A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 79

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 79
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Oh, do not remember former iniquities against us! Let Your tender mercies come speedily to meet us, For we have been brought very low.
Help us, O God of our salvation, For the glory of Your name; And deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins, For Your name’s sake! (Psalm 79:8-9)
 
As we journey together through the Psalms we are often brought back to the problem of sin, rebellion, and unbelief within the lives of God’s people. Psalm 79 is one of those Psalms. It is a powerful reminder that sin is a big deal! So is mercy! So is atonement!
 
Sinners need God’s help, God’s salvation, and God’s deliverance. Truly, if God didn’t love us first, we would all be miserable, hopeless, and still lost in our sin.
 
Here are a few insights regarding sin that we should tuck away in our hearts:
 
Sin uses three pathways of temptation to try to enter our minds and influence our choices:

• The first pathway is “To do things”.

• The second pathway is “To have things”.

• The third pathway is “To be things”.

 
1 John 2:16-17 presents these three pathways in the following way…
 
For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh (to do things), the lust of the eyes (to have things), and the pride of life (to be things)—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever (emphasis added).
 
Jesus faced these three temptations in the wilderness, but He never yielded to them and did not sin (Matthew 4:1-11).
 
Being tempted is not sinful, however, saying “yes” to temptation is sinful. Temptation wants to lure us away into sin by having us do things for the wrong reason, by having us get things in the wrong way, or by having us be things to please ourselves instead of pleasing God.
 
We do not need to be anxious or worried about missing out on something good or important in our lives when we put our trust in the Lord. He is our Father and He cares for His children.
 
God will direct us to do many good things that will bless us and help others, but He will not bless disobedience. 
God will meet our needs and faithfully provide for us, but He will not meet the wants of covetousness.
God will give us favor and use our lives in ways that will bring Him glory, but He will not honor pride.
 
Insight: "The only sin Jesus ever had was ours, and the only righteousness we can ever have is His.” A.W. Tozer
 
Insight: Sin within the human heart is the disposition to have our own way; Salvation within the human heart is the disposition to have God’s will be done in our lives.
 
Insight: “The main reason people reject the gospel 
is not an intellectual one, but a moral one”.
—unknown

#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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