From the Psalms: Who God Is Toward Us

Read through the Psalms and write down everything God does toward you. You will be amazed at the pages you will fill. You will be assured of His love and care for you. This is the list I made of words from the book of Psalms (NIV) that speak of God's actions and motives toward His people.

God:

Watches over the way of the righteous.

Is a shield around me.

Bestows glory on me.

Lifts my head.

Answers me from his holy hill.

Sustains me.

Sets apart the godly for himself.

Will hear when I call.

Makes me dwell in safety.

In the morning you hear my voice.

You bless the righteous.

You surround me with your favor as with a shield.

The Lord has heard my weeping.

The Lord has heard my cry for mercy.

The Lord accepts my prayer.

He searches minds and hearts.

My shield is God most High, who saves the upright in heart.

Set your glory above the heavens.

Crowned me with glory and honor.

A refuge for the oppressed.

A stronghold in times of trouble.

Have never forsaken those who seek you.

Does not ignore the cry of the afflicted.

But you, O God, do see troubles and grief.

You consider it to take it in hand.

You are the helper of the fatherless.

The Lord hears the desire of the afflicted.

He encourages them and listens to their cry.

Defends the fatherless and the oppressed.

The Lord examines the righteous.

Upright men will see his face.

O, Lord, you will keep me safe.

He has been good to me.

God is present in the company of the righteous.

The Lord is my refuge.

You have assigned me my portion and my cup.

You have made my lot secure.

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.

I have a delightful inheritance.

You counsel me.

Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

You will not abandon me to the grave.

You have made known to me the path of life.

You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

I call on you, O God, for you will answer me.

You save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes.

I am the apple of your eye.

You hide me in the shadow of your wings.

I love you, O Lord, my strength.

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer.

My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.

He is my shield and the horn of my salvation.

My stronghold.

I am saved from my enemies.

From his temple he heard my voice.

My cry came before him, into his ears.

He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.

He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes who were too strong for me.

The Lord is my support.

He brought me in to a spacious place.

He rescued me because he delighted in me.

To the faithful, you show yourself faithful.

To the blameless you show yourself blameless.

To the pure you show yourself pure.

You save the humble.

My God turns my darkness into light.

He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.

Who is the Rock besides God?

It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.

He makes my feet like the feet of a deer.

He enables me to stand on the heights.

You train my hands for battle.

You give me your shield of victory.

Your right hand sustains me.

You stoop down to make me great (David).

You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not turn.

O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

The Lord saves his anointed.

He answers him from his holy heaven.

For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one.

He has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside quiet waters.

He restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.

For you are with me.

Your rod and your staff comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil.

My cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Those who seek Him with clean hands, pure heart and do not lift up their soul to an idol, may stand in his presence and will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God his Savior.

No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame.

You are God my Savior.

Good and upright is the Lord, he instructs sinners in his ways.

He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.

All the ways of the Lord are living and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant .

Who is the man that fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.

The Lord confides in those who fear him.

He makes his covenant known to them.

Only He will release my feet from the snare.

Your love is ever before me.

The Lord is my light and my salvation.

The Lord is the stronghold of my life.

In the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling.

He will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.

The Lord is my strength and my shield.

My heart trusts in Him and I am helped.

The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.

The Lord gives strength to his people.

The Lord blesses his people with peace.

His favor lasts a lifetime.

You turned my wailing into dancing.

Removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.

You are my rock and my fortress.

You are my refuge.

You saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul.

You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place.

How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you.

Which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you.

You heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help.

The Lord preserves the faithful.

You forgave the guilt of my sin.

You are my hiding place.

You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go.

I will counsel you and watch over you.

The Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.

From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind.

From his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth.

He forms the hearts of all.

He considers everything they do.

But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love.

We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.

I sought the Lord and he answered me.

He delivered me from all my fears.

Those who look to him are radiant.

Their faces are never covered with shame.

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and he delivers them.

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.

For those who fear him lack nothing.

Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry.

The righteous cry out and the Lord hears them.

He delivers them from all their troubles.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

A righteous man may have many troubles but the Lord delivers him from them all.

The foes of the righteous will be condemned.

The Lord redeems his servants.

No one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.

Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens; your faithfulness to the skies.

O Lord, you preserve both man and beast.

How priceless is your unfailing love.

Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings.

They feast on the abundance of your house.

You give them drink from your river of delights.

