Month: July 2022

Our Dwelling Place (July 15)

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).

Lord, You are our Dwelling Place:
.                 Lord, You have been our
 dwelling place in      all generations.
 Before the mountains were created,
or ever You had formed the earth…
Even from everlasting to everlasting
 You are God (Psalm 90:1-2).
Return O Lord! How long? And
have compassion on Your servants. 
Satisfy us… with Your unfailing
love, so we may so sing for joy
to the end of our lives (v13-14).
 Let the beauty of the Lord our God
be upon us, and establish the work
of our hands for us; Yes establish
the work of our hands (v17).

Lord, You are our dwelling place;
and I remember the times that You
has healed, rescued and guided me.
Thanks for allowing me to lead others;
and I pray that those who look to me
for guidance will be drawn to You.
Help me Lord to choose to serve
You and no other; for You’re worthy.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord, Thanks for Your promise
of unfailing love. Impress on
my heart a deeper awareness
of Your love and care for me.
Give me eyes to see all the ways
You express love to me each day.
Forgive me for seeking satisfaction
in material things and work.
And I pray that You Lord will
 become my greatest source
 of satisfaction and joy. Amen.

Almighty God, I pray You would
bless my work and establish it.
I commit all my ministries so that
they may be used for Your glory.
Give me strength to accomplish
what I must do each day, and
the wisdom & ability to do it well.
Take charge Lord of the details
 so that it will find favour with 
others and be successful. Amen.

Needing the Lord & Walking With Him

Backgrounder on Psalms 84-89:
These psalms are petitions to God:
         satisfy us again (Ps 84), revive us
again (P85), hear us again (P86);
gather us again (Psslm 87),
encourage us again (Psalm 88)
and make us sing again (Ps 89).
Each psalm ends with a benediction
of confidence that God will do that
in response to the prayers of His pple.

Lord, we Need You & Walk With You:
Bend down O Lord & hear my prayer.
Answer me, for I NEED Your help.
Protect me, for I am devoted to You.
Save me, for I serve You & trust You.
You are my God. Be merciful to me,
O Lord for I’m calling on U constantly.
Give me happiness, O Lord, for my
life depends on You. O Lord, You
are so good, so ready to forgive,
so full of unfailing love for all who Can
ask for Your aid. Listen closely
to my prayer… hear my urgent cry.
I will call to You whenever trouble
strikes & You’ll answer me (Ps 86:1-7)
Teach Me Your Way, O Lord;
I will WALK In Your Truth;
Unite my heart to fear Your name.
I will praise You, O Lord my God,
with all my heart, and I will glorify
Your name forevermore (v11-12).

O Yahweh, holy & sovereign God,
I humbly come before You again
and not claiming any innocence
having fallen from time to time.
Be merciful to me Lord for You
are so good and ready to forgive.
I also ask You to hear my urgent
cry because of Your unfailing love.
I come as a servant calling on my
Master to address my need. Amen.

Lord, I humbly come before You
thanking You for Your peace & joy,
for my soul is in need of Your grace.
I need Your strength to overcome
temptations and face challenges.
I need You to save and deliver me
for I serve You and trust in You.
I need Your blessings so that I can
be source of blessings to others.
I need Thee Lord in every way,
so bless me now my Saviour,
even as I come to Thee! Amen.

Lord, teach us Your way and we
will Walk With You & in Your truth.
Teach us what it really means
to walk by faith and not by sight;
and to stay constantly close to You.
And we praise our loving Heavenly
Father who longs to Be with us:
to Keep us from all wrong,
to Bless & keep us satisfied,
to Share our cares and burdens,
to Guide us to kingdom shore. Amen

God Blesses & Gives Joy

Backgrounder on Psalms 84-89:
These psalms are petitions to God:
satisfy us again (Ps 84), revive us
again (P85), hear us again (P86);
gather us again (Psslm 87),
encourage us again (Psalm 88)
and make us sing again (Ps 89).
Each psalm ends with a benediction
of confidence that God will do that
in response to the prayers of His pple.

Lord, You Bless the Righteous:
What Joy for those whose strength
comes from the Lord who have
set their minds on a pilgrimage…
When they walk thro the Valley of
Weeping, it will become a place of
refreshing springs. They go from
strength to strength (Ps 84:5-7).
For a day in Your courts is better
than a thousand. I would rather
be a doorkeeper in the house
of my God than dwell in the tents
of wickedness (Psalm 84:10).
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
no good thing does he withhold
from those who do what is right… Blessed
is the man who trusts in You (v11-12).

