Psalm Study Thread

[Evie1980]

Psalm 89

A maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.
1 I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever;
with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known
through all generations.
2 I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
3 You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant,
4 ‘I will establish your line forever
and make your throne firm through all generations.’”
5 The heavens praise your wonders, LORD,
your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 For who in the skies above can compare with the LORD?
Who is like the LORD among the heavenly beings?
7 In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared;
he is more awesome than all who surround him.
8 Who is like you, LORD God Almighty?
You, LORD, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.
9 You rule over the surging sea;
when its waves mount up, you still them.
10 You crushed Rahab like one of the slain;
with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
11 The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth;
you founded the world and all that is in it.
12 You created the north and the south;
Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at your name.
13 Your arm is endowed with power;
your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
love and faithfulness go before you.

Keeping up with the Kardashians is easy compared to keeping up with God. In a world where we constantly compare ourselves with others, we tend to limit ourselves to what we think we need in our daily lives. We describe handbags and shoes with the same words we use to describe sunsets and beaches. We are made to believe the stock exchange has the same power and influence over life as God Himself.

The truth of the matter is nothing compares to God. There is nothing that is more powerful or beautiful than He is. There is nothing that has been made by man that really can match the splendor of our God. As the Psalmist continues:
15 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
who walk in the light of your presence, LORD.
16 They rejoice in your name all day long;
they celebrate your righteousness.
17 For you are their glory and strength,
and by your favor you exalt our horn.
We are blessed when we regularly remember who God is and focus on Him. Because by Him everything has come into being.

18 Indeed, our shield belongs to the LORD,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.
19 Once you spoke in a vision,
to your faithful people you said:
“I have bestowed strength on a warrior;
I have raised up a young man from among the people.
20 I have found David my servant;
with my sacred oil I have anointed him.
21 My hand will sustain him;
surely my arm will strengthen him.
22 The enemy will not get the better of him;
the wicked will not oppress him.
23 I will crush his foes before him
and strike down his adversaries.
24 My faithful love will be with him,
and through my name his horn will be exalted.
25 I will set his hand over the sea,
his right hand over the rivers.
26 He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, the Rock my Savior.’
27 And I will appoint him to be my firstborn,
the most exalted of the kings of the earth.
28 I will maintain my love to him forever,
and my covenant with him will never fail.
29 I will establish his line forever,
his throne as long as the heavens endure.

God's promises are not to be taken lightly. God promised David more than he could ever imagine and that promise is freely available to you and I. God's promises can see us set up as part of His family with His blessing, love, strength and favour upon us. But, it does come at a price. David need to recognise God's role in his life. God wants to be in relationship with us. David willingly entered into it. He wasn't always perfect but he always recognised God. If we want the promises of the Lord in our lives we need to recognise our relationship with God just as David did.

30 “If his sons forsake my law
and do not follow my statutes,
31 if they violate my decrees
and fail to keep my commands,
32 I will punish their sin with the rod,
their iniquity with flogging;
33 but I will not take my love from him,
nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.
34 I will not violate my covenant
or alter what my lips have uttered.
35 Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness—
and I will not lie to David—
36 that his line will continue forever
and his throne endure before me like the sun;
37 it will be established forever like the moon,
the faithful witness in the sky.”
38 But you have rejected, you have spurned,
you have been very angry with your anointed one.
39 You have renounced the covenant with your servant
and have defiled his crown in the dust.
40 You have broken through all his walls
and reduced his strongholds to ruins.
41 All who pass by have plundered him;
he has become the scorn of his neighbors.
42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes;
you have made all his enemies rejoice.
43 Indeed, you have turned back the edge of his sword
and have not supported him in battle.
44 You have put an end to his splendor
and cast his throne to the ground.
45 You have cut short the days of his youth;
you have covered him with a mantle of shame.
46 How long, LORD? Will you hide yourself forever?
How long will your wrath burn like fire?
47 Remember how fleeting is my life.
For what futility you have created all humanity!
48 Who can live and not see death,
or who can escape the power of the grave?
49 Lord, where is your former great love,
which in your faithfulness you swore to David?
50 Remember, Lord, how your servant has been mocked,
how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the nations,
51 the taunts with which your enemies, LORD, have mocked,
with which they have mocked every step of your anointed one.
Ever watched a relationship crumble where you see one person trying really hard and the other is just not interested? You feel like saying to former "just get over them" or, as the book famously says, their "just not that into you"? Well God has that problem too. I have seen many "Christians" who are just not that into God.

