Christ With Coffee On Ice - sit while i read the psalms to you

Episode Date: August 19, 2026

Hey y'all ! Welcome to another Wednesday with CWCOI ! In this week's episode, our host, Ally Yost reads through Psalms 23-40. The book of Psalms is a collection of 150 poems, songs, and prayers. Whether you have already read through it or maybe you have been meaning to, we encourage you to sit with God as we open His word together.  "Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds." Psalm 36:5 _____________________________________________ ☆ PRE-ORDER 'LOVE THAT LASTS' HERE: https://allyyost.com/en-usd/pages/book ☆ OUR NEW MERCH IS LIVE! SHOP AT: https://allyyost.com ☆ MY BIBLE (code 'ALLYYOST' at checkout) ➤ https://hosannarevival.com/collections/beautiful-bibles/products/nlt-notetaking-bible-belfast-theme ☆ TUMBLER LINK ➤ https://allyyost.com/products/cwcoi-glass-tumbler-black _____________________________________________ Connect further with us ! TikTok ➤ https://www.tiktok.com/@christwithcoffeeonice  Instagram ➤ https://instagram.com/christwithcoffeeonice  _____________________________________________ Connect further with Ally ! TikTok (2M) ➤ https://www.tiktok.com/@ally_yost  Instagram ➤ https://www.instagram.com/ally_yost/  ShopMy ➤ https://shopmy.us/allyyost  Pinterest ➤ https://www.pinterest.com/ally_yost1/_created/

Hello everybody. Welcome to another episode of Christ with coffee and ice. I am your host, Ali Yost. It is a joy and honor to be here with you guys today. Happy day, everybody. Classic. I don't know what day it is, but we're filming this. Well, I used to be able to just bet on the fact that it was always Friday, obviously, because we only ever recorded for Fridays. Now we're recording for Fridays and Wednesdays, and I never know what day it is, so I'm sorry, I will be better at that. But regardless, happy day. Love you guys. So grateful to be here with you guys. Truly, my favorite parts of the week is being able to sit here and spend time with you guys and talk about Jesus. And I will say that in today's episode, I don't really have anything very profound to share,

which is perfect. Because maybe Jesus will. You know what I mean? Maybe Jesus will have something really profound for today because I don't. I'm going to be honest, I was trying to rack my mind on what we could talk about today and I was like, yeah, I don't, I don't know. I don't know. I don't know if I have anything. And I kept trying to pray about it and I just didn't really feel like there was a ton of vision of like what I could talk about for an entire hour. But I do know what we could do in today's episode is we can read the Bible. And I don't know if we've ever read the Psalms. Maybe we have. Maybe we have. If we have, it's been like one other time. But I think, Personally, I'll raise my hand. I need hope today. I need fresh hope in Jesus. I need encouragement from my father. I don't know about you guys, but life is lifing and this isn't a cry out for help. I'm fine. It's just like life be lifing. Okay. And if it wasn't for the encouragement of what God tells us in his word, I genuinely don't know where any of us would be, right? I don't know where I don't know where I would be.

be. So I think sometimes this is like the last thing I want to do, unfortunately, when I feel like I need God the most, sometimes that's like the heaviest weight to lift up, you know, is like the very thing you know you need to do, which is to read the Bible. And so I was hoping we could all do that together today. And I think with reading the Psalms, obviously it is packed with wisdom and insight and new perspectives. And I believe that the Psalms also offer such an opportunity to just renew our minds in what scripture says and what God says, not only about us, but about who he is too. And so I am very expectant for how timely these Psalms are going to come for all of us.

My coffee looks scary. Oh, my almond creamer is like, That's the thing about almond milk, y'all, or like anything almond-based is it like separates and gets a little funny looking. It's not an aesthetic milk to put in your coffees. You know, you kind of always got to shake it up because it like separates and looks kind of chunky and clunky. Oops. Also, I don't know. The color is a little funny today.

It's all right. It's all right. I'm having a little bit of an off day and so is my coffee. But that's fine. It's not too bad. Okay. So we do have our coffee on ice and we do have our Christ, obviously. We have our Word of God today.

I am reading from my Hossana Revival Bible. I love it. It's this really pretty butter yellow, and she's my fave. And the translation I'm going to be reading to you guys today is NLT. So I know that you guys love these kinds of episodes, too. I personally love any kind of format, really. I have my apps like Glorify and Haven and the Bible app. I have all of them.

I have YouTube, obviously, where I will look up my... where people will like read scripture, whether it's an ASMR or it's like falling asleep to God. But like all of these different formats, I love it because I love just listening to someone read the word, especially if I maybe don't have the energy to pick up my Bible myself. I think that's what we're here for, the body at least, is to borrow each other's faith and borrow each other's strength. And so I'm happy to do that for some of y'all. If you don't have the strength to pick up your Bible today, I would love to read you,

the Word of God. And so hopefully this will refresh your spirit as I would love a refreshing as well, all of us together. Now, if you do have the energy to pick up your Bibles, though, I think that would be awesome. I always encourage you guys whenever we're doing a little Bible study Bible reading episode to read along with me. I just think it's the most productive, personally. To also read alongside your Bible, highlight, take notes. There's just something about having the tangible, like, word of God in your hands, you know. So I do encourage you guys to follow along with me. We could do it together.

