Psalm 141 is another song of lament written by the shepherd-King David. We do not know the specific context of this prayer, but David’s intensity and desperation shine through unmistakably.

This ‘man after God’s own heart’ throws himself on God in his angst when he feels tempted to evil and when he feels oppressed by others. We can do the same before the One who provides all that we need – physically, emotionally, and spiritually. He protects us like no other can and is ever present with us no matter our circumstance.

We cannot help but be struck by how David includes all his senses in this psalm. This is especially evident in the English Standard Version of Scripture, and it creates a picture that all of David is pressing into God and that what he cries out about involves his whole being.

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, this song’s language and imagery, combined with its unknown context, result in a prayer that is relatable and universal. There is potential for the hearer, singer, reader, worshipper to become fully enveloped in the song. When we have eyes to see and ears to hear, God’s Word is quite beautiful and applicable in that way, isn’t it?

Of course, even though we do not know the specifics of David’s circumstance, there are key points of which we can take note and from which we can learn.

The Faithlife Study Bible summarizes Psalm 141 this way: “…the psalmist requests Yahweh’s help in maintaining his personal integrity as he seeks to avoid any traps that evil people might set for him… he expresses a desire for Yahweh to guard him from any impropriety or harm.”

To have this heart attitude before our Good Shepherd requires complete honesty and humility, doesn’t it?

It requires an awareness of and willingness to be honest with yourself, your weaknesses and tendencies toward temptation.

A popular student and teacher of the Bible once said simply yet profoundly, “True intimacy with God always brings humility.” So true! We see this in Jesus in the pages of Scripture, and we pray you have witnessed it in fellow under-shepherds, as well.

In Psalm 141, David models an intimacy with God that shapes his passions and desires. He models an embodied theology, not an understanding of faith that neglects to incorporate our physicality, the reality of our day-to-day lives, or our emotions. And he models a desire to be a person of integrity with an undivided character, one who spends time with his Shepherd, looks like his Shepherd, and does what his Shepherd does, no matter the circumstance he faces.

This kind of intimacy will little by little lead to a life of integrity and humility – a life we all desire of those who lead and influence inside and outside of the body of Christ.

Today we are in Psalm 140, a psalm written by David. This psalm opens with a plea for God to rescue him from the aggressive and wicked. These were evil men, and it seemed David’s plea to God was worthy.

As shepherd leaders, we sometimes face situations similar to David’s. It is then, in those moments, that we need to pray in a similar way.

It really does not matter what we are facing. God is still in control!

Whatever He permits in our lives – as He did for David – He will use it for our good and for His glory.

That is why David could write this psalm and say,  “I know the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted and execute justice for the needy. Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name; the upright shall dwell in your presence.”

David cried out to God and then rested in Him. We are called to follow David’s example in that regard. We are called to “wait patiently on Him” in every circumstance we face as shepherds of those we influence – in our families, in our churches, at work, and in our communities.

Our job is to trust the Good Shepherd and faithfully follow Him, knowing beyond any doubt that He will provide; He will protect; and He is present with us through it all.

Where do you need to trust Him right now? In what situation do you need to cry out, ask Him to act, and then trust Him to do so?

That’s where I will encourage you to camp today, on the place in your life where He is calling you to trust Him completely.

Today, we are at the tail-end of one of the most beautiful and versatile of David’s psalms, Psalm 139. This psalm reminds the reader – or the singer, as the case may be – how intimately God knows us, how constantly He is with us, and that He made us!                     

Now, in the final six verses of the psalm – verses 18 through 24 – David reminds us that God judges righteously and that we cannot dispute Him. We also hear David grieving for those who ignore Him, His Word, and His ways.

The closing verses of Chapter 139 says so much about how we should interact with the Father, especially as those who are His under-shepherds, interacting with and influencing the sheep of His pasture every day.    

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

Point out anything in me that offends you,

and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

To paraphrase, David was saying, “Father, help me know me. Help me know what You know about me, so I may be fully aware and seek Your face to turn from my wicked ways.”

What do you need to know about you?              

What are the fears that have affected your relationships with others that may be hindering you from shepherding well?                  

What are the true motives behind a decision that you need to admit – either to yourself,            to the Father, or to others?            

Asking the Father the questions David asked, making the requests he made of the Father, listening for His response, and responding in a godly manner is what leads us to affecting others positively in the name of the One who shepherds us. That is what leads us to shepherd well.

We’re in Psalm 139 once again, and this week we are looking at the third stanza of this beautiful song – verses 13 through 18 – where David reminds us that God made us.                   

In this psalm, David begins by showing us how intimately God know us and how constantly He is with us. Now He says, “Don’t forget. Not only does God know us intimately, not only is He constantly with us, but He made us!”        

David proclaims that we are the result of God’s creative handiwork “fearfully and wonderfully made”. God designed us with purpose, and He has determined our days. Oh, how this almighty God of design and purpose is completely worthy of our praise, gratitude, and trust!

How does this relate to us as shepherd leaders?

We should stand in awe of our God and the intricacies of how He wove us together, and that awe should lead to the deepest obedience.

