PSALM 144 Divine Instruments

Psalm 144:14b  
 .......may there be no cry of distress in our streets !
Who would not unite with the psalmist in this prayer ?
Psalm 149:1  NCV
Sing to the LORD a new song
his praise in the assembly of the saints.
The new song needs to express our new gratitude for
our new experiences of deliverance, of restoration,
and for our awareness of the blessings which freshly
fill our streets.
Psalm 40;4 NCV   He put a new song in my mouth
                                a hymn of praise to our God.
Psalm 144:9     I will sing a new song to you , my God
We will sing a new song out of gratitude in our own
 awareness of the blessings we experience fresh every morning.

to proclaim your kindness in the morning
and your faithfulness during the night,    Psalm 92:3
Psalm 98:1    I sing a new song to the LORD
for he has accomplished marvelous deeds.
Psalm 144 ;1   NLT
Praise the LORD, who is my rock
He trains my hands for war
and gives my fingers skill for battle.

We are being equipped in the battle.
The training which we receive is to proclaim truth.
That will help to enable us to defeat the power of those
mouths which utter lies and pervert the truth.
That is;-those who make themselves
foes of the will of God.
As people of God, we become instruments of God's  will
in upholding all that is wholesome and in harmony with
the purposes of The Lord.

PSALM 144 A NEW SONG

Psalm 144:9  English Standard Version
I will sing a new song to you , O God
upon a ten stringed harp I will play to you.

" New formula" ,   "New fragrance" or "New flavour"
are labels we often see in the supermarket,
because "new" indicates something fresh and
perhaps something better.
Since we were created "in the image of God"
we have within us the imagination and creativity
to think up and create something new.
So, to sing a "new" song to the Lord
is to demonstrate the divine gift within us to be creative.

PSALM 144 Covenant of Love

Job 7:17-18 Tanakh Translation JPS
17  What is man, that you make much of him,
      That You fix Your attention upon him ?
18  You inspect him every morning
      Examine him every minute.

Psalm8:4-6 ESV
4    What is man that you are mindful of him,
      and the son of man that you care for him?
5    Yet you have made him a little lower
      than heavenly beings
      and crowned him with glory and honour.
6    You have given him dominion over the 
      works of your hands;
      you have put all things under his feet....

Psalm 144:3 (143 LXX)   Orthodox SAAS
3    O Lord, what is man, that You are 
           made known to him
      or the son of man, that You consider him ?

from Donald Sheehan's translation of the Septuagint
Psalm 144  ( LXX 143 )    
     Lord, what is man that thou hast revealed thyself to him
     or the son of man that thou hast bent thy thought to him ?

Psalm 144:5  ESV
    Bow your heavens, O LORD, and come down !

Psalm 18:9 RSV
     He bowed the heavens and came down.

Psalm 144:2 ESV
2   He is my steadfast love and my fortress,
     my stronghold and my deliverer,
     my shield and he in whom I take refuge....

The psalmist boasts of his past experiences
of God's protection and deliverance.
But the psalmist is not addressing a political ally
or a military ally.
He is addressing " my steadfast love ".....
 "in whom I take refuge".
This verse expresses personal affection.
Of course an ally is someone in whom you have
 a relationship by treaty or friendship.
The psalmist relates to the Lord by covenant and by love.

PSALM 143 In Our Need

We turn to God in our need--in all our need.
The psalmist addressed God
"I stretch out my hands to you"                      Psalm 143 v6

The psalmist expects God to respond;
" In Your faithfulness " and
"With Your righteousness"                             Psalm 143 v1

The psalmist is disadvantaged in his circumstances
which include persecution, oppression and injustice.
still the psalmist puts his trust in the Lord,
for deliverance    Psalm 143 v9
and guidance       Psalm 143v8

The psalmist takes refuge in God                       Psalm 143 v9
expecting to experience His guidance                Psalm 143 v9

He seeks the active presence of the Spirit of God   Psalm 143 v10
to preserve his life and deliver him from distress    Psalm 143 v1

The expectations of the psalmist
are exceeded by our hope in Jesus Christ
in the wonder of the Trinity.
Where the Psalmist could discern the working of the Spirit of God,
we are aware of the love and dynamic presence of the Trinity
in all our circumstances

The psalmist prays directly to God.                           Psalm 143 v1

He remembers what God has previously done.         Psalm 143 v5
His request is that God be his teacher

to teach him the will of God                                      Psalm 143 v10
and give him personal direction

to make him know the way he should go.                 Psalm 143 v8

We have no righteousness of our own
but we can count on God's righteousness.
In our need we turn to the benevolence and
love of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
David's God, revealed in Jesus Christ.