But if not, happy to read it to you. Okay, let's go to Psalms. I'm thinking the Psalms are so long, which is amazing. But maybe... Where do we start in the Psalms? Beep. We could go to Psalm 23, which is a classic. The Lord is my shepherd.

I shall not want for the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want What's that song? I shall not want I shall not want It's based on Psalm 23 Okay well let's just start at Psalm 23

Another thing that could be fun is maybe as we're reading the word today There will be certain things that pop out and we can go on little side tangents and revelations together. So I am open for whatever wisdom God brings to us. But even if we are just simply reading scripture, I think that's more than enough. But who knows? The Lord could surprise us.

Actually, can we just pray really quick? Okay. Lord, I love you. Thank you for being here, Jesus. We honor you. We're obsessed with you. And even if we don't feel obsessed with you, deep down, God, we are obsessed with you. Which is why we don't lean on our feelings.

We don't lean on our own understanding, but we lean on you. and we lead on the fact that we know that we need you. And so, God, this is us coming to you today and saying that we need you and that we are weak and we need your strength. And so Holy Spirit, I just pray that you have your way with this episode today, God, I lift up every one of my friends on the other end of this and I ask Lord to just have your way with their hearts and their minds. God, I ask for a renewal of their minds. I ask for in all the ways that they need to be encouraged by their Heavenly Father that they will be encouraged in the mighty name of Jesus. I rebuke any tactics of the enemy of discouragement, shame, condemnation, distraction, and I ask God that you are the only one speaking to them during this hour of us sitting together.

I just pray against any distractions or any opportunities to lose sight of what you are showing us today. And yeah, Lord, we're just asking for your spirit. God, give us a fresh washing and we're asking for your encouragement, your love, which is always available to us. So God, we thank you for being so faithful and that your love is unfailing and available to us every day. And I pray all of these things in the mighty, mighty name of Jesus. Amen. Okay, amen. All right, Psalm 23, the Lord is my shepherd. I have all right. Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd. I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows. He leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the

darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life. And I will live in the house of the Lord forever. Okay, wait, I actually already have a little side note.

This is just a really quick POV that I heard once. I used to always hear that part of Psalm 23, where it says, you prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. and I used to think about like low-key I know this is kind of funny but I would low-key think about like all the people who did me dirty in my life like I'd be like Lord I can't wait for you to prepare a table

in front of my enemies in the ones who pray on my downfall in the ones who have burned me and abandoned me and left me but the truth is is God loves those people too so I mean and so I heard this one time where somebody was talking about I don't know where

when who what just stuck in my brain you know you ever had those things where you're like don't know where i got i can't even remember what sermon it was who said it but it just stuck and it was um that the enemies in that scenario is actually all the attempts of the enemy like it's like it's actually the devil and all of his demons like all of the different tactics and ways that he has been like like the enemy would be like the voice of condemnation you know or the voice that's always telling you that you're a loser or like the the demonic voices in your mind that are always telling you that you're worthless and that you'll never amount to anything and that you should be embarrassed, you know, like those are the enemies

that God prepares a feast for you in front of. And I just think that perspective is actually so powerful. I don't know if that's new for anyone. Maybe that's the way that you've always seen Psalm 23, but for me, in my unfortunate like surface level, like, yeah, God, you better show them. it was more so about like all the evil attempts of the enemy actually because the truth is of what god tells us to is that this is not a war against flesh and blood meaning this is not a war against like human to human this is a war that is happening against the principalities of the unseen realm in the spirit right this is truly the works of good and evil and unfortunately the enemy will use evil through people. So it's not even the people who did you dirty. It's like it's it's deeper than that. It's what is behind that where it was like it was the way that the enemy was actually trying to use that person, that scenario, that abuse, that neglect to make you believe lies about yourself or to make you believe lies about your purpose or you're simply just like the existence of why you're here,

right which is to have a relationship with god to love god and to be loved by god and to live out his purpose for your life like all of those things like that those are the things that you know satan wants to deter us from and so it's i don't know i just thought that was cool it's those enemies that god actually prepares a feast for you in every way that the enemy has tried to take you down in your life there will be a day that god prepares a feast for you where he favors you and loves you unconditionally in front of those enemies. And I just think that rocks of God. It's like what we talked about in the Revelation series that we did where it was like,

what does Revelation really tell us is that God will have the last word. God will have the last say and the enemy won't. And I feel like that verse in Psalm 23 also represents that. It's like, oh, don't worry, you know, in all the ways that. that evil has happened in your life and ways that you've been hurt and betrayed and all of those things. It's like God will have the last say in your life. And then you'll be able to just sit there at the table as your Heavenly Father prepares it and has the last word against all of those things. Okay. Moving on. Psalm 24. Is everybody ready? The earth is the Lord's and everything

in it. For the world and all its people belong to him. For he laid the earth's foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths. Who may climb the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place?