Breaking up with God is not that easy to do. The Isrealites found out the hard way. God desn't take it lightly. He doesn't like excuses and doesn't like to be replaced. Yet, when all is said and done, it is us that loose out when we don't have our relationship with God. We cease to be people of purpose. We join the world trying to keep up with the Kardashians.

52 Praise be to the LORD forever!
Amen and Amen.

 

[SplendidTree]

Amen!

 

[Evie1980]

Psalms 90

A prayer of Moses the man of God.

1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place
throughout all generations.
2 Before the mountains were born
or you brought forth the whole world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You turn people back to dust,
saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.”
4 A thousand years in your sight
are like a day that has just gone by,
or like a watch in the night.
5 Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death—
they are like the new grass of the morning:
6 In the morning it springs up new,
but by evening it is dry and withered.
7 We are consumed by your anger
and terrified by your indignation.
8 You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.
9 All our days pass away under your wrath;
we finish our years with a moan.
10 Our days may come to seventy years,
or eighty, if our strength endures;
yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow,
for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
11 If only we knew the power of your anger!
Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due.
12 Teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
13 Relent, LORD! How long will it be?
Have compassion on your servants.
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
for as many years as we have seen trouble.
16 May your deeds be shown to your servants,
your splendor to their children. 17 May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us;
establish the work of our hands for us—
yes, establish the work of our hands.

If I Had Only Known...

• that being an adult wasn't so easy, I would have enjoyed my childhood more.
• that for all the times I wanted to come home when living overseas, there would be an equal amount of times that I would be at home wanting to be back overseas.
• that the love of God surrounded me in all that I did, I would have done more in faith.
• that my life would not turn out the way that I planned it (no matter how much I complained), I would have allowed God to plan it a lot sooner.

There is so much I would have done different, if I had only known. My days are fleeting. I am merely a mortal and all these days will come to an end one time soon. So, as I stare down another years worth of resolution, I pray that I don't have too many "If I had only known" moments and just trust that, whatever happens, the Lord has blessed my days.

 

[Evie1980]

Psalm 91

1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”

Bette Middler sand a song in Beaches as an ode to her friend about her friend being in her shadow. It's a warm, friendly song about how her friend is always behind her and supporting her. She is able to shine because her friend is in her shadow, lifting her up when she needs it. Yet, the Psalmist here talks about how we are able to shine because we are in God's shadow. God lifts us up because we are behind Him. Hmmm....

So why do we need to be in the shadow of the Lord? When we are in God's shadow, God goes before you in all that you do. He can see what is about to happen and is able to plan His angels according to your needs. Even though you only see the darkness of His shadow, He sees in the light all things. His clarity of vision is so much better than ours, His ability to do all things and change all circumstances allows us to know we have His support even though we can't see. Us being in His shadow is far better than God being in ours, no matter how much our ego would prefer it to be the other way round!.

So whats it like to live in God's shadow? How has it helped me? I believe God's angels, mercy, provision and so much more has surrounded me when:
* I left my keys in the door overnight whilst sleeping safely inside. It was a blessing to find them still there in the morning. Noone had come in my house during the night! Huge blessing
* Yesterday I climbed a ladder in the garden to get to some branches that needed to be cut down. I am sure angels held that ladder because there were moments I was sure I would fall (it was a little too wobbly to be doing what I was doing but don't tell my mum)
* A boy ran out between 2 cars straight in front of my car and I was 2 seconds further away and driving just at the right speed not to hit him (one of the cars was a taxi and the driver went off in Tetun at the kid for nearly killing himself).
* Recently, He has made a plan for my time here and He is revealing it slowly.
These are just the beginning of a very long list. My hope, strength, refuge, trust, fortress and resting place is in the Lord. And He provides what I need on daily basis. I can see it happening. That's why God is my leader and I remain content in His shadow.

 

[Evie1980]

Psalm 92

A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day.

