1. Look for significant words, phrases, or themes.
2. Look for areas where you identify with the psalmist.
3. Look for God’s attributes and demonstrations of his character.
4. Look for guidance in ways you can reflect God’s likeness.

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Psalm 59

God, save me from my enemies.
    Keep me safe from people who are attacking me.
² Save me from those who do evil.
    Save me from people who want to kill me.

³ See how they hide and wait for me!
    Lord, angry people plan to harm me,
    even though I haven’t hurt them in any way or sinned against them.
⁴ I haven’t done anything wrong to them. But they are ready to attack me.
    Rise up and help me! Look at what I’m up against!
⁵ Lord God who rules over all, rise up. God of Israel,
    punish all the nations.
Don’t show any mercy to those sinful people
    who have turned against me.

⁶ My enemies are like a pack of barking dogs
    that come back to the city in the evening.
    They prowl around the city.
⁷ Listen to what pours out of their mouths.
    The words from their lips are like swords.
    They think, “Who can hear us?”
⁸ But you laugh at them, Lord.
    You make fun of all those nations.

⁹ You give me strength. I look to you.
God, you are like a fort to me. ¹⁰     You are my God, and I can depend on you.

God will march out in front of me.
    He will let me look down on those who tell lies about me.
¹¹ Lord, you are like a shield that keeps us safe.
    Don’t kill my enemies all at once.
    If you do, my people will forget about it.
Use your power to pull my enemies up by the roots like weeds.
    Destroy them.
¹² They have sinned with their mouths.
    Their lips have spoken evil words.
They have cursed me and lied.
    Let them be caught in their pride.
¹³ Burn them up in your anger.
    Burn them up until there isn’t anything left of them.
Then everyone from one end of the earth to the other will know
    that God rules over the people of Jacob.

¹⁴ My enemies are like a pack of barking dogs
    that come back into the city in the evening.
    They prowl around the city.
¹⁵ They wander around looking for food.
    They groan if they don’t find something that will satisfy them.
¹⁶ But I will sing about your strength.
    In the morning I will sing about your love.
You are like a fort to me.
    You keep me safe in times of trouble.

¹⁷ You give me strength. I sing praise to you.
    God, you are like a fort to me. You are my God, and I can depend on you.

Psalm 60

God, you have turned away from us. You have attacked us.
    You have been angry. Now turn back to us!
² You have shaken the land and torn it open.
    Fix its cracks, because it is falling apart.
³ You have shown your people hard times.
    You have made us drink the wine of your anger.
    Now we can’t even walk straight.

⁴ But you lead into battle those who have respect for you.
    You give them a flag to wave against the enemy’s weapons.

⁵ Save us and help us by your power.
    Do this so that those you love may be saved.
⁶ God has spoken from his temple.
    He has said, “I will win the battle.
Then I will divide up the land around Shechem.
    I will divide up the Valley of Sukkoth.
⁷ Gilead belongs to me.
    So does the land of Manasseh.
Ephraim is the strongest tribe.
    It is like a helmet for my head.
Judah is the royal tribe.
    It is like a ruler’s scepter.
⁸ Moab serves me like one who washes my feet.
    I toss my sandal on Edom to show that I own it.
    I shout to Philistia that I have won the battle.”

⁹ Who will bring me to the city that has high walls around it?
    Who will lead me to the land of Edom?
¹⁰ God, isn’t it you, even though you have now turned away from us?
    Isn’t it you, even though you don’t lead our armies into battle anymore?
¹¹ Help us against our enemies.
    The help people give doesn’t amount to anything.
¹² With your help we will win the battle.
    You will walk all over our enemies.

Psalm 61

God, hear my cry for help.
    Listen to my prayer.

² From a place far away I call out to you.
    I call out as my heart gets weaker.
    Lead me to the safety of a rock that is high above me.
³ You have always kept me safe from my enemies.
    You are like a strong tower to me.

