A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 132

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 132
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Lord, remember David And all his afflictions; How he swore to the Lord, And vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob: “Surely I will not go into the chamber of my house, Or go up to the comfort of my bed; I will not give sleep to my eyes Or slumber to my eyelids, Until I find a place for the Lord, A dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.” Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah; We found it in the fields of the woods. Let us go into His tabernacle; Let us worship at His footstool. Arise, O Lord, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength. Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness And let Your saints shout for joy (Psalm 132:1-9).
 
When God first gave Moses the detailed instructions to build the portable Tabernacle in the Wilderness (the Tent of Meeting), God also told Moses where to set it up. It was to be located in the center of the tribes of Israel wherever they camped. It was a visual reminder to the people that God’s presence was in their midst. 
 
Psalm 132 brings our attention to two of David’s deepest desires: 

• To build a permanent Temple in Jerusalem (the place of worship).
• To put the Ark of the Covenant (God’s presence) in its rightful place within the Temple.

When the Word became flesh and dwelt (tabernacled) among us, God’s presence was made manifest, not in a place, but in a person. 
 
After Jesus rose from the dead, God’s presence was made manifest collectively through a new source, the Body of Christ. Amazingly, each individual within the Body of Christ was identified as God’s temple. Individually and collectively the intimacy between God and His people was at its deepest level.

Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (1Corinthians 3:16 NKJV)

Today, as a member of Christ’s body, you are God’s temple. His presence dwells in you through the person of the Holy Spirit. Your spirit and God’s Spirit are joined as one in the deepest level of intimacy.

The following prayer focuses on your heart’s desire to know Him more deeply and enjoy Him more fully.

Prayer of Intimacy 
 
Lord, I want to know You more, not just with my head, but intimately, in the depths of my spirit. I desire to live in You, abide in You, be fruitful in You, and have the fullness of Your joy as my portion. I have tasted of Your delights and know that You are good, help me now to feast with You at Your table. Help me draw near, to drink of Your Spirit, to delight in Your will, to walk in step, to be in agreement with Your will, to take Your yoke fully upon me, and to learn of You.

I ask You to take me closer to Your heart—I want to know more deeply what it means to love You; I want to know more fully what it means to experience the pleasure of Your company; I want to know more completely what it means to serve You as a faithful servant.

Lord, through my vision, help me to see more clearly the things that You see through Your eyes; through my thoughts, help me to understand the things that You know in Your wisdom; through my tongue, help me to speak the words that are upon Your lips. By Your grace, I want to know the power of Your cross, the fellowship of Your suffering, the triumphs of Your victory, and the glory of a life that is seated with You at the Father's right hand.

I ask You to make me more aware of the things that You celebrate and bring You pleasure. I want to do those things that cause You to say "I am pleased"; I want to follow the path that causes Your face to shine upon me; I want to do the work that has Your approval; I want to make the choices that will result in hearing Your "Well done." Amen. 

Insight: Learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve Him with your whole heart and a willing mind.

As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever (1Chronicles 28:9 NKJV).

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©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 131

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 131
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Lord, my heart is not haughty,
Nor my eyes lofty.
Neither do I concern myself with great matters,
Nor with things too profound for me (Psalm 131:1).

The haughty person is in the same company as the proud, the arrogant, and the self-centered.

It is a wise person who doesn’t carry an exalted opinion of themselves or pursues great things for themselves. When a well-known servant of the Lord was once asked how he could accomplish so much the servant replied, “One day the Lord looked down from heaven and said, ‘Where can I find the weakest, littlest man on earth?’ Then He saw me and said, “I’ve found him; he won’t be proud of it; he’ll see that I am using him because of his insignificance.”
 
The Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: 
 to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8).
 

• God is not looking for someone who is clever, but for someone through whom God can be wise.

 

• God is not looking for someone who is self-confident, but for someone through whom God can be all sufficient.

 

• God is not looking for someone who is powerful, but for someone through whom He can be almighty.

