Adoring God In Psalm 126 (May 31)

God Will Restore His People; and       Inspiring “Bringing In the Sheaves”

Bringing In the Sheaves is a
metaphorical image of harvesting.
The phrase written by Shaw Knowles
in 1874 as part of the hymn, was
inspired by Psalm 126:5-6 which
can be applied to serving the Lord.
A similar encouragement is given
to us in Galatians: Let us not grow
weary while doing good, for In due
season we will reap if we do not
lose heart (Gal 6:9). These passages
remind us there’s hard work involved
in our service to the Lord, with heavy
burdens and perhaps even tears.
But the end result is worth it for the
Lord rewards & restores His people.

Lord, You’ll Restore Your People:
When the Lord Brought Back
His exiles to Jerusalem,
it was like a dream!
We were filled with laughter,
and we sang for joy. Yes,
the Lord has done amazing things
for us! What joy! (Psalm 126:1-3).
Restore our fortunes, Lord, as
the streams renew the desert (v4).
Those who plant in tears
Will Harvest with shouts of joy.
They weep as they go to plant
their seed, but they sing as
they return with the harvest,
Bringing In the Sheaves (v5-6).

Lord, thank You for not giving up
on Your people and thank You
for doing amazing things for us.
Just like God’s people returning
from exile, we will praise You for
Your grace that Brings Restoration.
My heart is filled with the joy of
knowing that You hold out a loving
hand saying: “Trust me! Try again
and know that I am with you.” Amen.

Lord, when we plant the seed
of God’s Word in the hearts of
those we love; Your promise
is that the harvest is coming.
One day we will see many of
those seeds come to fruition.
Help us not to despair but instead
keep on planting. For God will not
waste the seed we sow obediently.
And one day we’ll see the fruit of
our labour. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Lord, Going forth with weeping,
sowing for You Master,
Though the loss sustained
our spirit often grieves.
Waiting for the harvest,
and the time of reaping,
We shall come rejoicing,
bringing in the sheaves. Amen!!

Adoring God In Psalm 121 (May 30) God Helps & Protects His People

Thank God for Help & Protection:
Psalms 120-127 deal with topics
dear to the heart of travellers
far from home: peace (120, 122);
Protection (121, 125, 127);
and provision (123, 124, 126).
As youbread these “hymns of
the highway,” imagine yourself
on a journey of life with your destination now in view.

Lord, You Help and Protect us:    
I will lift up my eyes to the hills-  
from whence comes my help?
My Help Comes from the Lord,
who made the heavens & the earth!
He will not let you stumble and fall;
the one who Watches over you
will not slumber (Psalm 121:1-3).
The Lord Himself Watches over you!
The Lord stands besides you
as your protective shade (v5).
The Lord Keeps you from Evil
and preserves your life.
The Lord keeps watch over you
as you come and go
both now and forever (v7-8).

Lord, I will lift my eyes to You
for our Help comes from You,
who made the heavens and earth!
Because You hold me, I will not
stumble and fall. Because You
watch over me, I will not fear
for my security is in You my God.
Thank You for watching over me
and for caring about my situation.
Thank You I am not alone for You
are with me and helping me. Amen

Lord, I pray for protective covering.
And thank You for Watching over
and protecting my loved ones!
What peace it gives me to know
that You never slumber or sleep.
And that I can confidently entrust
those I love to Your care & keeping.
Bless and keep my family coming
and going both now & always.Amen

Lord, Your assurance to Your
followers is that You Will Keep
them from all Evil. Thank You
Lord that though evil may come,
it has no real power over me.
I believe that You will, as promised
preserve my life. I want to live
with confidence that I am safe
in You. And I purpose to trust You
and not worry over things; even
as I lift my eyes up to You. Amen.

