PSALM 73:2-3 God's Way

Psalm 73:2-3 NCV
2        But as for me, I nearly lost my balance;
          I was almost at the point of stumbling.
3        For I was filled with envy of the arrogant
          when I perceived how the wicked prosper.

The fact that a believer can come to a point of stumbling
shows the need for that discernment which comes only
from "Your counsel" i.e. God given wisdom and counsel.

Psalm 73:24 NCV
           You guide me with Your counsel,
           and afterward you will receive me into glory.

Like the psalmist we chose not to give our lives over to darkness and destruction.
With the psalmist we choose God's way because we are utterly convinced that
God's will for us is the most wholesome and the very best. He loves us so much
that He gave His only begotten Son , that whoever believes in Him
shall not perish , but have eternal life.
     everyone who does evil hates the light.......
but he who practices the truth comes to the Light.
                                                                        from John 3  NASB

PSALM 73:1 Pure in heart

Psalm 73:1  NCV  God is truly good to the upright 
                               to those who are pure in heart.

Psalm 24:4 NCV   Speaks of
                               "One who has clean hands and a pure heart"

Jesus said  "Happy are the pure in heart, they will see God!"
                                                                   Matthew 5:8 GNB

If in prayer before El Roi ( God who sees me ),
we examine our own intentions, our own motivations
and our own attitudes:
 "A man must examine himself" 1st Corinthians 11:28
We need to be aware what direction our own actions are taking us.
Are we walking closer and more constantly with the Lord ?
If not we need to choose the better way,
and we need the grace to put our good intentions into practice.
Jesus Christ is God incarnate and the only saviour of mankind.

PSALM 72 the ideal king

Psalm 72 is a prayer for a Davidic king, so it is also a prayer for the ideal king.
In fact only Christ can fulfill all the hopes in this prayer.

v5,(NIV)  He will endure as long as the sun.
v17(NIV) His name will endure for ever.

When we read Psalm 72 in the light of Revelation 1:5-6  we realize that some
of this applies to us , partly because we desire to be Christlike, but principally
because our Lord Jesus has made us to be kings and priests to God.
So it is interesting to read Psalm 72 to see what applies to us
.
v1  A prayer for discernment so that judgement will be just and righteous.
v2 The poor to be treated in righteousness with justice.
v3 Peace to the people.
v4 Peace and justice for the poor,
     children saved from need,
     and oppressors confronted and stopped.
v5 Bringing about generations of God fearing people.
v6 Being so beneficial to the community and the environment
v7 that everything good flourishes
     bringing long term peace and stability in which health, education and
     the standard of living improves.
v12/13  The poor, the afflicted, the weak and their children get more than a handout.
     They are delivered and saved. They ere redeemed from oppression
      from deception and even from violence.
      All the saved and redeemed have new dignity before men and God!

Revelation 1:5-6 NKJV
5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness,
the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over
the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins 
in His own blood 6 and has made us kings and piests to His God and Father,
to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever, AMEN.

Yes these verses are talking about us too!
John was writing to the 7 churches and everybody in them
so "us" includes all the Christian believers.
Psalm 72 is a prayer for us which spells out
our authority and responsibility as kings and priests to God.

As we read Psalm 72 we can see that the words apply to a Davidic king.
They apply prophetically to the Messiah,
and they apply to His redeemed believers to-day.
Of course we can't manage any of that on our own
but as members of the royal priesthood
and members of the body of Christ,

Psalm 72:12-14 New Living Translation second edition.
He will rescue the poor when they cry to him
He will help the oppressed who have no one to defend them.
He feels pity for the weak and the needy,
and he will rescue them.
He will redeem them from oppression and violence,
for their lives are precious to him.

Is there any doubt what it is like to be like the ideal king.

Psalm 71 HOLY

Psalm 71:22  ESV
I will also praise you with the harp
for your faithfulness, O my God;
I will sing praises to you with the lyre,
O Holy One of Israel.

Psalm 22:3  ESV
Yet you are holy
enthroned on the praises of Israel

Genesis 1:26 ESV
 God said, "Let us make man in our own image and likeness."

God's people are images of Him.
We mirror His love for us in our love for Him and for others.
So we are called  "holy ones."

The E.S.V. translates the same word;-
godly,  holy one,  merciful, saints, faithful ones.
We live out the God given relationship, the "hesed" relationship.
We practice  "hesed"
Sainthood is not an attainment.
It is a state into which God in grace calls men.