1 It is good to praise the LORD
and make music to your name, O Most High,
2 proclaiming your love in the morning
and your faithfulness at night,
3 to the music of the ten-stringed lyre
and the melody of the harp.
4 For you make me glad by your deeds, LORD;
I sing for joy at what your hands have done.
5 How great are your works, LORD,
how profound your thoughts!
6 Senseless people do not know,
fools do not understand,
7 that though the wicked spring up like grass
and all evildoers flourish,
they will be destroyed forever.
8 But you, LORD, are forever exalted.
9 For surely your enemies, LORD,
surely your enemies will perish;
all evildoers will be scattered.
10 You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox;
fine oils have been poured on me.
11 My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries;
my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes.
12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
13 planted in the house of the LORD,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They will still bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,
15 proclaiming, “The LORD is upright;
he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”

How do you speak to the Lord?
What do you say to Him?
Would you like others to hear it?
Would you like God or someone to speak to you like that?
Speak properly to the Lord our God who is worthy of praise. Speak to Him with the love and kindness He gives to us. Speak to Him the way you want Him to talk to you.

You voice, O Lord,
Tells me of Your promises
Your voice, O Lord,
Tells me of Your great love

Your presence, O Lord,
Fills me with Your strength
Your presence, O Lord,
Fills me with Your love

Your wisdom, O Lord,
Leads and guides my path
Your wisdom, O Lord,
Leads me straigth to You

Your Spirit, O Lord,
Enables me to do all things
Your Spirit, O Lord,
Enables me to be Yours

 

[Keri]

Great Psalm.

How do you speak to the Lord? Openly.
What do you say to Him? Whatever is on my mind or heart.
Would you like others to hear it? No.
Would you like God or someone to speak to you like that? There is someone I wish would open up to me. But I think that comes with the time and learning to trust.

 

[SplendidTree]

How do you speak to the Lord? Very openly. He is my best friend

What do you say to Him? Whatever is on my heart, good or bad. I often speak to Him several times a day in many ways.

Would you like others to hear it? It doesn't bother me if they do most of the time.

Would you like God or someone to speak to you like that? Yes I sure would.




Thank you so much for continuing the Psalm Study-Thread. It is such a blessing and touching lives.

 

[Evie1980]

Psalm 93

1 The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty;
the LORD is robed in majesty and armed with strength;
indeed, the world is established, firm and secure.
2 Your throne was established long ago;
you are from all eternity.
3 The seas have lifted up, LORD,
the seas have lifted up their voice;
the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.
4 Mightier than the thunder of the great waters,
mightier than the breakers of the sea—
the LORD on high is mighty.
5 Your statutes, LORD, stand firm;
holiness adorns your house
for endless days.

I have been blessed to have flown across many oceans. The first time I flew out of Australia I flew to England via Borneo and the Middle East. Although only short stop overs, it showed me how vast and different this world is before I landed in London. In the times of the Psalmist, flying was impossible. Crossing so much water would have been such a challenge. The ease of flying through the air even with turbulance, is nothing cmpared to travelling on the ocean. The power and majesty of the waves, their ability to change the course of ships. Waves can destroy massive vessels and leave their cargo on the ocean to floor to rust away.

There is nothing in this world that can compare with the ocean. In fact, scientists belive water is what sets the earth apart from the other planets as it nourishes all life forms. That is why the Psalmist chose to compare God with the ocean. Only God can compare to it, But God doesn't just compare to it, He is its controller. God controlled the water from the beginning of time. He seperated it from the Heavens in Genesis 1.

God is stringer and mightier than the waves and ocean. Creation cries out to Him in so many ways.

