A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 74

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 74
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Your enemies roar in the midst of Your meeting place; They set up their banners for signs (Psalm 74:4).
 
Psalm 74 reminds us of a very low time in the history of Israel. The enemies of God’s people are inhabiting the places they don’t belong, while desecrating the things that aren’t theirs. It was a time when the enemies’ banners were in full display.
 
Banners are symbols that represent ownership, authority, loyalty, identity, victory, inspiration and pride. Banners are rallying points. 
 
I was born in the Bronx, New York, not far from Yankee Stadium. When I was eight, my family moved to Los Angeles. I eventually became both a Yankee fan and a Dodger fan. My first banner came in the form of a baseball pennant bearing the name of my favorite team. It would be unthinkable for me to hang a baseball pennant on my wall bearing the name of my team’s rival. 
 
Flags were a type of banner I was introduced to while attending elementary school. Our school flagpole proudly flew both the flag of the United States and the flag of the state of California.
No one at our school would ever allow a flag of another country or another state to fly on our flagpole. 
 
During a war, one of the first things a conquering army would do is take down the flag of the enemy and raise up their flag in its place. This victory banner let everyone know who was now in charge.
 
The enemy of our soul wants to raise his banner over our lives as he did in Israel long ago. He wants us to be the defeated ones. The enemy is the destroyer, and he wants to destroy us. But wait, the enemy has been defeated! Jesus finished the work 2000 years ago. His victory is our victory because we are in Christ. We pray in His name! We walk in His way! We speak in His authority! 
 
The Name of the Lord is Jehovah Nissi. 
HE is our banner!
He IS our banner! 
He is OUR banner!
He is our BANNER!
 
And His Banner over us is LOVE (Song of Solomon 2:4)!
 
Insight: Every name of God, every name of Jesus, every name of the Holy Spirit, and every promise of Scripture are your banners. Use them to wave over your heart!
 
Insight: You have given a banner to those who fear You, That it may be displayed because of the truth (Psalm 60:4 NKJV).

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©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 73

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 73
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You hold me by my right hand.
You will guide me with Your counsel,
And afterward receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
But it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord God,
That I may declare all Your works (Psalm 73:23-25, 28).
 
It can be very risky to take your eyes off what is ahead of you and focus on something that is around you or behind you. I learned that lesson while playing in a school yard football game. While running full speed to catch a touchdown pass, I failed to notice a basketball pole at the back of the end zone. My head hit the poll at the same time my hands caught the ball. The noise from the impact could be heard all over the schoolyard! Some wondered if I would ever get up again.
 
Asaph, the author of Psalm 73, spent too much of his time looking around at others and observing what they were doing, instead of looking ahead and focusing upon what God was doing. Thankfully, by the time we get to verse 28, Asaph’s heart has settled once again upon the purpose and plan God has for his life.
 
Here are six important principles to FOLLOW as you pursue God’s guidance in your life:

F- Faith. Faith is the starting point of every journey. Without faith we cannot please God. We live by faith. By faith you put your trust in God’s faithfulness to keep you and fulfill His purposes for your life.

O- Obey. Following the Lord is not possible without obedience. You must have it settled in your heart that the Lord is your Shepherd. You are following His path for your life. Let Him decide for you what is next.

L- Listen. A good follower is a good listener. Listening means paying attention. Agree with whatever He says to you. His “no” is just as important as His “yes”.

L- Love. Let love be your aim. Your motive. Your motivation. Do what you do for love’s sake. Your love for others will flow out of your love for Him.

O- Observe. Pay attention. Be aware of what God is doing and join Him. Be aware of where He is going and follow Him. If you are at a crossroads, look at the road He has chosen and take that one.

W- Wait. Be patient. Be still. Rest. Striving is not necessary. There is nothing about God’s timing that you need to be anxious about.

Insight: There is nothing bad about following the GOOD Shepherd. There is nothing twisted about Him who makes straight paths for your feet.

#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 72

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 72
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

His name shall endure forever;
His name shall continue as long as the sun.
And men shall be blessed in Him;
All nations shall call Him blessed.
Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
Who only does wondrous things!
And blessed be His glorious name forever!
And let the whole earth be filled with His glory.
Amen and Amen (Psalm 72:17-19).
 
As we read through the Psalms its pages are filled with prayers, praise, celebration, and adoration to the one, true, living, loving, just and righteous God of Israel. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

In Psalm 72 we find a powerful and prophetic focus upon Israel’s Messianic hope—the anointed King, the righteous King, the just King, and the glorious King—the only King before whom every king, from every nation will bow down.