1st Peter 1:15  ESV
but as he who called you is holy,
you also be holy.....
verse 16
.....it is written  You shall be holy,
for I am holy.
( Quoting Leviticus 11:44 and 45)

A Lamb has been offered for us.
Ephesians 1:7  ESV
In him we have redemption through his blood.

Psalm 71:23 ESV
My lips will shout for joy,
when I sing praises to you;
my soul also , which you have redeemed.

Psalm 34:22 ESV
The LORD redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

Although holiness can be seen as a separation from
all that is not divine, Christian holiness embraces all that is wholesome
in the love of God , in the will of God, in His purposes.

The love of God, the will of God.
To-day in our lives,
in our attitudes and our actions,
we choose the love of God, the will of God.
We choose not to live in a spirit of wickedness
or violence or greed or envy or self gratification.
We choose good will not bad will.
We choose life in the love of Christ.
The dynamic in which we choose to live
is " holy".

Psalm 71 Words of Praise

The words of Praise extracted from Psalm 71 make a psalm within a psalm.
(Psalm 70 in the Orthodox Bible SAAS translation)
v6.....My song shall be always with You.
v8.....Let my mouth be filled with Your praise
         That I may sing of Your glory.
         And of Your magnificence all day long.
v14   I will hope continually And I will add to all Your praise.
v15   My mouth shall proclaim Your righteousness,
v16 ..O Lord I shall remember Your righteousness, Yours alone.
v17...I will proclaim Your wonders.
v18...even to old age and to my last breath.
     ....until I proclaim Your arm to every coming generation
         Yes, Your mighty deeds and Your righteousness.
v19   O God, I proclaim the magnificent things You did
         even to highest heaven.
         O God who is like you ?
v22   Truely, I give thanks to You with the 
                                instrument of a psalm of God ;
         I will sing to You with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.
v23   My lips will greatly rejoice when I sing to You 
         so will my soul  which You redeemed.
v24   My tongue shall meditate on Your righteousness
         all day long.

Psalm 71 Transcendent Witness

Psalm 71:19   (Ps70:19 in the Orthodox Bible)
O God, I proclaim the magnificent things You did
     Even to the highest heaven.
Luke 15:7, 10    words of Jesus
7   I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven
     over one sinner that repenteth.
10   Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence
     of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
Ephesians 3:10 NKJV
10  Now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known 
      by the church to the principalities and powers in the 
      heavenly places
11  according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished
      in Christ Jesus  our Lord.
Hebrews  12:1
......we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses.

The psalmist reveals that our praises are heard in highest heaven.
Our Lord Jesus lets us know that our repentance is witnessed by angels
and causes them joy.
Paul informs us that it is according to the eternal purposes of God that
the Christian witness of believers is made known to the angelic community.
   In practice we are encompassed by a great cloud of "spirit witnesses".
. 

Psalm 70 In Him we live.

Psalm 70:4 NRSV
but let all who seek you be jubilant and rejoice in you
and may those who long for your saving aid
forever cry "All glory to God"
Psalm 70:4 NJB
But joy and happiness in you to all who seek you
Let them ceaselessly cry "God is Great"
who love your saving power.
Psalm 70:4 Amplified Bible
May all those who seek, inquire of and for You,
and require You (as their vital need)
rejoice and be glad in You.
Acts 17:27-28 ESV
.........they should seek God
in the hope that they might feel their way towards him.
Yet he is actually not far from each one of us.
28. for " In him we live and move and have our being"

People who have sung these words and identify with these verses,
are the subject of the psalmist's prayer in Psalm 70:4.

PSALM 70 Direct Prayer

Psalm 70:1 NASB
O God, hasten to deliver me
O Lord, hasten to my help.

Psalm 70:5
But I am poor and needy               NKJV
But I am afflicted and needy         NASB

The psalmist is praying to God in order that his needs will be met.
There are many types of poverty.
Like the psalmist we pray, asking for the provision of what we do not yet have...but need.
There are many kinds of affliction.
Like the psalmist we pray for help and deliverance.

Psalm 70:5 continued
You are my help and my deliverer;
O Lord, do not delay.

It is "You and me"......that personal !
For help the Psalmist turns to my help.
For deliverance the psalmist turns to my deliverer.
Verse 5 reveals a personal relationship, already established.

