Certain things in life shake us to our core and leave us feeling unstable. It can even be difficult to pray in those times, not knowing what to say or where to begin. In Psalm 86, David found stability in the unchanging nature of God. He prayed to God based on His mercy, grace, and love. This rich prayer teaches us how to regain stability in our souls, even when we are troubled.

Everyone and everything feels the brokenness caused by sin. Sometimes we are broken by our sins or by the sins of others. In our brokenness, we need restoration. Psalm 85 is a prayer for restoration. After experiencing decline and distance from God, Israel asks for renewal and revival, "Restore us, O God!" It's a Psalm filled with hope and help for all of us who feel the brokenness of sin.

Do you have places you love and desire to return to? The writer of Psalm 84 certainly did. Potentially from a foreign land but certainly amid personal difficulty, the psalmist yearns to return to God’s dwelling place - the Temple of Jerusalem. Like Psalm 84, we can feel distant from God’s presence. As we encounter trials, we must cultivate a similar desire to seek God’s strength and protection.

“911, what is your emergency?” Maybe you have had to call for help before and been helped by a stranger when trouble entered your life. We often don’t accept help from others in our desire to be self-sufficient, but emergencies quickly reveal our need for help. The truth is that we all need help. We all recognize our need to seek the LORD for help in times of trouble.

Psalm 82 reminds those in authority that God is the righteous judge. He holds all judges accountable. This gives us hope even through times of injustice. It also reminds us that we all will answer to Him - we all must bow to the righteous Judge of the universe.

When we find ourselves in trouble, we tend to look for help in all the wrong places. Even if we do look for God's help, we have our own imaginations about how He should help. Psalm 81 reminds us that while God is ready and able to do the "spectacular" for us, we actually get back on track simply by listening to His Word. God has spoken, and His instructions are the key to everything in this life.

We often find security and stability in all sorts of things without realizing it. But what happens when those things fail? In Psalm 80, Asaph laments the fall of the northern tribes to Assyria. As the nation falls apart, Asaph rightly turns to the Lord for salvation. He asks for God's face to shine on them. It's a poetic request for God's grace and favor to fall upon them and save them.

While sin causes destruction, it feels so much worse when it's the result of our own sin. We hurt others, ourselves, and Christ’s reputation. Psalm 79 laments Jerusalem’s destruction, the death of God's people, and the reproach of God's name. But the Psalmist is honest that they are at fault. Psalm 79 gives us direction in our own despair and the words to cry out to God for mercy and forgiveness.