Month: April 2021

My Strong Deliverer (April 8)

Backgrounder to Psalms 140-145:
Your enemies will either drive you
from God or drive you to God.
In David’s hour of need he found
a sure Refuge (Ps 140, 142),
a trustworthy Friend (Ps 141),
a listening Ear (Ps 143),
strong Arm (Ps 144),
a merciful King (Ps 145)
and you can too.

Deliver me O Lord from evil men;
preserve me from violent men,
who plan evil things in their hearts…
I said to the Lord: You are my God;
Hear the voice of my supplications,
O God the Lord, the strength
of my salvation (Ps 140:1-2, 6-7).
I know the Lord will maintain
the cause of the afflicted,
and justice for the poor.
Surely the righteous shall
give thanks to Your name;
The upright shall dwell
in Your presence (Ps 140:12-13).

Lord God Almighty, You are the Strong Deliverer; You’re the fortress
and You are the rock. And whoever
who is in You will surely be saved.
I praise You for You are powerful.
I praise You for You are my deliverer.
I praise You for You are my Saviour.
Thank You for whispering time and
again Your promises of deliverance.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

Lord, sometimes anxiety and fear
creep into our thoughts to cause
us to doubt Your power and might
and the willingness to deliver us.
And we turn our thoughts to
what we could lose rather than
trusting in Your sovereign power.
Forgive us Lord for not trusting
Your impending deliverance in time
of distress. In Jesus’ precious name.

Lord & Strong Deliverer, financial,
emotional and physical attacks
can rob us of joy, hope & peace.
May You be at forefront of my mind
so I know with full assurance You
as my deliverer are stronger than
anything that comes against me.
Give me Lord the peace that comes
with trust; and the grace that comes with hope. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

God of Enduring Love  (April 7)

Sometimes it’s easy to praise God
by recalling the past (Ps 135-136).
At other times memories of the past
produce more pain than praise (137).
But even times of trouble can be
cause for Praise to God Ps 138).
This is so as you meditate about
the unceasing presence of Your
omnipotent God (Psalm 139).

Lord, we’ll Revere In Your Love:
Oh give thanks to the Lord,
for He is good! Oh give thanks
to the God of gods! For His mercy
endures forever (Ps 136:1-2).
Who remembered us in our lowly
state,for His mercy endures forever.
And rescued us from our enemies,
for His mercy endures forever;
Who gives food to all flesh,
for His mercy endures forever.
O give thanks to the God of heaven!
For His mercy endures(Ps136:24-26)

Lord, nothing can stop You from
loving me. Your love will work
through every situation these days
just as Your faithful love carried
Your people Israel in days of old.
I can trust Your love today,
tomorrow and for the rest of my life.
Thank You that Your love endures
forever. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Lord, the blessed reality is Your
faithful love towards us. Were it not
for Your faithful love, we will have
no hope. We see in this psalm what
divine love looks like: the rescue of
redemption, the rest of provision,
the warm of being remembered.
Your faithful love endures forever.
Let me never lose sight of Your
great enduring love for me. Amen.

Lord, You are waiting to show love
and compassion to Your people.
You are the one, true, faithful God;
why should I look elsewhere for help.
Give me Lord courage to wait on You.
Strengthen my faith Lord even as
I see Your faithfulness in my life.
Lord, I will Revere In Your Love;
I will Abide In Your Presence and
I will Hold to Your Promises. Amen.

Lord God My Helper (April 6)

Thank God for Being For Me
Praise permeates nearly every
line of Psalm 111-118. God is
praiseworthy for His care (P111),
His commandments (P112),
His name (P113), His power (P114)
His uniqueness (P115),
His Deliverance (P116), His truth
(P117) and His Mercy (P118).
What other response could there
be thankful to Praise the Lord.

Lord Almighty, You are For Me:
Give thanks to the Lord for He is
good & His Mercy endures forever.
In my distress I prayed to the
Lord and the Lord answered me
and rescued me. The Lord is
On My Side, I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do
to me? Yes, the Lord is For me;
He will help me (Ps 118:1, 5-7).
This is the day the Lord has made.
We’ll Rejoice & be glad in it (v24).

Father God, as Your child, Nothing
can separate me from Your love.
Thank You Lord for answering
and helping me in my distress.
Thank You Lord for the truth
that You are For me, for it is
assuring of Your concern for me.
Help me to resolve not to be afraid
because the Almighty Lord of the
universe is On My Side. Amen.