Our God was present when we were conceived, and before one day had passed He planned and determined the days of our lives.

In addition to all of that, He made us in His image and because He has purpose we have purpose. We were created FOR purpose, ON purpose, WITH purpose.

So, fellow under-shepherd, what is your purpose with regard to how you parent, how you pastor, how you be-friend others, how you supervise, how you influence your peers and your leaders at church, at work, and in your community?

We continue in Psalm 139 this week in verses 7 through 12, where we see the reassuring reminder that God is with us constantly.            

7 I can never escape from your Spirit!

I can never get away from your presence!

8 If I go up to heaven, you are there;

if I go down to the grave, you are there.

9 If I ride the wings of the morning,

if I dwell by the farthest oceans,

10 even there your hand will guide me,

and your strength will support me.

11 I could ask the darkness to hide me

and the light around me to become night —

12but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.

To you the night shines as bright as day.

Darkness and light are the same to you.

How wonderful it is to know that we can never be anywhere that God is not with us! In the good places, in the tough places, in pain, in rejoicing, in celebration, and in mourning, our Lord is with us!

How interesting, then, that by our sinful nature, we try to hide from God, but we need to remember that our God is not omni-present – with us all the time – because He’s out to get us. He’s ever-present with us because he loves us! And verses 7 through 12 of Psalm 139 are a celebration of that fact. 

Are you rejoicing in His presence, or are you wishing He was not omnipresent?

If we don’t find joy in the presence of the Good Shepherd, we cannot shepherd well. If we don’t desire that we be with Him and He be with us, we cannot influence well.

Be honest with yourself and before God. Repent if necessary, acknowledging that you do so not for condemnation, but for forgiveness and for the joy ahead of you as you celebrate His omni-presence.

Remember that He is a loving God and because of that love He is ever present, always available to us wherever we are and wherever we go.

This week, we’re in Psalm 139, a chapter of Psalms with which many of us are very familiar. In this psalm we see the psalmist making three important points: (1) God knows everything, (2) God is present everywhere, (3) the psalmist, himself, hates sin and has a deep desire to be led correctly. 

Today, we will focus on the first six verses.  

1 O Lord, you have examined my heart 

    and know everything about me. 

2 You know when I sit down or stand up. 

    You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. 

3 You see me when I travel 

    and when I rest at home. 

    You know everything I do. 

4 You know what I am going to say 

    even before I say it, Lord. 

5 You go before me and follow me. 

    You place your hand of blessing on my head. 

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, 

    too great for me to understand! 

Yes, fellow under-shepherd, God knows us – not just about us.  He knows us intimately – every detail, every rhyme and every rhythm about how we think, every aspect of how we act, every nuance about the motivation about everything we do. 

So, as we delve into the first six verses of Psalm 139, be reminded, and be confident… 

1.) That our God has examined our hearts and knows everything about us. 

2.) That our God literally knows when we sit down and when we stand up. 

3.) That our God knows our thoughts when we’re close by Him and when we’re far away. 

4.) That our God sees us when we travel and when we rest at home. 

5.) That our God knows everything we do. 

6.) That our God knows what we are going to say even before we say it. 

7.) That our God goes before us and follows us. He hems us in! 

8.) That our God places His hand of blessings on our heads. 

9.) That our God knows this knowledge is really too wonderful for us, too much for us to understand, but wants us to be assured of it anyway!  

Fellow under-shepherd, I pray this first portion of Psalm 139 helps you to live – as you shepherd others – in light of what God has revealed to you through these six verses. He knows us intimately, and we must live accordingly.

This week it’s fun to be back in a psalm written by David, Psalm 138, a psalm that sings praises to our God and reminds us to do the same.  

Psalm 138 illustrates the depth of David’s faith in God, that He prayed to Him – and no other – for help, that he trusted God for victory in every battle, and that David’s enemies were defeated because of the Lord’s faithfulness – not because of his own might or power or the strength or number of his army.  

One commentator notes, “this psalm helps us understand better what really happens when God answers prayer.” 

The great preacher, Charles Spurgeon, once said, “But this is my confidence, the Lord that began, will perfect. He has done it all, must do it all, he will do it all. My confidence must not be in what I can do, or in what I have resolved to do, but entirely in what the Lord will do.”  

Amen and Amen. David knew that, and his faith is demonstrated throughout this psalm, exactly as Spurgeon noted. 

Dear under-shepherd, as it pertains to your leadership sphere, where do you need this reminder from Psalm 138 today?  

It matters not where we shepherd, where we influence, where we lead – His answers to our prayers will give witness of His power and His unfailing love to those around us who do not know Him or do not yet trust Him.. 

And it matters not what it feels like it today, He will accomplish His purpose for our lives, for His glory and for our good. 

Thank you for joining me. May you shepherd well all those entrusted to you this week.

This week we are in Psalm 137, a psalm that some say is “no doubt one of the most troubling and difficult psalms in the Psalter”!  

