Psalm 5:11-12

But let all who take refuge and put their trust in You rejoice, let them ever sing for joy; because You cover and shelter them, let those who love Your name be joyful and exult in You. For You, O Lord, bless the righteous man (the one who is in right standing with You); You surround him with favor as with a shield.

God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. When we make God our refuge and our fortress, we can rejoice because He will be our cover and our protection. When we keep our eyes off the problems and keep our eyes on God, we will overcome. God is bigger than fear, doubt, lack, and sickness, and our focus has to be on Him as the solution for us to succeed. 

Psalm 5:7

But as for me, I will enter Your house through the abundance of Your steadfast love and tender mercy; at Your holy temple I will bow (obediently) in reverence for You. O Lord, lead me in Your righteousness because of my enemies; make Your way straight before me.

The righteous enter the house of the Lord because of His steadfast love and mercy. Our reverence and obedience to God and His word open doors and bring answered prayers. When God is the focus of our lives daily, and we stay close to Him through prayer and worship, He will make the paths straight before us. 

Psalm 5:1-3

Listen to my words, O Lord, consider my groaning and sighing. Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God, for to You I pray. In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice; in the morning I will prepare (prayer and a sacrifice) for You and watch and wait (for You to speak to my heart).

Watch and wait! God will speak to us when we pray. When we rise in the morning and prepare our prayer, we set our hearts to listen for the voice of God speaking to us. In faith we wait for the answer, not doubting that He heard, and waiting in faith for the answer and not going by what we see or what we feel, but faith based on the promises of God. 

Psalm 4:3-4

But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself (and dealt wonderfully with) the godly man. The Lord hears and responds when I call to Him. Tremble (with anger or fear) and do not sin; meditate in your heart upon your bed and be still (reflect on your sin and repent of your rebellion).

We must maintain our right standing with God. God expects us to grow and increase in wisdom and knowledge of Him through His word. That may mean we have to slow down the pace of our lives and focus on the Lord daily. Every good relationship takes time and effort, and a relationship with God changes our lives.

Psalm 4:2

O sons of men, how long will my honor and glory be (turned to) shame? How long will you (my enemies) love worthless (vain, futile) things and seek deception and lies?

Sin leads to blindness to the truth. A person can be fully convinced to sin and feel justified just as much as a person who feels they missed the mark and need to be saved. They both believe strongly in something, but one is convicted of the error, but the other has a hardened heart that cannot see. God can open the eyes of the spiritually blind as we pray for the lost. 

Psalm 4:1

Answer Me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have freed me when I was hemmed in and relieved me when I was in distress; be gracious to me and hear (and respond to) my prayer. 

Prayer has power. We cannot always see what is going on in the spiritual world around us, but Jesus can. When we pray according to the biblical word and using our authority, Jesus can hear and answer our prayers. The key is not to remain silent but to use our authority and call on the name of Jesus. 

Psalm 2:10-11

Now therefore, O kings, act wisely; be instructed and take warning, O leaders of the earth. Worship the Lord and serve Him with reverence (with awe-inspired fear and submissive wonder); rejoice (yet do so) with trembling. 

We can serve many things that bring us little benefit, but God is the only one who can break down all the barriers. It takes focus, time, and dedication, discipline and love for God to maintain a relationship with Him. The rewards of a relationship with God bring more to us than we to Him. God loves us more than we can comprehend.

Psalm 1:5-6

Therefore the wicked will not stand (unpunished) in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord knows and fully approves the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked shall perish. 

The Lord knows the way of the righteous and approves of it. The wicked will be punished unless they turn and repent for their ways. Our goal is to keep our focus on the word and God intently. The more we fill ourselves with the wisdom of the word, the easier it will be to tread on any evil influences that come our way. 

Psalm 1:4

The wicked (those who live in disobedience to God’s law) are not so, but they are like chaff (worthless and without substance) which the wind blows away.

The bible tells us clearly that the path of sin leads to destruction. Sin builds an empty life that searches for fulfillment in all the wrong things. We are to build ourselves up to avoid the pitfalls and see the reward of faithfulness. When we become strong in the Lord, we are able to hear and lead those around us when we remain faithful to the word. 

Psalm 1:3

And he will be like a tree firmly planted (and fed) by streams of water, which yields it fruit in its season; it leaf does not wither; and in whatever it does, he prospers (and comes to maturity).

When we choose to follow God, not grudgingly, but with enthusiasm we will flourish.  We create a barrier against evil influences that try to dissuade us from the goodness of God. Knowledge of the word and the ways of God is power when we know what is rewarded and what brings failure.