26th January - 1st February 2026
It all begins with an idea.
To read the Psalms is to explore the inner workings of ancient faithful worshippers of God; it is an exploration of the spiritual highs and lows of those who knew the LORD in millennia past, filled with passionate exuberance, jagged honesty and the intimate intonations of the child of God. Those who imitate what they witness in the Psalter will learn to express themselves in prayer – in any and every circumstance – with God’s own Word.
Following in the footsteps of saints past and present, I am learning to pray the Psalms back to God. Through reading, study and adoption of these psalms I am beginning to “find my feet” in terms of personal communion with God. My approach is quite basic: (1) I overview the psalm, attempting to catch the heart and thrust of some of what the psalmist says. (2) I write a short prayer based on the psalm in which I articulate to myself and the LORD instructions, thanksgivings, confessions and petitions which I see emerging from the text.
What follows are my reflections and prayers on Psalms 6-12. I hope and pray they will be of some benefit to you.
Written by Jamie Yohanis
MONDAY
Psalm 6
The psalmist is clearly enduring severe psychological turmoil resulting from the continued onslaught of “workers of evil” who surround him (6:8). His enemies loom large in the horizon, but their actions are attributed to God’s discipline which accounts for his despair. There is a certain psychological strength exhibited by biblical characters when they face persecution but feel assured of God’s protection. There is only inner emotional turmoil when they face persecution cognizant of the fact that God is against them.
Persecution from enemies is one thing, discipline from the LORD another but what makes this experience particularly excruciating is the open-ended nature of it: the writer does not know when it will end – “… I am languishing … my soul is greatly troubled … O Lord – how long?” (6:2-3). It is for this reason that he is at breaking point: “I am weary with my moaning, every night I flood my bed with tears” (6:6).
Yet in all the lamenting there is a confident and strident faith: “O Lord, rebuke me not … Be gracious to me … turn, deliver my life … save me” (6:1, 4). Despite God’s discipline, the psalmist calls out for help and eagerly expects that it will come. Why? Because God’s actions towards his people are never merely punitive but disciplinary, not designed for retribution but transformation. Whatever his actions which precipitated God’s discipline, they surely demonstrated a lack of dependence. But the writer here expresses desperate need for the saving hand of God: transformation is taking place.
Like us, the writer is learning the hard way that at the crux of life we are dependent on God for salvation, and life without his protection is misery. When God disciplines us, among the many lessons we learn, we come to terms with our desperate need for his continual graciousness, salvation and steadfast love.
Prayer
During times of stress and discipline I should call out to you with this psalmist’s boldness, asking for your help and arguing for your intervention based on your steadfast love and for the sake of praising your name. Lord, often I withdraw from you when I face your discipline. In the flesh it feels more noble not to complain or cry but in so doing I become cold and sad, and I disparage your name because you have invited me into your presence to do exactly that.
Thank you that you condescend to hear our cries even when our situations result from the consequences of our own sinfulness. You welcome the boldness of a believer confident in their sonship. Lord, lead me into growth in this kind of personal relating with you: to call out in confidence when stressed or depressed, because of your steadfast love.
TUESDAY
Psalm 7
David is being pursued by enemies who, if they catch him, will “tear his soul apart, rending it in pieces” (7:1-2). Petrified of his pursuers and in fear of his life, David takes refuge in God anticipating his saving intervention. The deliverance of David from his enemies is the salvation in view; it is therefore worth taking into account the whole psalm when understanding the practical outworking of refuge-taking.
In the context of persecution, David meditates on the justice of God; he eagerly anticipates the day in which all peoples are gathered for God’s appointed judgement and outpoured anger. He remembers that while he experiences the negative consequences of others’ sin partially and for a limited period, God experiences the whole scope of human wickedness on an ongoing basis and “feels indignation every day” (7:11). As his indignation builds, the Lord prepares for the unrepentant a judgment fitting their rebellion: he will “whet his sword” and loose “fiery shafts” (7:12-13). How does this impact David? He can rest secure in the fact that all harm done to him will not go unaddressed. For the suffering he endures by men who conceive evil, enact mischief, or perpetuate lies, there will be an appropriate punishment. This instils hope and enables rest.
For the Christian, this thought is advanced further. For all the evil a believer might endure at the hands of others, they can rest confident that either such individuals will experience due punishment for their sin or, by God’s grace, they will repent and seek forgiveness in God. The repentance of such evil doers does not lead to disappointment that God’s justice has been evaded; God’s justice is never evaded. Either we bear the wrath of God ourselves or we look to Christ who bears it for us: “… he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities … by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities …” (Isaiah 53:5, 6, 11).