Heavenly Father, You are my God,
the one who provides for me,
who guides me and protects me.
Thanks for showering good things.
Thanks for Your glorious grace.
Thank You for Christ, who died
for my sins and who makes it
possible for me to experience
Your presence in my life.
Heavenly Father, I appreciate You
and I love You so much. Amen.

Lord, forgive me for my near-
sightedness that keeps me
too focussed on worldly cares.
Give me an Eternal Perspective.
on all that happens to me each day.
Set my mind and my heart on
You so that I can embrace Your
presence moment by moment.
For truly You O Lord are my
Strength and my hope. Amen.

Lord, I’m not at home here on
earth; for I’m just passing through.
Your presence is my destination,
and You have promised that
my joy will be found in You.
Lord, I know that You are not
withholding good things to us.
Grateful Lord that You will pour out
Your blessings in Your time. Amen

Remember God Able to Do Anything

Backgrounder on Psalms 73-77:
In these five psalms by Asaph,
those who ignore God will find
their path slippery and their
prosperity short-lived (Ps 73 & 75)
By contrast, those who order their
lives according to God’s Word will
discover hope in the midst of havoc
(Ps 74) and resources to face every
situation victoriously (Ps 76-77).

Lord, You’re Able to Do Anything:
I cried out to God with my voice…
And He gave ear to me. In the day
of my trouble I sought the Lord;
My hand was stretched out (Ps 77:1-2).
Has His mercy ceased?
Has His promise failed? Has God
forgotten to be gracious? (v8-9).
I will remember the works
of the Lord; surely I will
remember Your wonders of old.
I will also meditate on all Your
work and talk of Your deeds…
You are the God
who performs miracles;
You display Your Power among
the peoples (Ps 77:11-14) Amen.

Lord, You’re Able to do
miracles and work wonders.
Remind me of Your limitless power.
Remind me of Your past deeds.
I serve a God who can do anything.
You demonstrate Your infinite
strengths among the nations.
Display that same might in my life.
For You love to do God-sized
things and nothing is too difficult
for You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Lord, In Your sovereignty, You may
choose not to deliver us from our
trials yet, then give us the ability
to hang on and keep Trusting You.
For we realise sometimes You may
be growing our faith muscles,
when one is able because of
God’s sustaining strength endure
crushing troubles until His chosen
kairos timing arrives. Amen.

Lord, You said through Prophet
Habakkuk that the vision
is Yet for an appointed time;
at the end it will speak & not lie.
Though it tarries, Wait for it
because it will surely come!!
So Lord, make all things
beautiful in Your time.
And show me Lord each day
as You’re teaching me Your way
That You Do just what You say
In Your time. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Thirst for God & Hope In God

As the Deer is a well-known hymn
song written by Martin Nystrom
in 1984. He was a school teacher
in Seattle who went to Bible College
at Dallas Christ for Nations Institute
for summer term. I was challenged by
a roommate at CFNI to go on a fast
and to reading the Bible and prayer.
On the 19th day of the fast, I was
at the piano trying to write a song,
when I noticed a Bible on the music
stand of the piano open to Psalm 42.
My eyes fell on the first verse of that
chapter: As the deer panteth after
the water brooks, so panteth my soul
after thee… After reading the verse
I began to sing its message right off
the page. And I wrote the first verse
and chorus in a matter of minutes.

Lord, we Hope & Remember You:
As the deer pants for streams of
water, so I long for You, O God.
I Thirst for God, the living God…
Why am I discouraged? Why is
my heart so sad? I will Put My
Hope in God! I will Praise Him
again – my Saviour and my God…
O my God, my soul is cast
down within me; therefore
I will remember You (Ps 42:1-6).
I will say to God my Rock: Why
have You forgotten me? (v9).
Why am I discouraged?
Why so sad? I will put my Hope
in God! I will praise Him again – my
Saviour and my God! (v11) Amen.

Lord, satisfy this relentless Thirst
for You. Quench it with streams
of Your wisdom and inspiration.
Let Your words fulfill my deepest
desires; for I need You desperately.
Lord, I want to Connect with the
deepest part of Your Spirit in the
depths of mine. And let me hear
clearly the sound of Your voice. Amen

Lord, I bring the places of my soul
where I am downcast over to You.
For You are my Hope; You are my
salvation and I will Hope in You.
I purpose to trust and not be afraid;
and I have no good reason to fear;
for You Lord are my strength.
Send Your grace to help me,
that I may glorify You openly. Amen.

