Psalms

The gateway psalm contrasts the righteous who delight in God's law with the wicked who are like chaff blown by the wind. The blessed person is like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding fruit in season.

A messianic royal psalm declaring God's authority over rebellious nations. God installs his anointed King on Zion and declares him his Son. The psalm warns rulers to serve the Lord with reverent fear.

A psalm of David fleeing Absalom. Despite enemies surrounding him, David declares God as his shield and sustainer. He sleeps peacefully because the Lord sustains him, demonstrating trust in desperate circumstances.

An evening prayer of confidence. David asks God for relief and rebukes those who pursue false gods. He declares that the joy God gives surpasses material abundance, and lies down in peace.

A morning prayer asking God to lead through enemies. David declares that God takes no pleasure in wickedness and asks to be guided in righteousness. The righteous find shelter and joy in God's protection.

A penitential psalm of deep distress. David cries out for mercy, exhausted by grief and illness. He asks how long his suffering will last and pleads with God to save him because of unfailing love.

David appeals to God as righteous judge to vindicate him against false accusations. He declares his innocence and asks God to arise in justice. The psalm warns that the wicked fall into their own traps.

A hymn of wonder at creation and humanity's place in it. David marvels that the God who set his glory above the heavens cares about human beings, crowning them with glory and honour as stewards of creation.

A psalm of thanksgiving and justice. David praises God for upholding his cause and destroying the wicked. God is a refuge for the oppressed and does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

A lament over the arrogance of the wicked who prey on the helpless while believing God does not see. The psalmist calls on God to arise and defend the orphan and oppressed, trusting that God hears their desire.

When advised to flee like a bird, David declares his trust in the Lord whose throne is in heaven. God tests the righteous and loves justice. The upright will see his face.

A cry for help in a world of flattery and lies. David asks God to protect the faithful when everyone speaks with deception. God's words, unlike human speech, are pure like silver refined seven times.

One of the shortest and most honest lament psalms. David asks "How long?" four times, wrestling with God's seeming forgetfulness. Yet he chooses to trust in unfailing love and ends with a song of praise.

The fool says in his heart there is no God. David describes universal human corruption and the oppression of God's people. He longs for salvation to come from Zion and for God to restore his people.

A psalm defining who may dwell in God's presence. The answer: one who walks blamelessly, speaks truth, does no wrong to neighbours, honours those who fear the Lord, and keeps promises even when it hurts.

A messianic psalm of trust. David declares God as his portion and finds boundary lines in pleasant places. He is confident that God will not abandon his soul to the grave, a prophecy Peter applies to Christ's resurrection.

David pleads for vindication, asking God to test his heart and find no wickedness. He asks for protection from deadly enemies and concludes with the hope of seeing God's face and being satisfied in his likeness.

David's victory song after God delivered him from all enemies. He describes God as his rock, fortress, and deliverer, then recounts a dramatic theophany of rescue. God rewards the faithful and empowers the humble.

The heavens declare God's glory, and the law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. David moves from creation's testimony to Scripture's power, and ends with a prayer to be kept from hidden faults and wilful sins.

A prayer for the king before battle. The people ask God to grant the king's heart desires and remember his offerings. They trust not in chariots and horses but in the name of the Lord their God.

A thanksgiving for the king's victory. God has granted the king his heart's desire and crowned him with blessings. The psalm celebrates God's faithfulness to his anointed and anticipates the defeat of all enemies.

A messianic psalm of suffering that begins with the cry Jesus quoted on the cross: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" It describes pierced hands and feet, divided garments, and mockery, yet ends in universal praise.

The most beloved psalm in Scripture. David declares the Lord as his shepherd who provides, guides, restores, and protects. Even through the valley of the shadow of death, God's presence removes all fear. Goodness and love follow the believer forever.

A processional psalm declaring that the earth is the Lord's. It asks who may ascend God's holy mountain: those with clean hands and pure hearts. The gates are commanded to lift their heads for the King of Glory to enter.

An acrostic prayer for guidance, forgiveness, and protection. David asks God to teach him his ways and remember mercy rather than youthful sins. He declares that God's friendship is for those who fear him.

David asks God to vindicate him, declaring that he has walked in integrity and has not sat with the deceitful. He loves God's house and asks to be gathered with the redeemed, not with sinners.

A psalm of supreme confidence. David declares the Lord is his light and salvation—whom shall he fear? He desires one thing: to dwell in God's house forever. He encourages himself to wait for the Lord and be strong.