 

[Evie1980]

Psalm 94

1 The LORD is a God who avenges.
O God who avenges, shine forth.
2 Rise up, Judge of the earth;
pay back to the proud what they deserve.
3 How long, LORD, will the wicked,
how long will the wicked be jubilant?
4 They pour out arrogant words;
all the evildoers are full of boasting.
5 They crush your people, LORD;
they oppress your inheritance.
6 They slay the widow and the foreigner;
they murder the fatherless.
7 They say, “The LORD does not see;
the God of Jacob takes no notice.”
8 Take notice, you senseless ones among the people;
you fools, when will you become wise?
9 Does he who fashioned the ear not hear?
Does he who formed the eye not see?
10 Does he who disciplines nations not punish?
Does he who teaches mankind lack knowledge?
11 The LORD knows all human plans;
he knows that they are futile.
12 Blessed is the one you discipline, LORD,
the one you teach from your law;
13 you grant them relief from days of trouble,
till a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the LORD will not reject his people;
he will never forsake his inheritance.
15 Judgment will again be founded on righteousness,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.
16 Who will rise up for me against the wicked?
Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?
17 Unless the LORD had given me help,
I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.
18 When I said, “My foot is slipping,”
your unfailing love, LORD, supported me.
19 When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought me joy. 20 Can a corrupt throne be allied with you—
a throne that brings on misery by its decrees?
21 The wicked band together against the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the LORD has become my fortress,
and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.
23 He will repay them for their sins
and destroy them for their wickedness;
the LORD our God will destroy them.

Just a quick note - consolation also means comfort or to comfort.

Its not easy living in a time when righteous stands for nothing. I was at a coffee shop waiting for a kilogram (just over 2 pounds) of coffee to be ground for our expresso machine (we love our coffee). Now, I drink alcohol. It is very much a part of Australian culture. Yet, even I was surprised that the owners and the 2 other customres in the shop were talking about how they and their mates were going and getting drunk. It was not a conversation I cared to listen to r be part of. Even by Australian standards, it was a bit tacky (in bad taste). The only woman of the four then swore (the one starting with an f). Turning and seeing me she apologised for my benefit. This has never happened before. May never happen again. But it got me thinking about how common talking like this is and how acceptable unrighteousness is. How little people care about what they do or say in public especially when it is culturally acceptable.

The psalmist understood this difficulty. He is going through a whole converstaion. He starts with talking to God about what is going on; then moves through talking to others about their unrighteousness and what they shoudl do about it; and then reminds himself about God. It flows as an observation of the world around him. He is trying to make sense of it all. Trying hard to show there is no longer any goodness in this world and yet, for him, there is still hope.

And there is still hope for us. The psalmist talks about God's discipline and His love. He talks about how we can be the righteous amongst the unrighteous. The Lord gave him help to overcome and the Lord will also give us help. He will provide for us when we feel like the pressure from both inside and outside of us will cause us to fall into the same pit everyone else is in. In the end, the psalmist reminds himself that he is safe as long as the Lord is his fortress and strength. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23

 

[SplendidTree]

Thank you so much, sister!

I am wondering, have you ever considered publishing your Psalm studies? If you ever do, please let me know!

 

[Evie1980]

Psalm 95

1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.

3 For the LORD is the great God,
the great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
6 Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;
7 for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care. Today, if only you would hear his voice,
8 “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,
as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness,
9 where your ancestors tested me;
they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
10 For forty years I was angry with that generation;
I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray,
and they have not known my ways.’
11 So I declared on oath in my anger,
‘They shall never enter my rest.’”

What a wonderful psalm to read before going to church tomorrow morning. Many times I need to remind myself why I go to worship. The psalmist reminds us just excatly why we should spend time in worship of Him. The psalmist also reminds us that when we worship the Lord we also have to listen for His voice. I know that it is hard to do and trust me when I say I sometimes feel like an Israelite wondering aimlessly through the desert. It is not easy with all distractions we have. We can easily loose sight of what we are doing, why we are doing and who we are doing it for. The Israelites lost their way because they lost sight of God and we can do that too by not listening to Him.

So just before I go to church in the morning I am going to read this psalm and remind myself to go before the Lord with a right heart and a right attitude towards Him and His will for my life.

 

[Evie1980]

Psalm 96

1 Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Sing to the LORD, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
4 For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and glory are in his sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to the LORD, all you families of nations,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come into his courts.
9 Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.”
The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.
11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
13 Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for he comes,
he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples in his faithfulness.

Do you enjoy being a Christian? Do you enjoy praising the Lord? So you wake asking the Lord what your hands can do for Him today? Do you wake up seeking His face? Do you sing and praise your days through? Do you rejoice and be glad in all the things the Lord has placed before you?