James Montgomery, in his hymn Hail to the Lord’s Anointed, penned these faith building, heart stirring, prophetically significant words...
 
Hail to the Lord’s Anointed,
Great David’s greater Son!
Hail, in the time appointed,
His reign on earth begun!
He comes to break oppression,
To set the captive free;
To take away transgression,
And rule in equity.
 
O’er every foe victorious
He on His throne shall rest,
From age to age more glorious,
All-blessing and all-blest.
The tide of time shall never
His covenant remove;
His Name shall stand forever,
His changeless Name of Love.
 
Jesus Christ (Messiah) was sent by the God of Israel; He did not send Himself. He was appointed by the God of Israel; He did not appoint Himself. He was anointed by the God of Israel; He did not anoint Himself. No one needed to tell the Messiah why He was sent—He knew! He also rejoiced in His coming, and for the joy set before Him He endured the Cross and shed His blood so we could be forgiven, reconciled to God, and have eternal life.
 
The Messiah’s place, person, position, passion, power, and purpose flowed out the anointing He carried as the One sent by God.
 
Insight: The Scripture is clear, “ONLY the God of Israel does wondrous things!” No wonder God is so wonderful!

#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 71

 A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 71
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be put to shame.
For You are my hope, O Lord God; You are my trust from my youth (Psalm 71:1,5).

Psalm 71 gives us two more affirmations of David’s trust in the Lord. It’s a good reminder that we’re never too old, or too young, to put our trust in the Lord. If you’re a student or a professor, a servant or a king, poor or wealthy, unknown or in the spotlight, you are in the perfect place to put your trust in the Lord. 

If you need to make an important decision, put your trust in the Lord; if you are facing a crisis, put your trust in the Lord; if you have a material need, put your trust in the Lord. It’s better to put your trust in the Lord at any time or in any circumstance, than to put your trust in a plan.
 
Putting your trust in the Lord is not wishful thinking, it’s not a cliche or a slogan. It’s real, it’s true, it’s wise, it’s life changing, and it’s spiritually transforming. Think about it…we are putting our trust in THE LORD! Let a few verses from the first three chapters of the book of Revelation help our faith see more fully the qualifications of the One in whom we put our trust:
 
Revelation 1:8, 17-18
Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last. The one who lives and once was dead. He is alive forevermore. He has the keys of Hades and of Death. 
 
Revelation 2:18
Jesus is the Son of God. He has eyes like a flame of fire, His feet like fine brass.
 
Revelation 3:7,14
Jesus is holy. He is true. He has the key of David. He opens and no one shuts, He shuts and no one opens. He is the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Origin of the creation of God.
 
How many times have we put our trust in someone or something else that will fail? Jesus has no match, no equal, and no competitor. 
 
On a recent trip around the moon, one of the astronauts exclaimed, “This is a new level of amazing!” If going around the moon is deserving of that kind of exclamation, what would we hear out of the mouth of someone who could travel through space to another galaxy and what exclamation will come out of our mouths when we look upon the One who made it all!
 
Insight: There aren’t enough “levels of amazing” to describe Jesus.

Insight: Any youth that puts their trust in the Lord, will never look back on their life with regret.

#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 70

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 70
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; And let those who love Your salvation say continually, “Let God be magnified!” (Psalm 70:4).
 
As we know, the purpose of a magnifying glass is to increase the actual size of something we are looking at. The purpose of the word “magnified” in verse 4 presents us with something very different. We do not magnify God to make Him appear greater than He actually is. God is as great as great can be. He can’t become greater!
 
When we magnify the Lord we are becoming more and more aware of how great He actually is! The Psalmist tells us to magnify the Lord continually. That means our insights, our understanding, and our revelations of God’s greatness will never come to an end.
 
Here are a few attributes of God listed in the book Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer. Each attribute will cause us to magnify the Lord more and more:

• God is transcendent—He is above and beyond all that He has created.
  
• Immanent—His presence and power pervade His entire creation.
• Infinite—He is without limitations.
• Ineffable—He is beyond anything we can think, imagine, or explain.
• Immutable—He is unchangeable.
• Eternal—He never had a starting point and will never have an ending point.
• Almighty—He is the absolute One. He is in absolute control, with absolute authority, and absolute power.

 
Insight: Imagine spending eternity discovering how great God is!

#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