David cries out to God as his rock and asks not to be dragged away with the wicked. When God answers, David's heart leaps with joy. He declares the Lord as the strength and shepherd of his people.

A nature psalm celebrating God's voice thundering over waters, forests, and deserts. The voice of the Lord is powerful and majestic, stripping forests bare. In his temple, everyone cries "Glory!" God gives strength and peace.

A psalm of thanksgiving for healing. David was brought up from the grave and praises God for turning his mourning into dancing. Weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning.

David entrusts his spirit to God—the words Jesus spoke on the cross. He describes being surrounded by enemies but trusts in God's unfailing love. He encourages all who hope in the Lord to be strong and courageous.

A psalm of forgiveness. David describes the misery of unconfessed sin and the relief of confession. Those whose transgressions are forgiven are blessed. God promises to guide and counsel those who confess.

A hymn praising God's word and creative power. By the word of the Lord the heavens were made. God watches over all people, and no king is saved by a mighty army. Hope is in God's unfailing love.

Written when David pretended insanity before Abimelech. It invites others to taste and see that the Lord is good. God is close to the brokenhearted, delivers the righteous from many troubles, and guards all their bones.

David calls on God to fight his battles against those who attack him without cause. He asks God to vindicate him and put his enemies to shame. He promises to praise God in the great assembly.

A contrast between the sinfulness of the wicked and the greatness of God's love. God's faithfulness reaches the heavens and his righteousness is like mighty mountains. In his light we see light.

A wisdom psalm urging trust over anxiety. Do not fret because of evildoers. Delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to God. The meek will inherit the earth.

A penitential psalm of deep suffering. David describes physical agony and social isolation as consequences of his sin. His friends stand far off and enemies plot against him. He waits in silence for God to answer.

David resolves to watch his words but his anguish breaks through. He asks God to show him how fleeting life is—each person is but a breath. He asks God to look away so he can find joy before departing.

David praises God for lifting him from a slimy pit and setting his feet on a rock. He declares that God desires obedience over sacrifice. The psalm prophetically speaks of one who comes to do God's will, applied to Christ in Hebrews 10.

A psalm about caring for the weak. Blessed is the one who considers the poor—God delivers them in times of trouble. David laments that even his close friend has betrayed him, a verse Jesus applies to Judas.

The sons of Korah cry out for God like a deer panting for water. The psalmist asks why his soul is downcast and counsels himself to hope in God. Deep calls to deep in the roar of God's waterfalls.

A continuation of Psalm 42, the psalmist asks God to send his light and truth as guides to lead him to God's holy mountain. He repeats the refrain: why are you downcast, O my soul? Put your hope in God.

A national lament. The people remember God's past victories but feel abandoned now. They have not turned from God, yet they are crushed like sheep for slaughter. Paul quotes this psalm in Romans 8.

A messianic royal wedding psalm celebrating the king's beauty, majesty, and righteous reign. Applied to Christ in Hebrews 1, it declares the king's throne endures forever. The bride is told to forget her people and worship the king.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Even if the earth gives way and mountains fall into the sea, we will not fear. Be still and know that I am God. The Lord Almighty is with us.

A psalm of enthronement calling all nations to clap and shout to God. God reigns over the nations and is seated on his holy throne. The kings of the earth belong to God.

A celebration of Zion as God's holy city, beautiful in its loftiness. Kings saw it and fled in terror. God makes Zion secure forever. The psalm calls worshippers to walk around Zion and count its towers.

A wisdom psalm about the futility of trusting in wealth. The rich cannot redeem their own lives or buy their way out of death. But God will redeem the righteous from the grave. Trust in riches is foolishness.

God as cosmic judge summons earth to a trial. He does not need sacrifices of bulls and goats since he owns all animals. Instead, God wants thanksgiving, faithfulness, and genuine worship. The wicked are warned to consider before God tears them apart.

David's great penitential psalm after his sin with Bathsheba. He pleads for mercy and a clean heart, acknowledging his sin is against God alone. He asks God to create a clean heart and renew a right spirit. Broken and contrite hearts God will not despise.

David rebukes the mighty warrior who boasts of evil, likely referencing Doeg the Edomite. The wicked trust in wealth and destruction, but God will uproot them. The righteous flourish like an olive tree in God's house.