We have a Saviour , in whose name we pray to God the Father.
John 16:23 KJV
And in that day ye shall ask me nothing.
Verily ,verily, I say unto you,
Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name,
he will give it to you.

Psalm 69 Confidence Firmly Grounded

Psalm 69:16  ESV  and NRSV
Answer me , O LORD, for your steadfast love is good
according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.

Psalm 69:16 Amplified Bible
Hear and answer me, O LORD, for Your loving-kindness is sweet and comforting;
according to Your plenteous tender mercy and steadfast love, turn to me.

Psalm 59:17 New Living Translation
O my Strength, to you I sing praises
for you, O God, are my refuge
the God who shows me unfailing love.

Psalm 69:16 New English Bible
Answer me, O LORD, in the goodness of your unfailing love
turn towards me in thy great affection.

Psalm 59:17 and 69:16 show that it is God's unfailing love
that gives the psalmist confidence to pray to Him.
In these Psalms the psalmist is NOT praying with groundless optimism !
The psalmist is depending on God's covenant love and compassion.
He is trusting in God's covenant promises and unfailing steadfast love.
Neither do we pray with groundless optimism to-day.
Our own peace with God depends on all that the Lord Jesus did for us
on Calvary. Jesus is the fulfilment of those covenant promises.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life.
                                         John 3:16  AV 

PSALM 69 Ongoing Relationship

Psalm 69:13  ESV
But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD.

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

even a prayer to
         "the Lord who daily bears me up"  Ps 68:17

Prayer is an intrinsic part of our ongoing relationship
           with the living God.

It is in the nature of that divine relationship
that our words of prayer
are expressed in personal love and faith.

PSALM 68 Blessed be God

Psalm 68:19 ESV
Blessed be the Lord,
who daily bears us up;
God is our salvation.
Psalm 68:35 ESV
Awesome is God in his sanctuary, the God of Israel --
he is the one who gives power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God.

With David, we bless the Lord.
With David, we attribute our strength , our power and our
salvation to the Lord who daily bears us up.
For our ongoing physical and spiritual provision, we bless the Lord.

The Israelites were obedient to Psalm 105:4-5 NRSV
Seek the LORD and his strength
seek his presence continually.
Remember the wonderful works he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he uttered.

In Psalm 68 the people of Israel literally " Remember
the wonderful works he has done."
In liturgical processions, in keeping feasts and in making regular
pilgrimages up to Jerusalem, they kept alive the context of their
existence as people of God.

Psalm 68:24 ESV
24  Your procession is seen , O God,
            the procession of my God, my King into the sanctuary
25  the singers in front, the musicians last,
            and between them virgins playing tambourines.

Today we continually celebrate all that God has done for us.
We value the spiritual context in which we live.

Ephesians 4:8  ( Which refers to Psalm 68 )
When he ascended on high he lead a host of captives.

We see , in this passage , the ascension of Christ
who draws the redeemed after him,
and the church filled with the gifts of the Spirit.

Those who do not remember what God has done for them
have lost something;- like lost creatures, wandering,
without a shepherd, detached from their spiritual inheritance.

Discernment here is straight forward.
Those who remember what God has done for us
give a resounding  AMEN to Psalm 68:19

Blessed be the Lord
Who daily bears me up.           AMEN.

PSALM 67 World Mission

The psalmist's next words (Psalm 67:2) are a prayer

"that your way may be known on earth".

The Holy Spirit, whose inspiration enabled the psalmist 

to give us this Psalm, also put into his heart , to pray

for the world mission of ISRAEL to bring

"The way of God" to all creation.

The psalmists vision is confirmed in Isaiah 45:8 NRSV

Shower , O heavens, from above,

and let the skies rain down righteousness;

let the earth open, that salvation may spring up,

and let it cause righteousness to sprout up also.

I the LORD have created it.

That great commission is now the responsibility

of Christians of every nation. (as at Pentecost )

John 3:16 ESV

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son,

that whoever believes in him should not perish

but have eternal life. 

PSALM 67 Smile of Love

Verse 1 of Psalm 67 draws us to immediately address God.
Heart and soul we come before the mighty God upon whose
graciousness we depend and whose blessing we now seek.
When a father smiles at his child, it is a smile of approval
(which is what the child seeks)     and a smile of love
(which is what the father gives).
Earthly fathers are made in the image of our Heavenly Father.
What freedom we have, to spend a lifetime seeking
what our Father longs to give.
Psalm 100:5 ESV
For the LORD is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

PSALM 67 UNIVERSAL PRAISE

A prayer for universal praise.

