Psalm 147-150 This hymn book of sacred songs comes to a beautiful crescendo with these words of praise to the Lord, our God.
Psalm 147 continues the unending list of His great grace towards mankind. We praise Him because He:
Gathers outcasts.
Heals the brokenhearted.
Binds up our wounds.
and He numbers the stars and calls them by name.
Our great God is "abundant in strength ".
He has infinite understanding.
He sees and cares for the afflicted.
He tackles the wicked.
Our God "provides rain for the earth."
He makes grass grow.
He feeds the animals. Even the ravens.
He isn't impressed with the strength of a horse or a man...
But, He "favors those who fear Him."
God strengthens ...
He blesses...
He makes peace.
He satisfies.
He commands nature... the snow is His, the wind is His.
Psalm 148 is a call for all of creation to praise the Lord. Everything from the highest heavens to the lowest depth of the sea. Everyone from the angels in glory to the child in your arms...
"For HIs name alone is exalted; His glory is above earth and heaven."
Psalm 149 shows us how to praise Him...
With new songs..
With congregations.
With dancing.
With instruments.
With joy and gladness...
Sing praises everywhere and always.. "For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation."
Psalm 150 Praise to the Lord comes from hearts that recognize His "excellent greatness". The final note rings out with clear beauty and majesty.. " Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!"
Father, You are great, with unsearchable, boundless greatness. You are gracious and compassionate, You are powerful and awesome. We praise You with our every breath.. even as You give us breath. Praise the Lord! You have healed our broken hearts. You have set us free from sin, death, and the devil. You have given us salvation through Jesus Christ the Lord. You have brought us near to Yourself. You have forgiven us and cleansed us and made us righteous by the blood of the Lamb. We exalt You and bless Your name. You are worthy of our highest praise. Praise the Lord! Amen.
Friday, February 3, 2017
Thursday, February 2, 2017
Psalm 146
Psalm 145 exhorts us to "declare His mighty acts"(v4); meditate on His " wonderful works"(v5); speak of His "awesome acts"(v6) ; and "make known... [His] mighty acts" ( v12). Verses14-20 then tell us of what He does... and this Psalm continues to proclaim His praise:
To this God, who is our Hope, we give praise with all our soul, because:
He "made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them;" v6
He "keeps faith forever".
He "executes justice for the oppressed" v7
He gives "food to the hungry".
He "sets the prisoners free."
He "opens the eyes of the blind" v8
He "raises up those who are bowed down"
He "loves the righteous".
He "protects the strangers." v9
He "supports the fatherless and the widow".
He "thwarts the way of the wicked".
He "will reign forever". v10
In Charles Spurgeon's book, The Fullness of Joy, he writes a chapter titled "Marvelous Things". The verses he cites are Psalm 98:1-2 " O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvelous things; his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory. The Lord hath made known his salvation; his righteousness hath he openly showed in the sight of the heathen." Spurgeon expounds on what is marvelous about what the Lord has done:
The marvelous things:
Christ overcame sin... the guilt of it and the power of it!
He overcame death. "... He has gone up into glory and left heaven's gate wide open to all believers".
He overcame Satan.
"Therefore, dearly beloved in Christ, this is the joyous news we have to bring sinners; sin and death and the Devil have all been vanquished by the great Captain of our salvation."
The marvelous ways:
Christ did this alone... He did it all. We can "throw [our] weight entirely upon Him"
He did it "so wisely". "The design of salvation is the very perfection of wisdom, because all the attributes of God are equally glorified in it" Mercy and justice both completely fulfilled in Christ!
"The hand that was pierced by the nails conquered sin; the hand that was fastened to the wood has fastened up the accusation that was written against us; the hand that bled has brought salvation to us, so that we are Christ's forever. Infinite wisdom shone through in our Lord's conquest of sin and death and the Devil."
He did it with absolute holiness.
He did it with perfect, amazing, unbiased grace.
The marvelous revelation:
" It is truly marvelous that the Holy Spirit, who is equally God with the Father and the Son, should come and reside in these bodies of ours and make them His temple."
We could not know Him any other way..