Lord, as the deer panteth for the
water, so my soul thirsts after You.
I love our relationship Lord, but
I am not content with remaining
as it is. Cause my soul to want and
long to have even more of You.
Satisfy this thirst for You Lord.
Quench it with gushing streams
of Your wisdom and inspiration.
And let Your Words & my prayers
fulfil our deepest desires. Amen.

Seeking God thru Biblical Prayers

The purpose of the book of Psalms is
to provide poetry for the expression of
praise, worship & confession to God.
This week we see that we can seek
and confidently trust God for help
for He is our refuge and our hope.
On Monday, we learn from Psalm 42
to Thirst for God and Hope In God.
On Tuesday, we learn from Psa 43
on Prayer as the Door of Hope.
On Wed, we learn from Psalm 46
to Be Still for God Is Our Refuge.
On Thursday, we learn from Psalm 51
on Prayer of Broken & Contrite Heart.
On Friday, we learn from Psalm 56/57
that we Trust God Is On Our Side.
On Sat, we learn from Psalm 62
to Wait Upon God Our Rock & Refuge.
Let us humble ourselves and pray
and seek His face… In Jesus’ name.

Wait Upon God Our Rock & Refuge

Backgrounder on Psalm 60-66:
In this segment, we read five
psalms of lament (Ps 60, 61, 63-65;
watch for the cry: O God) in which
the psalmist stands upon the
promises of God in the face of
defeat, discouragement & deceit.
Through it all the psalmist finds that
God is a praiseworthy refuge(62,66).

Lord, we Come to You Our Refuge:
I Wait Quietly before God,
for my victory comes from Him.
He alone is my rock and my
salvation, my fortress where
I will never be shaken (Ps 62:1-2).
My soul wait silently for God,
for my expectation is from Him.
He only is my rock and my
salvation; He is my defense;
I shall not be moved. Trust
in Him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to Him,
for God is our refuge (v5-8).

Lord, I lift my eyes up to You, the
Almighty God: my rock, my refuge,
my fortress and my salvation.
Quieten my heart Lord to Wait
upon You for my hope is in You.
Let my confidence not be shaken
by what my circumstances may say,
my mind may think or heart may feel.
Trust that my confidence rests on
the One who is my rock and that
You will never be shaken. Amen.

Lord, You are our refuge and
You are absolutely trustworthy.
Thank You for shielding us as
we face life’s troubles and for
going through them with us.
And we can rise and stand
upright despite what life may
send us for You are our refuge.
We praise You in Jesus’ name.

Lord Almighty, I lift my eyes to You,
for my confidence rests on the
One who is the Solid Rock, on
the One who will never be shaken.
Lord, Rock of Ages cleft for me
Let me hide myself in Thee.
When I rise to worlds unknown
And behold Thee on Thy throne.
Rock of Ages cleft for me
Let me hide myself in Thee. Amen.

We Trust God Is On Our Side

Backgrounder on Psalms 55-59:
These five psalms capture the
emotions of King David during
some of his most difficult days.
Notice David’s frank petitions and
confident trust in God in the wake
of being betrayed (P55), broken-
hearted (P56) & pursued (P57,59)
Through it all David knows there
is reward for the righteous and
God judgeth in the earth (P58:11).

Lord, we’ll Trust In You & Not Fear:
Whenever I am afraid, I’ll trust in U.
In God (I will praise His Word)
In God I have put my trust; I will
not fear. What can flesh do to me?..
When I cry out to You,
Then my enemies will turn back;
This I know because God is For me.
In God (I will praise His Word),
In God I have put my trust;
I will not be afraid. What can man
do to me? (Psalm 56:3-4 & 9-11).
My soul trusts in You; and
in the shadow of Your wings
I will make my refuge, until
these calamities have passed by.
I Cry Out to God Most High,
who will Fulfil His Purpose for me
and vindicate me… My Heart Is
Confident In You, O God; my heart
is confident. No wonder I can sing
your praises (Psa 57:1-2 & 7-8).