Lord, thank You for being For me
and You bring me through trouble.
You are my ally and my hero with
strong arm giving me confidence.
You are my Father and nothing
can separate me from Your love.
You are my impregnable fortress,
my unconquerable tower of safety.
You are my shield to protect me
from harm; and as I take refuge in
You, I don’t have to be afraid. Amen.

Lord, this is the day You have
made, a place of new beginning
for me. No matter what happens,
help me rejoice and be glad
in the day that You have made.
Help me to see Your goodness
and lift up my head and rejoice.
And help me to see my problem
as one more opportunity to
depend on You. In Jesus’ name.

God of My Praise (April 5)

There is plenty to sing about
in Psalms 107-110. First comes
the song of the redeemed (Ps 107);
then a song dedicated to the God
of might and glory (Psalm 108);
and finally a song of lament over
the slanderous attacks of an
enemy (Ps 109). But how can
you sing when the godless are
seemingly getting away with murder?
Remember with the psalmist David
that the Lord is King (Psalm 110).

Hallow be to God of my Praise:
O God of my praise (Elohim
Tehillati), do not remain silent !
For deceitful men have opened
their mouths against me… In return
for my friendship they accuse me.
But I give myself to prayer(P109:1-4)
O God the Lord deal with me
for Your name’s sake; because
Your mercy is good, deliver me.
For I am poor and needy (v21-22)
Help me O Lord my God. O save
me according to Your mercy,
that they may know that this
is Your hand- that You, Lord,
have done it (Ps 109:26-27).

Lord Elohim Tehillati, we thank You
for Your grace and lovingkindness.
We extol You Lord for You are
our strength and also because
You have become our salvation.
We praise You for You’re the one
true God & for Your righteousness.
And we come before You in humble
adoration to worship You & ascribe
the glory due Your name! Amen.

Lord, I bow before the majesty of
Your glory and all that is due to You.
I confess sometimes of taking
credit for that which You have done.
I fail to remember You are the one
who shows favours, opens doors
and gives me the opportunities.
For I can do nothing from You,
so You are fully worthy of my
heartfelt praise. In Jesus’ name.

Lord Elohim Tehillati, give me eyes
to see You all around me so that
I’ll overflow with gratitude of You.
Refine my soul so that praise
become the natural response
rather than something being
prompted to do so at church.
And keep me from subtle sins
that distract me from glorifying You.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

The Lord My Refuge

Though the author of most of
Psalms 90-97 are unknown,
the Object of their worship is well
known: the God of eternity (Ps 90),
the God of protection (Ps 91),
the God of greatness (Ps 92),
the God of majesty (Ps 93),
the God of vengeance (Ps 94),
the God of salvation (Ps 95),
the God of glory (Ps 96) and
the God of holiness (Ps 97).

Praise be to Jehovah Machsi:
He who dwells in the secret place
of the Most High shall abide
under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord: He is
my refuge (Jehovah Machsi)
and my fortress; my God,
in Him I will trust (Psalm 91:1-2).
Because you have made
the Lord, who is my refuge
(Jehovah Machsi), even the
Most High, your dwelling place,
no harm shall befall you,
nor shall any plague come
near your dwelling. For He shall
give His angels charge over you
to keep you (Psalm 91:9-11).

Lord Jehovah Machsi, as I dwell
in Your shelter, I will abide in
Your shadow. For You truly are
my refuge and my fortress,
my God in whom I trust.
Under Your wings, I seek
my refuge, Your faithfulness
is my shield and strength.
I have made You my refuge
and my dwelling place. Amen.

Lord, there is power in the name
Jehovah Machsi to free me from
that which holds me in bondage.
Forgive me for not accessing
that power on a regular basis; and
trying to figure it all out in my own.
Rather than simply resting in Your
refuge, I try to overcome it, all in
my own strength, which leaves me
only frustrated mostof the time.
May I know You as my refuge
and abide in Your power. Amen.

Lord Jehovah Machsi, show me
where my refuge really is. For I
often run to distractions to take my
mind off of what I’m dealing with.
Open my eyes so that I can see
as Elisha’s servant saw Your army.
Show me my refuge that I may run
there each and every time I need to.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

Walking By Faith In God (Apr 4)

After painting man’s sorry condition,
Paul turns to God’s merciful solution.
Jesus Christ’s death on the
cross has paid sin’s penalty and
satisfied God’s righteous demand.
To the one who in faith accepts
Jesus’ full payment, God stamps
across the debt of sin: “Paid in Full.”
That is justification. Its basis is
the work of Christ; its means is
the grace of God; its requirement
is faith in God and His promise.
Abraham and David are examples
showing how justification brings
peace & access,hope & forgiveness
to the one who has faith in God.