It is not easy to always see the blessing through the curse. We live in a world that has fallen yet the psalmist is reminding us that we have a reason to rejoice and be glad. We have something to share with the world. We have a message of hope and of love. As Paul says in Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again:Rejoice!"

But how do we go about rejoicing? What leads us to state where we are rejoicing in the Lord? We get there by:
Singing to the Lord
Proclaiming and declaring (which is publicly announcing) His salvation and glory
Ascribe (which is recognise the character) to God glory and strength
Bring offerings
Worship and tremble

So it is not as easy as it sounds but when we start rejoicing in Him, amazing things will happen. All the earth and the heavens will seem to be rejoicing with us and we will see the glory of God around us.

 

[Evie1980]

Psalm 97

1 The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad;
let the distant shores rejoice.
2 Clouds and thick darkness surround him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes before him
and consumes his foes on every side.
4 His lightning lights up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
and all peoples see his glory.
7 All who worship images are put to shame,
those who boast in idols—
worship him, all you gods!
8 Zion hears and rejoices
and the villages of Judah are glad
because of your judgments, LORD.
9 For you, LORD, are the Most High over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.
10 Let 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.
11 Light shines on the righteous
and joy on the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the LORD, you who are righteous,
and praise his holy name.

Have you seen the glory of the Lord lately?

Be truthful. We talk about feeling God's presence or seeing Him manifest in our lives. We can see the works of His hands and see His majesty around us. But His glory is something very special. Something that we get a glimpse of every now and then but can never really fully see and comprehend.

Moses wanted to see God's glory and had the opportunity to see it. He asked God to reveal His glory to him. God, in His love, allowed Moses to see His goodness. But why would Moses need to do that? Because Moses knew he needed to see more of the Lord. He needed to know about his God more and more each day. Moses wanted the revealation of the Lord to be his highest priority. He was focused on who God was just like the psalmist here.

Many times we want God's glory in our lives so that we can show others but Moses was selfish. He didn't ask God to reveal His glory to the Israelites. He asked God to reveal His glory to himself. This was a personal journey for Moses. He had made it through so many different situations with the Lord and he was continuing to seek His face. This was a time that it was ok for Moses to be selfish.

So when was the last time you saw God's glory?

* Just for a little more research. I liked this

Many persons seem to have exceedingly narrow, partial, obscure views of God. So shadow-like, and dim is their notion of Him, or so partial and one sided, and distorted, that it is like any thing almost more than like God. Perhaps Moses was somewhat in this condition. He had seen God in the burning bush, he had heard his voice, saying, "O, lead my people Israel," he had been the rod of Jehovah's wrath on wicked Egypt, he had stood on Sinai and seen God in fire and smoke and lightnings, but he could not be satisfied--he must know more. And all along Moses had to ask for new revelations continually.
.

Professor Finney 1843 taken from THE REVELATION OF GOD'S GLORY by Charles G. Finney

 

[Evie1980]

Psalm 98
A psalm.
1 Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done marvelous things;
his right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
2 The LORD has made his salvation known
and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
3 He has remembered his love
and his faithfulness to Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
4 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
5 make music to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
6 with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—
shout for joy before the LORD, the King.
7 Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands,
let the mountains sing together for joy;
9 let them sing before the LORD,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples with equity.

How do you sing unto the Lord?

I am not musically talented. I have tried to play the guitar and the piano but my attention span is a little short. To be honest, I am not very dedicated to learning music either. Though I do love it. I love to sing. I love to sing the old hymns at night time when I am all alone. I am not great but some songs reound through my very being and I praise the Lord through it.

So how, with my limited talent, am I supposed to sing a new song unto the Lord? Miriam sang a new song unto the Lord when Moses and the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. She sang a new song that told of the Lord's victory over Egypt. It was a song of hope, endurance and love of her God. We are called to sing like that unto the Lord. We may not be good at it but we are called to sing about how great our God. We are to sing with our own voice, our own words and with our own lives. Miriam sang her song to her God based on her life. True, I can still sing the same song with meaning and devotion but it lacks the love of someone who has seen the Lord's providence manifest in their life with their own eyes.

So how do you sing unto the Lord with your own voice, words and life?
I have a new song in my life to sing. You may never get to hear it (that is most probably a good thing

) but it will be sung until the Lord places a new song in my heart.

