PSALM 35 In Time of Persecution

We pray for the people of God in various parts
of the world, who are experiencing discrimination and
segregation, malpractice and injustice, oppression
and persecution, forced confession and torture.
In many countries ,underprivileged Christians suffer
underprivileged housing, underprivileged education,
underprivileged medical care  and underprivileged
job opportunities .
Yet, not only do we turn to God to seek refuge in Him,....
He is with us in our situations and we can see that
God will always be with us.

God's people fast and pray for our oppressors.
Psalm 35 : 13 The New Jerusalem Bible
But I, when they were ill, had worn sackcloth 
   and mortified myself with fasting,
praying ever anew in my heart,
   as if for a friend or brother; ...... 

We pray as servants of God (Psalm 35:27)

Matthew 5:44 NJB
But I say this to you, Love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you;

But unprovoked persecution of Christians
continues today in the face of prayer and
in spite of the generosity of Christian aid.
Our oppressors do not see the manifestations
 of  God that we see.
Psalm 35:5-6 NJB
5   May they be like chaff  before the wind,
with the angel of Yahweh to chase them 
May their way be dark and slippery,
with the angel of  Yahweh to hound them.

    God is not mocked !

Psalm 34:7 NJB
The angel of the LORD encamps
     round those who fear him.
         and delivers them.

We have spent our lives praying that the LORD'S will be done.
 Here in psalm 35 we must leave things in the hands of God
In the face of pain, rape, forced marriage and bombed churches.......
            O LORD, THY WILL BE DONE
            ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN,
,,,,,,and it will be so.
Terrorists, extremists, and  suicide bombers
will face the judgement of God.                        AMEN.

PSALM 34 Taste and see

May every person come to live in the context of Your presence, LORD.

Psalm 34:18     The Lord is near to the brokenhearted.

May we all be awake , physically, mentally and spiritually
to your presence, God with us.

Psalm 34:3       O magnify the Lord with me 
                                 and let us extol his name together.

In grateful joy we bless the Lord at all times (v1)
mentally,  with our thoughts,
physically, with our mouth and voice,......
and,   one in the Spirit.

Psalm 34:8      Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good.
Gustate et videte quoniam sauvis est Dominus beatus vir qui sperat eo.

In the end "to  taste and see that the Lord is good"
is to experience the life of Christ within us.
For as we invite God into our lives,
we surrender ourselves to Him.
and we begin  to "taste Him"
 and to experience Him for who He is;-
our Creator, Redeemer and enabling Counselor.
The giving of one's self to the Lord
is a permanent thing.
From the moment we ask Jesus to come into our heart,
our life is for evermore bathed in the light of Christ's presence.

Psalm 34:5  Those who look to Him are radiant.

We are bathed in the light of Christ's presence.

1 Peter 2: 1,2,3 N.I.V.
1      Therefore,  rid yourselves of all malice 
        and all deceit , hypocrisy, envy and 
        slander of any kind.
2     Like newborn babies , crave  for  pure
       spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up
       into  your salvation----
3     now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

This psalm is all about our personal life with God.
The very name Immanuel indicates God's everlasting
intent to be God-With-Us .
The invitation to "taste and see" indicates God's intention
that this should  be our personal experience .

Psalm 34 N.I.V.
15   The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous

22   no one will be condemned who take refuge in Him.
                                  

PSALM 33 Family of God

In Psalm 32, gratitude is expressed for being admitted to a
community of forgiveness and reconciliation.
In Psalm 33, there is comfort in being able to trust that
the Lord's plans are beneficial for us individually, and
for all humankind.
The Lord's victory is victory for each of us and  victory
for every community which put's it's trust in Him, and in the
working out of His purposes in heaven and on earth.
We pray;
 Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

In Psalm 33, we enter a community of Joy, because we are
a blessed nation whose hope is in His loving kindness.
We are a community of people where every heart rejoices in Him.
.
Psalm 33:21 N.A.S.B.
For our hearts rejoice in Him
because we trust in His holy name.

2nd Corinthians 6:16  + 18 NASB
For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said,
     "I will dwell in them and walk among them
       And I will be their God
       and they shall be my people.
18   And I will be a father to you
       And you shall be my sons and daughters to me.
       Says  the Lord Almighty.

Those who are begotten of God, are children of God.
For us the gates of God's kingdom are open
for we are the family of God.

Psalm 33:22 NIV
May your unfailing love rest upon us ,O Lord
even as we put our hope in you.

Human plans can easily come to naught, but
God's plans are eternal.

Psalm 33:10-11 NASB
       The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations;
       He frustrates the plans of the peoples,
       The counsel of the LORD stands forever
       The plans of His heart from generation to generation.
       Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD.

The Lord brings the counsel of nations to nothing.      Ps 33:10
Come out from their midst and be separated            2 Cor 6:17
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord                 Ps33:12
You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation.                                                               1 Pet 2:9
Not every generation has the choice not to be bound
to those nations which will be brought to nothing.

PSALM 33 The Counsel of The LORD

Psalm 33  (32)  The Grail Translation
6        the word of the LORD   is faithful
          By God's word  the heavens were made.
          By the breath of his mouth all the stars.
9        God spoke ;  it came to be.
          God commanded;   it sprang into being
11      The counsel of the LORD  stands forever
          The plans of God's heart  from  age to age
21      Our hearts find joy in the Lord
          We trust in  God's holy name. 

The "Word of God" is the will or purpose or plan of God.
The scriptures are "The word of God"
and Jesus is the "Word of God"

Reading  Psalm 33 , we are reminded of  
the creative power of the word of God .
God's spoken word brings galaxies into being.
The will, purpose and plan of God, stands from age to age.
We can trust His authority and power, because his will for us
is  wholesome, caring, and full of sacrificial love !