This, of course, is the reason why the Lord (and believers) wait patiently for the appointed day of judgement. As Peter states: “The Lord is not slow to fulfil his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). When our prayers for our enemies are answered and they come to saving faith, we celebrate alongside them as fellow evil doers for whom Christ has satisfied the wrath of God.
Prayer
Lord, I am thankful that I can trust you to righteously judge all the evil that takes place in the world. So many people are hurting because of the selfishness, brutality and evil of others. What makes their suffering even worse is the thought that evil done against them will never be accounted for. The truth is, however, that for each unrepentant sinner there is a suitable and fair judgement awaiting them. There is no evil act across history which you have not noticed, nor one for which you have not prepared a suitable judgement.
More than that, I am thankful that through Christ I can avoid the judgement due me for the evil I have done. I realise that I cannot long for the day of judgment with a sense of entitlement or self-satisfaction that evil doers will get their comeuppance. Instead, it is only with great relief and appreciation that I can long for the day when wrongs will be righted and the justice of God will be enacted.
WEDNESDAY
Psalm 8
The Lord’s majesty, power and genius is clearly displayed for anyone with eyes to see it (Romans 1:19). From the vantage point of the writer, as he looks up to the night sky at “the moon and the stars [God has] set in place” (8:3), and as he looks at God’s creation of, and relationship to, humanity (8:4), he sees in them the reflection of God’s glory and a revelation of the divine being. His response of exuberant praise is understandable: “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (8:1, 9).
Importantly, implicit within the psalm is the truth that among God’s created order, there is only one being which can recognise and respond to God’s revealed majesty. The moon and stars are magnificent, but they cannot recognise their magnificence. Sheep, oxen, birds and fish each possess their own unique beauty and dignity, but unconsciously so. In contrast, humans are the only created beings which are conscious of their place within the created order, and it is uniquely theirs to respond to God in praise for this fact.
David asks, “What is man that you are mindful of him?” (8:4). This is not so much a philosophical question as it is a rhetorical one, expressing David’s wonder, amazement and gratitude for the place God has given humanity in the created order. In comparison to the scale and wonder of the cosmos, humanity is infinitesimal. In comparison to the Lord of that creation, humanity is of incalculably little significance. And yet, in terms of identity and responsibility, God has endowed humans with great personal and functional significance: “You have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honour. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands…” (8:5-6).
Even a brief meditation on humanity’s place within the created order, and God’s utter grace and love to endow us with such dignity and respect, lifts our minds and spirits to wonder and praise. Interestingly, this psalm comes in the midst a of number of lament psalms which detail David’s trials as he undergoes persecutions of various kinds. It is surprising how much of the pain of personal suffering and trials can be alleviated by reflecting on God’s created order and praising his majesty.
Recently I was feeling very depressed and deflated about several personal and ministry issues. As I let the dog out for the evening and stood in my back-garden gazing at the sky I noticed how crisp and clear the moon appeared. After retrieving and wrestling with a borrowed telescope, I was able to clearly identify craters on the moon. In that moment I forgot all my worries, so distracted was I by the beauty of earth’s white satellite which seemed just to hang there in the night sky. As I got cold and went back inside, my problems flooded back into view, but I thought about them very differently. They were still there, but it was hard to feel sorry for myself when I had just glimpsed the majesty of God.
Prayer
In the entire cosmos I, along with the rest of humanity, am privileged to have been “made a little lower than the angels”. Even a few minutes of meditation on this truth draws from my mind and heart wonder at who you are, Lord, and what your hands have made. We have done nothing to deserve the honour and glory you have given to us, and yet we possess it because you are gracious and generous. I am sorry that I am so blind to the wonders of your majesty because in my self-focused, insecurity-driven neuroses, I miss the wonder of creation.
There are many implications that sprout from this truth – how I view myself, how I view others and how I spend the time and energy you have given me in this life. Please let this truth sink deeply into my soul so that from it will come the fruit of a life lived in wonder at your majesty. Let me take my place among all those whom you have saved and declare your majesty in all the earth.