We come again and again to the Word of God, to remember, to declare, to sing, and to praise His marvelous works! It is like daily bread.. manna from heaven... life giving. To meditate and rejoice in His unfathomable greatness and unmeasurable love for us should lead us into songs of praise.
"Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord while I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being." ( Psalm 146:1-2)
Amen.
Psalm 145 exhorts us to "declare His mighty acts"(v4); meditate on His " wonderful works"(v5); speak of His "awesome acts"(v6) ; and "make known... [His] mighty acts" ( v12). Verses14-20 then tell us of what He does... and this Psalm continues to proclaim His praise:
To this God, who is our Hope, we give praise with all our soul, because:
He "made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them;" v6
He "keeps faith forever".
He "executes justice for the oppressed" v7
He gives "food to the hungry".
He "sets the prisoners free."
He "opens the eyes of the blind" v8
He "raises up those who are bowed down"
He "loves the righteous".
He "protects the strangers." v9
He "supports the fatherless and the widow".
He "thwarts the way of the wicked".
He "will reign forever". v10
In Charles Spurgeon's book, The Fullness of Joy, he writes a chapter titled "Marvelous Things". The verses he cites are Psalm 98:1-2 " O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvelous things; his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory. The Lord hath made known his salvation; his righteousness hath he openly showed in the sight of the heathen." Spurgeon expounds on what is marvelous about what the Lord has done:
The marvelous things:
Christ overcame sin... the guilt of it and the power of it!
He overcame death. "... He has gone up into glory and left heaven's gate wide open to all believers".
He overcame Satan.
"Therefore, dearly beloved in Christ, this is the joyous news we have to bring sinners; sin and death and the Devil have all been vanquished by the great Captain of our salvation."
The marvelous ways:
Christ did this alone... He did it all. We can "throw [our] weight entirely upon Him"
He did it "so wisely". "The design of salvation is the very perfection of wisdom, because all the attributes of God are equally glorified in it" Mercy and justice both completely fulfilled in Christ!
"The hand that was pierced by the nails conquered sin; the hand that was fastened to the wood has fastened up the accusation that was written against us; the hand that bled has brought salvation to us, so that we are Christ's forever. Infinite wisdom shone through in our Lord's conquest of sin and death and the Devil."
He did it with absolute holiness.
He did it with perfect, amazing, unbiased grace.
The marvelous revelation:
" It is truly marvelous that the Holy Spirit, who is equally God with the Father and the Son, should come and reside in these bodies of ours and make them His temple."
We could not know Him any other way..
We come again and again to the Word of God, to remember, to declare, to sing, and to praise His marvelous works! It is like daily bread.. manna from heaven... life giving. To meditate and rejoice in His unfathomable greatness and unmeasurable love for us should lead us into songs of praise.
"Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord while I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being." ( Psalm 146:1-2)
Amen.
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Psalm 145... my favorite.. I memorized this psalm a few years ago and recited it in my head so often, meditating on all the truths found in it.. learning how to praise and bless and extol my Lord and King. Unfortunately, my aging mind has betrayed me a bit, and I forget parts... but I want to learn it again.
Here are some things to think upon from this psalm:
To "bless" the Lord's name is to speak well of Him and to honor Him with our words.
To praise Him every day forever and ever will bless Him!
The Lord is great... His greatness is "unsearchable" - unfathomable; beyond what we can know.. Yes, He is worthy of the highest praise.
Each generation needs to.. NEEDS TO.. praise the works of God and declare His mighty acts to the next.
Each of us needs to meditate on His wonders and on His majesty.. and on His glorious splendor.
We need to speak.. we need to tell... we need to utter eagerly.. we need to shout joyfully... these truths about our God:
He is awesome!
He is great!
He is righteous!
He is gracious and merciful!
He is slow to anger and great in lovingkindness!
He is good to all!
He is compassionate about His creation!
We need to give Him thanks!
We need to talk about His kingdom.
We need to talk about His power.
We need to "make known" His works, His wonders, His everlasting kingdom.
It is the Lord who holds up those who are falling.
It is the Lord who raises up the humble.
It is the Lord who provides food for every creature.
It is the Lord who satisfies us.
It is the Lord who, in kindness and righteousness, is near when we call.
