10 Comforting Treasures From the Book of Psalms

"And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."

• It might sound funny to compare a righteous person to a tree, but I love the metaphor in this verse referring to those who delight in God's law. Take another look at the picture above this verse and notice how lush and beautiful all of the plants near the river are. The river provides these plants with what they need to be filled with strength, vitality, and life. What a beautiful blessing for the righteous that they may be just as vibrant and prosperous as a tree by the river!

"The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee."

• We live in an extremely troubled world. All you have to do is turn on the news to see that we are living in difficult times, and it has been prophesied that things are going to get worse up until the coming of Christ. Thankfully, we know that the righteous have no need to fear. The Lord will be our refuge. We can find peace in the gospel of Jesus Christ, and no matter how scary or treacherous the situation may become, we can find comfort if we trust that those who exercise faith in Jesus Christ will have eternal happiness in the end.

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever."

• What a beautiful image! The Lord is our shepherd. He provides for our needs, comforts us, and protects us. He laid down his life for us, his sheep, so that we have no reason to fear death. We will have eternal life, and we owe it all to the selfless shepherd who was willing to suffer for all the pains and sins of the world and ultimately lay down his life in the ultimate act of love for us.

"Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

• I can't even count how many times I've fallen into the trap of putting my trust in people or things, when really all I need to do is put my trust in the Lord and he will take care of all of my needs. It's so easy to wonder about what other people think or whether we're going to get the help we need to accomplish our goals, but when we remember the Lord and put our trust in Him everything will work out for our greatest good every single time.

"Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth."

• I don't know about you, but a lot of times I think it can be difficult to take time to "be still." It seems like there's always something else to do and it can be almost impossible to clear your mind of worries. That's exactly why I think this verse is so important. As it is says in another one of my favorite scriptures, we need to "cheerfully do all things that lie in our power" and then leave the rest up to God. He will make up where we fall short.

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

• This one's pretty self explanatory. I think "whom shall I fear" says it all.

"Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved."

• What a blessing it is to know that when we are overwhelmed, we can lay our burdens down at the feet of the Lord and he will make them light. He will strengthen us when we think that we can't keep going. He will make our imperfect efforts into enough. He is always there for us. It's just a matter of whether or not we are willing to turn to him.

"He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us."

• What a powerful metaphor! He is my rock. Rocks are solid. Christ is our rock and he's not going to move when we need his strength. He will be there, sturdy and strong, for us to rely on during our weakest moments. His love will never fail us.

"I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High."

• Wow! How does it make you feel to know that the Lord refers to you as a god. Yes, we're definitely lower case "g" gods in training and nothing compared to the capital "G" God, the Eternal Father, but we "are children of the most High," and because of this we each have a bit of divinity in us. We are here on this earth to grow, progress, gain experience, and use Christ's atonement each day so that we can become more and more like our Heavenly Father, sharing his love with all of his other children here on the earth.

"Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the Lord."

• I have gone through my whole life with people asking me why I'm always smiling, why I can always look on the bright side, and why I'm always happy, To be honest, I know there are plenty of people who think I'm just plain weird, because they assume you'd have to be crazy to be as happy as I am. I guess you could say that I am living proof that this scripture is true. I'm not perfect, but I do the best I can to follow the teachings of my Savior Jesus Christ and rely on his atonement. I know that I am truly a child of my Heavenly Father and that I have infinite worth. I know that the scriptures are true and that all people can have peace in this life and eternal happiness in the life to come through Jesus Christ. I go through hard times just like anybody else, but when I remember to turn my burdens over to the Lord they are made light. It's all true! How could I not be happy when I know that!? Truly, "happy is that people, whose God is the Lord."