Lord, you have said that when
I’m afraid, I can put my Trust in You.
Thank You for Your word that
promises Your presence with me
as well as protection and provision.
You are my Hiding Place, so
please hold my hand in difficult
circumstances. Help me to Trust
In You & to walk close to You. Amen

Lord, in the midst of tough times,
it’s hard to remember that you
are In Control. You sit enthroned
above the heavens and will
Fulfil Your Purpose in my life.
Instead of complaining & doubting,
I will wait patiently for your
goodness and Trust confidently
in your infinite power. Amen.

Lord, in my distress, I still choose
to Trust and have hope in the
fulfilment of your purposes for
my life. Cause me not to hide
my troubled heart from you,
but to Cry Out to you. For You are
able to turn any trouble I face into
a fulfilment of my destiny. Amen.

Prayer of Broken & Contrite Heart

Backgrounder: Sin and confession are
prominent themes in Psalms 50-54.
David provides a model of confession
after his sin with Bethsheba (Ps 51);
and goes on to describe the perilous
nature of the tongue (Ps 52) and
the folly of pursuing evil (Ps 53).
Only with God as constant source
of help (Ps 54) can you counter
the pitfalls and temptations of life.

Lord, Create in me a Clean Heart:
Have Mercy upon me O God…
Wash me from my iniquity… For
I acknowledge my transgressions..
.    Against You have I sinned (Ps 51:1-4)
Create in me a Clean Heart, O God..
Renew a right spirit within me…
Do not cast me away from your
presence, & Restore to me again
the Joy of your salvation (v10-12)
My sacrifice O God is a broken
spirit; a Broken and contrite heart
You God will Not Despise (v17).

Lord, help me to come to You
 immediately at the first sign
of temptation so that I can
stop any wrongful thoughts
from turning into sinful actions.
And even when I do fall into sin,
help me Lord to quickly come before You
to Confess and Repent. Amen.

Lord, how blessed I am to have
the chance to live each day with
a pure heart, a regenerated heart,
full of the breath of Your Spirit.
Create in me a Clean Heart and
restore to me the Joy of yr salvation
Grant I’ll never take the cleansing
blood of Jesus for granted.
Holy Spirit, remind me of Your
Presence even when I sin. And
Restore me to deeper intimacy
with You than ever before. Amen.

Lord, when I sin, You do not want
 extravagant attempts at penance.
For You simply want me to wrestle
with the gravity of what I’ve done.
 Thank You for the implied promise
in Psalm 51:17 that You will forgive
 those who are broken by their sin
and who want to turn away from it.
So, Forgive me Lord, restore me
and change me; for I want to be a
person after Your own heart.Amen

Be Still for God Is Refuge

The 2nd book of Psalms (Ps 42-72),
is similar to the book of Exodus,
as many of these psalms describe
Israel as ruined & then recovered.
These psalms can help us pray for
rescue, confess our sin & trust God.
Psalm 42-49 are attributed to sons
of Korah, who served as singers
and musicians in the temple.

Lord,Thank U for Being My Refuge:
God is our Refuge and Strength,
an Ever-Present Help in times
of trouble. So, we will not fear,
when earthquakes come and
Mountains crumble into the sea;
though waters roar & be troubled,
though the mountains shake (P46:1-3)
The Lord of hosts is with us;
God… is our refuge… Come behold
the works of the Lord (v7-8).
BE STILL and know that I am God…
I will be exalted in the earth!
The Lord of hosts is with us (and)
God is Our Refuge (Ps 46:10-11).

Lord, Your Word says You are ever
Ready To Help in times of trouble.
Forgive me for the times when
I act as though You don’t exist.
Teach me to pull back fr troubles
and instead focus on You. I don’t
have to fear, no matter what I face.
For every moment that I breathe,
You are My Strength. And though
my life may be shaken to its core,
You are still My Refuge. Amen.

Father, when everything in my life
seems on the verge of crumbling &
falling apart, help me to experience
You Lord as My Firm Foundation.
For though You’re the Mountain
Mover, You also hold creation
steady in the palm of Your hand.
Guide me Lord as I entrust my
mountains over to You my solid
and ever faithful Father. Amen.

Lord, my heart may worry for though
You’re on Your throne, but I don’t
know what You are going to do.
Help me Lord to Be Still In You,
trust You and give me rest in You.
Let me know You are With me
in every circumstance, no matter
how difficult or even traumatic.
Let me Experience You as a Very
Present Help in trouble. Amen.