Adoring God In Psalm 119

God’s Word Provides Direction

Psalm 119 is the longest psalm
and the longest chapter of
the longest book in the Bible.
And through its 176 verses,
it provides the multifaceted
Word of God. And it also inspired
Amy Grant & Michael Smith to write
the hymnal song ‘Thy Word’ in 1984.
Michael came up with the melody &
some words for the chorus straight
from David’s Psalm about being
a light into my path. But as Michael
had no idea what the verses were
supposed to say, he gave it to
Amy and told her to finish the tune.
So that night she starts walking
back to her cabin,” Michael said.
Caribou Ranch is 8,000 acre and
it’s very dark, and she got lost.
“She finally saw a lamp & started
walking towards that light, didn’t
realize that that was her cabin.”
“And she walked into that little cabin
and wrote the verses to ‘Thy Word.’”

Lord, Your Word Directs Our Path:
How can a man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to
Your Word. With my whole heart
I have sought You. Oh let me not
wonder from Yr commandments.
Your Word I have hidden
in my heart that I might not sin
against You (Psalm 119:9-11).
Be good to your servant, that
I may live and obey Your Word.
Open My Eyes to see wonderful
truths in Yr instructions (v17-18).
Your Word is a lamp for my feet
and a Light for my Path. I have…
confirmed that I will keep Your
righteous (laws). I am afflicted
very muvh; Revive me O Lord
according to Your Word (v105-7).

Lord, even as I Hide Your Word in
my heart, help me Keep From Sin.
Grant me the wisdom to seek You
and to hide Your Word in my heart.
Grant me discernment to apply
Your truth to everyday situations.
Grant me the perseverance and
faith to trust Your Word when l am
going through difficult times. Amen.

Lord, Open our eyes and grant us
wisdom to see and understand
the wonderful truths in Your law.
Help us not take Your Word for
granted; but instead help us
to meditate on it day and night.
Lord, may the hymn: “Open my
eyes and let me see” spur me to
be watchful & listen to Your Spirit.
And then proceed to go act
on what I have seen and heard,
and sharing it with others. Amen.

Lord, we thank You that Your
Word lights the path at our feet
so that we don’t have to wander
in the wilderness. Thank You that
Yr Word acts as spiritual compass
to guide and direct our paths.
Help us to remember that we
can always count on Your Word
to guide, lead and keep us on
the right track. Thanks to You Lord
for Your wonderful Word. Amen.

Adoring God In Psalm 118 (May 28)

The LORD Backs & Helps Us

Backgrounder on Psalms 111-118:
Praise permeates nearly every
line of these eight psalms. God is
praiseworthy for His care (Ps 111),
His commandments (Ps 112),
His name(Ps 113), His power(Ps 114)
His uniqueness (Ps 115),
His Deliverance (Ps 116), His truth
(Ps 117) and His mercy (Ps 118).
What other response could
there be than to Praise the Lord.

Lord Almighty, You are For Us:
Give thanks to the Lord for He is
good & His Mercy endures forever…
Let those who fear the Lord say: His
mercy endures forever (Ps 118:1-4).
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 118:5-7).
I thank You for answering
my prayer and saving me…
This was the Lord’s doing…
This is the day the Lord has made.
We’ll Rejoice & be glad in it (v21-24)

Lord, thankful Your goodness and
mercy will bring me through trouble.
You are my ally and my hero with
strong arm giving me confidence.
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.

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, this is the day You have
made, a place of new beginning.
No matter what may happen,
help me to 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 great opportunity
to depend on You Lord. Amen.

Adoring God In Psalm 108/109

Praise God Faithful & Merciful 

There is plenty to sing about in
Ps 107-110. First comes the song
of the Redeemed (Ps 107), then
a song dedicated to the God of
might & glory (Ps 108) and 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).

Lord, You are Faithful & Merciful:
I will Praise You, O Lord, among
the Peoples and I will sing praises
to You among the nations.
For Your Mercy is great above
the heavens, and Your Faithfulness
reaches to the clouds. Be exalted
O God above the heavens, and Your
glory above all the earth(Ps 108:3-5)
O God the Lord deal with me
for Your name’s sake; because
Your Mercy is good, deliver me.
For I am poor & needy(Ps109:21-22)
Help me O Lord my God…
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, as Your unfailing love
is higher than the mountains
and Your faithfulness reaches
to the clouds, surely You promise
to be Faithful to Your people.
I surrender my fears to You and
trust in You to see me through.
Grant me Lord the grace to praise
and thank You each day and to see
Your glory no matter what! Amen.

