Emotional Meditation—By Micah Siemens There’s a noticeable shift here toward the end of the Psalm—a kind of sharpening, almost like David is saying, “Let me be honest about how dark the world can get.” Because the wicked don’t just plot in shadows. They watch the righteous. They wait for missteps. They look for moments of…

Emotional Meditation—By Micah Siemens There’s something gentle—almost fatherly—about how this next section opens. “The steps of a man are established by the Lord.” Not the leaps. Not the grand achievements. Not the dramatic life moments. The steps. The ordinary. The unnoticed. The quiet forward movements we barely register. It’s like God is saying, “I care…

Emotional Meditation—By Micah Siemens There’s a certain heaviness that sits in the chest when you read this section—the kind that reminds you that yes, life can feel unfairly tilted sometimes. David doesn’t sugarcoat it: there really are people who plot, gnash teeth, sharpen words like weapons, and stalk the righteous as though goodness were an…

Emotional Meditation—By Micah Siemens This psalm doesn’t open with comfort. It opens with a warning—one we don’t like to admit we need: “Do not fret because of evildoers.” That word fret is heavier than it sounds. It’s the slow burn of frustration, the tightening in the chest when wickedness seems to win, the internal storm…

Emotional Meditation—By Micah Siemens This is where the psalm begins: with a strange, unsettling contrast. David opens not by praising God, not by confessing, but by peering into the heart of wickedness itself. It feels almost uncomfortable— like watching him observe a darkness that seems to whisper its own narrative: “There is no fear of…

Emotional Meditation—By Micah Siemens This is where the psalm begins to gather itself. Not because the pain is gone—it isn’t—and not because the enemies have disappeared—they haven’t. But because something inside David shifts from wounded silence to courageous hope. The section opens with a painfully familiar plea: “Don’t let those who hate me without cause…

Emotional Meditation—By Micah Siemens This is where the psalm turns painfully human. It leaves the battlefield imagery and steps right into something quieter but somehow worse: betrayal. David starts describing how he showed tenderness, how he mourned for people like they were his own family—and how those same people turned on him the moment he…

Emotional Meditation—by Micah Siemens This is where the psalm opens: not with peace, not with still waters, not with quiet trust—but with a cry for defense. A cry you almost feel in your ribs. David isn’t being dramatic. He’s not trying to sound spiritual. He’s in a fight he didn’t start, facing enemies he didn’t…

Emotional Meditation—By Micah Siemens This is where gratitude gets gritty. This is where praise is born out of panic, where worship comes after running for your life and pretending to be insane just to survive. This psalm isn’t polished. It’s raw breath after nearly dying. David begins with a posture that feels almost defiant: “I…