Psalm 67:3,4,5  ESV
3  Let the peoples praise you, O God;
         let all the peoples praise you!
4  Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
         for you judge the peoples with equity
         and guide the nations upon earth.
5  Let the peoples praise you. O God;
         let all the peoples praise you!

The goal of our ministry.
These verses express a prayer that all the people
of all the nations will be guided by God and enabled by God
to engage in united charismatic prayer and worship.
It will happen, and we shall be participants.

PSALM 67 Our Ministry

When we sing this prayer, we address the Lord our God.
We also edify those listening that they may make our words,
(God's Words ) the prayer of their own heart.
In fact we pray in verse one to be blessed in order that;
"your way may be known on earth"  ( verse two )
When we sing verse one followed by verse two,
we are volunteering for an amazing ministry.
Psalm 67:1-2 KJV
God be merciful unto us, and bless us;
and cause his face to shine upon us.
That thy way may be known upon earth,
thy saving health among all nations.
We are asking to be anointed for the ministry of
making "The way of God " known throughout the earth
and bring His saving grace among all nations !!
Psalm 67:6-7 KJV
Then shall the earth yield her increase;
And God, even our own God , shall bless us.
God shall bless us;
And all the ends of the earth shall fear him.

We will all be greatly blessed in the process,
as people of every nation become God fearing men and women.

PSALM 67 A Blessing

Psalm 67:1 NIV
May God be gracious to us and bless us
   and make his face shine upon us .              AMEN

Psalm 67:1 NCV
O God , be gracious to us and bless us
   and let your face shine upon us .                 AMEN

Psalm 67:8 NCV
May God continue to bless us
   and be revered to the ends of the earth.      AMEN

We may use these words of blessing, they are God's words.
We are given these words because God wants to bless us.
This is the attitude of His heart towards us.

How much love does it take to want to bless all the people in the world ?
When His love fills our heart we want to bless every member of creation.
In verse one (NCV) we lift up our heart and pray directly to God the Father.
In verse eight (NCV) we sing out the words to the assembled believers,
"May God continue to bless us "
The enthusiastic "AMEN" of the other worshipers is prayer.
We facilitate the words to which the assembly can pray their AMEN.

PSALM 66 SHOUT FOR JOY to the LORD all the earth

PSALM 66 ERV    
1  Everything on earth, shout for joy to God!

4  Let the whole world worship you
    Let everyone sing praises to your name.

7  He rules the world with his great power
    He watches people everywhere....

8  People, praise our God.

9  He gave us life, and he protects us.

16 All you people worshiping God,
     come and I will tell you what he has done for me.

The psalmist was speaking about the mighty work of God
in delivering the people of Israel from captivity in Egypt

We too shout joyfully to God, and in addition to the deliverance
of the people of Israel, we give witness to the delivery of the people
of God from darkness into light through the death and resurrection  of JESUS CHRIST.
Set free from the consequences of sin and death, the gift of God is eternal life through JESUS CHRIST.
    

PSALM SIXTY-SIX

Psalm 66 is a song of thanksgiving in which the psalmist
draws attention to the works of God.
He proclaims the goodness of the works of God.
He makes a hymn of praise extolling the works of God in Psalm 66:1-12.
He makes a personal song of thanksgiving in Psalm 66:13-20.
The imperative calls to " Come and see ".............in verse 5
                         and to "Bless our God"..............in verse 8
apply to all who have an eye to see and an ear to hear.     Praise God.
The song of Miriam the Prophet ( Aaron's sister )  Exodus 15:31
 the call to praise............................."Sing to the LORD"
 the reason to praise ........" for he has triumphed gloriously
                                          horse and rider he has thrown into the sea "
PSALM 22:31 NASB
    They will come and will declare His righteousness
    To a people who will be born, that He has performed it.
PSALM 66 ; 5 & 6 NASB
5   Come and see the works of God,
     who is awesome in His deeds towards the sons of men.
6  He turned the sea into dry land;
    They passed through the river on foot.
Like the psalmist we have a need to share/to tell what God has done.
There is a need for people to know. I shall recount the deeds of the Lord
Psalm 118:17 NASB      I will not die, but live, and tell of the works of the LORD.