Nearly identical to Psalm 14, this psalm declares the fool denies God and humanity is universally corrupt. David longs for God's salvation to come from Zion and restore his people.

A brief psalm when the Ziphites betrayed David to Saul. David asks God to save him by his name and vindicate him. He trusts that God is his helper and sustainer and vows to praise God freely.

David is overwhelmed by betrayal from a close companion. He wishes for the wings of a dove to fly away and find rest. Despite his friend's treachery, David casts his cares on the Lord and trusts God to sustain him.

Written when the Philistines seized David in Gath. Despite fear, David trusts in God. He declares that in God he will not be afraid of what mere mortals can do. God collects his tears in a bottle.

David takes refuge in the shadow of God's wings while in a cave fleeing Saul. Despite danger, his heart is steadfast. He will praise God among the nations. God's love reaches to the heavens, his faithfulness to the skies.

A psalm denouncing unjust rulers and judges who pervert justice. David calls on God to break the teeth of the wicked and declares that the righteous will rejoice when justice prevails. God judges the earth.

David prays for deliverance when Saul sent men to watch his house. He describes enemies who snarl like dogs prowling the city. God is his fortress and shield. He will sing of God's strength and love in the morning.

A national lament after military defeat. David cries out that God has rejected and broken the nation. Yet God promises through a prophetic oracle that Shechem, Succoth, and enemy nations will be conquered. Victory comes only through God.

David cries out from the ends of the earth for God to lead him to the rock that is higher than himself. He longs to dwell in God's tent forever under the shelter of his wings. He prays for the king's long life.

David finds rest in God alone, declaring that his salvation and hope come from God who is his rock and fortress. He warns against trusting in wealth, extortion, or human power. God is both powerful and loving.

A psalm from the wilderness of Judah. David thirsts for God like a parched land and declares God's love is better than life itself. He meditates on God through the night watches and clings to God whose right hand upholds him.

David asks God to protect him from the schemes of the wicked who sharpen their tongues like swords. God will turn their own arrows against them, and all people will proclaim God's work and ponder his deeds.

A harvest thanksgiving psalm. God answers prayer, forgives sin, and blesses the earth with abundant rain and crops. The meadows and valleys shout for joy and sing, celebrating God's provision and care for creation.

A call to all the earth to shout joyfully to God and sing the glory of his name. The psalmist recounts God's awesome deeds in history, including the Exodus. He testifies that God tested and refined them but brought them through to abundance.

A missionary psalm praying that God would bless his people so that all nations may know his ways. The refrain asks all peoples to praise God. When God blesses, the ends of the earth will fear him.

A triumphant processional psalm celebrating God as warrior and father to the fatherless. God leads captives out, gives the lonely a home, and ascends on high with captives in his train. Paul quotes this for Christ's ascension in Ephesians 4.

A messianic psalm of intense suffering. The psalmist sinks in deep mire and is hated without reason. Zeal for God's house consumes him. Applied to Jesus, this psalm describes his suffering, the vinegar drink, and is quoted throughout the New Testament.

A brief urgent prayer for God to hasten to help. David asks God to put his enemies to shame and let those who seek God rejoice. He confesses he is poor and needy, pleading for God not to delay.

An elderly believer's prayer for continued faithfulness. From youth God has been his refuge, and even in old age he asks not to be cast off. He promises to declare God's power to the next generation.

A royal psalm attributed to Solomon, praying for a just and righteous king who defends the poor and crushes the oppressor. His reign extends from sea to sea and all nations serve him. A prayer for the ideal king fulfilled in Christ.

Asaph nearly stumbles in faith when he sees the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer. But entering God's sanctuary gives him eternal perspective: the wicked stand on slippery ground. God is his strength and portion forever.

A community lament over the destruction of God's sanctuary, likely the Babylonian destruction. The people ask how long the enemy will mock and why God has rejected them. They appeal to God's covenant and creative power.

God declares that he will judge with equity at the appointed time. He holds the earth's pillars firm. The wicked are warned not to lift their horns in defiance, for promotion comes from God alone.

God is known in Judah and breaks the power of warriors. At his rebuke, both horse and chariot lie still. God arises in judgment to save the afflicted of the earth. Even human wrath serves to praise him.

Asaph cries out in deep distress, questioning whether God has forgotten his mercy. He remembers God's mighty deeds of old—the Exodus, the parting of the sea—and finds comfort in recalling God's faithfulness through history.