THURSDAY
Psalm 9
In Psalm 9 the theme of justice is again addressed but from the perspective of triumphant thanksgiving. It seems that after witnessing justice enacted against his enemies, what was once confident hope in the future judgement of God (see Psalm 7) has transformed into praise and worship for the realised justice of God. Having experienced God’s deliverance from persecution, he gives thanks, recounts God’s deeds, exults in him, and sings praise to the Most High (9:1-2). For the believer there is an important distinction to be made between cynical triumphalism and triumphant praise. The former delights in retribution over enemies merely because they happen to be one’s enemies. The latter rejoices in God’s justice. There are at least three aspects of triumphant praise expressed here which are worth noting.
Firstly, triumphant praise focuses on justice for the oppressed: “… you have maintained my just cause” (9:4); “The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed” (9:9); “… he does not forget the cry of the afflicted” (9:12); “For the needy shall not always be forgotten and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever” (9:18). It is not merely that one’s enemies have been defeated, but that those who have enacted injustice against the weak and vulnerable have received due punishment.
Secondly, triumphant praise celebrates the Lord’s action not human action. “You have rebuked the nations, you have made the wicked perish” (9:5); “… you have blotted out their name for ever and ever” (9:5) ; “he who avenges blood is mindful of them” (9:12); “The Lord… has executed judgement” (9:14). The righteous do not celebrate vengeance through arbitrary human action nor do they simply glory in the fact that the weak have gained position over the strong; what matters is the Lord has acted on behalf of the weak.
Thirdly, triumphant praise recognises that only the Lord’s judgement is fair, true and utterly righteous. “You have sat on the throne giving righteous judgement” (9:4); “He has established his throne for justice and he judges the world with righteousness … the peoples with uprightness” (9:7-8). The righteous, by their behaviour, are distinctive within the wickedness of their cultural context (Philippians 2:15). However, one of the key characteristics of the righteous is their cognisance and humility regarding their own potential for, and participation in, unrighteous behaviour. They may be righteous in comparison to the wicked, but at the level of condition, and in terms of motives, impulses and thoughts, they are wicked in comparison to God. The righteous love righteous judgement, but they know that only God can enact such a thing, and therefore willingly and gladly wait for God to do what only he can (Romans 12:19).
Finally, it is worth noting the temporal nature of God’s realised justice which the writer here celebrates. Certainly, he has come out the other side of the injustice he experienced in Psalm 7. However, this side of the New Heaven and New Earth, the “home of righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13), God’s justice is always temporal. Injustice may subside for a time, but it will return again and again. Rather than being caused to despair, the writer steels himself for the experience of future injustice. His present experience has given him cause to confidently petition God for current and future experiences of injustice: “See my affliction from those who hate me, O you who lift me up from the gates of death” (9:13).
Prayer
Lord, I am thankful that currently I am not experiencing injustice; but sadly, there are many who are. Many believers and non-believers alike suffer a multitude of interpersonal, societal and systemic injustices which make life a misery for them. I know that under your sovereignty and providence, there is in store for me a measure of injustice in this life (Philippians 1:29).
When that time comes help me to confidently anticipate your future justice, like the writer in Psalm 7. When a measure of justice is enacted, help me to triumphantly praise your total righteous character, your righteous actions, and your concern for the weak and oppressed. Help me avoid the cynical triumphalism to which I am naturally predisposed.
I thank you that when evil people loom large in our horizon, they can be eclipsed by your power and authority. There is no malevolent authority or power, human or spiritual, which can match your reign or righteous judgement. Your judgement is something to be longed for by those who trust you.
FRIDAY
Psalm 10
Who has not gone through an enduring trial and thought to themselves that God was absent, conveniently removing himself from our difficult experience? Acute trials are by their nature hard to endure and can easily overcome those afflicted by them. But the felt absence of God adds insult to injury and the lack of God’s presence during a trial can lead the believer to doubt, depression and despair. Interestingly, both the writer and the wicked who assails them experience the same felt absence of God, but they respond very differently.
The evildoer notes God’s seeming inaction and concludes wrongly that “There is no God” (10:4); that “God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it.” (10:11); and that God “will not call to account” (10:13). If there is no accountability, then what is there to stop someone concerned with power and profit from decimating the weak and helpless to achieve their goals? Of course, the answer is nothing. And so, the wicked make significant progress and bring others to ruin: they pursue and exploit the poor and vulnerable, ready and willing to ambush and murder the innocent (10:8); they are characterised by malice-a-for-thought as they crush the helpless (10:9). As a result, for the time being, “His ways prosper at all times; your judgments are on high, out of his sight” (10:5).