Only those whose hands and hearts are pure. Who do not worship idols and never tell lies. They will receive the Lord's blessing and have a right relationship with God their Savior. Such people may seek you and worship in your presence, O God of Jacob.

Open up ancient gates. Open up ancient doors. And let the king of glory enter. Who is the king of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty. The Lord invincible in battle. Open up ancient gates. Open up ancient doors.

And let the king of glory enter. Who is the king of glory? The Lord of heaven's armies. He is the king of glory. O Lord, I give my life to you. I trust in you, my God. Do not let me be disgraced, nor let my enemies rejoice in my defeat. No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced,

but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others. Show me the right path, O Lord. Point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. all day long i put my hope in you i remember o lord your compassion and unfailing love which you have shown from long ages past do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth remember me in the light of your unfailing love for you are merciful o lord the lord is good and does what is right he shows the proper path to those who go astray he leads the humble and doing right teaching them his way.

The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness, all who keep his covenant and obey his demands. For the honor of your name, O Lord, forgive my many, many sins. Who are those who fear the Lord? He will show them the path they should choose. They will live in prosperity, and their children will inherit the land.

The Lord is a friend to those who fear him. He teaches them his covenant. My eyes are always on the Lord, he rescues me from the traps of my enemies. Turn to me and have mercy, for I am alone in deep distress. My problems go from bad to worse. Oh, save me from them all. Feel my pain and see my trouble.

Forgive all my sins. See how many enemies I have and how viciously they hate me. Protect me. Rescue my life from them. Do not let me be disgraced, for in you I take refuge. My integrity and honesty protect. me, for I put my hope in you. Oh God, ransom Israel from all its troubles. Now we're in Psalm 26. Declare me innocent, O Lord, for I have acted with integrity. I have trusted in the Lord without

wavering. Put me on trial, Lord, and cross-examine me. Test my motives and my heart. For I am always aware of your unfailing love, and I have lived according to your truth. I do not spend time with liars or go along with hypocrites. I hate the gatherings of those who do evil, and I refuse to join in with the wicked. I wash my hands to declare my innocence. I come to your altar, O Lord, singing a song of Thanksgiving and telling of all your wonders. I love your sanctuary, Lord, the place where your glorious presence dwells. I just want to say the thing that I actually admire so much about David right now, because that's who's writing right now in the Psalms is King David. Um, I, I, love his humility. This is somebody who has a genuine intimate relationship and friendship with God.

Like this is somebody who is speaking from genuine humility and fear of the Lord of like knowing his place and knowing God's place. Constantly seeking forgiveness is repenting of his sins and like the ways that he has fallen short. but also like just exuding so much admiration and love for God. Like I just, I love David's heart posture here. He is constantly looking at the source that gives him life and acknowledging that. He's like, you literally are the air I breathe. Please forgive me for my sins. And don't, I pray God, that you don't look at me in the lens is like the rebellious person I once was.

like, I want you to look at me through the lens of mercy and love and forgiveness. And it's funny because he's not begging God for forgiveness from a place of being afraid for his life. It's like, it's just such a healthy fear of the Lord where he's like, yeah, Lord, I, you're the boss. And I'm obsessed with you. And I love you. And yeah, I just, I love his humility here. I love the dependency that's being described in these scriptures. Okay, continuing in 26. Don't let me suffer the fate of sinners. Don't condemn me along with murderers.

Their hands are dirty with evil schemes, and they constantly take bribes. But I am not like that. I live with integrity. So redeem me and show me mercy. Now I stand on solid ground, and I will publicly praise the Lord. Okay, one more thing I really admire about David.

Sorry. Then we're going to start in Psalm 27 is I love that he has such clear identity. I love how many times he states the difference of like the character of evil people and his character. And he's like, I, this is who I am. I am a man of integrity. I am a man of truth telling. I'm not a liar. I don't link arms with people who do evil. If anything, it makes me. me sick. Like I just love how solid David is with who he is. Like he knows exactly who he is. I think that's really admirable. I love the like the strength and authority that he's speaking in. While also simultaneously like admitting that he's weak. Like he's like I am in deep waters Lord. I need you. I feel like I'm being surrounded help. Like please don't let my enemies laugh laugh in my face. but then also, it's, yeah, I love it. It's poetic. It's speaking to me a lot. Okay. Psalm 27, The Lord is my light and my salvation. So why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger. So why should I tremble? When evil people come to devour me,

when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am, am attacked, I will remain confident. The one thing I ask of the Lord, the thing I seek most, is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord's perfections, and meditating in his temple. For he will conceal me there when trouble comes. He will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock. Then I will hold my head high above my enemies who surround me. At his sanctuary, I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the Lord with music. Hear me as I pray, O Lord, be merciful and answer me.