PSALM 65 We are satisfied

Psalm 65:4 AV     Blessed is he whom thou choosest, 
And causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell 
in thy courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, 
even of your holy temple.

Psalm 107:9 AV For he satisfieth the longing soul
and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.

Psalm 63:5 AV My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness
and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips.

Spiritual thirst (Ps 63:1) and spiritual hunger of the longing soul  (Psalm 107:9)
are " spiritual emotions " of the heart.

It really is not just something academic ( which only the learned comprehend).
It is something Spiritual ....of the heart.
Those who lift up their hands (in the Spirit),
those who lift up their voices in the Spirit  (in tongues),
and those who lift up their heart to the Lord ( that hearest prayer),
will have their longing souls satisfied and
their hungry souls filled with goodness.

He satisfies / We are satisfied.  AMEN.

PSALM 65 He shall hear

He shall hear / we shall be heard  AMEN.

Psalm 65:2  AV
O thou that hearest prayer
Unto thee shall all flesh come.

Psalm 10: 17 AV
Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble:
Thou wilt prepare their heart,
thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:

Psalm 4:3b  AV
The LORD will hear when I call on him.

He hears  /  we are heard

Psalm 55:17 AV
Evening and morning , and at noon,
I will pray , and cry aloud
And he shall hear my voice.

Psalm 145  AV
He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him:
He also will hear their cry , and save them. 

Review of PSALM 63

Looking over Psalm 63 we find that
Verse 1     articulates our desire for God
                                 our thirst for God
                  and          our yearning for God
Verse 2-8  speaks of things which are the goal of Christian prayer;-
                 Communion with God , which includes;
                 encounter with God,
                 experience of the presence of God,
                 communication of concerns,
                 expression of love and appreciation of love,
                 expression of hope,
                 revelation of truth,
                 self revelation of the nature of God.
Verse 2-8 demonstrates the considerable experience which the psalmist had
                 of ongoing personal relationship in prayer, including;-
                 divine counseling
                 divine enabling
                 divine upholding
                 divine inspiration of prophetic prayer
                 divine inspiration of love and forgiveness
                 divine inspiration of several ministries of prayer.
Psalm 36:7  ESV  How precious is your steadfast love, O God !
The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
Psalm 63 is a hymn for Israel which looks beyond Israel to the rest of mankind.

PSALM 63 Attached to God

Psalm 63:9 The Jewish Study Bible Tanakh Translation.
My soul is attached to you;
   Your right hand supports me.

When we long for God and desire God with our whole being.........
When our heart's cry is that God's constant love is better than life itself....
Then we know that it is the working of the Holy Spirit in our own heart
that has drawn us to God and put into our heart , our love for Him.
 Our hearts overflow from the rich encounters we have had with God
while meditating on Him.
We give thanks and ecstatic praise for all our previous experiences
of " Your constant love."
ISAIAH 41:13 ESV
For I , the LORD your God, hold your right hand;
   it is I who say to you, "Fear not, I am the one who helps you."
Our desire is to continue in the love of God.
Our desire is not to relinquish the security of His presence.
Our desire is not to relinquish the active relationship
which we have with our Lord in prayer and praise.
Our need for continued renewal, forgiveness, discernment
cause us to identify with the words of the psalmist.
Psalm 63:8  ESV
My soul clings to you ; your right hand upholds me.

PSALM 63 One in God's will

Joshua 1:8 ESV
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, 
but you shall meditate on it day and night, 
so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.
It is the will of God that we should meditate on the word of God
in order that we may carefully do what is the will of God.
Psalm 119:55 ESV
I will remember your name in the night, O Lord, and keep your law.
We need to discern daily whether or not we are doing it.
How beneficial it is to put Psalm 63:5-7 into action in our own lives.
Psalm 16:17 REB
I shall bless the Lord who has given me counsel:
in the night he imparts wisdom to my inmost being.

Psalm 63:5-6-7 ESV
5  My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
    and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
6  when I remember you upon my bed,
    and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
7  for you have been my help,
    and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
Here we have a picture of God as a nurturing eagle as in Psalm 91:4 ESV
He will cover you with his pinions,and under his wings you will find refuge.

PSALM 63 Bless God

Psalm 63:4 NRSV

So I will bless you as long as I live;

     I will lift up my hands and call your name.

Psalm 63 is a prayer and verses 1-8 an affirmation of faith...Verse 4 is a vow .