This song is nine verses of “remember” and “forget”. The psalmist, most likely a Levite, is asking God in this prayer to help the Jewish people remember Jerusalem, the precious city they inhabited before Babylon invaded, ravaged, and destroyed, taking many of the people captive. He also prays for consequences should his people forget their city, and to remember that what Jerusalem represents in indeed their greatest joy.  

You will hear the psalmist say, “they sat down and wept”, something many of us have done in the most tragic, frustrating, or severely disappointing moments in our lives. 

This psalm is also a song of prayer for severe retribution on the Babylonians. It is believed a Levite wrote this psalm after he had returned home from captivity in Babylon with the remnant of God’s people who could return to this great city. It is interesting that 20 years after that return, Babylon was destroyed. 

Timothy and Julie Tennent, in A Meditative Journey in the Psalms, wrote this:  

“The psalmist had experienced extraordinary pain, ridicule, mocking, violence, and scorn…He [then] remembered that somewhere in the writings of his own people, God had promised that he would not let such violence go unpunished, and that he would pay back to them as they had done. Thus, he does exactly what he has been taught to do in the face of such evil and wickedness and injustice. He prays! He does not take vengeance into his own hands or strike back with comparable violence for violence. No, he laments, and he prays. He prays for God to take that action, and he trusts that God indeed will do just that. This is his only hope for not going mad in all that he has to endure.” 

The dear psalmist does exactly what we must do: lament our past sufferings, and celebrate that our God is loyal, worthy of worship, praise, and our complete trust. 

So, dear fellow under-shepherd, what past sufferings have you endured as a shepherd leader, as an influencer in your home, your church, your business, or your community? Have the sheep of your pasture harmed you, have they betrayed you, have they hurt you more deeply than you thought possible? Don’t hesitate to lament, to sit down and weep at the pain you’ve felt, the sense of loss you didn’t think possible, or the betrayal you experienced. Then seek to the follow the Father’s leading from there. Let him keep score. Let him seek justice. Believe me, He will do it far better than you or I ever could. 

Thank you for joining me, and thank you for loving, multiplying, and championing the shepherding message. May you live deeply into your calling this week.

This is Holly Culhane with Presence Point and welcome to our Psalms for Shepherds podcast.  

This week we find ourselves in Psalm 136, a psalm that calls worshippers to a posture of gratitude.  

Psalm 136 is 26 verses in length, and in every verse the same refrain is repeated – His faithful love endures forever. 

The refrain is meant to stir remembrance in us of God’s merciful, gracious intervention in our own lives. It is also meant to settle in us the deep truth that God’s love for you… and for me… … will never end.  

As the psalm develops, it becomes clear the LORD’s supremacy never makes Him remote. Instead, it demonstrates that His steadfast love is active and effective for His people. 

We know this God – Yahweh, the God above all gods and Lord above all lords – is also our Shepherd and our example of how to lead and influence others. He is, of course, our perfect example of how to love. 

Psalm 136 paints a picture of God’s magnanimous works of creation and acts of providence. It tells of our Shepherd’s deliverance and care for His people, His judgment on their enemies, and His goodness to all.  

It also reminds us without question that our Good Shepherd’s love… a GOOD shepherd’s love… endures. In the words of Peter Santucci, author of Everyday Psalms, “His. Relentless. Love. Never. Stops.” 

Dear under-shepherd, take a moment before the loving gaze of your Shepherd and check your heart toward the sheep entrusted to your care. Is your love for them relentless? Is it faithful? Is it enduring?  

Sometimes, sheep are hard to love. Sometimes, we find ourselves lacking the capacity to love as we would like to. If this is the case for you today, I encourage you to pause and go to the Father. Talk to Him about it. You will find Him faithfully present and faithfully loving you – no matter what. 

I leave you with that thought today. Remember that shepherding others well will always first require sitting at the feet of the Good Shepherd, allowing His love to wash over and into and through us, so that we may then offer that same love to others. 

This is Holly Culhane with Presence Point and welcome to our Psalms for Shepherds podcast. 

This week our focus is on Psalm 135, which begins a series of psalms that emphasize praising our God. This particular psalm’s emphasis is on praising our God for who He is and what He has done. 

The psalmist begins this psalm with praise to our Lord and ends with praise to our Lord.  

In between those moments of praise and worship, we are reminded that our Lord: 

is good 

that we should celebrate His name with music 

that He chose Israel as His own special possession 

that He is greater than any other god 

and that He is in complete control of the heavens and the earth, even the seas and their depths, the clouds, the lighting, and the wind. 

This psalm clearly reminds us of five important facts. 

Our Lord is God. He chose us. 

Our Lord is sovereign and does what He pleases. 

Our Lord is compassionate and vindicates His people. 

Our Lord is the true and living God and He cares for us, and 

Our Lord should be praised because He is present with us! 

Dear fellow under-shepherd, no matter the circumstances you face, no matter how difficult the sheep in your life seem right now, no matter your health, your wealth, or the decisions that stand before you, you can praise the Lord right now! And know that He hears you and that His provision, His protection, and His presence are with you, enveloping you with every step you take. 

May you live deeply into your calling this week to be an under-shepherd who praises our God, and may you communicate that attitude of praise to those you shepherd in every area of your life.