My heart has heard you say, come and talk with me. And my heart responds, Lord, I am coming. Do not turn your back on me. Do not reject your servant in anger. You have always been my helper. Don't leave me now. Don't abandon me. O God of my salvation, even if my father and mother abandoned me, the Lord will hold me close. Teach me how to live, O Lord. Lead me along the right path, for my enemies are waiting for me. Do not let me fall into their hands, for they accuse me of things I've never done. With every breath, they threaten me with violence.

Yet I am confident. I will see the Lord's goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the Lord. brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord. Okay, we're stopping for commentary a little bit more than I planned. But is that okay with everybody? Are we enjoying this? Okay, I want to just say another thing that I love about David. I want to be more like David. I also really love how he obviously is very humble. He knows his place. He fears the Lord. He looks at God like his literal life source. but I love that he's not afraid to admit that he's afraid.

Like, I love that he isn't, he's just so honest with God. Like, brutally honest with God about where he's at. Maybe not brutally, but just like, very vulnerable, you know? And little did he know, hundreds and thousands and millions of people would now read it after the fact, hey, I'm grateful for it though. but he's so vulnerable with God. It's very personal and emotionally honest. And I think that's the thing that has made the Psalms so compelling to me so far in what we've read because David isn't pretending he's afraid. But something that I keep noticing that he's doing is he's bringing his fear into God's presence, though, which I think is a tip we could all take.

is I think a lot of times maybe if we are afraid or honestly any feeling you could be afraid you could be confused you could be angry you could be frustrated you could be sad but it's like learning to take those emotions and not feel like we have to sometimes I think maybe we can even feel like we got to like let that like pass and be like I'm just going to wait for this to like for me to like not feel this anymore and we wait for it to pass before going to God but it's like why not do what David did where we actually just bring that like how David just brought his fear into God's presence so even though he was feeling fearful he wasn't like okay I'm just going to like get myself out of this feeling of fear I'm just going to wait until it passes and then I'll check in with God it's like he literally

was like nope I'm afraid God and I just I love that I love that his immediate response is to just bring it into God's presence. I don't know if you guys relate to this. I related to David in the part where he was like, God, don't leave me. Don't abandon me. Like even if my own father and mother leave me, like I know that you will always be next to me. I don't obviously like I don't think that David actually believed that God was going to leave me. But I, I've prayed that too. And I think deep down it's not that I believed that God would leave me, but it was like, I just know that in those prayers, I don't know, maybe I'm just confessing that, like, I'm just expressing the deepest fear of my heart. And I think that that's what David was doing here is like, he's like, listen, anyone else could abandon me.

I believe it's more so of him expressing his deepest fear of like, but Lord, you can't ever abandon me. Like, I will be over if you leave me. Like, even my own parents could leave me, but if you leave me, I'm toast Yeah, I don't think it's because David believed that God was going to leave him But I think it was just a way of expressing His uh desperation and dependency on God. All right, let's keep moving on.

Okay, Psalm 28. I pray to you, O Lord, my rock. Do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you are silent, I might as well give up and die. Listen to my prayer for mercy as I cry out to you for help. As I lift my hands towards your holy sanctuary, do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who do evil, those who speak friendly words to their neighbors while planning evil in their hearts.

Give them the punishment they so richly deserve. Measure it out in proportion to their wickedness. Pay them back for all their evil deeds. Give them a taste of what they have done to others. They care nothing for what the Lord has done or for what his hands have made. So he will tear them down and they will never be rebuilt. Praise the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of Thanksgiving. The Lord gives his people strength. He is a safe fortress for his anointed king. Save your people. Bless Israel, your special possession. Lead them like a shepherd and carry them in your arms forever. Honor the Lord, you heavenly beings. Honor the Lord for his glory and strength.

honor the Lord for the glory of his name worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness the voice of the Lord echoes above the sea the God of glory thunders the Lord thunders over the mighty sea the voice of the Lord is powerful the voice of the Lord is majestic the voice of the Lord splits the mighty cedars the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon he makes Lebanon's mountains skip like a calf. He makes Mount Hermon leap like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord strikes with bolts of lightning. The voice of the Lord makes the barren wilderness quake. The Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord twists mighty oaks and strips the forests bear. In his temple everyone shouts, glory. The Lord rules over the floodwaters. The Lord reigns as king forever.

The Lord gives his people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace. I will exalt you, Lord, for you rescue me. You refuse to let my enemies triumph over me. O Lord, my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health. You brought me up from the grave, O Lord. You kept me from falling into the pit of death. Sing to the Lord all you godly ones.

Praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts. a lifetime. Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning. When I was prosperous, I said, nothing can stop me now. Your favor, O Lord, made me as secure as a mountain. Then you turned away from me, and I was shattered. I cried out to you, O Lord. I begged the Lord for mercy, saying, what will you gain if I die? If I sink into the grave, can my dust praise you? Can I tell of your faithfulness. Hear me, Lord, and have mercy on me. Help me, O Lord. You have turned my morning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy. That I might sing

praises to you and not be silent. O Lord, my God, I will give you thanks forever. Now we're in Psalm 31. O Lord, I have come to you for protection. Don't let me be disgraced. Save me, for you do what is right. Turn your ear to listen to me. Rescue me quickly. Be my rock of protection, a fortress where I will be safe. You are my rock and my fortress. For the honor of your name, lead me out of this danger. Pull me from the trap my enemy set for me, for I find protection in you alone. I entrust my spirit into your hand. Rescue me, Lord, for you are a faithful God. I hate those who worship worthless idols. I trust in the Lord. I will be glad and rejoice in your unfailing love, for you have seen my troubles, and you care about the anguish of my soul. You have not handed me over to my enemies, but have set me in a safe place. Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am in distress. Tears blur my eyes. My body and soul are withering away. I am dying of grief. My years are shortened by sadness. Sin has drained my strength. I am wasting away from within. I am so.

scorned by all my enemies and despised by my neighbors. Even my friends are afraid to come near me. When they see me on the street, they run the other way. I am ignored as if I were dead, as if I were a broken pot. I have heard the many rumors about me, and I am surrounded by terror. My enemies conspire against me, plotting to take my life. But I am trusting you, O Lord, saying you are my God. My future is in your hands. rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly. Let your favors shine on your servant. In your unfailing love, rescue me.

Don't let me be disgraced, O Lord, for I call out to you for help. Let the wicked be disgraced. Let them lie silent in the grave. Silence their lying lips, those proud and arrogant lips that accuse the godly. How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world. You hide them in the shelter of your presence,

safe from those who conspire against them. You shelter them in your presence, far from accusing tongues. Praise the Lord, for he has shown me the wonders of his unfailing love. He kept me safe while my city was under attack. In panic, I cried out. I am cut off from the Lord. but you heard my cry for mercy and answered my call for help. Love the Lord, all you godly ones,

for the Lord protects those who are loyal to him, but he harshly punishes the arrogant. So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord. Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose record of the Lord has cleared of guilt. whose lives are lived in complete honesty.

When I refused to confess my sin, my body wastes away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night, your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, I will confess my rebellion to the Lord, and you forgave me. All my guilt is gone. Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment. For you are my hiding place.

You protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. The Lord says, I will guide you along the best pathways for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and brittle to keep it under control. many sorrows come to the wicked but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the lord so rejoice in the lord and be glad all you who obey him shout for joy all you whose hearts are pure now we are in psalm thirty three let the godly sing for joy to the lord it is fitting for the pure to praise him praise the lord with melodies on the liar make music for him on the ten-stringed harp sing a new song of praise to praise to praise him to praise him to praise him him, play skillfully on the harp and sing with joy. For the word of the Lord holds true, and we can trust everything he does. He loves whatever is just and good. The unfailing love of the Lord

fills the earth. The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. He assigned the sea its boundaries, and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs. Let the whole world fear the Lord, and let everyone stand in awe of him. For when he spoke, the world began. It appeared at his command. The Lord frustrates the plans of the nations and thwarts all their schemes. I don't think I've ever said thwarts a day in my life. But the Lord's plans stand firm forever. His intentions can never be shaken. What joy for the nations whose God is the Lord, whose people he has chosen as his inheritance. The Lord looks down from heaven and sees the whole human race.

From his throne, he observes all who live on the earth. He made their hearts, so he understands everything they do. The best equipped army cannot save a king, nor is great strength enough to save a warrior. Don't count on your war horse to give you victory. For all its strength, it cannot save you. But the Lord watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love. He rescues them from death and keeps them alive in times of famine.

We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone. I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. I will boast only in the Lord. Let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the Lord's greatness. Let us exalt his name together. I prayed to the Lord and he answered me. He frees me from all my fears. Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy. No shadow of shame will darken their faces. In my desperation I prayed and the Lord listened.

He saved me from all my troubles. For the angel of the Lord is a guard. He surrounds and defends all who fear him. Taste and see that the Lord is good. O the joys of those who take refuge in him. Fear the Lord. You his godly people, for those who fear him will have all they need. Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry,

but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing. Come, my children, and listen to me. and I will teach you to fear the Lord. Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous? Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace and work to maintain it. The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right.