When we sing this verse in Church, we are making a vow

before God in the midst of the congregation--a vow to praise God for our lifetime.

Before and after we make such a vow, we should know the love and support of 

fellow believers who are at one with us in faith. Joining people in a vow is unifying.

Psalm 63:4 ESV

So I will bless you as long as I live;

in your name I will lift up my hands.

      The NRSV    " I will lift up my hands and call your name"

suggests demonstrative raising of the hands as an act of prayer...

singing praise with our lips and extending blessings with both hands.

       The ESV reading   "in your name I will lift up my hands"

suggests that the actual lifting of the hands and arms is done in God's name.

i.e. in God's power with God's authority;-

i.e. as a member of the Body of Christ

i.e. as a member of the royal priesthood

i.e  as a believer....experiencing the heart of God,

i.e. in union with all those who in the name of God,

     lift up their hands and bless the Living God. 

PSALM 63 Divine thirst

Psalm 63:1  ESV
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land.
                IN THE WILDERNESS
The difficulties of daily life, especially in the hard times
may distract us from the spiritual life.
Meditating on Psalm 63 might help us to rediscover our
own longing for God. By grace we might make verse one
the prayer of our own heart, and in doing so, join the psalmist
in the presence of the living God.
                 DIVINE THIRST
The yearning expressed here includes a sense of need because we need love
and it is the power of love (God) which inspires our faith and our hope.
We can have quite a good intellectual understanding supporting our cerebral
faith, but if we don't have the love of Jesus in our hearts we are in a dry place,
a desert.
Anyone  who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
( what an empty desert )
You , however , are not of the flesh but of the Spirit,
in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.
                                                               Romans 8:9  ESV 

PSALM 63 Better Than Life

Psalm 63:3 ESV  Because your  steadfast love is better than life
                                  my lips will praise you.
To be utterly convinced that God's will and purpose for us is the very best
makes a difference to our faith attitude and outlook.
To join the psalmist in realizing that God's steadfast love for us..........
is better than life........That redefines who we are.
That realization is enabling, very enabling, it changes our priorities .
We need to let God reveal his steadfast love for us..
The psalmist has the very strongest inclination to lift his hands and his heart
up to the Lord. His words in Psalm 75:25 are;-
    Whom have I in heaven but you and there is none
    upon earth that I desire beside you.
In Mark 12:30 NASB , we read,;-
    You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
    and with all your soul and with all your mind, and with all your strength.

No self conscious , or apologetic singing at the psalmists's meeting,
nor is the worship restrained . In Psalm 22 , the psalmist calls for
the people to join him;-
Trust in him at all times, O people:
pour out your heart before him.
Romans 6:13 AV    But yield yourselves unto God,
                               as those that are alive from the dead.

PSALM 62 God Only

Ps 62:1 ESV  For God alone my soul waits in silence

                                               from him comes my salvation.

Ps 62:2 ESV  He only  is my rock and my salvation

                                          my fortress, I shall not be greatly shaken.

Ps 62:5 ESV  For God alone , O my soul, wait in silence

                                                                   for my hope is in him

Ps 62:6 ESV He only is my rock and my salvation,

                                        my fortress, I shall not be shaken.

We trust God himself for deliverance , refuge, strength, breath and life

and we do not start putting our trust in any alternative.

The Triune God of Christendom , Father, Son and Holy Spirit

is sufficient for all things even to eternal salvation.

In lands which were once CHRISTIAN, the fabric of society is decomposing

like a leaning wall or a tottering fence, because the people have come to put 

their trust elsewhere !

It is important now that those who really put their trust in God, should sing out

the prayer of thanksgiving which invites others to praise and give thanks.

Our prayers of trust encourage other believers to join with us in the sure confidence

of God's protection and care.

Psalm 62:8 ESV Trust in him at all times,  O People:

The relationship with God, experienced by the trusting psalmist,

is a relationship in which all are invited to participate to-day.

PSALM 62 Pursue God

Psalm 62 verse 11 in the TLV
Do not trust in extortion, and do not put vein hope in plunder,
Even though these things increase riches, 
do not set them on your heart.

Glen D. Black comments:
People may pursue the plunder of this world,
but only the Lord will reward man
with mercy and righteousness.

Psalm 62:12 (v13 in the TLV)
For you reward a man according to his work.