Lord, thank You for always
calling me to draw near to You.
That is my desire, so I ask You
to work within me the power and
the energy to meet You regularly.
And when I am in great need of help,
deliver me for Your mercy is good,
and for Your great name’s sake.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You
for Your mercy and lovingkindness.
We extol You Lord for You are
our strength and also because
You have become our salvation.
We can do nothing apart from You,
but we are confident in Your tender
mercy and Your faithfulness to us.               Help me & save me; and I will sing:
Be exalted O God above the heavens
& Yr glory be over all the earth.Amen

Thought for the Week: Psalm 103

Thank God for His Benefits

10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)
is a popular worship song written by
Matt Redman & Jonas Myrin in 2011.
The inspiration behind the song
comes fr Ps 103, focusing on God’s
blessings & reasons to worship Him.
The song enumerates various
attributes of the love of God for
mankind that makes Him worthy
of “praise unending”, worship for
“10,000 years & then forevermore”.
The song uses these attributes:
God’s holiness, lovingkindness,
slowness to anger, kind heart,
His goodness and His great name.
The point behind the song, as
writer Matt Redman says, is this;
‘If you wake up one morning and
you can’t think of a reason to bring
God some kind of offering of thanks
or praise, then… there’s something
wrong at your end… and not Him.’

Lord, You Bless Your People:
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and
Forget Not All His Benefits –
who forgives all your sins,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life fr destructn,
who crowns u with lovingkindness,
who Satisfies your desires with
Good things (Psalm 103:2-5).
The Lord is Merciful and Gracious,
slow to anger & abounding in mercy.
He will not always strive with us, nor
will He keep His anger forever(v8-9)
The Lord is like a father to His
children, tender & Compassionate
to those who fear Him. For He
knows how weak we are (v13-14).

Lord, You are worthy of praise,
for You do countless Good things
for Your children. Forgive us Lord
for the times we fail to acknowledge
Your many blessings in our lives.
Forgiveness, healing, rescue,
love and mercy, You indeed fill our
lives with undeserved blessings.
Teach us Lord the wonderful habit
of counting our blessings. Amen.

Lord, You are Merciful & Gracious,
full of unfailing love; and we ask You
to reveal these in our lives each day.
Grateful for revealing Your wondrous
attributes to us in Your Word.
Open our eyes to who You really are
so that our prayers will rest on the
solid foundation of Your character.
And may our prayers have dunamis
power because they are based
on the truth about You Lord. Amen.

Lord, in Your mercy, do not leave
us exposed to lack or danger.
Remember we are weak and
we can get easily discouraged.
Please do not test us too long,
beyond what we are able to bear.
Instead encourage us with ready
manifestation of Your presence.
Strengthen us Lord in the spirit
when we are deeply discouraged.
Help us see Your Compassion and
loving kindness toward us. Amen.

10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)
is a popular worship song written by
Matt Redman & Jonas Myrin in 2011.
The inspiration behind the song
comes fr Ps 103, focusing on God’s
blessings & reasons to worship Him.
The song enumerates various
attributes of the love of God for
mankind that makes Him worthy
of “praise unending”, worship for
“10,000 years & then forevermore”.
The song uses these attributes:
God’s holiness, lovingkindness,
slowness to anger, kind heart,
His goodness and His great name.
The point behind the song, as
writer Matt Redman says, is this;
‘If you wake up one morning and
you can’t think of a reason to bring
God some kind of offering of thanks
or praise, then… there’s something
wrong at your end… and not Him.’

Lord, You Bless Your People:
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and
Forget Not All His Benefits –
who forgives all your sins,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life fr destructn,
who crowns u with lovingkindness,
who Satisfies your desires with
Good things (Psalm 103:2-5).
The Lord is Merciful and Gracious,
slow to anger & abounding in mercy.
He will not always strive with us, nor
will He keep His anger forever(v8-9)
The Lord is like a father to His
children, tender & Compassionate
to those who fear Him. For He
knows how weak we are (v13-14).