The writer, feeling the weight of present injustice, cries, “Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” (10:1). From his perspective it seems like the Lord has hidden himself because the villages are ambushed and the innocent are murdered (10:8), the poor are oppressed and the helpless are isolated and vulnerable (10:9). In the face of the impunity of evildoers, the writer is disappointed in God for he has done—and is doing—nothing to bring about justice.
The psalmist is honest about his subjective experience. He confronts God for his felt absence and laments the behaviour of those who take advantage of God’s apparent tardiness. But his subjective experience is not the ground on which he places his belief about God or the future. Instead, towards the end of the psalm he reasons with himself before God and draws his conclusions about the present situation based instead on the character of God and his promises. In contrast to how it seems, the writer states: “You do see…you note mischief and vexation that you may take it into your hands” (10:15). He knows the Lord hears “the desire of the afflicted…[he] will incline [his] ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed” (10:17).
From our perspective God is sometimes slow to act on behalf of the oppressed against the wicked. During bouts of oppression at the hands of others, time slows down, the seconds refuse to tick by as though reality itself has been temporarily suspended. But like the psalmist we need to take ourselves in hand and counsel ourselves based on the character of God and not on our subjective experience. The Lord hears us, the Lord is concerned for us and in due course the Lord will bring thorough and lasting justice.
Prayer
Lord when I have trouble, especially at the hands of others, I am tempted to believe the lie on which the wicked base their lives – God does not see. True, given my state of mind and the circumstances which I am in, there is often a felt absence of your presence. But you are never absent. In believing the lie that you “stand far away” or “hide yourself in times of trouble”, I only increase my pain and compound self-pity. This leads to more sorrow and sin on my part. I am sorry for this unbelief. I am thankful too that you are so righteous that you will not let one sin go unpunished. It raises my spirits that you care for the innocent and helpless and that you will call to account all who abuse their power and position.
Lord, one day I hope that my faith will be unshakeably consistent. Until that day, please help me practice what this writer does, honestly pouring out my frustrated heart to you, then consoling myself those truths of your character and nature, namely your presence and your righteousness, which bring me back from the brink of self-pity and unbelief.
SATURDAY
Psalm 11
David is again in the throes of a personal crisis in which his life hangs in the balance. The specifics are not given but the crisis occasions advice from his counsellors which, in turn, evokes from David a rebuke which forms the basis of the psalm. The rebuke may be as much directed at his own impulse to heed their advice as it is to the counsellors themselves.
The advice and rationale are straightforward: “Flee like a bird to your mountain” (11:1) because the wicked are poised to strike against you, the “upright in heart” (11:2). Whilst understandable, this rationale is based on a faithless assumption: “… if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (11:3) This is problematic for at least two reasons. First, it discounts the willingness and ability of the Lord to intervene and protect his faithful servants. Second, it assumes that the Lord is unable to effect change amidst difficult situations through his faithful servants.
This advice may be well intentioned, but it has the effect of discounting the Lord, his presence, his will, and his power to effect change for, and through, those who are his. Whilst practicality and wisdom may sometimes dictate the need for a tactical retreat (either literal or metaphorical), this counsel urges in essence that David give up, run to the mountains, and abandon his responsibility to the Lord and his work. Discounting the Lord is always the morally and strategically wrong thing to do. Thus, in a moment of faithfulness David responds, “In the LORD I take refuge” (11:1). His ability to take refuge in the Lord is based on key characteristics of God:
(1) Far from being absent, the Lord is in his “holy temple…his throne is in heaven” (11:4). God is sovereign over the whole earth ruling from his throne, and he is present in his temple, where he dwells among his people.
(2) David’s enemies may wish him ill, but the Lord is using the trial created by them to “test the righteous” (11:5). It may be a hard truth to receive but the Lord has not forgotten David in his time of crisis, rather, God is using this time of crisis to prove and develop David’s thirst for, and practice of, righteousness.
(3) The fruit of such testing is the privilege of beholding “his face” through performing righteous deeds which God loves (11:7). The trial may end, or continue indefinitely, but through faithfulness and righteousness David will commune with God in deeper and more intimate ways.
(4) In the end the LORD will see that justice is done. God uses the deeds of the wicked to test the righteous, but he will not let the wicked go unaddressed. Instead, “his soul hates the wicked … and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup” (11:5-6).