His ears are open to their cries for help. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil. He will erase their memory from the earth. The Lord hears his peace. when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. He rescues those whose spirits are crushed. The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time. For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous. Not one of them is broken. Calamity will surely destroy the wicked, and those who hate the righteous

will be punished. But the Lord will redeem those who serve him. No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned. Now we are in Psalm 35. O Lord, oppose those who oppose me. Fight those who fight against me. Put on your armor and take up your shield. Prepare for battle and come to my aid.

Lift up your spear. And javelin? J-A-V-E-L-I-N. against those who pursue me. Let me hear you say, I will give you victory. Bring shame and disgrace on those trying to kill me. Turn them back and humiliate those who want to harm me. Blow them away like chaff in the wind.

A wind sent by the angel of the Lord. Make their path dark and slippery with the angel of the Lord pursuing them. I did them no wrong, but they laid a trap for me. I did them no wrong, but they dug a pit to catch me. so let sudden ruin come upon them let them be caught in the trap they set for me let them be destroyed in the pit they dug for me then i will rejoice in the lord i will be glad because he rescues me with every bone in my body i will praise him lord who can compare with you who else rescues the helpless from the strong who else protects the helpless and poor from those who robbed them malicious witnesses testify against me they accuse me of crimes I know nothing about. They repay me evil for good. I am sick with despair.

Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them. I denied myself by fasting for them, but my prayers returned unanswered. I was sad, as though they were my friends or family, as if I were grieving for my own mother, but they are glad now that I am in trouble. They gleefully join together against me. I am attacked by people I don't even know.

They slander me constantly. They mock me and call me names. They snarl at me. How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing? Rescue me from their fierce attacks. Protect my life from these lions. Then I will thank you in front of the great assembly. I will praise you before all the people.

Don't let my treacherous enemies rejoice over my defeat. Don't let those who hate me without cause gloat over my sorrow. They don't talk of peace. They plot against innocent people who mind their own business. They shout, aha, aha. With your own eyes, we saw him do it. O Lord, you know all about this. Do not stay silent.

Do not abandon me now, O Lord. Wake up. Rise to my defense. Take up my case, my God, and my Lord. Declare me not guilty, O Lord, my God, for you give justice. Don't let them say, look, we got what we will be wanted. Now we will eat him alive. May those who rejoice at my troubles be humiliated and disgraced. May those who triumph over me be covered with shame and dishonor, but give great joy to those who came to

my defense. Let them continually say, great is the Lord who delights in blessing his servant with peace. Then I will proclaim your justice, and I will praise you all day long. Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts. They have no fear of God at all. In their blind conceit, they cannot see how wicked they really are. Everything they say is crooked and deceitful. They refuse to act wisely or do good.

They lie awake at night, hatching sinful plots. Their actions are never good. They make no attempt to turn from evil. Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches beyond the cloud. your righteousness is like the mighty mountains your justice is like the ocean depths you care for people and animals alike oh lord how precious is your unfailing love oh god all humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings you feed them from the abundance of your own house letting them drink from

your river of delights for you are the fountain of life the light by which we see pour out your unfailing love on those who love you. Give justice to those with honest hearts. Don't let the proud trample me or the wicked push me around. Look, those who do evil have fallen. They are thrown down never to rise again. Psalm 37, don't worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither. Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord and he will give you your heart's desires. I love that Psalm because it directly speaks against, in my opinion,

like the way that I see it is like when we kind of compare ourselves to people who may not be walking with the Lord and it looks like everything is going great for them and they're successful and maybe their business is doing really well. And on the outside it looks like they have everything. And I'm going to be honest, like I've felt that. sometimes where I'm like, why does it look like everything is going right for them? And they don't even like follow God. Like what? That can feel so unfair. And I just feel like, I don't know, that's what I get when I read this part of 37 is like, don't worry about the way good or envy those who do wrong. Like, don't envy the ones who aren't walking with the Lord because one, you don't know the whole picture. And two, just remember

how empty all of that stuff is. And there's a good chance. I mean, if, if, you're, if, you're, you know, there's a way to compare ourselves, especially through social media, there's a good chance that that's not the whole truth, right? Like, people only show what they want to show, especially with social media. And so I think that this is God's advice back then, BC, all the way to now, of him saying, yeah, don't envy those who do wrong. Like, I'm telling you, like, no matter how prosperous or amazing or whatever, how successful they look. At the end of the day, they are like grass. They will soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither.

Like that, everything that they've built for their life, especially without God, like all that fades. But the thing that lasts forever and the thing that David is encouraging us in is to trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord and he will give you your heart's desires. Just trust God. He will give you the desires of your hearts.

I love that. Okay. Verse 5. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn and the justice of your cause will shine like the noon day sun. Be still in the presence of the Lord and wait patiently for him to act. Don't worry about evil people who prosper. What were we just talking about? Or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry. Turn from rage. Do not lose your temper. It only leads to harm.

