PSALM 40 A Heart for Your City

Psalm 40, Starting with the first verse of the next Psalm,
we can see where we are going.

Psalm 41:1  Revised English Bible
Happy is anyone who has concern for the helpless !
The LORD will save him in time of trouble.

Those who pray for their own neighbourhood -- for their
own town, and for the people in their own streets,
often pray from grateful thankful hearts, having been lifted
personally from distress and oppression.

Psalm 40:1-2 Revised English Bible
1   Patiently I waited for the LORD.
     He bent down to me and listened to my cry.
2   He raised me out of the miry pit, out of the mud and clay
     He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm footing.
3   On my lips he put a new song, a song of praise to my God.

Our personal experience of being lifted out of ill health, debt,
homelessness, unemployment, drink, gambling, or drugs
gives us a heart for those who still bear the weight of such burdens.
We'll be praying the heart of God for our community,
      praying with the heart of Christ.
On taking Jesus to raise the broken on our streets,
we can tell them  not only that God loves them/us
but also that He has a great purpose for each of their/our lives.
In Spirit and Truth we identify in love with the people we are praying for.
We can pray inclusive prayer on behalf of our community, and this is how
we should pray:     Matthew 6:9-13 Revised English Bible.
Our Father in heaven, may your name be hallowed;
your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us the wrong we have done,
as we have forgiven those who have wronged us,
And do not put us to the test, but save us from the evil one.


1st Samuel  2:8  Revised English Bible
He lifts the weak out of the dust
and raises the poor out of the refuse heap.

There is one church;- the body of Christ.
Members of the body of Christ are one in the Spirit
with the whole body of Christ.
In Him we live and move and have our being in the unity of the Spirit.
We need to know our own poverty and our own need.
We need to know the poverty and need of those we pray for..
May all that Jesus achieved for us on the cross of Calvary
flow unrestricted to the people in the community we pray for.

Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you.....
and pray to the Lord on it's behalf.     Jeremiah 29:7 NRSV 

PSALM 40 From Waiting to Worshipping

Psalm 40:1-3 NIV
I waited patiently for the LORD;
   he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
   out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
   and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth,
   a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear 
   and put their trust in the Lord.

Waiting on the Lord is an act of prayer
  Worshipping the Lord is an act of prayer.
From waiting to worshipping is progression in prayer.
The prayer of faith and hope and trust can lead to the
prayer of waiting. It is an active prayer which we make
before our creator.  It is the prayer of the redeemed.
The prayer of the redeemed is heard by the Lord of the universe.
In spirit and Truth, the new song in our mouth is a hymn to God
A gracious and powerful work of the Holy Spirit
lifts our prayer from waiting to worship.

Psalm 40:7-8 NIV
Then I said ,"Here I am, I have come-
  it is written about me in the scroll.
I desire to do your will, O my God;
 your law is within my heart.

Psalm 40:7 is quoted in Hebrews 10:7

Hebrews 10:7 NIV
Then I said, "Here I am-- 
  it is written about me in the scroll--
I have come to do your will. O God."

Hebrews 10:10 NIV
And by that will, we have been made holy through the
 sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Hebrews 10:19-23 NIV
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter
the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new 
and living way opened for us through the curtain,
that is, his body,  and since we have a great high priest
over the house of God,  let us draw near to God  with a 
sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts
sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and
having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us 
hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for 
he who promised is faithful.

In the power of the Spirit we engage with our Creator
and with our Redeemer.

Psalm 40:16 NIV
But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in You.

PSALM 40 From Celebration to Adoration

Psalm 40:3   New International Version
"He put a new song in my mouth,"
Who did that ?......God !
It is divine action which animates our song
and fills our hearts with praise.
3  He put a new song in my mouth,
    a hymn of praise to our God.
    Many will see and fear
    and put their trust in the LORD.