A person's work shows whether his faith is real or counterfeit.
The true attitude of a believer cannot be at variance with God's truth
expressed in Psalm 62, in which the psalmist is everyman/everywoman
who is open to encounter with God....
aware of his weaknesses, aware of his own need
but with great hope putting his confidence in God his rock.
When you really lack confidence in your own ability, give God a chance.
When you can't see any way through, put your trust in Him.
Trust in Him at all times, you people
Pour out your heart in His presence.  Psalm 62:8 TLV.

PSALM 62 Prayer of Trust

Psalm 62:7 from the Coverdale version from The Book of Common Prayer.
In God is my health, and my glory:
     the rock of my might, and in God I trust.
What a statement of faith....and our disposition in daily life
particularly in life's adventures;- to doctors and hostpitals,
to solicitors and courts, through all the exams and all the results.
Those of us who trust in Him are able to pour out our hearts to Him
because God has been, is now and will continue to be a refuge for us.
He is our hope.
Psalm 62:8 from the Coverdale version from the Book of Common Prayer.
O put your trust in him alway, ye people;
pour out your hearts before him,
for God is our Hope.

PSALM 62 God our Rock

Psalm 62:2 ESV He only is my rock.....
Psalm 62:6 ESV He only is my rock.....
Psalm 62:7 ESV.....my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

Those singing Psalm 61, sing  (verse 2)
"Lead me to the rock that is higher than I"
The Rock is our means of rescue and deliverance.
Blessed be our God the Rock.

Psalm 18:2 ESV 
The Lord is my rock,
and my fortress and my deliverer.

PSALM 62 Waiting Prayer

Psalm 62:1  ESV   For God alone my soul waits in silence.
Those who serve at table are still called waiters.
They also serve who only stand and wait.
Those of us who rush about  often want to tell God
what should be done, but to wait in silence to do
what we see the Father doing and to say only
what we hear the Father saying would be remarkably Christlike.
John 8:47 ESV 
Whoever is of God hears the words of God.
John 10:27 ESV
My sheep hear my voice.....
John 17:8 ESV
For I have given them the words that you gave me.

Psalm 62:11 Once God has spoken
                     twice have I heard this.
The psalmist may mean that he heard God's word
in his mind and in his heart.
In verse 1 "my soul waits in silence and in verse 11 God has spoken.
There is a prayer of silence in which we wait for God to speak:
A prayer in which we throw no words or requests in His direction
and in which we are open to receive something of His will and purpose.

PSALM 61:4-5

Psalm 61:4  ESV  Let me dwell in your tent forever!
                              Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings.

The psalmist "remembers" his own experience of God,s  presence,
especially God's presence in the powerful, faith filled,worship
in the temple of the Lord's presence.

Psalm 61:5  ESV
a    For you, O God, have heard my vows
b            you have given me the heritage
                 of those who fear your name.
a You have heard me so often in the past, it is my experience that with your
   guidance You have brought me safe this far.

b  I now stand in the benefit of being a God fearing man

"Thou hast given an inheritance to them that fear thy name"
    "an inheritance in the world to come"
We are made heirs and joint heirs with all the saints.
We have become reverent worshipers.
We stand in awe of the Lord's authority.

PSALM 61:2-3

Psalm 61:2 b      Lead me to the rock
                           that is higher than I

Psalm 18    1     I love you, O Lord, my strength.
                   2     The Lord is my rock and my fortress
                          and my deliverer.

1st Corinthians 10:4  ESV......and the Rock was Christ

The mind of a person who loves God  (Psalm 18:1)
consequently remembers Him and has some understanding of Him.
When we remember God's love for us and grow in the knowledge
of Him, our attitudes and the choices we make become "right with Him"
and so become better for ourselves and those around us.

Psalm 61:3  ESV  for you have been my refuge
                              a strong tower against the enemy

St Augustine pointed out the difficulty of loving anything that we
do not remember and are totally ignorant of.
But here we learn that the psalmist remembers that in his own experience,
God has been his refuge and a strong tower against the enemy.
Throughout his prayer life,the psalmist has been growing in the knowledge of God
We  who are made in His image and likeness  have come to know something of Him
and are able to remember something of Him
With that experience, we are now in a better position to love our neighbor as our self
We can all the more join with the psalmist , to sing
I love you, O Lord, my strength.

.

PSALM 61:1-2

Psalm 61:1   ESV   Hear my cry, O God.

                                     listen to my prayer.