It it the Lord who hears us, saves us, keeps us, and loves us.
It is the Lord who justly deals with the wicked.
Yes, I will open my mouth to praise Him and to lead others to bless His Name forever!
Amen!
Here are some things to think upon from this psalm:
To "bless" the Lord's name is to speak well of Him and to honor Him with our words.
To praise Him every day forever and ever will bless Him!
The Lord is great... His greatness is "unsearchable" - unfathomable; beyond what we can know.. Yes, He is worthy of the highest praise.
Each generation needs to.. NEEDS TO.. praise the works of God and declare His mighty acts to the next.
Each of us needs to meditate on His wonders and on His majesty.. and on His glorious splendor.
We need to speak.. we need to tell... we need to utter eagerly.. we need to shout joyfully... these truths about our God:
He is awesome!
He is great!
He is righteous!
He is gracious and merciful!
He is slow to anger and great in lovingkindness!
He is good to all!
He is compassionate about His creation!
We need to give Him thanks!
We need to talk about His kingdom.
We need to talk about His power.
We need to "make known" His works, His wonders, His everlasting kingdom.
It is the Lord who holds up those who are falling.
It is the Lord who raises up the humble.
It is the Lord who provides food for every creature.
It is the Lord who satisfies us.
It is the Lord who, in kindness and righteousness, is near when we call.
It it the Lord who hears us, saves us, keeps us, and loves us.
It is the Lord who justly deals with the wicked.
Yes, I will open my mouth to praise Him and to lead others to bless His Name forever!
Amen!
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Psalm 142 is a prayer for help. David freely voices his complaints and troubles and seeks refuge in the One Who cares for his soul, Who is a refuge and a portion.
Psalm 143 is a prayer for guidance when overwhelmed by circumstances. "Teach me the way in which I should walk; for to Thee I lift up my soul." David prays.( v8b) "Teach me to do Thy will." (v10). David puts all of himself in the Hands of the Lord, his God.
Psalm 144 is a prayer for help and also for prosperity. In this prayer he proclaims the Lord to be:
His rock.
His trainer.
His stronghold and deliverer.
His shield and refuge.
David is amazed at the fact that God is mindful of man. Of him. But, convinced of that fact, he goes on to ask God to do extraordinary things:
"Bow Thy heavens, O Lord, and come down." (v5)
"Touch the mountains, that they may smoke." (v 5)
"Flash forth lightning and scatter them; Send out Thine arrows and confuse them." (v6)
"Stretch forth Thy hand from on high, rescue me and deliver me out of great waters." (v 7).
David goes on to ask the Lord to bless the children, bless their garners, bless their flocks and their cattle. ( v12-14)
Big requests! What faith David displays in his bold requests. What an example to us.... we need to recognize how great our God is, how intimately He knows us and thinks of us, and how big our prayers can be when we put our faith in Him!
These psalms ( along with all the rest) are such great examples and lessons on how to pray:
We need to pray for personal purity and purpose. (Psalm 141:1-5)
We need to pray for God's action against the wickedness in our world. ( Psalm 141:6-10)
We need to pray for God's help when we are in trouble or when we are overwhelmed. ( Psalm 142)
We need to pray for God's specific guidance for each day and in all of life. ( Psalm 143)
We need to pray, committing ourselves to the One who is our Rock, our Deliverer, our Shield, and our Refuge. We need to be mindful of the One who is mindful of us...
We need to learn to ask Him for the big things as well as the small... expanding our faith, our trust, our complete dependance on Him for all we need and all our heart's desires. ( Psalm 144)
Father in heaven, we come before You and bless Your Name. You are our Rock, our Everything. You are amazing and holy and perfect in every way! You have made us and loved us. You have made a way for us to come before You, to know You, and to bring every need before You. We come in the Name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, who is our Redeemer and Mediator. We come to ask for all these things that we need... for pure hearts and cleans hands; for help; for guidance; for righteousness and for deliverance. We come to ask for some big things... that You would open up the heavens and come down! That You would set fire to mountains of hatred, mountains of false religion, and mountains of suffering. We ask that You would stop those who love evil and do wicked deeds. Those who kill unborn babies, and those who preach immorality. Those who stir up dissent and love to disrupt the peace. May they fall into their own snares. May they repent of their sin. May they find the One who alone can bring Light to their darkness. Do mighty works of Grace that will turn the hearts of the lost to the Savior, Lord. For only You can do such things. You are the Lord and we bless Your Name. We give You thanks for all that You have done. Amen
Psalm 143 is a prayer for guidance when overwhelmed by circumstances. "Teach me the way in which I should walk; for to Thee I lift up my soul." David prays.( v8b) "Teach me to do Thy will." (v10). David puts all of himself in the Hands of the Lord, his God.