A lengthy historical psalm retelling Israel's story from Egypt to David. It recounts God's faithfulness despite Israel's repeated rebellion: manna in the wilderness, water from the rock, and God's patient discipline leading to David's shepherding.

A lament over the destruction of Jerusalem. The nations have invaded God's inheritance and shed blood like water. The psalmist pleads for God's compassion, asking him to avenge his people and restore them for his name's sake.

A prayer for national restoration using the metaphor of God as shepherd and Israel as a vine transplanted from Egypt. The refrain pleads: restore us, O God, and make your face shine on us that we may be saved.

God invites his people to sing for joy and remember the Exodus. He speaks directly, lamenting that Israel refused to listen. If only they would follow him, he would feed them with the finest wheat and honey from the rock.

God takes his stand in the heavenly council and judges unjust rulers. He commands them to defend the weak and uphold justice. Though they are called gods, they will die like mortals. God is asked to rise and judge the earth.

A prayer against a coalition of nations plotting to destroy Israel. The psalmist asks God to treat them as he treated Israel's ancient enemies, making them like tumbling weeds and chaff before the wind, so that they know God alone is the Most High.

A pilgrimage psalm expressing deep longing for God's dwelling place. Better is one day in God's courts than a thousand elsewhere. Those who pass through the valley of Baca find springs. God is a sun and shield.

A prayer for revival. God has restored the nation before; the people ask him to do it again. God promises peace to his people. Love and faithfulness meet, righteousness and peace kiss. Truth springs from the earth.

A personal prayer of David mixing petition with praise. He asks for mercy as a devoted servant, declaring there is no god like the Lord. He asks God to teach him his way and to unite his heart to fear God's name.

A short, powerful psalm about Zion as the birthplace of all nations. God registers peoples from Rahab, Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, and Cush as born in Zion. All sources of joy are found in God's city.

The darkest psalm in the Bible. The psalmist is near death, abandoned by friends, and overwhelmed by God's wrath. Unlike other laments, it ends in darkness with no resolution. It is a raw cry from the pit of despair.

A psalm celebrating God's covenant with David, promising his throne will endure forever. Yet the second half laments the apparent failure of this promise as the king is defeated. It ends asking how long God will hide his face.

Moses' prayer reflecting on God's eternality and human frailty. A thousand years are like a day that has just gone by. Life is 70 or 80 years but soon gone. Moses asks God to teach us to number our days and gain a heart of wisdom.

A beloved psalm of divine protection. Those who dwell in the shelter of the Most High rest in the shadow of the Almighty. God is a refuge from plague, terror, and danger. Angels guard the faithful. Satan quoted this psalm to tempt Jesus.

A sabbath psalm declaring how good it is to praise God in the morning and at night. The righteous flourish like palm trees and still bear fruit in old age. The wicked may sprout but are destined for destruction.

A short psalm declaring God's kingship over creation. The Lord reigns, robed in majesty. The seas lift up their waves, but the Lord on high is mightier. God's throne is established from all eternity.

A call for God to judge the wicked who crush his people and prey on the vulnerable. The psalmist trusts that God does see injustice and will repay. Blessed is the one whom God disciplines, for he will not reject his people.

An invitation to worship with joy, kneeling before God our Maker. But it warns: do not harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah and Massah. Hebrews quotes this psalm extensively as a warning against unbelief.

A psalm calling all the earth to sing a new song to God. His glory is to be declared among the nations. All creation—the heavens, sea, fields, and trees—rejoice before the Lord who comes to judge the earth with righteousness.

God reigns over all the earth with righteousness and justice as the foundation of his throne. Clouds, fire, and lightning surround him. Mountains melt before him. Those who love God hate evil; he protects his faithful ones.

A psalm of joyful praise calling for a new song because God has won victory by his own right hand. Rivers clap their hands, mountains sing together. All the earth shouts for joy before the Lord who judges with equity.

God reigns as holy king, enthroned above the cherubim. Moses, Aaron, and Samuel called on his name and he answered them. The psalm repeats: he is holy. God forgave his people while also holding them accountable.

One of the most joyful and well-known psalms. All the earth is called to shout for joy and come before God with gladness. Know that the Lord is God—he made us. Enter his gates with thanksgiving. His love endures forever.

David's psalm of commitment to righteous leadership. He vows to lead a blameless life, refusing to tolerate the faithless, slanderers, or the proud. He will seek faithful servants and silence the wicked in the land.