For with you is the fountain of life.

In your light we see light.

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

The meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.

For the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.

The days of the blameless are known to the Lord.

And their inheritance will endure forever.

If the Lord delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumbles, he will not fall for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

The Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones.

The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord.

He is their stronghold in time of trouble.

The Lord helps them and delivers them.

He delivers them from the wicked and saves them because they take refuge in him.

I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry; he lifted me out of the mud and mire, he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth

Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us no one can recount to you.

You are my help and my deliverer.

Blessed is he who has regard for the weak.

The Lord delivers him in times of trouble.

The Lord will protect him and preserve his life.

In my integrity you uphold me and set me in your presence forever.

You are God, my stronghold.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear.

The Lord Almighty is with us, the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Be still and know that I am God.

For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.

But God will redeem my life, he will surely take me to Himself.

I will deliver you and you will honor me.

You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

A broken and contrite heart you will not despise.

I will trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever. I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good.

Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.

I will praise your name, O Lord, for it is good.

For he has delivered me from all my troubles.

But I call to God and the Lord saves me.

Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress and he hears my voice.

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you.

He will never let the righteous fall.

For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.

I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

I cry out to God most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.

God sends his love and faithfulness.

For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

O my strength, I watch for you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.

But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love, for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.

O my Strength, I sing praise to you: You, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.

But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner to be unfurled against the bow.

With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.

You have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation.

He is my fortress; I will never be shaken.

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone.

My hope comes from him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation.

He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

My salvation and my honor depend on God.

He is my mighty rock, my refuge.

Trust in Him at all times, O people.

Pour out your hearts to him.

For God is our refuge.

You, O God, are strong, and that you O Lord are loving, Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.

Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.

My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods.

You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness.

He has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping.

When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave our transgressions.

Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man’s behalf!

He has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping.

For you, O God, tested us, you refined us like silver…but you brought us to a place of abundance.

…but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer.

Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows is God in his holy dwelling.

God sets the lonely in families.

He leads forth the prisoners with singing.

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior who daily bears our burdens.

Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.

The God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.

The Lord hears the needy.

You are my help and my deliverer.

Be my rock of refuge to which I can always go.

You are my rock and my refuge.

For you have been my hope, O Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth.

You are my strong refuge.

As for me, I will always have hope.

Since my youth, O God, you have taught me.

Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again.

From the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.

You will increase my honor and comfort me once again.

I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness.

Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.

Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.

Whom have I in heaven but you, and earth has nothing I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

We give thanks because your Name is near.

I will cut off the horns of all the wicked but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield.

The Lord bestows favor and honor.

No good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.

Blessed are those whose strength is in you O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.

You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.

For great is your love toward me.

But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

For you, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord.

They rejoice in your name all day long; they exult in your righteousness.

For you are their glory and strength.

You are my Father, my God, the Rock, my Savior.

Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love.

May the favor of the Lord Our God rest upon us.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadows of the Almighty.

He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge.

His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

They will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.”

With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree.

They will grow like a cedar of Lebanon planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God.

They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”

Blessed is the man you discipline, O Lord, the man you teach from your law.

You grant him relief from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked.

For the Lord will not reject his people.

He will never forsake his inheritance.

When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your love, O Lord, supported me.

When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.

But the Lord has become my fortress and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.

Let all those who love the Lord hate evil.

For he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.

Enter his gates with Thanksgiving and his courts with praise.

Give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever.

His faithfulness continues through all generations.

Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.

Who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.

Who redeems your life from the pit.

And crowns you with love and compassion.

Who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.

The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love.

He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him.

As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.

For he knows how we are formed.

He remembers that we are dust.

But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him.

And his righteousness with their children’s children.

With those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

But he took note of their distress when he heard their cry; for their sake he remembered his covenant and out of his great love he relented.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

His love endures forever.

Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.

For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble and he saved them from their distress.

He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains.

Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.

Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the Lord.

For great is your love, higher than the heavens, your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

The Lord is gracious and compassionate.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

All who follow his precepts have good understanding.

To him belongs eternal praise.

Blessed is the man who fears the Lord.

Who finds great delight in his commands.

Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.

Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.

Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever.

He will have no fear of bad news.

His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.

His heart is secure, he will have no fear.

In the end he will look in triumph on his foes.

He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever.

His horn will be lifted high in honor.

Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?