Psalm 144 is a prayer for help and also for prosperity. In this prayer he proclaims the Lord to be:
His rock.
His trainer.
His stronghold and deliverer.
His shield and refuge.
David is amazed at the fact that God is mindful of man. Of him. But, convinced of that fact, he goes on to ask God to do extraordinary things:
"Bow Thy heavens, O Lord, and come down." (v5)
"Touch the mountains, that they may smoke." (v 5)
"Flash forth lightning and scatter them; Send out Thine arrows and confuse them." (v6)
"Stretch forth Thy hand from on high, rescue me and deliver me out of great waters." (v 7).
David goes on to ask the Lord to bless the children, bless their garners, bless their flocks and their cattle. ( v12-14)
Big requests! What faith David displays in his bold requests. What an example to us.... we need to recognize how great our God is, how intimately He knows us and thinks of us, and how big our prayers can be when we put our faith in Him!
These psalms ( along with all the rest) are such great examples and lessons on how to pray:
We need to pray for personal purity and purpose. (Psalm 141:1-5)
We need to pray for God's action against the wickedness in our world. ( Psalm 141:6-10)
We need to pray for God's help when we are in trouble or when we are overwhelmed. ( Psalm 142)
We need to pray for God's specific guidance for each day and in all of life. ( Psalm 143)
We need to pray, committing ourselves to the One who is our Rock, our Deliverer, our Shield, and our Refuge. We need to be mindful of the One who is mindful of us...
We need to learn to ask Him for the big things as well as the small... expanding our faith, our trust, our complete dependance on Him for all we need and all our heart's desires. ( Psalm 144)
Father in heaven, we come before You and bless Your Name. You are our Rock, our Everything. You are amazing and holy and perfect in every way! You have made us and loved us. You have made a way for us to come before You, to know You, and to bring every need before You. We come in the Name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, who is our Redeemer and Mediator. We come to ask for all these things that we need... for pure hearts and cleans hands; for help; for guidance; for righteousness and for deliverance. We come to ask for some big things... that You would open up the heavens and come down! That You would set fire to mountains of hatred, mountains of false religion, and mountains of suffering. We ask that You would stop those who love evil and do wicked deeds. Those who kill unborn babies, and those who preach immorality. Those who stir up dissent and love to disrupt the peace. May they fall into their own snares. May they repent of their sin. May they find the One who alone can bring Light to their darkness. Do mighty works of Grace that will turn the hearts of the lost to the Savior, Lord. For only You can do such things. You are the Lord and we bless Your Name. We give You thanks for all that You have done. Amen
Monday, January 30, 2017
Psalm 141 David's prayer has two main focuses... first, that he would be acceptable to his Lord, and second, that he would be protected from the wicked. Two very important prayer requests, that we don't always make part of our daily prayer times.
Verses 1-5a contain the requests that David brings for himself:
Lord, I'm calling to You, will You hear my voice?
My prayer is like an offering, I lift it up to You, may it be acceptable, holy, pure.
Lord, guard what I say. Keep a lock on my mouth so that I do not offend You with my words.
Lord, keep a guard on my heart, keep me from desiring what is evil.
Lord, keep me from doing any wicked deeds.
Lord, may I not even associate with any who might lead me into sin.
Lord, may I consider it a kindness when a righteous friend reproves me. May I not resent it but consider it "oil on my head".. a blessing.
Today I was reading in The Imitation of Christ, Chapter 19, called "Of the exercises of a good religious person"... quite a challenging title! But, the main theme is about examining our "purpose" for living on a daily basis.