This is revival. Our Spirit filled worship will inspire many
"to fear God and put their trust in Him"
Again it is divine action which causes our own hearts
to love and to trust in our LORD.
We will urgently turn aside from all that is false.
8  I desire to do your will, O my God
    your law is within my heart.
We realize in our own heart that God's law is the will of God.
That is what is in His heart for us !
When that realization informs our desire, then our celebration
moves to adoration, for the God whose heart is for us.

Psalm 149:3-4 NIV
3 Let them praise his name with dancing
  and make music to him with tambourine and harp
4For the LORD takes delight in his people;
  he crowns the humble with salvation.
5 Let the saints rejoice in this honour
   and sing with joy on their beds.

We each have our own experience of prayer, praise and thanksgiving
but when we come to celebrate in our hearts,(on our beds or in public)
 are we conscious of moving from celebration to adoration ?
To celebrate is to mark something with festivity and rejoicing,
to publicly rejoice, to observe and honour enthusiastically with joy.
At a celebration today, we have balloons and streamers, disco lights
and happy music. We show our happiness publicly .
To celebrate is to have a party. Celebration is an expression of
gladness and joy made publicly with others who are happy
for the same reason .
To move from a heart felt experience of joyful celebration into
a heartfelt experience of adoration is a conscious move from
one experience of joy and love to a changed experience of
joy and love, great affection and ardent love, this is an internal experience,
made even greater in the realization that it is shared by all around us.
Shared adoration is possible when all present love. hold precious,
and revere our God, and are in complete harmony in worship
of God-with-us, God-for-us, our Creator and Redeemer.
Psalm 40:16 NIV
But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation always say,
"the LORD be exalted.

PSALM 39 The Humility of God

Psalm 113 NKJV

4 The LORD is high  above all nations,
   His glory above the heavens.

5 Who is like the LORD our God,
   Who dwells on high.

6 Who humbles himself to behold
   the things that are in the heavens
   and in the earth.

7 He raises the poor out of the dust
   And lifts the needy out of the ash heap.

Greed, envy, violence, selfishness, injustice, oppression, intolerance,
and the lack of law and order do ensure that there are still poor and needy
people in our time, in our town and not far away.

Psalm 39:4-6 NKJV
4  LORD, make me to know my end,
    And what is the measure of my days,
    That I may know how frail I am.

5  Indeed, You have made my days as hand breadths,
    And my age is nothing before You:
    Certainly every man at his best state
    is but a vapour.

6  Surely every man walks about like a shadow;
    Surely they busy themselves in vain;
    He heaps up riches,
   And does not know who will gather them.

When we see our limitations,
we are at the  beginning, of wisdom and humility.
We are present to God. to God's heart of wisdom love and humility.
May God's heart of wisdom, love and humility be in us.
It is the heart of God to humble himself.
It is the heart of God to raise the poor and needy
right out of their poverty and need.

We really need humility,
if we intend to engage ourselves in those things
which are the will of God,
those very things which are in our God's  heart.

Lord please grant us the wisdom love and humility
which we need to be the people You want us to be.  Amen

PSALM 39 Now His Image

Jeremiah 20:9  RSV
"there is . . . . . a burning fire shut up in my bones,
and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.

Psalm 39:2-3  RSV
2   I was dumb and silent.
        I held my peace to no avail.;
     my distress grew worse,
3      my heart burned within me.
    As I muse, the fire burned;
        then I spoke with my tongue:

Luke 24:32 RSV
They said to each other, "Did our hearts not burn within us
while we talked on the road,
while he opened to us the scriptures.

Psalm 90:12 RSV  So teach us to number our days
                               that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Amos 3:8  RSV  The lion has roared; who will not fear,
The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy ?