Lord, our sin points out our need
to be forgiven and be cleansed.
Although we don’t deserve it,
You God in Your lovingkindness,
reached out to forgive us;
by providing Christ to save us.
Lord, though there may be life’s
challenges, we will walk by faith.
We Believe in Your Promises;
we Allow Problems to Shape us;
we Hold On to Eternal Perspective.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

Lord, we’ll Believe Your Promise:
When God promised Abraham that
he would become the father of
many nations, Abraham believed
him…even though such a promise
seemed utterly impossible!
Abraham’s faith did not weaken
even though he knew that he was
too old to be a father at the age
of 100 and that Sarah his wife had
never been able to have children.
Abraham never wavered believing
God’s promise. In fact, his faith
grew stronger…He was absolutely
convinced God was able to do
anything he promised. Because
of Abraham’s faith, God declared
him righteous (Rom 4:18-22).
Lord, like Abraham You may give
us a promise without any details.
All we can really do is to wait and
that seems extremely frustrating.
Like Abraham, we will choose
against all hope, hope anyway, and
believe what You promised; for
U are God of impossibilities. Amen

Lord, we Allow Problems Shape us:
We can rejoice too when we run
into problems and trials, for we
know that they are good for us,
they help us to endure. And
endurance develops strength of
character in us, and character
strengthens our confident
expectation of salvation.
And this expectation will not
disappoint us. For we know how
dearly God loves us (Rom 5:3-4).
Lord, You want me to trust You
during hard times. Rejoicing isn’t
natural for me, so help make it my
supernatural response to pressures
and difficulties in life. Teach me
Lord to endure so that my faith
will grow and get stronger. Amen.

Lord, we Cling to Eternal Perspectiv:
God demonstrates His own love
towards us in that while we were
still sinners, Christ died for us…
Since we’re restored to friendship
with God by the death of his Son
while we were still sinners, we will
certainly be delivered from eternal
punishment by his life. So now
we can rejoice in our wonderful
new relationship with God – all
because of what our Lord Jesus
Christ has done for us in making
us friends of God (Rom 5:8-11).
Father, I rejoice in my relationship
with You God all because of what
Jesus Christ has done for me.
Having an intimate relationship
with Jesus also enable me have
an eternal perspective of life.
I gratefully praise You for the joy
such a friendship brings. Amen.

Merciful God Frees Us From Sin

Paul begins by describing the
helpless condition of humanity.
A rebellious nature has led
to rejection of the Creator
and worship of the creation.
God in turn has permitted the sinful
nature of human beings to express
the fullness of its corruption.
Jew or Gentile, the whole human
race stands helpless before God.
Truly, all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God.

Lord, we realise each person
has sinned either by rebelling
against You God of by ignoring
Your will. No matter what our
background or how hard we try
to live good and moral lives, we
cannot earn salvation or remove
our sin. Only Christ can save us.
Lord, we will Share the Gospel,
we will Be Doers of the Word, for
we are Grateful for Your Mercy.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord, we will Share the Gospel:
I am eager to come to you in Rome
too to preach God’s Good News.
For I am not ashamed of this Good
News about Christ. It is the power
of God at work, saving everyone
who believes… This Good News
tells us how God makes us right…
This is accomplished I from start
to finish by faith (Rom 1:15-17).
Father, I know that You have sent
Jesus into this world. Through Him
I have been declared righteous
and I am freed from the penalty
and the power of sin. He has done
for me what no other could ever do.
Enlarge my appreciation & affection
for Jesus and for Your gospel.
And may I share it to others. Amen.

Lord, we will Be Doers of the Word:
God, it is not those who merely
hear the law whom You declare
righteous in Your sight. It is those
who obey the law whom You
declare righteous (Rom 2:13).
Loving Lord, we humbly ask
You to grant us the grace
not only to be hearers of the Word,
but also doers of the same;
not only to love You,
but also to live Your gospel;
not only to profess You,
but also to practice Your commands
to the honour of Your Holy Name
and the health of our soul. Amen.