A prayer of the afflicted who feels withered like grass. The psalmist is wasting away while enemies taunt him. But he finds hope in God's eternality: God remains the same through all generations. Zion will be rebuilt.

David's magnificent psalm of God's compassion. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: he forgives, heals, redeems, crowns with love, and satisfies with good things. God is compassionate as a father to his children. His love is from everlasting to everlasting.

A creation hymn paralleling Genesis 1. God wraps himself in light, stretches out the heavens, waters the mountains, and causes grass to grow. He made the moon for seasons and the sun to know its setting. How many are your works, O Lord!

A historical psalm commanding praise and remembering God's covenant with Abraham. It traces God's faithfulness from Abraham through Joseph to Moses and the Exodus, concluding with God giving Israel the promised land.

A confession of national sin tracing Israel's failures from Egypt through the wilderness to Canaan. Despite their rebellion—the golden calf, grumbling, idolatry—God remembered his covenant and showed compassion. Give thanks for his enduring love.

A psalm of thanksgiving for God's deliverance from four types of distress: wandering, imprisonment, sickness, and storms at sea. Each group cried to the Lord and he rescued them. Let them give thanks for his unfailing love.

David declares his heart is steadfast and calls on God's help in battle. Combining portions of Psalms 57 and 60, he praises God among the nations and trusts in God for victory since human help is worthless.

A strong imprecatory psalm where David prays against a malicious accuser who repaid good with evil. He asks God to let the wicked be condemned and cut off. Despite the harshness, David trusts in God's unfailing love for vindication.

The most quoted Old Testament psalm in the New Testament. God tells David's Lord to sit at his right hand. The Messiah is both king and eternal priest in the order of Melchizedek. Jesus uses this psalm to prove the Messiah is more than David's son.

An acrostic praise psalm celebrating God's works. He provides food for those who fear him and remembers his covenant forever. His works are faithful and just. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

A companion to Psalm 111, this acrostic describes the blessed person who fears the Lord. Such a person is generous, gracious, and just. They will not be shaken by bad news because their heart is secure, trusting in God.

The first of the Egyptian Hallel psalms sung at Passover. God is exalted above all nations yet stoops down to raise the poor from the dust and seat them with princes. He settles the childless woman as a joyful mother.

A dramatic retelling of the Exodus. When Israel left Egypt, the sea fled and the Jordan turned back. Mountains skipped like rams. The whole earth trembles at the presence of the God of Jacob who turns rock into springs.

A psalm contrasting the living God with dead idols. Idols have mouths but cannot speak, eyes but cannot see. But our God is in heaven and does whatever he pleases. Those who trust the Lord find help and a shield.

A personal thanksgiving for deliverance from death. The psalmist loves the Lord because he heard his cry. He asks what he can return to God and lifts the cup of salvation, calling on God's name. Precious in God's sight is the death of his faithful ones.

The shortest psalm and shortest chapter in the Bible, with only two verses. It calls all nations to praise God for his great love and enduring faithfulness.

The climactic Hallel psalm, sung at Passover and by Jesus before the cross. It declares this is the day the Lord has made; the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

The longest psalm and chapter in the Bible, an acrostic with 176 verses celebrating God's word. Each section begins with a successive Hebrew letter. It uses eight synonyms for Scripture: law, statutes, precepts, decrees, commands, word, promise, and ordinances. A meditation on the beauty, power, and sufficiency of God's word.

The first Song of Ascents, sung by pilgrims travelling to Jerusalem. The psalmist cries out from among hostile, lying people. He longs for peace while dwelling among those who hate it. Too long has he lived among those who love war.

A beloved Song of Ascents. The pilgrim lifts his eyes to the hills and asks where his help comes from. It comes from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth, who never sleeps and guards Israel. God is your shade at your right hand.

A joyful Song of Ascents expressing delight at going to the house of the Lord. The pilgrim marvels at Jerusalem bound firmly together and prays for the peace of Jerusalem. Those who love the city will prosper.

A brief Song of Ascents looking up to God in heaven. Like servants looking to their master's hand, the pilgrims look to God for mercy. They have endured too much contempt from the arrogant.

David declares that if the Lord had not been on Israel's side, they would have been swallowed alive. The flood would have swept them away. Their help is in the name of the Lord, maker of heaven and earth.

Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion—immovable, enduring forever. As mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people now and forevermore. The sceptre of the wicked will not remain over the righteous.