Following the psalmist's example we may pray;-
Deliver me from my enemies.                  Psalm 59:1  and Psalm 143:9
Save me from persecutors                        Psalm 142:6
Bring me out of prison                              Psalm 142:7 and Psalm 25:17
Redeem me from human oppression        Psalm 119:134
Deliver me from aliens                                Psalm 144:7

People who take an interest in the persecution of Christians worldwide
are aware that all the above prayers are appropriate today .

PSALM 143 His Active Presence

The Active Presence of Our Triune God 
Genesis 41:38 NRSV
Pharaoh said to his servants, " Can you find anyone
like this--one in whom is the spirit of God? "
Joseph was enabled by the Holy Spirit to interpret Pharaoh's dream.

When the Spirit rested on the seventy elders,
they prophesied . (Numbers 11:25)
Joshua, son of Nun was full of the Spirit of wisdom because
Moses had laid hands on him (Deuteronomy 34:9.
When the temple was to be re-built, the angel said;-
"This is the word of the LORD to Zerrubbabel:
Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit
says the Lord of hosts.

The active presence of our Triune God in everyday life.
Joel 2:28-29 RSV
I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy ,
your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men
shall see visions. Even upon the manservants and
 maidservants in those days, I will pour out my Spirit.

The psalmists prayer is for the presence and working of the
 Holy Spirit in his own personal experience in ongoing daily life.
Psalm 143:10 NRSV
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God.
Let your good spirit lead me on a level path.

This is also the prayer of the psalmist in
 Psalm 51:10-12 NRSV
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me,
do not cast me away from your presence
and do not take your Holy Spirit from me
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and sustain in me a willing spirit.

Ezekel 36:26-27 NRSV
A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you;
and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you 
a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you, and make you
follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances.

1st Corinthians 12:3-4 +6 NRSV
....no one can say "Jesus is Lord"  except by the Holy Spirit.
Now there are varieties of gifts but the same spirit.
6 it is the same God who activates all of them, in everyone.
7 to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit
for the common good.

1st corinthians 14:1 NLT
Let love be your highest goal,
but also desire the special abilities
the Spirit gives...........

PSALM 143 Look to God

Psalm 143:2 NCV
for no one living is righteous before you.

Psalm 130:3 NCV
If you ,O LORD kept a record of our sins
O Lord, who could stand upright.

Romans 3:23 KJV
All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Isaiah 53:6 KJV
All we like sheep have gone astray.

When we look to God,
when we consider what he does,
he will show us what we should be doing.

Psalm 143:8 and 10  NASB
8  Teach me the way in which I should walk
10 Teach me to do Your will
      for You are my God;
Let Your good Spirit lead me
                                         on level ground                  NAS
                                 forward on a firm footing         NLT
                              into the land of uprightness         KJV

Psalm 143:5 RSV
I think about all your deeds,
I meditate on the works of your hands.

Psalm 119:27  
Make me understand the way of your precepts, 
and I will meditate on your wondrous works.

When we bring to mind all the people we know and love,
we recognize that every one of them are the work of
the hands of our Creator.

John 5:17 NIV
My Father is always at his work to this very day.
John 5:19 NIV  Jesus gave them this answer;
I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself;
he can do only what he sees the Father doing.

So how Christlike and how necessary is it to meditate
 on the works and deeds of our Heavenly Father ?

Psalm 143:6 NASB
I stretch out my hands to You
My soul longs for You, as a parched land.

Psalm 77:12 ESV
I will ponder all your work,
and meditate on your mighty deeds.
Your way , O God, is holy.

PSALM 142 God of my life

MY CRY TO THE GOD OF MY LIFE

Psalm 142:1 NIV
I cry aloud to the LORD;
I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy.

Psalm 143:1 NRSV
Hear my prayer , O LORD;
give ear to my supplications
in your faithfulness ;
answer me in your righteousness.

Psalm 141:1-2  NRSV
I call upon you, O LORD, come quickly to me
Let my prayer be counted as incense before you
and the lifting up of my hands  as an evening sacrifice.

Psalm 69:13 NRSV
But as for me , my prayer is to You O  LORD,
............answer me.