 

[Evie1980]

Psalm 99

1 The LORD reigns,
let the nations tremble;
he sits enthroned between the cherubim,
let the earth shake.
2 Great is the LORD in Zion;
he is exalted over all the nations.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name—
he is holy.
4 The King is mighty, he loves justice—
you have established equity;
in Jacob you have done
what is just and right.
5 Exalt the LORD our God
and worship at his footstool;
he is holy.
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
Samuel was among those who called on his name;
they called on the LORD
and he answered them.
7 He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud;
they kept his statutes and the decrees he gave them.
8 LORD our God,
you answered them;
you were to Israel a forgiving God,
though you punished their misdeeds.
9 Exalt the LORD our God
and worship at his holy mountain,
for the LORD our God is holy.

How beautiful are the words "The Lord reigns". How awe inspiring are those words? The Lord reigns in the dark and in the light. The Lord reigns in times of uncertainty and in times of security. The Lord reigns in all things.

But it is hard, in this day and age, to understand what it is like to have a sovereign ruler. As an Australian I have a queen as my head of state, however, I only give her idle thought and really only care about the weddings and deaths in the royal family. I do have a Prime Minister however that can change at the next election (or before then if her party decided to vote her out and get a new leader). So to have a King in my life is kind of weird (to be honest). To have someone who has authority at all given times, regardless of my vote, goes against everything that I believe within a modern democracy. I did study some political theory as part of my university degree (I know that it has nothing to do with elementary teaching but I like random) and truthfully, God doesn't really fit into it.

Yet here we are in the modern world with a King and Ruler. Someone who has power and authority beyond what we can imagine. A King who has ruled in the past, is ruling now and will continue to rule regardless of what happens in the future. So how do we respond to that? How beautiful are the words "The Lord reigns"?

 

[Evie1980]

Psalm 100

A psalm. For giving grateful praise.

1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations

A quick question: are you grateful for the life the Lord has given you?

You may quickly answer yes or no, or you may take a little more time to ponder. What would make you be grateful for the life that you now live? A house? car? spouse? or the rmoval of a partner? friends? job? not the job you have now?

I am not sure where you are at in your life but I know where I am. Am I grateful? Depends on my mood and feelings at any given time. But they are not a fair judement of my life. Everyone has pressure in their daily lives. Everyone ca be ungrateful for the life that they live but that does not change how wonderful God is. It doesn't change the fact that He is who He is.

So why should I be grateful now? Because even though the giants surround me, even though I am not sure which way I am to go, even though I may seem to think that there is no hope for my dreams, even though I am not sure what tomorrow may bring (least of all the next 5 years), even though I have had prayers left unanswered (or just answered in the way I didn't want them to be), even though I FEEL like I have every right to whinge and complain, my God's love endures for me.

Yes, my God's love endures for me. Through the God and the bad. Through the feelings of hurt, uncertainty and pain. He will be faithful to me. He will provide for me. His promise surrounds me that nothing is impossible.

I am grateful that I have everything that I need through His love for me.

 

[Evie1980]

Psalm 101

Of David. A psalm.
1 I will sing of your love and justice;
to you, LORD, I will sing praise.
2 I will be careful to lead a blameless life—
when will you come to me?
I will conduct the affairs of my house
with a blameless heart.
3 I will not look with approval
on anything that is vile.
I hate what faithless people do;
I will have no part in it.
4 The perverse of heart shall be far from me;
I will have nothing to do with what is evil.
5 Whoever slanders their neighbor in secret,
I will put to silence;
whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart,
I will not tolerate.
6 My eyes will be on the faithful in the land,
that they may dwell with me;
the one whose walk is blameless
will minister to me.
7 No one who practices deceit
will dwell in my house;
no one who speaks falsely
will stand in my presence. 8 Every morning I will put to silence
all the wicked in the land;
I will cut off every evildoer
from the city of the LORD.

Choose your friends wisely. It seems easy enough really. We all know what it is like to have negative people around us. We all know what it is like to hear the constant complaints and constant criticisms of others. We all know what it is like to hear words that should not have been said. We all know what it is like to be around people who make us feel uncomfortable with their descriptions of others. We all know what it is like to get ungodly counsel even when we have not asked for it. And we all know what happens when we choose to be around the wrong types of people. We end being like them!