A joyful psalm of restoration. When God brought back Zion's captives, it was like a dream. Their mouths were filled with laughter and tongues with songs of joy. Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.

A wisdom psalm of Solomon declaring that unless the Lord builds the house and guards the city, human effort is vain. Rising early and staying up late is useless without God. Children are a heritage and gift from the Lord.

A blessing on the person who fears the Lord. Such a person enjoys the fruit of their labour, has a fruitful spouse like a vine, and sees their children's children. Peace be on Israel.

Israel recounts how enemies have attacked them since youth but have not prevailed. The Lord is righteous and has cut the cords of the wicked. Those who hate Zion will be put to shame and wither like grass on a roof.

A penitential psalm crying out from the depths. If God kept a record of sins, no one could stand. But with God there is forgiveness, so he is feared. The psalmist waits for God more than watchmen wait for morning. Israel's hope is in God's unfailing love and full redemption.

A tiny psalm of profound humility. David declares his heart is not proud and he does not concern himself with great matters beyond him. He has stilled and quieted his soul like a weaned child resting on its mother.

A prayer remembering David's oath to find a dwelling place for God and God's covenant promise to establish David's throne forever. God has chosen Zion as his resting place and will bless it abundantly.

A beloved short psalm celebrating unity. How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! Like precious oil running down Aaron's beard, and like dew on Mount Hermon. There the Lord bestows his blessing—life forevermore.

The final Song of Ascents, a brief evening blessing. The pilgrims call on the night-watch servants to praise God. May the Lord who made heaven and earth bless you from Zion.

A praise psalm celebrating God's sovereignty and power. God chose Israel as his special treasure. He struck down nations and gave their land as inheritance. Idols are nothing compared to the Lord who does whatever he pleases.

The Great Hallel with the refrain "His love endures forever" repeated 26 times. It celebrates God's creation, the Exodus, the conquest of Canaan, and his daily provision. Every act of God is motivated by enduring love.

A psalm of exile, mourning by the rivers of Babylon. The captives hung their harps on willows when their captors demanded songs of Zion. If I forget you, Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill. The psalm ends with shocking imprecatory language against Babylon.

David praises God with his whole heart. God answered when he called and made him bold with strength in his soul. Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly. God's purpose for David will be fulfilled.

One of the most profound psalms about God's intimate knowledge and presence. God knows every thought, word, and movement. There is nowhere to flee from his presence. We are fearfully and wonderfully made, knit together in the womb. God's thoughts toward us are vast.

David prays for rescue from violent and evil men who plot against him like snakes with venom on their lips. He trusts God as his strong deliverer and shield. He is certain God upholds the cause of the needy and poor.

An evening prayer asking God to set a guard over David's mouth and keep his heart from evil. He would rather be rebuked by the righteous than flattered by the wicked. His eyes look to God as his refuge.

Written from a cave, David cries aloud to God when no one cares for his soul. He is in desperate need with no refuge but God. He asks God to set him free so he can praise his name.

A penitential psalm where David's spirit grows faint. He remembers God's past deeds and spreads out his hands like parched land. He asks God to teach him his will, let his good Spirit lead on level ground, and preserve his life.

David praises God as his rock and fortress who trains his hands for battle. He asks what are mere mortals that God should care. He prays for rescue and envisions a prosperous, happy people whose God is the Lord.

David's final psalm, an acrostic of praise declaring God's greatness generation after generation. God is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. He is faithful to all his promises and near to all who call on him.

The first of five final Hallelujah psalms. Do not trust in princes who cannot save—trust in the God of Jacob. God upholds the cause of the oppressed, feeds the hungry, lifts the bowed down, and watches over foreigners, orphans, and widows.

God rebuilds Jerusalem, heals the brokenhearted, and counts the stars by name. He delights not in military power but in those who fear him and put hope in his love. He sends his word to the earth and covers the ground with snow.

All creation is summoned to praise God: sun and moon, sea creatures and ocean depths, lightning and hail, mountains and trees, animals and birds, kings and peoples, young and old. Everything that exists praises the Lord.

Israel is called to sing a new song and praise God with dancing, tambourines, and harps. God takes delight in his people and crowns the humble with victory. The faithful wield a double-edged sword to execute God's justice.

The grand finale of the Psalms. Praise God in his sanctuary and mighty heavens. Praise him with trumpets, harps, strings, flutes, and crashing cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Hallelujah!