The psalmist was completely aware that he stood
before the Lord, as a member of God's covenant community.
But  the verses quoted here illustrate just how personal,
how one to one is his relationship with the God of Abraham.

Psalm 42:8  NRSV
....a prayer  to the God of my life.

Psalm 17:1
Hear a just cause, O LORD, attend to my cry ,
give ear to my prayer, 
from lips free from deceit.

Psalm 142: 3 NRSV
When my spirit is faint,
you know my way.

Psalm 142:5 NRSV
I cry to you,  O LORD;
I say , " You are my refuge ,
my portion in the land of the living.

Psalm 23: 6 from THE MESSAGE, is beautiful ,and points to
 our own ongoing personal relationship
with the living God.
"Your beauty and love chase after me
every day of my life.
I'm back home in the house of God
for the rest of my life."

We share the experience which the psalmist expresses
in Psalm 41: 12  ESV
You have upheld me.........................
     and set me in your presence forever.

PSALM 141:8 Ongoing Trust

Psalm 141:8 NIV
But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign LORD;
   in you I take refuge.

Psalm 123:2  NCV
Behold, as  the eyes of servants
are on the hand of their master,
or as the eyes of a maid
focus on the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes are on the LORD, our God.

Psalm 25:15 NCV
My eyes are ever upon the LORD
for he alone can free my feet from the snare.

Psalm 2:12b NCV
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Psalm 11:1a NCV
In the LORD I take refuge

The psalmist has confident trust in the Lord.

Psalm 146:5
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob
whose hope is in the LORD, his God

Hebrews 12:2a NIV
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus
the author and perfecter of our faith.

Psalm 25:14-15 NIV
14 The LORD confides in those who fear him;
      he makes his covenant known to them.
15  My eyes are ever on the LORD

( An active, vital relationship.)

People who are moved by the spirit of the lie
have no trust in Our Heavenly Father.
they are more likely to trust in violence
to exploit others and achieve their ends.

People who are moved by the spirit of fallen flesh
trust that their possessions and pleasure seeking activities
will fulfill their hopes.

People who are moved by a humanist spirit
trust their own commitment and human effort
to reach their targets and honorable achievements.

The person who lives dynamically his/her love for God,
who chooses to be led by the Spirit of Christ,
whose speech and action exudes the love of Christ
has made our Sovereign LORD
the focus of his/her life
in a relationship of ongoing trust, (Love)

PSALM 141:2 Angels and Incense

Psalm 141:2  NCV
May my prayer be like incense before you,
the lifting up of my hands like the evening sacrifice.

Exodus 30:1 NIV
Make an altar of acacia wood for burning incense.

Revelation 5:8 NIV
The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders
fell down before the Lamb.  Each one had a harp
and they were holding golden bowls full of incense,
which are the prayers of the saints.

Luke 1:8-13
8 Once when Zecharia's division was on duty
   and he was serving as a priest before God,
9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the 
   peisthood, to go into the temple of the Lord
   and burn incense.
10 And when the time for the burning of incense came,
   all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him,
   standing at the right side of the altar of incense.
12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was
   gripped with fear.
13 But the angel said to him;  Do not be afraid,
   Zechariah; your prayer has been answered.

Revelation 8:3-4 NIV
3 Another angel, who had a golden censer ,
   came and stood at the altar.
   He was given much incense to offer,
   with the prayers of the saints,
   on the golden altar before the throne.
4 The smoke of the incense,
    together with the prayers of the saints,
    went up before God from the angel's hand.

Exodus 30:7-8 NIV
7 Aaron must burn fragrant incense on the altar
   every morning when he tends the lamps.
8 He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight
   so that incense will burn regularly before the LORD
   for generations to come.

Psalm 63:4 NIV
I will praise you as long as I live,
and I will lift up my hands.

1st Timothy 2:8 NIV
I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands
in prayer, without anger or disputing.

Angels and Incense and Uplifted Hands
   continue to be present reality among people of His Presence.

PSALM 140 Hope for Us

We have a God who will deliver us from evil.....
that is why the psalmist prays as he does in verse one.
Psalm 140:1 NCV
Deliver me, O LORD, from evildoers;
protect me from those who are violent.

We have a strong deliverer.
That is how the psalmist addresses our God.
Psalm 140:8 NCV
O LORD, my God, my strong deliverer
you shield my head on the day of battle.