But, for us, communication is not limited to the people we see on a daily basis. We have forums, chatrooms, newspapers, magazines, internet sites, phone, mobile phone, telegram, books, tv. We have more ways to communicate than David most probably dreamed possible! So even though we still have RL friends they hear and speak only a fraction of all we hear, read and say on a daily basis.

So imagine what it would be like to have King David as head of all communication systems. I believe the very notion of free speech would be questioned. If David limited all communications to only what was necessary, factual and beneficial to the reader/listener, there would be a lot missing on the internet.

To live the kind of life David is talking about here is not easy but it can be done. We just need to be careful how we interact with and in the world around us.

 

[Evie1980]

Psalm 102

A prayer of an afflicted person who has grown weak and pours out a lament before the LORD.

1 Hear my prayer, LORD;
let my cry for help come to you.
2 Do not hide your face from me
when I am in distress.
Turn your ear to me;
when I call, answer me quickly.
3 For my days vanish like smoke;
my bones burn like glowing embers.
4 My heart is blighted and withered like grass;
I forget to eat my food.
5 In my distress I groan aloud
and am reduced to skin and bones.
6 I am like a desert owl,
like an owl among the ruins.
7 I lie awake; I have become
like a bird alone on a roof.
8 All day long my enemies taunt me;
those who rail against me use my name as a curse.
9 For I eat ashes as my food
and mingle my drink with tears
10 because of your great wrath,
for you have taken me up and thrown me aside.
11 My days are like the evening shadow;
I wither away like grass.
12 But you, LORD, sit enthroned forever;
your renown endures through all generations.
13 You will arise and have compassion on Zion,
for it is time to show favor to her;
the appointed time has come.
14 For her stones are dear to your servants;
her very dust moves them to pity.
15 The nations will fear the name of the LORD,
all the kings of the earth will revere your glory.
16 For the LORD will rebuild Zion
and appear in his glory.
17 He will respond to the prayer of the destitute;
he will not despise their plea.
18 Let this be written for a future generation,
that a people not yet created may praise the LORD:
19 “The LORD looked down from his sanctuary on high,
from heaven he viewed the earth,
20 to hear the groans of the prisoners
and release those condemned to death.”
21 So the name of the LORD will be declared in Zion
and his praise in Jerusalem
22 when the peoples and the kingdoms
assemble to worship the LORD.
23 In the course of my life he broke my strength;
he cut short my days.
24 So I said:
“Do not take me away, my God, in the midst of my days;
your years go on through all generations.
25 In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
26 They will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
Like clothing you will change them
and they will be discarded.
27 But you remain the same,
and your years will never end.
28 The children of your servants will live in your presence;
their descendants will be established before you.”

Depression is a hard thing to live with but something that most of us will have to go through at some stage in our life. Depression is a subject often talked about in my family. My father is a long term sufferer. Some of my cousins are struggling and may continue to struggle. Of course I too have struggled through moments and situations that have left me feeling like living was overrated. In so many different ways depression has and continues to have an effect on my life.

There are many reasons that we end up in a spiral of depression. Sometimes it is our own doing, someone else's doing or just the circumstances we have found ourselves in. Whatever the reason we are in a depression cycle, there is a way to get out. It is not easy and requires us trusting in the One who knows all things, can do all things and loves us regardless of where we are at or what we are feeling. It is in these moments we need to call upon the Lord and seek His face. It is these moments that we realise there is no way we can deal with the situation on our own.

That doesn't mean that when we pray it is going to be a magic wand and fix everything. Far from it. However, God does answer our cries for help. He will provide a way through it all. It may not come in the answer that you expect but there will be an answer. The time will come or has come that the Lord will show favour on your life when all this will come to pass.

I like this verse especially:
13 You will arise and have compassion on Zion,
for it is time to show favor to her;
the appointed time has come.

 

[Evie1980]

Psalm 103

Of David.
1 Praise the LORD, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the LORD, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
15 The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children—
18 with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.
19 The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Praise the LORD, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
21 Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the LORD, all his works
everywhere in his dominion. Praise the LORD, my soul.