Lord, You are worthy of praise,
for You do countless Good things
for Your children. Forgive us Lord
for the times we fail to acknowledge
Your many blessings in our lives.
Forgiveness, healing, rescue,
love and mercy, You indeed fill our
lives with undeserved blessings.
Teach us Lord the wonderful habit
of counting our blessings. Amen.

Lord, You are Merciful & Gracious,
full of unfailing love; and we ask You
to reveal these in our lives each day.
Grateful for revealing Your wondrous
attributes to us in Your Word.
Open our eyes to who You really are
so that our prayers will rest on the
solid foundation of Your character.
And may our prayers have dunamis
power because they are based
on the truth about You Lord. Amen.

Lord, in Your mercy, do not leave
us exposed to lack or danger.
Remember we are weak and
we can get easily discouraged.
Please do not test us too long,
beyond what we are able to bear.
Instead encourage us with ready
manifestation of Your presence.
Strengthen us Lord in the spirit
when we are deeply discouraged.
Help us see Your Compassion and
loving kindness toward us. Amen.

Reflection on Psalms Book Four

Adoring God thru Thanks & Praise

Psalms Book Four (90-106)
mainly written by unknown authors
is similar to the book of Numbers.
Just as Numbers discusses the
relationship of the nation of Israel
to surrounding nations, these psalms often mention the relationship of God’s overruling
kingdom to the other nations.
Because we are citizens of the
kingdom of God, we can keep
the events and troubles of earth
in the proper perspective.

On Monday, we learn from Ps 90
that God Is Our Dwelling Place.
On Tuesday, we learn from Ps 91
that God Shields & Shelters Us.
On Wed, we learn from Ps 95/96
that God Is Our Maker & Saviour.
On Thursday we learn from Ps 100
that God Is Good and Merciful.
On Friday, we learn from Ps 103
to Thank God for His Benefits.
On Saturday, we learn from Ps 105
that God’s Plan Will Never Fail.

Let us humble ourselves and pray
and seek His face. Help us O God
be Christ’s disciples who Adore You:
For You are our Dwelling Place
and that You Shield & Shelter Us;
For You are worthy of our Praise
as You are our Maker & Saviour
and that You are Good & Merciful;
For You are worthy of our Thanks
as You bless us with many benefits and that Your Plan Will Never Fail.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Adoring God In Psalm 105

God’s Plan Never Fails 

Backgrounder on Psalms 104-106:
In these psalms, we see three snap
shots of the great God you serve.
He is big enough to create and
rule the universe (Psalm 104);
He is small enough to rule in the
hearts of His people (Ps 105) and
He is loving enough to discipline
His rebellious children (Ps 106).

Lord, Your Plan Never Fails:
He remembers His covenant…
with Abraham… To you I will give
the land of Canaan as inheritance…
He permitted no one to do them
wrong… saying: Do not touch
my anointed ones… (Ps 105:7-15).
Then Israel arrived in Egypt…
And the Lord multiplied the
people of Israel until they became
too mighty for their enemies.
Then He turned the Egyptians
against the Israelites (v23-25).
The Lord spread out a cloud above
them as a covering and gave them
a great fire to light the darkness.
They asked for meat and he gave
them quail; he gave them manna.
He opened up a rock and water
gushed out (Ps 105:39-41).

Father God, grateful that You
remember Your covenant forever;
and that You are quick to honor it.
You had promised to protect Your
people from those who plan evil;
& so You’ll stand up in my defense.
For I am Your anointed and You
do not tolerate those who would
try to harm me. In Jesus’ name.

Lord, grateful for the assurance
that Your sovereign plans never fail.
When everything seems hopeless,
remind me of Your plan for the
Israelites in captivity in Egypt.
Help me Lord to see things
from Your eternal perspective.
Help me to hold on to the reality
that in spite of the way things look,
You are always in control. Amen.