      What David spoke with his tongue, was a prayer;-
Psalm 39:4 RSV   "Lord let me know my end,
                and what is the measure of my days
                let me know how fleeting life is ! "
David is quoting Psalm 90:12 (above) which is headed ;-
                 A prayer of Moses, the Man of God.
The triune God is still speaking to us, through David and through Moses
The Lord Jesus spoke to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.
David asks for insight. "let me know" twice in verse 4.
Moses asks for insight "teach us"
The two disciples received insight on the road to Emmaus ;-
"he opened to us the scriptures."
The self revelation of the living God can give rise to
the experience of inner stirrings in the people of God.
Psalm 39:6 RSV Surely man goes about as a shadow!
The Hebrew word for shadow (verse 6) is selem    H6754 in Strongs
which occurs in Genesis 1:27 where it means "in the image"
The shadow of your hand on a wall is the image of your hand.
The image in which we are made is the image of God.
In our fleeting life, every person is a shadow  ( Psalm 39:6 )
each one is the image of  God.
Genesis 1:27 RSV  So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him; male and female
he created them.
Whatever our circumstances now,
We are the image of God,
His shadow in this changing world.
In the likeness of God ,
we live and move and have our being
                       

PSALM 39 Now a Witness

NO STRANGERS IN HEAVEN !
There, "others" become our brothers and sisters,
as you and they are seen as vital members of the
One Body of Christ,
Christlike gentleness replaces all aggressive thoughts and behaviour.
Loyalties to sports teams, street gangs, armed militia, clans and cliques
political parties, sectarian orders, lodges, associations and social castes.,
all disappear totally.
As we read Psalm 39,  we see that God recognizes that our outcry is an act of trust
Psalm 39:8 ERV   " Don't let me be treated like a fool.".
Down here,  The enemy need not be a hostile political force plotting against David.
It may be the one who has mocked David by refusing him hospitality (1Sam 25:39)
David's daughter Tamar was very badly treated by her half brother Amnon.
The prayer " Do not make me the scorn of a fool" Psalm 39:8 NRSV
is the prayer of the people of God who have been badly treated by "wicked fools"

Our lives down here "speak" as part of the body of Christ.
Our lives  "speak" revelation of the love of God.
the voice of the Trinity speaks through our attitudes and through
what is actually accomplished in the world, through our lives.
In Moses, David, and all the good Samaritans..,  The Trinity spoke,and still speaks,
  like Facebook messages, delivering God's word down the centuries,
Psalm 39:4 ERV
How long will I live
Let me know how short my life is.
We play our short lives on  stage which is in full view of the hosts of heaven
where all are our brothers and sisters.
Mark 12:25 ESV
For when they raise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in 
marriage, but are like angels in heaven.
We are encompassed about by so great a cloud of witnesses.
Hebrews 12:1 KJV
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud
of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily
beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.

Luke 15:  7 and 10 KJV
I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner
that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons which 
need no repentance.
10 Likewise I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the 
angels of God, over one sinner that repenteth.

Christ's life in us is evident.
Our prayer, in the power of the Spirit;
our goodwill and generosity in the love of Jesus;
Our every act in the will of our heavenly Father.
is a witness to heaven and earth and all eternity.

so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God
might now be made known to the rulers and authorities
in heavenly places,                                         Ephesians 3:10 ESV

PSALM 38 Now in Steadfast Love

In Psalm 38, the psalmist is praying and telling God that he feels
Pitiable     Abandoned     and   Betrayed.
He does not rebel. He knows that he has made serious mistakes,
He has made wrong decisions.  His accusers are justified
because his behaviour has been bad.  So he suffers in silence,
knowing it has been his own fault.
Socially he is at rock bottom. It has even affected his health.

This   could be the story of a person who has run away from
their responsabilities ;  a person who has damaged his life
and his family through drink , or debt,  through gambling or
drugs,  through embezelment, fraud, dishonesty, theft, with or
without violence, leading to prison, mental breakdown, and,
homelessness .  This sounds terrible,.......really bad,.......but
when someone becomes vulnerable, unless they get really timely
help and very good advice, the decline from manageable
problems to depression, loss of dignity and self respect , can be
rapid and shocking  to the victim.  Such circumstances can isolate
people from those who might have been any support.

We must not abandon such a person, but come quickly to their aid.
as a "Good Samaritan", first to sympathize with their grief and
exhaustion, then to release them from their traps.
Homelessness is a trap.  Debt is a trap.
Hunger is a painful trap. Dependence is a trap.
Lack of good health can be a very restricting trap.

