.
If a promise lies upon the page as a blank check, cash it.
If a prayer is recorded, appropriate it, and launch it as a feathered arrow from the bow of your desire.
If an example of holiness gleams before you, ask God to do as much for you.
If a truth is revealed in all intrinsic splendor, entreat that its brilliance may ever irradiate
the hemisphere of your life like a star. -F.B. Meyer
 
Insight: Keeping a journal to capture what the Holy Spirit reveals to you through Scripture can be a helpful and practical way of passing along your spiritual heritage to future generations.

#psalms #devotional #devotion #roylessin #meetinginthemeadow

©2026 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.
 
Restore, Renew and Refresh in the Psalms
Green Pastures. Quiet Waters. Righteous Paths.
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A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 47

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 47
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph! For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth. He will subdue the peoples under us, And the nations under our feet. He will choose our inheritance for us, The excellence of Jacob whom He loves. Selah God has gone up with a shout, The Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding. God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne. The princes of the people have gathered together, The people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted (Psalm 47:1-9).

Psalm 47 focuses on Israel’s response to all God did for them as a nation and a people—the blessings He gave, the victories He won and the promises He fulfilled.

Who God is and what He will do for His people:
*He is the Lord Most High.
*He is awesome.
*He is a great King over all the earth.
*He will subdue people.
*He will subdue nations.
*He will choose their inheritance.
*He reigns over the nations and all rulers.
*He sits on His holy throne.
*He is greatly exalted.

How God’s people responded to Him:
*Clapped their hands
*Shouted with a voice of triumph 
*Sang praises 
*In other Scriptures we are also told that God’s people responded to Him by bowing down, by kneeling before the Lord, by lifting up their hands, by playing instruments and by blowing horns (David even danced before the Lord).

Perhaps this Psalm inspired Stuart Hamblen to write the following chorus and verse to his hymn It Is No Secret…

IT IS NO SECRET
There is no night for in His light
you’ll never walk alone
Always feel at home
wherever you may roam
There is no power can conquer you
while God is on your side
Just take Him at His promise
Don’t run away and hide
It is no secret what God can do
What He’s done for others, He’ll do for you
With arms wide open, He’ll pardon you
It is no secret what God can do

The greatest thing God did for us was to send His Son to die for us and reconcile us to God. That alone is reason enough for us to clap, sing, shout, kneel, bow down, lift our hands, blow a trumpet, and play an instrument.

Insight: God is not uncomfortable, indifferent, or displeased when His people express their praise to Him with clapping, singing, shouting, or lifting of hands.

Insight: “Nothing teaches us about the preciousness of the Creator as much as when we learn the emptiness of everything else.” -Charles Spurgeon

#psalms #devotional #devotion #roylessin #meetinginthemeadow

©2026 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.
 
Restore, Renew and Refresh in the Psalms
Green Pastures. Quiet Waters. Righteous Paths.
meetinginthemeadow.com
BlessedDayCards.com