"According to our purpose shall be the success of our spiritual profiting; and much diligence is necessary to him that will profit much. And if he that firmly purposeth often fail, what shall he do that seldom or but weakly purposeth anything?"
In other words... if we want to live for the Lord, we need to be diligent to order our lives.... inside and out... "in word, deed, and thought" accordingly. Daily. Whatever way that we choose to do this is as individual as each person, the writer tells us, but, we need to do it! Yes, it depends on God's grace. Yes, God may bring interruptions of changes. But if we start out in the morning with a fixed purpose to live for God, to serve Him only, and to be ready and prepared for what He has planned, then that is good. And, at the end of the day we review our words, deeds, and thoughts, we may find that we have offended someone and have need of forgiveness. That is living with godly purpose.
This is exactly what David's prayer is about, isn't it? He is asking the Lord to help him live a godly life. He is purposing in his heart to be pure and blameless before God, with His help. What a wonderful purpose and a vital prayer!
I think we are probably a little better at the second part of David's prayer: Stop the wicked, Lord.
You are my refuge. You can make them fall into their own traps. You can bring me through safely.
We may not be in the kind of situations that David found himself in, but we still need to pray like this. There is wickedness all around us.. hatred, abuse, oppression, etc. We need to pray that those who are filled with evil will fall into their own snares and that we will not. We need to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are being persecuted and killed for their beliefs. We need to pray for the Church to boldly preach the Gospel of Peace, so that all will come to know that they also can find refuge in our Mighty God.
Lord, once again my request is like that of the disciples, teach me to pray... in Jesus' Name, amen.
Verses 1-5a contain the requests that David brings for himself:
Lord, I'm calling to You, will You hear my voice?
My prayer is like an offering, I lift it up to You, may it be acceptable, holy, pure.
Lord, guard what I say. Keep a lock on my mouth so that I do not offend You with my words.
Lord, keep a guard on my heart, keep me from desiring what is evil.
Lord, keep me from doing any wicked deeds.
Lord, may I not even associate with any who might lead me into sin.
Lord, may I consider it a kindness when a righteous friend reproves me. May I not resent it but consider it "oil on my head".. a blessing.
Today I was reading in The Imitation of Christ, Chapter 19, called "Of the exercises of a good religious person"... quite a challenging title! But, the main theme is about examining our "purpose" for living on a daily basis.
"According to our purpose shall be the success of our spiritual profiting; and much diligence is necessary to him that will profit much. And if he that firmly purposeth often fail, what shall he do that seldom or but weakly purposeth anything?"
In other words... if we want to live for the Lord, we need to be diligent to order our lives.... inside and out... "in word, deed, and thought" accordingly. Daily. Whatever way that we choose to do this is as individual as each person, the writer tells us, but, we need to do it! Yes, it depends on God's grace. Yes, God may bring interruptions of changes. But if we start out in the morning with a fixed purpose to live for God, to serve Him only, and to be ready and prepared for what He has planned, then that is good. And, at the end of the day we review our words, deeds, and thoughts, we may find that we have offended someone and have need of forgiveness. That is living with godly purpose.
This is exactly what David's prayer is about, isn't it? He is asking the Lord to help him live a godly life. He is purposing in his heart to be pure and blameless before God, with His help. What a wonderful purpose and a vital prayer!
Father, I'm coming into Your Presence
I'm lifting my prayers to You
I need Your grace and help;
Will You guard my words, Lord?
I give You control of my tongue.
Will You guard my heart, Lord?
I desire Your will, Your righteousness, Your Kingdom.
Reign in my life today.
Will You keep me from the evil one, Lord?
Don't let my open myself to any wickedness.
Help me to accept correction and conviction,
to confess and repent,
to forgive and to be forgiven.
Help me, Gracious God, to be diligent to purposely live for You
in all I say, do , and think, today.
Amen.
I think we are probably a little better at the second part of David's prayer: Stop the wicked, Lord.
You are my refuge. You can make them fall into their own traps. You can bring me through safely.
We may not be in the kind of situations that David found himself in, but we still need to pray like this. There is wickedness all around us.. hatred, abuse, oppression, etc. We need to pray that those who are filled with evil will fall into their own snares and that we will not. We need to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are being persecuted and killed for their beliefs. We need to pray for the Church to boldly preach the Gospel of Peace, so that all will come to know that they also can find refuge in our Mighty God.