Psalm 33:10
The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing
He makes the plans of the people to no effect
Psalm 33:11
The counsel of the LORD stands forever
The plans of His heart to all generations.

Down the centuries, whole communities of people have laboured
in obedience to their national leaders, building what was to become
...famous ruins.
The Teotihuacan in Mexico, Pompeii in Italy, The Acropolis in Greece
Machn Picchu inPeru,  The Pyramids of Giza and Carthage in Tunisia.
As Robert Burns pointed out "the best laid plans of mice and men
gang oft a-gley...often come to nothing.

But those in the counsel of the Lord are themselves added
Isaiah 28:16  ... to a precious cornerstone of sure foundation.

Ephesians 3:20-22   .....built on the foundations of the apostles
and prophets, with Christ  Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone
21, In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become
a holy temple of the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built
 together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

No wonder the people of God, come to trust in God's Holy Name.
In His power and authority, the plans of God's heart are established
and come to fruition from age to age.
Psalm 33 encourages us not to take our own counsel
but to accept the counsel of God.

Our God is still called Wonderful Counselor and has never stopped being
our Wonderful counselor.
The church is most alive today where He is in practice
The wonderful counselor of His people.
         

PSALM 32 The Joy of Forgiveness

Psalm 32 : 5   The Grail Translation
5       But now I have acknowledged my sins
         my guilt I did not hide.
         I said " I will confess my offence to the Lord."
         
Psalm 32 : 1    The Grail Translation
1       Happy is the man whose offence is forgiven
         whose sin is remitted.

Psalm (30) 31  Septuagint Greek
7        I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy
          for thou hast beheld my lowness
          thou hast saved my soul from anguish

Psalm (30) 31   The Grail translation
8        As for me I trust in the LORD
          Let me be glad and rejoice in your love

Psalm   (29) 30  The Grail Translation
3        O LORD, I Cried for your help
          and you, my God have healed me.

Psalm 103
4        It is God who forgives all your guilt
8        The LORD is compassion and love
          slow to anger and rich in mercy
11      For as the heavens are high above the earth
          so strong is God's love for the God fearing;
12      As far as the east is from the west
          so far does he remove our sins.

         The global church
         as a priestly people
         intercedes for all
         who seek the mercy of God.

Luke 15:10
...................there is joy in the presence of the angels of God
                   over one sinner that repenteth.

         We can give testimony of what Christ has done for us.
         From tears of repentance to the joy of forgiveness.
         Reconciliation is part of the joy of forgiveness.
         All who experience the joy of forgiveness
         also discover the peace and joy of forgiving,

Ephesians 4:32 KJV   Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted,
         forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake
                hath forgiven you.

         

PSALM 31 Confession

Psalm 31:5  Grail from the Hebrew
5     But now I have acknowledged my sins
       my guilt I did not hide.
       I said " I will confess my offence to the LORD.

Psalm 51  ESV
1     Have mercy on me, O God
       according to your steadfast love
       according to your abundant mercy
       blot out my transgressions.

10   Create in me a clean new heart O God
       and renew a right spirit within me.

We who endure tough stuff
continually need God's grace and deliverance.
He constantly lifts us out of the mire.

Christ walked among us.
He was crucified and  He rose so that we
could be delivered from eternal punishment.
We can be brought into the fold of God
and be given the gift of eternal life.

Christians sing Psalms 30, 31 and 32
in the light of what Christ has done for us.

Psalm 31: 9-10  ESV
9     Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress;
       my eye is wasted from grief,
       my soul and body also.
10   For my life is spent with sorrow
               and my  years with sighing
       my strength fails because of my iniquity.

Psalm 31:4  Jerusalem
4     Pull me out of the net they have spread for me,
       for you are my refuge;

People con become ensnared in the nets
 of their own circumstances , when the 
results of previous bad decisions pile up.

Psalm 31:1 and 6  The Grail Translation
1      In you, O LORD, I take refuge
        Let me never be put to shame
        In your justice , set me free........

6      Into your hands I commend my spirit
        It is you who will redeem me Lord.

PSALM 30 Tears of Repentance

Psalm (29) 30 REPENTANCE
Repentance means "Turning to God"  and away from that which
is displeasing to God. The act of repentance is accompanied by
sorrow from that which makes repentance necessary.
Mark 1:15
                  Turn away from sin and believe the good news.

John the baptist came preaching baptism and repentance
for the forgiveness of sins.                                          Mark 1:4

Because of human weakness, Christians "turn aside".
The faithful are called to continual conversion and renewal..

Psalm (29) 30 The Grail Translation from the Hebrew
5        Sing psalms to the LORD, you faithful ones,
          give thanks to his holy name
6        God's anger lasts a moment; God's favour all through life.

3        O LORD, I cried to you for help
          and You my God have healed me.
4        O LORD , you have raised my soul from the dead,
          restored me to life and from those who sink into the grave.

Turn to me O man and be saved says the Lord, for I am God,
There is no other, I am beside you, I call your name.

TEARS OF REPENTANCE

Psalm 30: 5  Jerusalem
5        in the evening a spell of tears
          in the morning shouts of joy. 

John 8: 31-32    34-35   Jerusalem
31      If you make my word your home
          you will indeed be my disciples;
32     you will come to know the truth
         and the truth will set you free.

34     In all truth I tell you
         everyone who commits a sin is a slave to sin
35     Now a slave has no permanent standing in the household
         but a son belongs forever.

Psalm 30:10  ESV
10      Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me !
          O LORD, be my helper !

With the LORD there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

Psalm 25:11  ESV
          For your name's sake, O LORD,
          pardon my guilt for it is great.

With the psalmist we place ourselves in the group of the humble
who wait on God for everything and are conscious  of our state of sin.