Psalm 34

 This has always been my favorite psalm and I love this song created with its words https://youtu.be/BkxotaO76yg

This is a great video about how the book of Psalms is organized.

https://youtu.be/dpny22k_7uk

 The hymn Praise God from Whom All Blessing Flow is based on a melody and hymn written by Louise Bourgeois in 1581.  The original words reflected Psalm 100

All people that on earth do dwell,
Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice.
Him serve with fear, His praise forth tell;
Come ye before Him and rejoice.

The Lord, ye know, is God indeed;
Without our aid He did us make;
We are His folk, He doth us feed,
And for His sheep He doth us take.

O enter then His gates with praise;
Approach with joy His courts unto;
Praise, laud, and bless His Name always,
For it is seemly so to do.

For why? the Lord our God is good;
His mercy is for ever sure;
His truth at all times firmly stood,
And shall from age to age endure.

To Father, Son and Holy Ghost,
The God Whom Heaven and earth adore,
From men and from the angel host
Be praise and glory evermore.

We have just passed the 200th anniversary of Joseph Smith's First Vision.  It is wonderful to know that Joseph Smith and the work of the restoration was prophesied anciently.  When Joseph Smith was in his youth, he wondered which church to join.  Psalms 14 and 53 describe many aspects of the religous enviroment of the world just as accounted by Joseph Smith in describing the First Vision.  The most evident to me is the repeated phrase that "none doeth good, no not one."  This is the answer Christ gave to Joseph Smith about all the churches on the earth.  How wonderful that the Lord did restore his priesthood authority that "Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad!"

Yesterday my friend and I got in quite a conversation about fear and worry connected with the virus and quarantine.  There is the fear of getting sick,  the fear for the economy failing and the fear of loosing our freedoms.  This psalm resonated with me today.  I know the Lord will hear our prayers and is the only source of real peace. 

Psalms 18:4-6

4 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.

5 The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death ^aprevented me.

6 In my ^adistress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his ^btemple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.

Being a Right Hand Man

There is the saying and phrase one is a "right hand man" meaning they are an indispensable helper or chief assistant.  Christ is always described as sitting on the right hand of Heavenly Father.  Can we become a "right hand" servant of Christ?  There are several Psalms that talk of being on the right hand of God.  My favorite is Psalm 118:14-17.  It teaches me that being at the right hand includes being valiant and declaring the gospel. 

14 The Lord is my ^astrength and song, and is become my ^bsalvation.

15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the ^atabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly.

16 The right ^ahand of the Lord is exalted: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly.

17 I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.      

When Christ discussed with his apostles who would be at his right hand, He reminded them of his own example of ministering to others.

"but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief amount you, let him be your servant:  Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." Matthew 20:26-28

To me this means prayfully seeking inspiration each day of who the Lord would have us serve.

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This quarantine has made me feel like a bird in a cage.  I am praying for the time we can go to the temple again.  Yesterday, Ken took me on a walk on the temple grounds to cheer me up.  Here are a couple of my favorite Psalms:

"Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers;  The snare is broken and we are escaped.  Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth." Psalm 124:7,8

"In that day thou shalt come, O Lord, and I will put my trust in thee.  Thou shalt say unto thy people, for mine ear hath heard thy voice; thou shalt say unto every soul, Flee unto my mountain; and the righteous shall flee like a bird that is let go from the snare of the fowler."  Psalm 11:1  JST