Lord, once again my request is like that of the disciples, teach me to pray... in Jesus' Name, amen.
Friday, January 27, 2017
Psalm 140 God alone is our Rescuer. We have an enemy who desires for us to be crushed and destroyed. But, the truth is - our enemy has already been conquered! We can rejoice in the truth of this fact - Jesus has conquered sin, death, hell, and Satan. They have no authority over us when we are in Christ Jesus! Give thanks to the Lord!!!
This psalm describes the "evil men" that David wanted deliverance from:
They were violent.
They devised evil plans.
They stirred up wars.
Their tongues were sharp like serpents.
Their lips held poison.
Their hands held violence.
They would deliberately cause him to trip.
They had hidden traps, cords, nets, and snares.
The world is still full of such men, servants of the Devil himself. Their character is formed by the one who has deceived them and kept them in darkness.
But, our Father in heaven is the One who rescues us out of the dominion of darkness and transfers us into the Light, into the Kingdom of Jesus! Praise Him!!!
Like David, we can proclaim, "O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, Thou hast covered my head in the day of battle."
The Lord maintains our cause.
The Lord gives justice to the poor.
The Lord deals with the enemy. He has conquered the foe!
We have been given spiritual armor and we must carefully and diligently wear it. We must put in on every single day that we might "be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.... to stand firm against the schemes of the devil." ( Ephesians 6:10-18)
"Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day and having done everything, to stand firm. "
We must have God's Truth, belted around our bodies, souls, and hearts.
We must have His Righteousness to cover our whole selves.
We must take the Peace of the Gospel and stand firmly in it.
We must keep the shield of faith firmly in place, repelling those flaming missiles of the devil.
We have been given the helmet of salvation - He Covers our heads with His salvation!
We have been given a sword, the Spirit's own sword, the Word of God to defend and to defeat the foe.
It is in prayer that the armor is taken up.
It is in prayer that we stand firm against the enemy.
It is in prayer that the battle is won and evil is overcome.
Father in Heaven, we give You praise that You have " delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of [Your] beloved Son." ( Col. 1:13) We were once blind but now we see. We were once prisoners but now we are free. We were once dead in our trespasses and sins, but now we are alive in Christ. Amazing Grace! We take up the armor of God today, O Lord, and we proclaim along with David's psalm, " Thou art my God". You are our salvation. You are our King. We are Your servants. We serve in Your army today, standing firm in Christ, resisting the evil day in the Name of Jesus our Lord, in whose name we pray. Amen.
This psalm describes the "evil men" that David wanted deliverance from:
They were violent.
They devised evil plans.
They stirred up wars.
Their tongues were sharp like serpents.
Their lips held poison.
Their hands held violence.
They would deliberately cause him to trip.
They had hidden traps, cords, nets, and snares.
The world is still full of such men, servants of the Devil himself. Their character is formed by the one who has deceived them and kept them in darkness.
But, our Father in heaven is the One who rescues us out of the dominion of darkness and transfers us into the Light, into the Kingdom of Jesus! Praise Him!!!
Like David, we can proclaim, "O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, Thou hast covered my head in the day of battle."
The Lord maintains our cause.
The Lord gives justice to the poor.
The Lord deals with the enemy. He has conquered the foe!
We have been given spiritual armor and we must carefully and diligently wear it. We must put in on every single day that we might "be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.... to stand firm against the schemes of the devil." ( Ephesians 6:10-18)
"Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day and having done everything, to stand firm. "
We must have God's Truth, belted around our bodies, souls, and hearts.
We must have His Righteousness to cover our whole selves.
We must take the Peace of the Gospel and stand firmly in it.
We must keep the shield of faith firmly in place, repelling those flaming missiles of the devil.
We have been given the helmet of salvation - He Covers our heads with His salvation!
We have been given a sword, the Spirit's own sword, the Word of God to defend and to defeat the foe.
It is in prayer that the armor is taken up.
It is in prayer that we stand firm against the enemy.
It is in prayer that the battle is won and evil is overcome.