Why do you love the Lord? Why are you a Christian? What makes God so special when compared to other gods?

Being brought up in a Christian household these were questions I asked my mother when I was around 14. I had decided that questioning MY faith was what I needed to do. My mother tried her best to answer my questions and where she couldn't she got some resurces to help me. You see my perception of who God was, and what that meant to me, wasn't quite accurate.

It took a long for that to change. I still went to church but I never really knew, as the psalmist decribes here, how God benefited me. Then slowly, over a couple of years, God started to reveal Himself to me. He enabled me to see how wonderful it was to know Him. He showed me, through my own life and others, how He answered prayers, showed mercy, enabled forgiveness and healing, and creates a life full of love, compassion, hope and joy. Yes, He changed my life completely. He created a new path and a new way that I never thought possible. Sometimes I still don't think it is possible and then, like the psalmist, I remind myself. I forget not His benefits or His promises.

My uncle, who is a youth pastor, said on his facebook recently (I am paraphrasing) that it is easy to say the word of hope and promise that we have in the Lord without actually living them. It is a hard life we are called to live and, just like the Israelites, we get caught up in the fear of today rather than remembering God's mercy in the past. This week I am going to run the race that the Lord ha given me in the hope, love and mercy of His promises.

 

[Evie1980]

Psalm 104

1 Praise the LORD, my soul.

LORD my God, you are very great;
you are clothed with splendor and majesty.
2 The LORD wraps himself in light as with a garment;
he stretches out the heavens like a tent
3 and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.
He makes the clouds his chariot
and rides on the wings of the wind.
4 He makes winds his messengers,
flames of fire his servants.
5 He set the earth on its foundations;
it can never be moved.
6 You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.
7 But at your rebuke the waters fled,
at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;
8 they flowed over the mountains,
they went down into the valleys,
to the place you assigned for them.
9 You set a boundary they cannot cross;
never again will they cover the earth.
10 He makes springs pour water into the ravines;
it flows between the mountains.
11 They give water to all the beasts of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 The birds of the sky nest by the waters;
they sing among the branches.
13 He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;
the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work.
14 He makes grass grow for the cattle,
and plants for people to cultivate—
bringing forth food from the earth:
15 wine that gladdens human hearts,
oil to make their faces shine,
and bread that sustains their hearts.
16 The trees of the LORD are well watered,
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
17 There the birds make their nests;
the stork has its home in the junipers.
18 The high mountains belong to the wild goats;
the crags are a refuge for the hyrax.
19 He made the moon to mark the seasons,
and the sun knows when to go down.
20 You bring darkness, it becomes night,
and all the beasts of the forest prowl.
21 The lions roar for their prey
and seek their food from God.
22 The sun rises, and they steal away;
they return and lie down in their dens.
23 Then people go out to their work,
to their labor until evening.
24 How many are your works, LORD!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
25 There is the sea, vast and spacious,
teeming with creatures beyond number—
living things both large and small.
26 There the ships go to and fro,
and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.
27 All creatures look to you
to give them their food at the proper time.
28 When you give it to them,
they gather it up;
when you open your hand,
they are satisfied with good things.
29 When you hide your face,
they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
they die and return to the dust.
30 When you send your Spirit,
they are created,
and you renew the face of the ground.
31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD rejoice in his works—
32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
who touches the mountains, and they smoke.
33 I will sing to the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
as I rejoice in the LORD.
35 But may sinners vanish from the earth
and the wicked be no more.
Praise the LORD, my soul. Praise the LORD.

So how much do you do in the average day? How many works do you get to accomplish? If you are like me there are days when I get lots done and other days are less productive. Yet, when I compare my daily duties to the Lord's, I really am rather lazy. Even the most productive people in the world cannot compare to the works of the Lord.

God is a doing Lord and the psalmist recognised it. As a teacher, I could use the psalm to teach students about verbs! God didn't just make the earth and left it as is. No, God does much more. Everyday He provides for His creation. God didn't make a toy to play with when He created the earth and all in it. He created life to interact with. He is very much a part of the daily life of every living creature if they recognise it or not.

So today as you go about your daily life remember that the Lord is providing for you in the midst of it. Every moment has come at the right time for you.