Sunday, April 19, 2009
Psalm 67
2 Others who don’t yet know You will find out what You are really like by seeing how You treat us and how You are so intimately involved in delivering and saving us.
3 Let my family, friends and associates tell what God has done and what He is really like as they celebrate and honor You, God. 4 Let entire communities and other groups of people excitedly rejoice, even with joyful singing, for You – God – will justly vindicate Yourself as You govern everyone on earth. Pause.
5 Let my family, friends and associates tell what God has done and what He is really like as they celebrate and honor You, God.
6 – 7 Then the earth will yield its increase and God will enable us to prosper. Every part of the world will be inspired – by God’s way of treating us so good – to respect and be in awe of Him.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Psalm 66
1 A poem song for the permanent collection. Let everyone express joy to God. 2 Use musical instruments (like pianos or guitars) to accompany songs honoring and glorifying Him. 3 Tell God, “Your intensely wonderful ways cause me to tremble with joy!” How You so abundantly and clearly reveal Your great love will eventually cause even those who hate You to admit You as supreme and even act as though they love You and are loyal to You. 4 Everyone on earth will eventually bow to honor You and sing Your Name. (pause) 5 Come, look at God’s extravagant actions toward His earth family, which are so intensely admirable as to inspire you to tremble with joyful awe. 6 He made part of the Red sea into dry land and later Israel walked through the flooding Jordan river without getting their feet wet, causing them again to leap for joy in God. 7 God is always ‘in charge’ because of His victorious fortitude. He accurately observes all the nations of the earth, so don’t let those who stubbornly resist Him exalt themselves. (pause) 8 – 9 Let all of God’s family joyfully celebrate our True God who sustains and prospers us and prevents us from wandering away from Him. 10 – 11 God, You have refined us (as silver is refined by heat) by carrying us through intense experiences, even putting pressure on us through our relationships with others. 12 People have attacked our identity, causing pain (like fiery hell) and humiliation (like someone ‘pissing’ on us), yet through these experiences you have matured us and satisfied us abundantly. 13 –14 I will come into Your house now and willingly cooperate with You in Your covenant of peace with me even though I originally made my promises of loyalty to You because I was in big trouble. 15 I will bring of the best I have, which I have promised You, and will consecrate it to You. (pause) 16 – 17 You who reverently submit to God, listen to what God has done for me when I focused on and exalted Him. 18 – 19 If I believe lies about God He can’t always get through to me, but He still listens and works to answer my heart cries. 20 God is so good that He has not stopped loving me even though I don’t deserve His love.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Psalm 65
God, I confidently boast about You where I live for I have committed my life to You and You always keep Your promise. 2 You understand when I talk to You – everyone will eventually be brought to You.
3 – 4 I am guilty of not always choosing Your will for me, yet You forgive my rebellion, speak good to me, cause me to live with You and satisfy me with Your beauty. 5 – 7 How You respond in such awesome, yet harmonious ways joyfully surprises me even though You are the God who gives victory. It also inspires in many other hearts – near and far – hope and confidence that You, Who creates mountains and stills stormy seas, fulfills Your covenant with Your family.
8 Those who live afar off are also astonished at the visible evidences of Your covenant. Every morning and evening gives reasons for joy. 9 You take care of this earth. You water and enrich it by Your power, thus providing food for those who live here. 10 You abundantly satisfy by penetrating deeply, softening, bringing fertility, and prospering the offspring.
11 – 12 Every day of every year is precious to You, and whatever You do prospers, whether in the city or country. 13 Business prospers and the gardens produce good food abundantly, causing us to joyfully triumph in You with singing.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Psalm 64
Keep me from being terrorized by those who hate me. 2 – 3 Don’t let me become the focus of unjust courts, who wound, cause pain and even destroy with their sharp, acrid words. 4 – 6 They intensely accuse anybody (with no respect for truth) and urge each other on to add something even worse, for they think no one hears or sees their unjust plots hidden deep in their hearts.
7 – 9 But God will surprise them. What they devised against others will so suddenly happen to them that they will get beat up. Everyone watching will back off in astonishment as they see how God handled the situation. They will respect Him as they tell others what happened.
10 Those who are honest in heart will rejoice in the Lord and continue to trust Him, thus revealing in their own lives what God is really like.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Psalm 63
1 – 2 A poem song written by David while he was in the countryside of Judah. God, You are awesome. Each morning I intensely long to be with You so I can experience Your powerful abundance and my delight in being so close to You. 3 I experience joy when I am with You because Your benevolent love is more precious than anything else. 4 I reverently ask Your blessing on me as I celebrate how wonderful You really are. 5 I am being so filled with Your best blessings that I will let Your joy shine through me to others in words and acts. 6 As I think about you, even at night when I am resting, poems and songs come to my mind. 7 – 8 Since You are my help I rejoice to stay so close to You it is like I am holding Your hand. 9 - 10 Those who are trying to ruin me will fall by other’s doings and will eventually be buried. 11 As a leader I will rejoice in the Mighty God along with everyone else who has accepted a love based covenant relation with You, God. Those who continue to talk what does not come from God will eventually be ‘shut up’.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Psalm 62
1 A praising poem/song by David for the permanent collection. I am quietly yet confidently waiting for sure victory from the Mighty God. 2 Since He is my only security, prosperity and refuge, I won’t leave Him.
3 How long will you plan to overwhelm someone else? Those of you who think that way will die, for you are even now like a crumbling wall that is about to fall down. 4 They conspire to drive others away from His majestic excellence by pleasant sounding lies – affirming and congratulating them but inwardly thinking contemptuously.
5 My heart, quietly yet eagerly look to God for power to live. 6 He protects, gives health and defends me so I won’t tremble or slip and fall. 7 The God who gives victory, security and abundance is where I go for protection. 8 Have confidence in God all the time, share with Him all that concerns you, for you can trust Him.
9 People who are low in society are frail, like a mist. People high in society are also deceptive. Comparatively speaking, they are all empty. 10 When dealing with others don’t use force or plunder. If you become wealthy don’t let it control you.
11 God said it, and I’ve heard it more than once myself, that all power, praise, glory and splendor belong to Him. 12 Lord, You are good, kind and loving, and make a covenant of peace with every person who accepts Your ways.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Psalm 61
O God, carefully listen to me and understand what I am trying to say. 2 No matter where I am I will address You by name. When depression tries to cover me, lift me out of it completely and into Your presence.
3 You have been to me like a secure garden filled with lovely and fragrant flowers - a hiding place from those hostile to me. 4 I choose to stay in your special protected presence from now on. I trust You to lovingly protect me and care for me. Music pause.
5 Mighty God, You have heard my covenant promises to You and have responded by giving me Your 'Father blessing' (which You give those who reverently submit to Your love authority). 6 - 7 My King Jesus lives forever. Give me mercy (treat me kindly even though I don't deserve it), build me up and protect me, thus revealing who You really are.
8 I will joyfully sing to You from now on, Lord, which will empower me to daily keep my covenant promises to You.