As we walk humbly with our God we will also walk humbly before others in the body of Christ. Servants of the Lord do not look upon other servants of the Lord as competitors, but as fellow contributors in God’s kingdom. Pastors, church leaders, Christian publishers, musicians, missionaries, or other types of ministries doing Kingdom work are not in competition with each other.
 
As you walk humbly with your God you see life from His perspective:
Some may have more possessions, but none can have greater riches than those found in the treasure of Jesus Christ.
 
Some may partake of more pleasures, but none can know a deeper joy than the one known in His wonderful presence.
 
Some may be able to sing with a stronger voice, but none can have a sweeter song than the melody of His love filling the heart.
 
Some may have greater popularity, but none can know a truer friendship which comes by walking with Jesus.
 
Some may have attained a certain status, but none can have a higher calling than following the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
 
Some may have live in a bigger house, but none can have a nicer home than the one that Jesus has been preparing in Heaven.
 
Insight: When Jesus spoke to the seven churches in the book of Revelation, He spoke to them individually and not competitively. No church was praised for how big their attendance was, and no church was reproved for how small their attendance was.

#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 130

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 130
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive To the voice of my supplications. If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared. wait for the Lord, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord More than those who watch for the morning—Yes, more than those who watch for the morning (Psalm 130:1-8).
 
Confidence in Prayer
Nothing Has Stopped in Heaven—
Grace still abounds;
Mercies are still new this morning;
Blessings are still being poured out;
Prayers are still being heard and answered;
Angels are still ministering;
Jesus is still interceding;
The Holy Spirit is still working;
God is still on the throne;
And the return of the Lord is still on schedule.
 
Believing Prayer

Believing prayer is a language that is spoken by the heart. Our strength in prayer is not developed by growing our eloquence, but by growing our faith.

Jesus told us, "And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words" (Matthew 6:7 NIV).
 
The power of prayer is found in its simplicity, not its complexity or frequency. We should never think that God will not hear or answer our prayer unless we use just the right words, phrase them correctly, and repeat them frequently. Even if the words that we speak don't come out just right God knows exactly what our heart is wanting to say.
 
God doesn't need us to pray the "right words" so He can understand what our need is, and He doesn't need us to repeat them because He won't forget our prayer. Jesus assures us that God knows all about our need and knows how to meet it even before our prayer begins (Matthew 6:8).

God hears and answers prayer based upon our relationship to Him. God is our heavenly Father and He invites us to draw near to Him as His children.
 
Forgiveness Brings Freedom in Prayer

We can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19 NLT).
 
God has made a way for us to come to Him in prayer. A way of hope, a way of mercy, a way of grace, a way of forgiveness, a way of salvation, a way of eternal life. That way, that hope, that mercy, that grace, that forgiveness, that salvation, that eternal life is found in only one person, Jesus Christ the Lord.
 
Jesus died as the spotless sacrificial lamb willing to make atonement for our sin. The mallet and the spikes were in our hands while goodness and mercy were in His... rebellion and deceit were in our character, grace and truth were in His...hardness and coldness were in our hearts, tenderness and compassion in His. Jesus was the perfect offering for our imperfections—taking our judgment, bearing our sorrow, tasting our death, triumphing over our hell, and bringing us eternal hope with the awesome power of resurrection life.
 
Insight: He came even though we didn't know how desperately we needed Him. He came to pay the debt we owed but couldn't pay. He came as a physician who didn't wait for office calls but lived among us to seek and save those who were being destroyed by the plague of sin. He didn't die as a martyr or a reformer; He died as the spotless, sacrificial lamb, willing to make atonement for our sin.

#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 129

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 129
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Neither let those who pass by them say,
“The blessing of the Lord be upon you;
We bless you in the name of the Lord!” (Psalm 129:8).
 
After God created Adam and Eve He spoke a blessing of fruitfulness over their lives. The vastness of His blessings have been spoken from Genesis to Revelation. God delights in blessing our lives!
 
