A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 34

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 34
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all (Psalm 34:19).
 
What a great, great blessing is ours to have the Lord. Better still, that He has us! During difficult times, I have often heard it said, “How do people get through hardships without the Lord.” 
 
We know life is hard and filled with many unwanted and unexpected things. Psalm 34 reminds us that as followers of the Lord our lives are filled with many afflictions. Afflictions are identified as those things which are disagreeable, unpleasant, painful, hurtful, or unkind. Even though these unwanted intruders come against us, the resources that are available to us in the Lord are greater than the afflictions that come against us. Here are three of those resources that this psalm mentions:
 
Prayer—In every situation, at any time, we can seek the Lord. We can call upon the Lord. We can cry out to the Lord. 
 
God’s attentiveness—The Lord listens and hears us when we cry out to Him in our fears, or in our troubles.
 
God’s responses—God does more than listen to us. He responds, He answers, and He brings about change. One of those responses is deliverance. He rescues us or snatches us away, even when things seem hopeless or out of control. 
 
As a boy I often went to the Saturday matinee to watch a western movie and a variety of cartoons. The last thing that appeared on the screen was an episode from a serial. The serial always ended with a “cliffhanger”. When leaving the theater, I would wonder how the hero could ever be rescued from the perils he was in. I couldn’t wait to go back the following Saturday to see how he was rescued. Usually, I was surprised how the rescue took place and wondered why I hadn’t thought of that solution. 
 
Insight: Psalm 34 tells us that our afflictions will be many. God’s ways of delivering us can also be many, and often unexpected.
 
Insight: Here are five things that can contribute to our afflictions—Sin. Satan. Selfishness. Sorrow. Setbacks. None of these are a match for Jesus. He is victorious. All these things, and many more, are under His 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.
meetinginthemeadow.com

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 33

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 33
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful. Praise the Lord with the harp; Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings. Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy. For the word of the Lord is right, And all His work is done in truth. He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, Because we have trusted in His holy name. Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, Just as we hope in You (Psalm 33:1-5, 20-22).

Listen to the news and there is little to be happy about. Look around you and you don’t see many bright, shiny faces. Yet Psalm 33 is filled with celebration! Consider these responses that come from those who look upon the Lord and listen to His voice…rejoicing, praising, making melody, playing an instrument, singing, shouting for joy.

Looking upon and listening to the Lord can’t help but change our outlook, our countenance, and our disposition. Here are some reasons why:

• God’s words are right, all the time.

• God does everything in truth.

• God loves seeing His character formed in us.

• God’s goodness is still doing great and mighty things in the earth today (He hasn’t gone out of business or closed up shop).

• God is still working out His perfect plan, while the plans of leaders and nations continue to fail (God’s words are exactly the way things will be).

Insight: God’s decisions are perfectly made. That means no one can make a better decision.

Insight: God’s plan and purpose for your life was perfectly made. They came from His heart. He loves you too much to move you into a “plan B”. If you should drift, He will lead you back to the main road.

Insight: Wait upon Him. Wait for Him. At times He may seem slow, but He is never late.

 
#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

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 32

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 32
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit. I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, “And You forgave the iniquity of my sin (Psalm 32:1-2, 5).

The burden of sin is so heavy, no one but Jesus can lift the weight of it from off our shoulders. The stain of sin is so dark, only the blood of Jesus can cleanse it from us.

The happiness that comes to us when we are forgiven is deeper and more intense than any happiness we have known before. It is not a happiness based on circumstances. It is instead a happiness based on the inward reality of knowing that our hearts are right with God.

One winter, a little girl received a cute white puppy as a birthday gift from her parents. The girl loved the puppy and played with it everyday. Whenever she would give the puppy a bath she would say, “You are so, so white! You are the whitest thing I’ve ever seen.”

One night, while the girl was sleeping, a big snowstorm covered the ground outside. Next morning, when the girl looked out her bedroom window she couldn’t believe how much snow had fallen. With great delight, she put on her snowsuit and gloves, took her puppy in her arms, and ran outside to build a snowman.

When she had finished her snowman she stepped back to admire her handiwork, while the puppy scampered around nearby. At that moment, the sun came out from behind the clouds and everything was bathed in light. As she watched, her eyes lit up with wonder. “Why, compared to my snowman, my puppy is not as white as I had thought!”