He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; He seats them with princes, with the princes of their people.

He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children.

Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.

You who fear him, trust in the Lord.

He is their help and shield.

The Lord remembers us and will bless us.

He will bless those who fear the Lord, small and great alike.

I love the Lord for he heard my voice.

He heard my cry for mercy, because he turned his ear to me.

I will call on him as long as I live.

The Lord is gracious and righteous.

Our God is full of compassion.

The Lord protects the simple hearted.

When I was in great need, he saved me.

Be at rest once more, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.

For you, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

For great is his love toward us.

The faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

His love endures forever.

In my anguish I cried to the Lord.

He answered by setting me free.

The Lord is with me, I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me?

The Lord is with me; he is my helper.

I will look on triumph on my enemies.

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.

The Lord is my strength and my song.

He has become my salvation.

The Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death.

I will give you thanks, for you answered me.

You have become my salvation.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

The Lord is God and he has made his light shine upon us.

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good.

His love endures forever.

Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord.

Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.

I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.

May your unfailing love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise.

My comfort in my suffering is this: your promise preserves my life.

The earth is filled with your love, O Lord.

Teach me your decrees.

You are good and what you do is good.

Teach me your decrees.

I know, O Lord, that your laws are righteous and in faithfulness you have afflicted me.

Your word, O Lord, is eternal, it stands firm in the heavens.

Your faithfulness continues through all generations.

You established the earth and it endures.

I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.

Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me.

I gain understanding from your precepts.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your Word.

The unfolding of your words gives light.

It gives understanding to the simple.

Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name.

Those who devise wicked schemes are near but they are far from your laws.

Yet you are near, O Lord, and all your commands are true.

Your compassion is great, O Lord.

Great peace have they who love your law and nothing can make them stumble.

I obey your precepts and your statues for all my ways are known to you.

I call on the Lord in my distress and he answers me.

Lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber.

Indeed he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord watches over you.

The Lord is your shade at your right hand.

The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life.

The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

May those who love you be secure.

As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God till he shows us his mercy.

Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways.

You will eat the fruit of your labor.

Blessings and prosperity will be yours.

Out of the depths, I cry to you, O Lord.

O Lord, hear my voice.

Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.

If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?

But with you there is forgiveness, therefore you are feared.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits.

In his word I put my hope.

My soul waits for the Lord, more than watchmen wait for the morning.

O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love.

With him is full redemption.

He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.

For the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants.

I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.

When I called you answered me.

You made me bold and stouthearted.

Though the Lord is on high he looks upon the lowly.

The proud he knows from afar.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life.

You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes.

With your right hand you save me.

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me.

Your love, O Lord, endures forever.

Do not abandon the works of your hands.

O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.

You know when I sit and when I rise.

You perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down.

You are familiar with all my ways.

Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, Lord.

You hem me in—behind and before.

You have laid your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there.

If I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me.

Your right hand will hold me fast.

If I say surely the darkness will hide me, and the light become night around me, even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

For you created my inmost being.

You knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.

When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!

How vast is the sum of them!

Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.

When I awake, I am still with you.

O Sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer, who shields my head in the day of battle—do not grant the wicked their desires, O Lord.

Do not let their plans succeed.

I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.

When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way.

I cry to you, O Lord. I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”

In your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.

I remember the days of long ago. I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.

I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love.

Praise be to the Lord, my rock.

He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold, and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge.

O Lord, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him?

Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord.

The Lord is gracious and compassionate.

The Lord is slow to anger.

The Lord is rich in love.

The Lord is good to all.

He has compassion on all he has made.

The Lord is faithful to all his promises.

He is loving toward all he has made.

The Lord upholds all those who fall.

He lifts up all who are bowed down.

The eyes of all look to you and you give them their food at the proper time.

You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

The Lord is righteous in all his ways.

He is loving toward all he has made.

The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

He fulfills the desires of those who fear him.

He hears their cry and saves them.

The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.

Blessed is he whose hope is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them.

The Lord remains faithful forever.

The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down.

The Lord loves the righteous.

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Great is our Lord and mighty in power.

His understanding has no limit.

The Lord sustains the humble, but casts the wicked to the ground.

Photo by Elena Putina on Unsplash

Kathy Norquist was Randy Alcorn’s Executive Assistant from 1997-2015, then worked in Ministry Development up until September 2018 when she retired.  Kathy remains on the EPM Board of Directors.

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