The entire book of Psalms ends with 6 short verses all about praising the Lord. Praise isn’t just a mode of happiness because we feel good, or we’ve gotten through some storm. We praise because we know that lament isn’t the end of the story. We praise because there is restoration, redemption, and reconciliation in Christ. We are safe to have high expectations of God, and our praise can be anticipation. The hallelujah in Psalm 150 isn’t just a statement—it’s a command. Even in the storms of rejection, confusion, and pain throughout the rest of the Psalms, Psalm 150 is a beautiful command from God to praise him for who he is with what you have.

David wrote Psalm 27 during a difficult and dark season—he was going through the unimaginable. Can you relate? Have you had a time in your life when it seemed like you were being pummeled on all sides? On top of the global challenges that we all face, maybe you’ve experienced your own unrelenting, pain-filled season. No matter what you face—be it cancer, unemployment, an impossible decision, a difficult relationship, or whatever else—God is with you and he is for you. When you’re in the middle of the storm, rather than turn from God, turn to him. Because in the worst of life you can find the best of God.

People fail all the time. Politicians, public figures, personal friends–but it’s especially disappointing when God’s people fail. Even if the most important people in your life fail you, your faith doesn’t have to fail because you can place that faith in something far more trustworthy than people. If…actually, WHEN God’s people fail you, don’t ever forget that though God’s people fail, God’s love will never fail.

Psalm 141 is a prayer of self-correction and refinement. In it, David prays that God would protect him from temptation; he prays that God would make him receptive to correction and difficult truth; essentially, David prays, “God, change my heart to match yours”. God wants to use the people around you—the people who report to you, the people who annoy you—to shape you into a person of character and competence. Will you allow God to do his work in you through them? To start, humble yourself and pray God, protect me from me.

Psalm 44 can feel like a pretty grim work of poetry—it describes a raw and real pain, and registers complaint after complaint to God. And it doesn’t even resolve! The writer is left in brokenness and confusion at why they’ve been seemingly forgotten by God. Yet, it’s a helpful Psalm to reference when you might feel this way yourself. The bible never promises the absence of problems—but it tells us how we can thrive in any circumstance. The key is understanding God’s unrelenting love. So if you’ve worn out your voice praying and pleading and begging God to intervene, let Psalm 44 teach you that when you feel like God forgot you, the best thing to do is to tell him how you feel.

God is not in the business of hiding. He doesn’t play hard to get, and he’s not interested in keeping himself from us. On the contrary, God makes himself known in any way he can. It’s hard to miss the ways God reveals himself, and Psalm 19 is chock full of examples. God speaks through nature and the glorious wonder of creation. He speaks through scripture which guides us and protects us from ourselves. If you pay attention, you’ll hear that God often speaks louder than your fear, louder than your worry, and louder than your hurt. God is surprisingly talkative.

Psalm 20 is a psalm for leaders. In it, we find helpful information about how leaders need to pray, and how leaders need to lead. Before you write off this psalm because you don’t think you’re a leader, think again! You don’t have to be leading a country or a company to find application in Psalm 20. If you’re leading a business, leading a department, leading a family, or leading a friend group, may Psalm 20 show you that the best leaders don’t let fear lead them; they don’t let profit, power, or praise lead them. The best leaders let God lead them.

We need Psalm 136 to remind us that even when we fail or get sidetracked by the worries and cares of life, God’s love endures forever. The Psalm interrupts 26 times to assure us that everything—our finances & our relationships, our worry & our shame, and our failures and celebration—its’ all swept up by God’s faithfulness and enduring love. So no matter what is occupying your thoughts today, continually interrupt your thoughts with the truth that God’s love endures forever.

Through Psalm 32, David teaches us an important truth about how our soul works—if you bottle something up, you’ll blow up; if you shove your sin under the rug, you’ll just keep tripping over it. When you cover your sin and stuff it out of sight, it sucks the life out of you and robs you of joy and strength. But what if there’s a different way to live? What if you could live with a pervasive sense of joy and wellbeing each day? Psalm 32 shows us that if we’re open and honest with God about the state of our soul, he will meet us where we are. His love covers our uncovered sin.

Are you being pummeled by a problem that is utterly out of your control? Do you feel helpless? Powerless? If you’re facing a calamity that’s bigger than you, then Psalm 46 may be a passage for you this season. Psalm 46 is a psalm of trust for people facing overwhelming, life-altering catastrophe—the songwriter reminds us that no matter what, God’s got this. Psalm 46 reassures you that you can let go because God will never let you go.