Father in Heaven, we give You praise that You have " delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of [Your] beloved Son." ( Col. 1:13) We were once blind but now we see. We were once prisoners but now we are free. We were once dead in our trespasses and sins, but now we are alive in Christ. Amazing Grace! We take up the armor of God today, O Lord, and we proclaim along with David's psalm, " Thou art my God". You are our salvation. You are our King. We are Your servants. We serve in Your army today, standing firm in Christ, resisting the evil day in the Name of Jesus our Lord, in whose name we pray. Amen.
Thursday, January 26, 2017
Psalm 139 This psalm of David is so precious. It takes us nearer to God, describing the intimate relationship He has with His creation.. with each of us. We so need to see this and recognize it for our own lives. We need to acknowledge these truths personally.
" O Lord, Thou hast searched me and known me." ( v1)
God knows when I sit down.
God knows when I stand up.
God understands what I am thinking.
God keeps His eye on my daily walk.
He sees me when I lay down.
He is " intimately acquainted with all my ways."
He knows what I'm going to say, before I say it.
He goes before me.
He comes behind me.
He puts His hand on me, covering me, shielding me, comforting me.
"Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it." (v6)
There is nowhere that I can go, that He is not with me.
There is nowhere I can fall, that He can't reach me.
There is nowhere too dark, that He can't see me.
He will never leave me.
He will never be too far away.
He will never let go of my hand.
God, Himself, formed me in my mother's womb.
He made me to be just the way I am.
He is the Designer, the Builder, and the Inspector.
He saw me when no one else could. Not even my own mother.
He wrote down His plan for me, for my days on this earth.
He already knows when the last one will come.
God thinks about me... and about you.
He never forgets us and never leaves us.
In light of this, like David, we need to ask Him to do two things:
Stop the wicked.
Search my heart, know me, try me, remove any wickedness in me, and lead me in the way of righteousness.
My Father, Holy God and Wonderful Savior, help me to more fully comprehend these amazing and wonderful truths. You are here right now and You know me perfectly. You have chosen to love me, to redeem me, to transform me, to adopt me, and to hold me in Your own Hands. This is too high for me to grasp with my finite mind... Yet it is True! That this is true for every person ever born or who will ever be born.. wow! You are so great and we cannot even begin to know just how great You are!
I worship You, O Lord. I want to praise You more and more. I want to bring honor and glory to Your Name. May I not be ashamed. May I not fail You. Remove all wickedness and fill me with Your righteousness, I pray. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
" O Lord, Thou hast searched me and known me." ( v1)
God knows when I sit down.
God knows when I stand up.
God understands what I am thinking.
God keeps His eye on my daily walk.
He sees me when I lay down.
He is " intimately acquainted with all my ways."
He knows what I'm going to say, before I say it.
He goes before me.
He comes behind me.
He puts His hand on me, covering me, shielding me, comforting me.
"Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it." (v6)
There is nowhere that I can go, that He is not with me.
There is nowhere I can fall, that He can't reach me.
There is nowhere too dark, that He can't see me.
He will never leave me.
He will never be too far away.
He will never let go of my hand.
God, Himself, formed me in my mother's womb.
He made me to be just the way I am.
He is the Designer, the Builder, and the Inspector.
He saw me when no one else could. Not even my own mother.
He wrote down His plan for me, for my days on this earth.
He already knows when the last one will come.
God thinks about me... and about you.
He never forgets us and never leaves us.
In light of this, like David, we need to ask Him to do two things:
Stop the wicked.
Search my heart, know me, try me, remove any wickedness in me, and lead me in the way of righteousness.
My Father, Holy God and Wonderful Savior, help me to more fully comprehend these amazing and wonderful truths. You are here right now and You know me perfectly. You have chosen to love me, to redeem me, to transform me, to adopt me, and to hold me in Your own Hands. This is too high for me to grasp with my finite mind... Yet it is True! That this is true for every person ever born or who will ever be born.. wow! You are so great and we cannot even begin to know just how great You are!
I worship You, O Lord. I want to praise You more and more. I want to bring honor and glory to Your Name. May I not be ashamed. May I not fail You. Remove all wickedness and fill me with Your righteousness, I pray. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)