Prayer
Lord, when trials or crises come help me not “flee to the mountains”. Instead, help me stand by remembering that (1) you reign from heaven over the whole earth; (2) you test the righteous to prove and develop their righteousness; and (3) you draw me into closer intimacy with you through trials.
Never mind trials and crises, in which I ironically tend to do comparatively better, it is the mundane sufferings and prolonged testing of disappointment and unfulfilled goals that cause me to flounder and run away from you and the responsibilities you have given me. In these times I am prone to choose defeatism and denial of your character over trust in you. What can I do but apologise and again call on your grace, mercy and forgiveness? Please give me grace and mercy once again because I have once again demonstrated how much I need them.
Thank you that what you desire from me during times of trial and crisis (whether acute or mundane) is not willpower or strength derived from self, but a trust in your presence, your justice, and your faithfulness to test (and refine) my mettle and hold the wicked to account. Lord, help me never underestimate what you can achieve through one righteous and God-fearing person, even if the “foundations are destroyed”.
SUNDAY
Psalm 12
In contrast to previous psalms, where enemies are portrayed primarily in terms of violence and aggression, here David is beset by those who gain power and control through court intrigue, deception and manipulation: “with flattering lips and a double heart they speak” (12:2). Nor is this an isolated incident, one bad faith actor within a community of generally honest individuals; it is endemic within David’s situation: “Everyone utters lies to his neighbour” (12:2). Whilst the methods of the wicked here are more subtle than physical violence, the ends are the same: “… the poor are plundered … the needy groan” (12:5). Through political manoeuvring, interpersonal manipulation, and propagation of half-truths and untruths, the wicked gain positions of power and wealth by exploiting the weak and vulnerable.
The trauma of brutal violence is obvious, however, there is at least something unabashedly honest about such wickedness: the victimized know where they stand. The insidious nature of lies, spin and deception bring their own unique destabilizing trauma, the foundation of which is the victim’s insecurity about whom (if anyone) they can trust. It is against this backdrop that David reflects on the nature and substance of the Lord’s pronouncement. At least two points are worth noting.
Firstly, the Lord is on the side of the vulnerable and exploited and their suffering moves him to action: “Because the poor are plundered … the needy groan, I will now arise …” (12:5). As the Lord’s words are an extension of himself, they are “pure words” (12:6) and can be wholly trusted. Thus, those awaiting the promised justice of God can do so in confident anticipation of every double-hearted liar undergoing a full accounting. This accounting will be thorough and unrelenting, and the punishment will be directed to towards the source of the transgression: “May the Lord cut off all flattering lips …[of] those who say, ‘With our tongue we will prevail, our lips are with us; who is master over us?’” (12:3-4).
Secondly, in contrast to the treacherous, whose words disguise self-interested motives, the Lord’s words are “pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground” (12:6). Beyond justice, this psalm hints towards the healing believers will one day experience. Living in a world of lies, deception and spin, caught up in the maelstrom of competing undisclosed self-interested agendas, one begins to crave clarity, truth and an honest account of things. When Jesus wipes every tear from the eyes of his people, perhaps it will include an honest accounting of all the hidden motives, half-truths and lies which have plagued those who sought to act honestly and faithfully (Revelation 21:4; Matthew 5:6).
Prayer
Lord, in this psalm a simple but important truth is affirmed: you love truth and call on all people to live and speak and practice truth. The wicked, whose hubris compels them to ask, “Who is master over us?”, have given themselves to deception because they believe there is no God who can or will call them to account for what they say. However, there will be an accounting, a day of truth and vindication and righteousness, where all will be laid bare.
Whilst I have experienced lies, deception and “political” manoeuvring in my life and work, I am thankful for the people in my family, fellowship, and workplace – both believers and non-believers – who regardless of the personal cost, tell the truth plainly and forthrightly.
Overall, I “thirst for righteousness” but I confess that self-interested motives often drive me to speak in a muddied and impure manner. Indeed, fear often drives my use of speech. Whilst I rarely tell lies (to the best of my knowledge!) I often circumnavigate straightforward speech. The extent to which I do this out of fear of man is based on my functional belief that you will not help me live in the truth. I am tempted by, and sometimes give in to, the temporary efficaciousness of twisted speech. For that I am sorry, and I trust that you are addressing that character weakness in me.
Lord, please help me to be forthright and honest in all situations. As Paul says, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” (Colossians 4:6). For me to live and speak in this way I need your grace, mercy and empowering Spirit.