⁴ I long to live in your holy tent forever.
    There I find safety in the shadow of your wings.
⁵ God, you have heard my promises.
    You have given me what belongs to those who worship you.

⁶ Add many days to the king’s life.
    Let him live on and on for many years.
⁷ May he always enjoy your blessing as he rules.
    Let your love and truth keep him safe.

⁸ Then I will always sing praise to you.
    I will keep my promises day after day.

Psalm 62

It is surely true that I find my rest in God.
    He is the God who saves me.
² It is surely true that he is my rock. He is the God who saves me.
    He is like a fort to me. I will always be secure.

³ How long will you enemies attack me?
    Will all of you throw me down?
I’m like a leaning wall.
    I’m like a fence about to fall.
⁴ Surely my enemies only want to pull me down
    from my place of honor.
    They take delight in telling lies.
They bless me with what they say.
    But in their hearts they ask for bad things to happen to me.

⁵ Yes, I must find my rest in God.
    He is the God who gives me hope.
⁶ It is surely true that he is my rock and the God who saves me.
    He is like a fort to me, so I will always be secure.
⁷ I depend on God to save me and to honor me.
    He is my mighty rock and my place of safety.
⁸ Trust in him at all times, you people.
    Tell him all your troubles.
    God is our place of safety.

⁹ Surely ordinary people are only a breath.
    Important people are not what they seem to be.
If they were weighed on a scale, they wouldn’t amount to anything.
    Together they are only a breath.
¹⁰ Don’t trust in money you have taken from others.
    Don’t put false hope in things you have stolen.
Even if your riches grow,
    don’t put your trust in them.

¹¹ God, I have heard you say two things.
    One is that power belongs to you, God.
¹²     The other is that your love, Lord, never ends.
You will reward everyone
    in keeping with what they have done.

Psalm 63

 God, you are my God.
    I seek you with all my heart.
With all my strength I thirst for you
    in this dry desert
    where there isn’t any water.

² I have seen you in the sacred tent.
    There I have seen your power and your glory.
³ Your love is better than life.
    So I will bring glory to you with my lips.
⁴ I will praise you as long as I live.
    I will call on your name when I lift up my hands in prayer.
⁵ I will be as satisfied as if I had eaten the best food there is.
    I will sing praise to you with my mouth.

⁶ As I lie on my bed I remember you.
    I think of you all night long.
⁷ Because you have helped me,
    I sing in the shadow of your wings.
⁸ I hold on to you tightly.
    Your powerful right hand takes good care of me.

⁹ Those who want to kill me will be destroyed.
    They will go down into the grave.
¹⁰ They will be killed by swords.
    They will become food for wild dogs.

¹¹ But the king will be filled with joy because of what God has done.
    All those who make promises in God’s name will be able to brag.
    But the mouths of liars will be shut.

Psalm 64

God, hear me as I tell you my problem.
    Don’t let my enemies kill me.
² Hide me from evil people who talk about how to harm me.
    Hide me from those people who are planning to do evil.

³ They make their tongues like sharp swords.
    They aim their mean words like deadly arrows.
⁴ They shoot from their hiding places at people who aren’t guilty.
    They shoot quickly and aren’t afraid of being caught.

⁵ They help one another make evil plans.
    They talk about hiding their traps.
    They say, “Who can see what we are doing?”
⁶ They make plans to do what is evil.
    They say, “We have thought up a perfect plan!”
    The hearts and minds of people are so clever!

⁷ But God will shoot my enemies with his arrows.
    He will suddenly strike them down.
⁸ He will turn their own words against them.
    He will destroy them.
All those who see them will shake their heads
    and look down on them.

⁹ All people will respect God.
    They will tell about his works.
    They will think about what he has done.
¹⁰ Godly people will be full of joy because of what the Lord has done.
    They will go to him for safety.
    All those whose hearts are honest will be proud of what he has done.