With the mind of Christ, we can appreciate the shock of
bereavement or natural disaster, like fire or flood,
becoming redundant, or becoming bankrupt or loosing good health.
But it does happen every day to ordinary men and women,

In Psalm 38 NCV the psalmist prays;-
22,   Do not abandon me, O LORD;
        my God, do not remain far from me.
16    I place my hope in you, O LORD:
        You, O LORD, my God, will answer for me.
10   O LORD, all my longing is known to you
       and my sighs are not hidden from you.
23   Come quickly to my aid, O LORD, my Saviour.

In his prayer the psalmist expresses his hope.
When we find that we are the victim,
we can turn with the psalmist to the one true God
We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Steadfast and sure when the billows roll.
An anchor for the soul, firm and secure  Hebrews 6:19 ESV. .
And when it is our turn to be the "Good Samaritan,"
in the love of Jesus, may we appreciate the distress of the downtrodden
then as the people of God, may we be strong in the Spirit,
and minister well  with a good heart to see that they (the downtrodden)
are set free from the causes of their distress.

PSALM 37, Forever In God's Steadfast Love.

Your steadfast love, O LORD                                              Ps.36:5
extends to the heavens.
How precious is your steadfast love.                                   Ps 36:7

O continue your steadfast love                                            Ps36:10
to those who know you
.
In God's steadfast love,
Fret not because of evildoers.                                             Ps37:1
In God's steadfast love,
be not envious of wrongdoers.                                           Ps37:1

Trust in God,  who redeems your life from the Pit
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.               Ps103:4

Lean on God, in His steadfast love                                   Ps37:3                                 .
Rely on God, and His steadfast love.

Be confident in God's steadfast love.                                Ps37:3
Be still before the LORD
and wait patiently in God's steadfast love.                        Ps 37:7                            
Wait in hope, on God's steadfast love.                              Ps37:34
Be still and rest in God's steadfast love.

Commit your way to the Lord,                                          Ps37:5
and trust in Him,  in His steadfast love.

Cease from anger,                                                              Ps 37:8
Forsake wrath,     in God's steadfast love.

Deal kindly,                                                                        Ps 37:21
Deal graciously    in God's steadfast love.                         Ps 37:26

Be merciful,  in God's steadfast love                                 Ps37:26
Do good,  in God's steadfast love
Give liberally  in God's steadfast love                              Ps 37:26.

The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom               Ps37:30
and his tongue speaks with justice,  in God's steadfast love.

There is a happy end for the man of peace,                      Ps37:37
                                in God's steadfast love.

Take delight in the Lord, in His steadfast love.                Ps 37:4
The LORD is merciful and gracious                                Ps 103:8
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Dwell forever in God's  steadfast love.

I will sing of your steadfast love, O LORD forever;
I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.          Ps 89:1

PSALM 36 Steadfast Love

In Psalm 36 we find two ways of looking at life.
Verses one to four show fallen men's way of looking at life.
Fallen man's values affect fallen mans wants
 and lead to the fallen man's way.

Psalm 36:1-4  "The Message"
The God-rebel tunes into sedition--
all ears,  eager to sin.
He has no regard for God,
he stands insolent before him.
He has smooth-talked himself
into believing
That his evil will never be noticed.
Words gutter from his mouth,
     dishwater dirty.
Can't remember when he
     did anything decent.
Every time he goes to bed,
     he fathers another evil plot.
When he's loose on the streets,
     nobody's safe.
He plays with fire
     and doesn't care who gets burned.

Verse 5-9 is the way of looking at life through God,s revelation.
Life based on knowing God.
Life based on knowing the presence of God.
Life based on knowing God's steadfast love.
A life which exudes the love of Christ.
A way of life, lived in God's presence, in God's love.