Lord, we’re Grateful for Your Mercy:
All have sinned; all fall short of
God’s glorious standard. Yet now
God in his gracious kindness
declares us Not Guilty. He has
done this through Christ Jesus,
who has Freed us by Taking
Away our sins (Rom 3:23-25).
Father,thanks for loving us so much
that You make us right with You.
Because You are a just God and
could not simply overlook our sins,
You sent Your Son as the perfect
sacrifice to take the punishment
our sins required. So grateful I am
made right with You when I trust
your Son to Take Away all my sins;
and You remember them no more.
Because of Jesus’ death, You God
declares me Not Guilty; and sees
Christ’s righteousness instead of
my sin. Thanks for giving the Spirit
to empower me not to sin. Amen.

Righteousness thru Faith In Christ

As the Bible is arranged by genre,
to enhance understanding context
we had been meditating scripture
by time sequence over 3OT phases:
OT1A: Genesis
OT1B: Poetry Book of Job
OT1C: Life of Moses (Exo to Deut)
OT2A: History to David (Josh-1Chr)
OT2B: Five Books of Psalms
OT2C: 1 Kings & Wisdom Poetry
OT3A: 2 Kings & Prophets
OT3B: 2 Chronicles & Prophets
OT3C: Post Exilic Period & Prophets
Then we meditated on John where
we learnt Jesus Christ as Son of God
and believing we’ve life in His name.
And Acts records fulfilment of Jesus’
Commission as Spirit-transformed
disciples spread the gospel.

Next, Romans. Although Paul had
not founded the church in Rome,
he had heard of the exemplary faith
and service of the Roman believers,
and he intended to visit them.
Thus the letter to the Romans
served to introduce both Paul
and his messages. As such, it has
been called the gospel according
to Paul. Writing perhaps from Corinth
on his third missionary journey,
Paul sets forth some of the central
doctrines of the Christian faith:
justification by faith, life in the Spirit,
unity in the body & God’s redemptn
program for Jew and Gentile alike.

We will meditate Romans over three
weekends in the following divisions:
R1-3: Problem of Unrighteousness
R4-5: Provision of Righteousness
R6-8: Pursuit of Righteousness
R9-11: Program of Righteousness
R12-16: Practice of Righteousness
Lord, thank You that we have
been justified through faith; and
thanks that we have peace with God
through our Jesus Christ. Amen.

Knowing God thru His Names

The purpose of Psalms is to provide
poetry for the expression of praise,
worship and confession to God.
Psalms Book 4 is similar to Numbers.
Just as Numbers discusses the
relationship of Israel to surrounding
nations, psalms 90-106 often
mention the relationship of God’s
overruling kingdom to other nations.
This week we understand God better
thru His revelation of names, mostly
related to His ability to meet needs.
On Monday, we learn from Ps 90
about God as Our Dwelling Place.
On Tuesday, we learn from Ps 91
about The Lord My Refuge.
On Wednesday, we learn from
Ps 95 about God Our Maker.
On Thursday, we learn from
Ps 98 about The Lord The King.
On Friday, we learn from Ps 99
about the God Who Forgives.
Let us humble ourselves and pray
and seek His face…In Jesus’ name.

The God Who Forgives (April 2)

In Psalm 103, the psalmist urges
you to count your blessings.
And psalms 98-102 provide plenty
of ideas to help you do just that
by focusing on the many things
for which you should be thankful:
your salvation (Psalm 98),
answered prayer (Psalm 99),
God’s mercy and truth (Ps 100),
God’s justice and holiness (Ps 101),
God’s care when u are down (P102).

All Praise to God Who Forgives:
Exalt the Lord our God, and
worship at His footstool. He is holy.
Moses and Aaron were among
His priests, and Samuel was
among those who called upon
the Lord and He answered them…
You were to them God Who Forgives
(El Nose), though you punished
their misdeeds (Psalm 99:5-8).

Lord El Nose, You are worthy of
all praise because the expanse
of Your love covers my sins.
You love me enough to teach me
through the results of my wrong
choices, but You are also there
when I turn to You for forgiveness.
My heart is filled with gratitude
for Your capacity to forgive. Amen.

Lord, some of my failures are seemingly mild, as when I doubt
Yr steadfastness or sovereignty.
Others may be more serious
as when I speak unkindly to
another person whom You love.
But Lord You know all of my sins.
I beg for Your mercy, and I am
grateful to receive it. Amen.

El Nose, help me not take lightly
the gift of Your forgiveness.
Remind me of the price Jesus
paid to offer me forgiveness.
Create in me a heart of gratitude
that will serve you with my life.
There is no condemnation for me
for I’m in Christ. Write this truth
on my mind & help me approach
Your throne of grace boldly. Amen.