Our Lord is a just judge.
Psalm 7:9 NCV
The LORD is the judge of nations,
Therefore, pass judgement on me, O LORD,
according to thy righteousness.
Psalm 9:5 NCV
But you have upheld my just cause,
you are seated on your throne as a righteous judge.

Our Lord will vindicate the righteous poor.
Psalm 22:27 NCV
The poor will eat and be filled;
Those who seek the LORD will praise him:
Psalm 34:7 NCV
In my anguish I cried out;
the LORD heard my plea
and I was saved from my troubles.

The poor will praise His name.
Psalm 7:18 NCV
I will offer thanks to the LORD
because of his righteousness,
and I will sing hymns of praise to the 
name of the LORD Most High.

His people will live in His presence.
Psalm 23:6 NCV
Only goodness and kindness will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
for ever and ever.
Psalm 27:4 NCV
There is only one thing I ask of the LORD,
just one thin I seek:
to dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life.

Our hope is in the Lord who secures justice for us.
The Psalmist shares his Hope with us in Ps 140:13.
Psalm 140:13 NCV
I know that the LORD secures justice for the 
poor and upholds the cause of the needy.
The people of his presence are described as upright
and will continue to dwell in His presence.
Psalm 140:14 NCV
Then the upright will give thanks to your name,
and the righteous will dwell in your presence. 

PSALM 139 People of His Presence

Psalm 139:1-5 New Living Translation
1   O LORD, you have examined my heart
     and know everything about me.
2   You know when I sit down or stand up.
     You know my thoughts even when I'm far away.
3   You see me when I travel and when I rest at home.
     You know everything I do.
4   You know what I am going to say
     even before I say it, LORD.
5   You go before me and follow me.
     You place your hand of blessing on my head.

We are in the presence of God continually.

7   I can never escape from your Spirit !
     I can never get away from your presence !

According to verse 14, we are each a wonder of God,
wonderfully made.
Verse 13 reminds us that , in our mother's womb
we were made and knit together, by God himself.
Verse 15 tells us that the eyes of God were upon us,
in the womb !
Verse 16 shows that God saw us before we were born,
everyday.
From verse 17 we realize how precious are his thoughts,
for each remembered head.
Verse 18 reveals that every time we wake up,
He is still with us.
Our Creator still has the same love for us.
His benevolent loving eyes are still upon us.

We were in the presence of God in the womb.
Like the Angel of His Presence,
we are continually in His presence.
We are the People of His Presence.
We know that the power of God is all around us.
Like the Angel of His Presence.
We have many gifts which are not immediately visible,
our understanding, each ability,and inspiration,
Some gifts like love,forgiveness,patience and,generosity
are more easily shared.

Isaiah 63:9 JSP
The angel of His Presence delivered them 
in His love and pity.
There are lots of ways in which the People of His Presence
can make known the presence of God.
We have the love and pity of God in us !
As God leads us along the path of everlasting life
we can bear witness to His presence and His way !

Psalm 139:24 NLT
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
                                                                             Amen.

PSALM 138 Continual Defeat of Evil.

The psalms often recall God's defeat of evil.
Psalm 138 praises God for intervening
on behalf of his people.
Verse 8 is wonderfully encouraging and assuring.

Psalm 138:8 Holman Christian Standard Bible
      The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me.

Psalm 138:8 NASB
      The LORD will accomplish what concerns me.

Psalm 138:8  NLT
      The LORD will work out his plans for my life.

But before that can happen, "evil" has to be defeated
on our behalf in everyday life.

Psalm 138:7 ESV
      Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
             you preserve my life.
      you stretch out your hand against 
             the wrath of my enemies,
      and your right hand delivers me.

The Salvation Army U.K.
Spiritual thought for the day.. 23rd Feb 2015
Psalm 138:3 NKJV
In the day when I cried out
     You answered me
     And made me bold
with strength in my soul. 

The continual defeat of Evil by the Lord our God,
is the constant experience of believers,
and the cause of our thanks and praise.

Psalm 138:1  Holman Christian Standard Bible
I will give You thanks with all my heart
I will sing Your praise before the heavenly beings.

With the psalmist we address our thanks and praise to God.
Our praise and worship gives witness to what  God has
done for us..individually and collectively.
That is why we have been taught to pray like this;-

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done.
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the  power, and the glory
are yours
now and forever, Amen.