For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land. Soon the wicked will disappear. Though you look for them, they will be gone. The lowly will possess the land and will live in peace and prosperity. The wicked plot against the godly. They snarl at them in defiance. But those who trust in the Lord will possess the land. I can't help but think of the end times.

I mean like like I'm just thinking about revelation here. I feel like that's really what we're talking about. Is like maybe not even circumstantial in your life. But like I think just at the end of all of it. Guys, can I confess something? I know I've said this on the podcast a few times. We got to do something about it. It's so hot in here.

We're almost done though. I can get through this. I got to start like running the freaking air conditioning or something. like right before we record because I've told you I can't run it during because you'll hear it. Holy guac. It's stinking hot in here. I wouldn't be surprised if it said it was like 80 something. Like my upper lip is sweating. Sorry. Hoo, I had to confess that. Anyway, what were we talking about? Oh yeah. I think of revelation when I read this. Okay. Stop being angry. Where are we?

Oh, the wicked plot against the godly. They snarl at them in defiance, but the Lord just laughs. For he sees their day of judgment coming. Yeah, that's definitely about revelation. Okay. This is verse 14. We're still in chapter 37. The wicked draw their swords and string their bows. To kill the poor and the oppressed.

To slaughter those who do right. But their swords will stab their own hearts and their bows will be broken. It is better to be godly and have little than to be evil and rich. For the strength of the wicked will be. be shattered, but the Lord takes care of the godly. Day by day, the Lord takes care of the innocent, and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever. He's talking about heaven. Yeah, he's talking about heaven. They will not be disgraced in hard times, even in famine. They will have more than enough. But the wicked will die. The Lord's enemies are like flowers in a field. They will disappear like smoke.

The wicked borrow and never repay, but the godly are generous givers. Those the Lord blesses will possess the land, but those he curses will die. The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand. Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread. the godly always gives generous loans to others and their children are a blessing turn from evil and do good

and you will live in the land forever for the lord loves justice and he will never abandon the godly he will keep them safe forever but the children of the wicked will die the godly will possess the land and will live there forever the godly offer good counsel they teach right from wrong they have made God's law their own, so they will never slip from his path. The wicked wait in ambush for the godly, looking for an excuse to kill them. But the Lord will not let the wicked succeed or let the godly be condemned when they are put on trial. Put your hope in the Lord. Travels steadily along his path. He will honor you by giving you the land. You will see the wicked destroyed. I have seen wicked and ruthless people flourishing like a tree in its native soil. But when I looked again,

they were gone. Though I searched for them, I could not find them. Look at those who are honest and good. For a wonderful future awaits those who love peace. But the rebellious will be destroyed. They have no future. The Lord rescues the godly. He is their fortress in times of trouble. The Lord helps them, rescuing them from the wicked. He saves them, and they find shelter in him. Oh, Lord, don't rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your rage. Your arrows have struck deep, and your blows are crushing me. Because of your anger, my whole body is sick. My health is broken because of my sins. My guilt overwhelms me. It is a burden too heavy to bear. My wounds fester and stink because of my foolish sins. I am bent over and wracked with pain.

All day long I walk around filled with grief. A raging fever burns within me and my health is broken. I am exhausted and completely crushed. My groans come from an anguished heart. You know what I long for, Lord. You hear my every sigh. My heart beats widely, my strength fails, and I am going blind. My loved ones and friends stay away, fearing my disease,

even my own family stands at a distance. Meanwhile, my enemies laid traps to kill me. Those who wish me harm make plans to ruin me. All day long, they plan their treachery. But I am deaf to all their threats. I am silent before them as one who cannot speak. I choose to hear nothing, for I make no reply, for I am waiting for you, O Lord. You must answer for me, O Lord, my God. I pray don't let my enemies gloat over me or rejoice at my downfall. I am on the verge of collapse, facing constant pain. But I confess my sins,

and I am deeply sorry for what I have done. I have many aggressive enemies. They hate me without reason. They repay me evil for good, and oppose me for pursuing good. Do not abandon me, O Lord. Do not stand at a distance, my God. Come quickly to help me.

O Lord, my Savior. Now, I do want to just kind of, I want to, I am, okay, I gotta do something. Lord! I'm sweating. Okay, we're almost there, guys. Thanks for listening to my moaning and complaining right now.

Okay. One thing I want to touch on is in Psalm 38, which we just finished reading, is the fact that a lot of us could read this and be like, wow, God isn't very nice. You know, in the way that David is describing God where he's like, Lord, don't rebuke me in your anger, please. Or discipline me in your rage.

Your arrows have struck me. deep and your blows are crushing me and it's like geez okay well he was just talking about how loving and kind god is and now all of a sudden he's talking and describing god as like this mean angry god that's like disciplining him and hitting him and striking him and i think one thing we should recognize in this is like obviously i think david is in his feels a little bit right now okay he's going through a hard time obviously and so i think these are the things that he feels but it's not really true to the character of who God is. But in that moment, he's like, God, why are you literally freaking crushing me right now? Like, please, stop rebuking me. Stop being angry at me.