In contrast to the way of the wicked (in verse 1-4),
when the light of Christ dwells deep in the hearts of God fearing people,
their humility is evident......
the words of their mouths are honest, wholesome and wise.
they plan to bless
and are set on a way that is good.
By reflecting on the word of God (on our beds)
and relating the word of God to our own lives
we can see where our lives are Christlike and where we fall short.
This is not an academic exercise.
We first pray to God with us, who has always been with us,
and knows us inside out, like on old friend, like a parent who has watched
over us with concern and tenderness and wisdom, and ask Him to reveal
the meaning of His words.

Psalm 36:5-6  NRSV
5     Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens,
               your faithfulness to the clouds.
6     Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains
               your judgments are like the great deep
       you save humans and animals alike, O LORD.
7     How precious is your steadfast love , O God !

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.

PSALM 29 Ongoing Allegiance

Psalm 29:10 ESV
The LORD sits  enthroned  over the flood:
The LORD sits  enthroned as king forever.

"Enthroned";-  Sitting on a throne is a formal indication
of possession of an office invested with regal authority.

Adonai reigned over the flood,
Adonai will reign for ever.
Adonai  alone is King.

Psalm 29:11 ESV
May the LORD give strength to his people  
May the LORD bless his people with peace.

"His people";-  persons subject to the king
                         belonging to his nation,
                         those who owe the king their allegiance.

"King";- noble sovereign and ruler,
are titles of one who rules and governs ,
and who holds highest rank and authority

"Allegiance" ;- the tie of a subject to his sovereign.
From the point of view of the subject,
allegiance is the full recognition of the claims which
the king has to our respect and duty.

Psalm 96:10 
       Proclaim to the foreigners "Yahweh is king ! "
       The world is firmly established, it shall never be moved.
        He will rule his people with equity.

Psalm 97:1 ESV
       Yahweh is king!
            Let the peoples tremble!
       He sits enthroned between the cherubim!
            Let the earth quake. 

James 4:6-7
.......God opposes the proud , but gives grace to the humble
                       submit yourselves therefore to God.....

Matthew 6:33 NAB
Seek first his kingship over you, his way of holiness,
and all these things will be given you besides.

Hebrews 12:9 ESV
...we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and 
we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject
to the Father of spirits and live ?

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
for the greater glory of God

PSALM 29 The Name of God

Psalm 29:2  ESV
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to his name.

Israel was to  witness to the Name of God.
That does not mean that they were to let everybody know
that their God was called "Yahweh" .
They were not just to let everybody know the right name for God.
They were to witness to God's character , and who he is,
His nature , His power, and His substance.
When Christians baptize  people
in the name of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit,
we act according to the command of the word of God,
in the authority of  THE TRINITY !!!
Genesis 1:3  ESV
And God said , " Let there be light "
         and there was light.                     
                 ......................... because God has that power and that authority.
Psalm 29:4  KJV
4     The voice of the LORD is powerful;
       The voice of the LORD is full of majesty
5     The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars;
       yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.

8     The voice of the LORD shaketh  the wilderness
       The Lord shaketh the wilderness.

There can be no doubt about the sovereignty of the LORD.
Psalm 47:2 ESV
For the LORD,  the Most High, is to be feared,
      a great king over all the earth.

Who has the power ?
Who has the authority ?
Who has the power and authority of The LORD our God  ?

For Thine is the Kingdom,  and the power and the glory,
        for ever and ever.  Amen.

" In the name of Jesus"
means ;-  in the power and authority of
Jesus Christ, God Incarnate, and the only Saviour of mankind.
Mark 4:39  ESV
And (Jesus) awoke and rebuked the wind
and said to the sea " Peace,  be still ! "
And the wind ceased,  and there was a great calm.

We are able to attribute to God The Son
" the glory due unto his name"                    Psalm 29:2 NKJV
The Voice of God is remarkably powerful ,
so if you have in your heart someone who needs strength and peace,
acquaint yourself with Psalm 29:11 ESV
and know that this is the word of God .
Psalm 29:11 ESV
May the LORD give strength to his people!
May the LORD bless his people with peace!