One of the saddest places in life is to live without the blessing of the Lord. Oh, the wonder, the beauty, and the glory that shines upon each life that receives the blessing of the Lord! His blessings are greater than the favors of others, more meaningful than the rewards of others, and more valuable than the treasures of others.
 
What is a blessing? It is a favor, a kindness, a benediction. It is an abundance of Divine benefits. It is grace poured out in overflowing measure. It is God’s merciful hand placed upon your head. It is His smile manifesting His delight over you. It is His glory shining upon your face. It is God’s river of goodness washing over your soul. It is fruitfulness, joyfulness, and delightfulness as He shares His heart with yours.

 
The Blessings of the Lord…
 

• They Bring no sorrow.

The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it (Proverbs 10:22 NKJV).
 

• They will make you to be a blessing to others.

I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing (Genesis 12:2 NKJV).
 

• They are abundant.

I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies (Genesis 22:17 NKJV).
 

• Every spiritual blessing is yours in Christ.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3 NKJV).
 
An invitation to enter into the blessing of the “fountain of every blessing”…the presence of your Heavenly Father!
 
Insight: Draw near, then, seeking soul, with boldness; Draw near with the lowly boldness of a child. Dear are you to your Father. Sweet is your voice to Him.
Precious is your person, accepted in His Beloved. You cannot come too boldly-you cannot come too frequently—you cannot come with too large requests.
You are coming to a King, that King your Father, that Father viewing you in His beloved Son. Oh, hang not back. Stand not afar off. He now holds out the golden scepter, and says, "Come near; what is your request? Come with your temporal want. Come with your spiritual need. Ask what you will, it shall be granted you. I have an open hand, and a large heart. -Octavius Winslow
 
Insight: In prosperity God is heard, and that is a blessing; but in adversity God is seen, and that is a greater blessing. -Charles Spurgeon
 
Insight: The blessing of God is the greatest thing any human life can enjoy, giving goodness to every aspect of life. -David Guzik

#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
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A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 128

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 128
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, Who walks in His ways. When you eat the labor of your hands, You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine In the very heart of your house, Your children like olive plants All around your table.
Behold, thus shall the man be blessed Who fears the Lord. The Lord bless you out of Zion, And may you see the good of Jerusalem All the days of your life. Yes, may you see your children’s children (Psalm 128:1-6).
 
What does it mean to fear the Lord? We need to understand the importance and value of carrying the fear of the Lord in our hearts. Psalm 128 equates the fear of the Lord with the blessings of the Lord upon us. Those blessings include:
 

• Walking in God’s ways. (His ways will keep us from wasting our energy by walking in the wrong ways that lead to destruction).

• Honorable work and adequate supply.

• A happy disposition.

• Well being (it is well with your soul).

• A fruitful, flowing, fulfilling family life, with an abundance of good things. 

• Longevity.

 
The fear of the Lord should motivate us to draw near to the Lord, not to hide from Him. We don’t fear the Lord because He is bad, mean, and unfair, we fear Him because He is good, righteous and just. 
 
Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
  And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
  The hour I first believed!

-Amazing Grace, John Newton
 
In Nehemiah 5:1 the KJV translation uses the word “terrible” to describe God. In the NKJV translation the word “terrible” is replaced with the word ‘awesome”. This not a contradiction. Both words accurately describe the Lord. At one time, the word “terrible” meant that the Lord was to be revered, that we should be in holy awe of Him, and give Him our highest honor and deepest respect. The word “awesome” comes from the word “awe” and carries the same measure of honor, respect and reverence as “terrible”.
 
Insight: “Awesome” is a God word. God is the “awe” in awesome. The word “awesome” is misused when God is removed from the meaning.
 
Insight: Nehemiah 5:1 tells us that God is “terribly awesome” because He faithfully keeps His covenant promises and because He is merciful to those who love Him and observe His commandments.
 
And I said: “I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments (Nehemiah 1:5 NKJV).

#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.

Blessed Day Cards
Meeting in the Meadow