This story shines a bright light on the difference between our efforts to cleanse our hearts from sin compared to the purity of a heart that Jesus has washed clean by His blood. Only Jesus can make our hearts whiter than snow!

Insight:
Forget about all your efforts,
And all the things you know;
Your heart will not be happy,
Until it’s whiter than snow.

Insight: Forgiveness not only delivers us from the darkness of the past, but it also shines a light of hope upon our future.

Restore, Renew and Refresh in the Psalms

Green Pastures. Quiet Waters. Righteous Paths.

meetinginthemeadow.com

 
#psalms #devotional #devotion #roylessin #meetinginthemeadow

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

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 31

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 31
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness. But I trust in the Lord. I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy, For You have considered my trouble; But as for me, I trust in You (Psalm 31:1,6,14).

‘Trust’ is an important word in the psalms. It appears 50 different times and is used several times in Psalm 31. The word often appears where difficulty, hardships, and opposition are found. During these times, some people will often put their trust in other people, in their resources, or in their own strength. Followers of Lord, however, put their trust in the Lord.

Recently I co-authored a song with Cheryl Elaine called TRUST ME. Here are the lyrics…

(Verse 1)
Each sunrise finds me trusting in my Father.
Trials come, worries rise; He calls me higher.
In darkest storms, He is there; His voice is clear.
Down His cheek, a gentle sign, I see a tear.
(Chorus)
How many times have You waited patiently,
Whispering softly, “Child, do you trust me?”
When I kneel and pray about my need today
I hear my Father say, “I will make a way.”
(Verse 2)
Weights disappear when I give them to my Father.
Let them go; cast my cares; hold them no longer.
In my heart, his words divine: “Do not fear.”
Trust me, fully trust me for I am here.
(Bridge)
Trust me when the night is long.
Trust me when your strength is gone.
In every shadow, I am near—
Trust me, child, and do not fear.
(Outro)
I hear your words, in my heart: “Do not fear.”
Trust me, fully trust me for I am here.
Trust me, fully trust me for I am here.
 
To listen to the song for FREE you can tap here and be redirected to Blessed Day Cards. Then scroll down to the bottom of the page where it says "Trust Me" and follow the prompt. If you are on Facebook or Instagram, just type in your search bar meetinginthemeadow.com and it should open the page for you.

Insight: In everything you face, every circumstance you are in, every need you have, every place you are, and in every decision you make…God can be FULLY trusted!

Restore, Renew and Refresh in the Psalms

Green Pastures. Quiet Waters. Righteous Paths.

meetinginthemeadow.com

 
#psalms #devotional #devotion #roylessin #meetinginthemeadow #music #cherylelaine #song

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

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 30

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 30
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up, And have not let my foes rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me. O Lord, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning. Now in my prosperity I said, “I shall never be moved.” Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong; You hid Your face, and I was troubled. I cried out to You, O Lord; And to the Lord I made supplication: “What profit is there in my blood, When I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your truth? Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me; Lord, be my helper!” You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever (Psalm 30:1-12).
 
Psalm 30 is filled with reminders that anything in our lives can change at any time, such as;

• What looks like defeat can turn into victory.
• What looks like failure can change into success.
• Sickness can experience healing.
• Death can become life.
• Anger can be replaced by favor.
• Tears can turn into joy.
• Judgment can be replaced by mercy.
• Mourning can be turned into dancing.
• Sadness can be turned into gladness.
• Silence can be exchanged for praise and thanksgiving.

 
Change
Walking through the wilderness—
Barrenness now my home.
Yet, I am not forsaken,
I’ll never be alone.
I lean upon the shoulder
Of He who draws me near.
Who gently reassures me,
“Come rest, and do not fear.”
Under His wings I’m sheltered—
Upon His wings I soar!
I know I’m not abandoned,
My future is secure.
Ahead are greener pastures,
And waters of delight;
In every test and trial
My King will win the fight!

Insight: The God who never changes can change all things, even us.

Restore, Renew and Refresh in the Psalms

Green Pastures. Quiet Waters. Righteous Paths.

meetinginthemeadow.com

 
#psalms #devotional #devotion #roylessin #meetinginthemeadow

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