PSALM 29 The Voice of God

Psalm 29 1-2 English Standard Version.
Ascribe to the LORD,  O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
worship the LORD in the splendour of holiness.

New English Translation of the Septuagint ( NETS ) version
Bring to the Lord, O sons of God,
Bring to the Lord glory and honor.

Psalm 89: 5-6-7 ESV
5    Let the heavens praise your wonders, O LORD,
           your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones.
6    For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD ?
           who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD ?
7    a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones
           and awesome above all who are around him ?
8    O LORD God of hosts.

David's life is centered on God.
and his daily sustaining relationship with Him.
David became a "man after God's own heart" 1 Sam 13:14
In times of solitude and silence -- as a shepherd in lonely places
David spent days and nights with God.
His often solitary life was a life of prayer.

Psalm 42:8 ESV
By day the Lord commands his steadfast love
and at night his song is with me ,
a prayer to the God of my life.

In everyday life , we are to attribute to the Lord, the glory of his name.
We do this where we are, at home,  at work, and at leisure.
To actually ascribe greatness to the Lord
anywhere other than in a "church service",
would be a new adventure for many Christians.
The divine name "Yahweh" occurs 18 times in psalm 29.
which emphasizes that we are continually in His powerful presence.
The voice of the Lord is mentioned 7 times
which emphasizes that ( for those who listen )
the Lord speaks into our lives personally every day.
Our relationship with Him cannot be limited to a building or a meeting.
In our own everyday lives we stand with the whole body of Christ
in the Love of God the Father.
May the life of Christ within us , animate our days and direct our ways.
We are one in Christ with all those of the household of God
and all the heavenly host.

1st Thessalonians 5:16-17-18  ESV
Rejoice always,   pray without ceasing,  give thanks in all circumstances.
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

The voice of the LORD continues to speak into the lives
of all who are putting this into practice. 
  

PSALM 28 The People of God

Psalm 28, first line ( E.S.V.)
               To You, O LORD, I call.
Psalm 28 is unequivocally addressed to Yahweh,  Jehovah ,
the self-existent, eternal, God of the Jews .  ( see STRONGS  H 3068 )

Psalm 28, second line  (E.S.V.)
                My rock be not deaf to me.
In Psalm 18 ( verse 44 ) the psalmist sings ;-
                 The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock
                 and exalted be the God of my salvation.
and in Psalm 92 verse 15
                 ......the LORD is upright; he is my rock
                 and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Who God is, is paramount, because
at the heart of our prayer,
He is our God and we are his people.
Psalm 28 verse 1 refers to ;-  "those who go down to the pit"
Psalm 28 verse 9 refers to;-   "those who will be carried  by 
                                               the Good Shepherd , for ever"

David's choice is not to go down to the pit
but eternity in the arms of the Good Shepherd
In Psalm 28 verse 2 the psalmist sings;-
                   "when I cry to you for help
                     when I lift up my hands,  "
In this , Paul of Tarsus is at one with the psalms of David,
in 1st Timothy 2: 8
                               I desire then that in every place
                               men should pray lifting holy hands.....

We do need to cry to God for help                                     (verse 2)
The sting of injustice and pain caused by violence
needs to be taken  in prayer to the Lord, our strength and our shield (verse 7)
that He may deliver us from the wicked and from workers of evil (verse 3)
The people of God do not seek personal revenge in prayer,
We seek that painful oppression should come to an end.
Psalm 28:verse 5  "He will break them down and not build them up"
is a prophecy which tyrants should not ignore.

Psalm 28 verse 6  " Blessed be the LORD ! "
This line of praise is used in anticipation of answered prayer
by one whose heart is so full of trust that he is already singing
a song of thanks.
Psalm 91 verse 2 E.S.V.
It is a good thing to give thanks to the LORD
to sing praises to your Name , O Most High.
Psalm 28 verse 8  E.S.V.
The LORD is the strength of his people
he is the saving refuge of his anointed .
and verse 9 is a prayer for all God's people
O save your people and bless your heritage.
Be their shepherd and carry them for ever.