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.
 
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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

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 46

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 46
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge (Psalm 46:1-2, 10-11).

As God’s children, there is so much for us to celebrate in Psalm 46. We can be who God asks us to be, because God will be to us all that we need.

Who God Is…
He is our refuge: A storm siren warns people to take immediate shelter because a tornado is approaching. That place of shelter is a refuge from the storm. God will always be our hiding place from every storm of life.

He is our strength: For the timid, God is our boldness. For the shy He is our courage. For the feeble He is our might.

He is our very present help in our time of need: God is a wholly Helper. He is never far away, never distracted, never unprepared, never ill-equipped. Best of all, He is enough!

He is the Lord of hosts: When it comes to getting a job done—quickly, correctly, completely, victoriously, amazingly—God has all the heavenly resources awaiting His command, including heaven’s armies and angels of every rank, power and authority. All that He has is on your side.

He is the God of Jacob: He is the covenant making, covenant keeping, covenant fulfilling God. Every promise He has made to Israel has been or will be fully fulfilled! Nothing has been cancelled, nullified, or transferred.
His forever promises are forever. He hasn’t lied or failed regarding Israel, and He will not fail or lie to you.

Because of Who God Is, We Can…
We can be without fear: There are hundreds of phobias that have been identified around the world. Everything from fear of heights to fear of public speaking. Fears can hold people captive, bind them, or paralyze them.  A small god isn’t great enough to conquer a big fear. Any god, other than the one true God, is a god too small. It’s the small god that will be unable to deliver someone from fear. It’s the small god who isn’t strong enough to be someone’s refuge. It’s the small god who is too weak to be someone’s strength.

We can be still: Being still does not mean being passive or indifferent. It means we can let go of the pressure to perform, to be in control, or to achieve certain outcomes. Being still means releasing all anxiety, striving and expectations. It means being quiet on the inside. It means that you go through your day with a quiet assurance that God has “got this”.

We can know who God is: God wants us to know who He is. He doesn’t want us ignorant or indifferent about who He is. It’s important to our faith and our daily walk.  He is “I Am!” That’s who He has always been and always will be. God will never be a “has been”.

We can know God through the ways He has revealed Himself to us. Those ways include:

Creation: Look outside. Look up. He made it all.
Scripture: God’s inspired, inerrant word.
Jesus Christ: He is the Word made flesh.
The Holy Spirit: He is our teacher who leads us into all Truth.

Insight: Here is a prayer you can always pray because God is always who He says He is…
“Father, be to me today, all that You are according to my need.”

Insight: When God says “I Am” it means that we are not (what a relief!).

#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 45

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 45

-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Therefore God, your God, has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else (Psalm 45:7 NLT).

The honor, glory, and majesty of Jesus is proclaimed throughout Psalm 45. Verse 7 points us to the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The word “oil” symbolically represents the person of the Holy Spirit, and the word “anointed” represents His power and presence in someone’s life. 

Throughout Scripture kings, prophets, and priests were anointed with oil.

When Jesus began His public ministry He was anointed with the Holy Spirit. (Luke 4:18, Isaiah 61:1) Jesus is The Messiah, The Christ, The Anointed One. He is the only one to be anointed Prophet, Priest, and King.

Each of us, as followers of Jesus, need the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon our lives as we serve the Lord and minister in His name.

Here are three examples of how the anointing of the Holy Spirit impacts our lives:

• His is an anointing of joy.
  Joy comes from the Holy Spirit. Joy is His fruit. Joy has nothing to do with our human personality or our sense of humor. Joy is drawn from the well of God’s Salvation.

• His is an anointing of fragrance.
  The recipe of the anointing oil that was used by the Jewish priests in the temple contained rare and valuable spices. These spices carried a highly pleasing fragrance. The spices didn’t represent human niceness or sweetness, but the delightfulness of being in the presence of the Lord.

• His is an anointing of radiance.
  The light of the Holy Spirit can shine upon our countenance. His light has nothing to do with our looks or the kind of essential oils we use. His light is an extension of His glory. It is the Lord’s face shining upon you that will be seen by others.

Insight: With the human eye you might not be able to tell the difference between an artificial rose and a real one. But you can easily tell the real from the fake if you get close enough to smell them.

Insight: The anointing oil was never intended to be something that was to be admired or put on display. It was intended to be applied to someone’s life.

#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