Lord, thankful for Your Word
showing Your faithful provision
to Your people through history.
Thank You Lord for all the ways
You have provided for my needs.
Help me to respond with thanks-
giving and obedience to Your will.
I look to You as Jehovah Jireh
My Provider, for You will provide
all my needs, and for Your plan
never fails. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Adoring God In Psalm 103 (May 24)

Thank God for His Benefits

10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)
is a popular worship song written by
Matt Redman & Jonas Myrin in 2011.
The inspiration behind the song
comes fr Ps 103, focusing on God’s
blessings & reasons to worship Him.
The song enumerates various
attributes of the love of God for
mankind that makes Him worthy
of “praise unending”, worship for
“10,000 years & then forevermore”.
The song uses these attributes:
God’s holiness, lovingkindness,
slowness to anger, kind heart,
His goodness and His great name.
The point behind the song, as
writer Matt Redman says, is this;
‘If you wake up one morning and
you can’t think of a reason to bring
God some kind of offering of thanks
or praise, then… there’s something
wrong at your end… and not Him.’

Lord, You Bless Your People:
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and
Forget Not All His Benefits –
who forgives all your sins,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life fr destructn,
who crowns u with lovingkindness,
who Satisfies your desires with
Good things (Psalm 103:2-5).
The Lord is Merciful and Gracious,
slow to anger & abounding in mercy.
He will not always strive with us, nor
will He keep His anger forever(v8-9)
The Lord is like a father to His
children, tender & Compassionate
to those who fear Him. For He
knows how weak we are (v13-14).

Lord, You are worthy of praise,
for You do countless Good things
for Your children. Forgive us Lord
for the times we fail to acknowledge
Your many blessings in our lives.
Forgiveness, healing, rescue,
love and mercy, You indeed fill our
lives with undeserved blessings.
Teach us Lord the wonderful habit
of counting our blessings. Amen.

Lord, You are Merciful & Gracious,
full of unfailing love; and we ask You
to reveal these in our lives each day.
Grateful for revealing Your wondrous
attributes to us in Your Word.
Open our eyes to who You really are
so that our prayers will rest on the
solid foundation of Your character.
And may our prayers have dunamis
power because they are based
on the truth about You Lord. Amen.

Lord, in Your mercy, do not leave
us exposed to lack or danger.
Remember we are weak and
we can get easily discouraged.
Please do not test us too long,
beyond what we are able to bear.
Instead encourage us with ready
manifestation of Your presence.
Strengthen us Lord in the spirit
when we are deeply discouraged.
Help us see Your Compassion and
loving kindness toward us. Amen.

Adoring God In Psalm 100 (May 23)

God of Goodness & Mercy

In Psalm 103, the psalmist urges
you to count your blessings.
And Psalm 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 Goodness & Mercy(Ps100),
God’s justice & holiness (Ps 101),
and God’s care when you are
downcast (Ps 102).

Lord, You are Good & Merciful:
Make a joyful shout to the Lord…
Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence
with singing (Psalm 100:1-2).
Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us,
and not we ourselves;
we are His people and
the sheep of His pasture (v3).
Enter into His gates
with thanksgiving and
into His courts with praise.
Be Thankful to Him
and bless His name.
For the Lord Is Good;
His Mercies is everlasting
and His truth endures to all
generations (Psalm 100:4-5).

Father God, I come before You
with praise and thanksgiving;
for who You are and everything
that You have done for me.
No matter what happens
in my life, I will not sink
to the level of the problem.
Instead I will rise to the level of
the solution; and praise You as the
solution to problems & challenges.
I thank You for Your Goodness,
love and faithfulness to me. Amen.

Lord, transform my heart and
give me an attitude of gratefulness.
Open my eyes to see Your hand
in every area of my life. When
I have forgotten Your Goodness,
remind me of what an awesome
God You are and the many things
I have to be gratefully thankful for.
Thank You Lord for the unique
ways You’ve blessed my life. Amen.

Enter in through the gates
Enter in here with praise
Come before Him,
come bring your song
We are His people, He is our God…
For the Lord is good and
His love endures His love endures
For the Lord is good and
His love endures
His love endures, forever more
His faithfulness, it has no end
For the Lord is good and
His love endures His love endures.