I think he's just being honest with God about how he feels. Things are going in his life, where he's like, Lord, why are you so mad at me? So it's interesting because then it transitions to him being like very aware of his sins, though. And I think that David is kind of like trying to connect the dots of feeling like God is deeply angry with him because of how he's recognizing the sin in his life. David feels like God's anger is against him because he is deeply aware of his own sin. The language here is obviously very emotional and poetic, but I think this is David's way of just being like, I feel like the whole world is against me. And I think even if somebody were to say a statement like that, where they're like, I feel like the whole world

is against me. I feel like everyone is against me right now. I think that in that statement, obviously, that does tell you something true about their experience, even if it isn't literally true. Because like, obviously, the whole world isn't against you. But you know what I mean? So it's like, it's like that same kind of experience I think that David is having and how he feels God is angry at him because of the sin in his life. I think David is making it very clear here, too, that he believes that there are serious consequences for our sins. You know, like he's not just being like, ah, dang it, I messed up. He's like, oh, no, I'm recognizing that they're actually like, there are consequences, though,

to our sins and when we go against God. And so he isn't saying God enjoys hurting people. So I don't think that's what we should take from this. He's acknowledging that rebellion against a holy God damages our relationship with him and often has painful consequences. And that's the truth. Like, if we're going to believe that he's our loving father who provides and does all the things a father does, he's also going to do all the things of a healthy father which disciplines and allows consequences and allows pain, you know? And discipline typically is painful and uncomfortable. But that's also something a father does. In a healthy, loving dynamic

between a child and a father, that is how it should be. Okay. Let's read 39 and then we'll wrap this episode. It is so hot in here. I just might be out for the count for a while if we don't stop soon. Okay. Okay, so I'm 39. I said to myself, I will watch what I do and not sin in what I say.

I will hold my tongue when the ungodly are around me. But as I stood there in silence, not even speaking of good things, the turmoil within me grew worse. The more I thought about it, the hotter I got. Well, that's bad timing. Okay, I don't want to think about how hot I am right now. Okay, sorry. Igniting a fire of words.

Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you. At best, each of my life. of us is but a breath. We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it. And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you. Rescue me from my rebellion. Do not let fools mock me. I am silent before you.

I won't say a word, for my punishment is from you. But please stop striking me. I am exhausted by the blows from your hand. When you discipline us for our sins, you consume like a moth what is precious to us. Each of us is but a breath. Hear my prayer, O Lord. Listen to my cries for help. Don't ignore my tears. For I am your guest, a traveler passing through, as my ancestors were before me. Leave me alone so I can smile again before I am gone and exist no more. David is, um, He's quite the emo boy, eh? Okay, let's just read a little bit of 40, because I like this. I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me, and he heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground, and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord. O the joys of those who trust the Lord, who have no confidence in the proud or in those who worship idols. O Lord, my God, you have performed many wonders for us.

Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all of your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them. You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings. Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand. You don't require burnt offerings or sin offerings. Then I said, look, I have come, as is written about me in the scriptures.

I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart. I have told all your people about your justice. I have not been afraid to speak out as you, O Lord, well know. I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart. I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power. I have told everyone in the great assembly of your unfailing love and faithfulness. Lord, don't hold back your tender mercies from me. Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me. For troubles surround me, too many to count. My sins pile up so high I can't see my way out.

They outnumber the hairs on my head. I have lost all courage. Please, Lord, rescue me. Come quickly, Lord, and help me. May those who try to destroy me be humiliated and put to shame. May those who take delight in my trouble, be turned back in disgrace. Let them be horrified by their shame, for they said, aha, we've got him now. But may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness in you. May those who love your salvation repeatedly shout, the Lord is great. As for me, since I am poor and needy, let the Lord keep me in his thoughts. You are my helper and my savior. Oh my God, do not delay.

Okay, that was the end of Psalm 40. We did pretty good, guys. We read from Psalm 23 to Psalm 40. I like it. I like it a lot. Oh, David. Oh, David, we love you, David. We relate to you, bud.

We really do. Well, that's all I have for you guys today. Thanks for being here. Thanks for joining. I'm really proud of you guys. I hope that you enjoyed this episode. Again, I didn't have much profound things to bring, but the Lord did.

I hope that you at least just enjoyed reading along scripture with me or listening to it. And I'm really proud of you guys. I love you so much. And I know the Lord is proud of you. I hope you have a beautiful day and a beautiful next few days until we see each other again in our next episode. But before we go, can we do something really cool today? Can we show somebody how cool Jesus is? Can we walk more like him, talk more like him, be more like Jesus today? I also really want to be more like David. David's pretty cool. Okay, you guys, I'm going to go stand in my freezer for a little bit. I'm just going to curl up in a ball and get in my freezer.

Okay. I love you. I'll see you next time. Bye.