As Christian brothers and sisters we have confidence

to enter into the holy places by the blood of Jesus

                                                          see Hebrews 10:19

.....you were washed

     you were sanctified

     you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ

                                       and by the Spirit of our God

                                                          1st Corinthians 6:11 ESV

Psalm 61:2 a    ESV

     from the end of the earth I call to you

     when my heart is faint.

The prayer is about real life. So whether the believer is facing

childbirth or redundancy or even death, to have faith that "God with us""

has always been with us, is with us now, and (whatever the circumstances)

will be with us...enables us to turn spontaneously to the God of Abraham,

Isaac and Jacob with the same confidence and hope as the psalmist.

We  make the psalms of David our very own prayers. 

PSALM 60 A Warning

Psalm 60 (Psalm 59 by Catholic and Orthodox numbering)
This psalm is a description of how God  shatters the pride
of those bound in sin, but will recall them into a strong city
which is the body of Christ.
The casting out and scattering abroad can not apply  to suffering
endured for Christ or to persecuted believers and martyrs.
Those once Christian nations which prospered in upholding the
precepts of the One Just God, but which now practice abortion
adultery, and arrogance, who now fail to pray, fail to seek God's
guidance, and fail to follow God, and instead promote ;-
immorality and perversion....need to take note..
The nations which have gone on their own perverse ways
should not think that all will be well with them.
A prayer;-
"Save us and help us with your right hand
that those you love may be delivered."    AMEN.

For adultery , see Matthew 5:32 and  Mark 10::11-12
for abortion , see Psalm 106:37-46
for arrogance, see Psalm 101:5-6
for failure to pray see 1st Samuel 12:23 RSV
                             and Zephaniah 1:5-6  GNB
for failure to seek God's guidance, see Zephaniah 1:5-6
for immorality  and perversion, see Jude 7: 11,12,13 and 16.

Psalm 58, Do what is just

Psalm 58:1 Psalms of David in metre
Do ye, O congregation,
indeed speak righteousness?
O ye that are the sons of men,
judge ye with uprightness?

The psalmist is desiring true justice,
a justice which cannot be derailed, denied or mocked,
because it is God's justice.
The legal profession is a major industry.
Our courts of justice are fully active and at great cost.
Public awareness of the God of Justice is not so high.
Secularists would even remove God from our courts of justice
in the UK and in the USA.
But for the Christian believer
who is at one with the God of justice,
We must ourselves ;-
                               do what is right,
                               show constant love,
                               and live in humble fellowship
                               with our God.
                                                    (Micah 6:8  GNB)
Men will say,
                    "There is , then , a reward for the righteous;
                     there is, indeed, divine justice on earth."     

Psalm 58 God of Justice

Psalm 58 is a psalm to which we need to give our serious attention today.
Psalm 58 Reveals to us a God of Justice.
Do converts today groan when they come under conviction ?
We have been told that God is not a policeman in the sky
and that He is not judgmental
So we can get on with our own interests and forget God !
In practice many politicians, bankers and others in authority
have no sense of being answerable to a Sunday school morality
or to the God of the Sunday school.
The provision of public education and health services for all took root in
Europe but it is repeatedly opposed by self gratifying hoards in the U.S.A.

Psalm 58 is dead against injustice, oppression, covetousness, deception,
adultery, human trafficking, human exploitation, degrading entertainment,
and the lowering of standards and values.
Our Lord Jesus did have to pay the price for our sins on the Cross of Calvary,
because we do have a God of Justice.

Psalm 58:11 NRSV
People will say, "Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
surely there is a God who judges on earth. " 

Psalm 58, A Mirror

In verse 1-2 of Psalm 58 the psalmist accuses those in authority,
they are charged with violence and injustice.
In verse 3-5 the wicked are accused of lying and wrong doing.
Since this is a psalm they are accused before God in prayer.
    In the West we make choices every day which doom Chrome miners to a wretched life.
Rhodium miners are shot for striking because they cannot afford education for their children.
Children who harvest coffee get no education because they are working for pennies
to help support their families sustain life itself.
Little old ladies , in twin sets, sip tea while their pension fund depends on bonded labour.
Each of us exercise power and authority in every choice we make, however casual.
Like deaf adders we in the West turn a deaf ear to the advocates of justice !
Verse 6-9 calls for violent defeat of the wicked !
Is Psalm 58 a mirror in which we can see ourselves ?
And are we a people who are willing to change?
Verse 10-11 contains prophecy that the righteous will triumph
when judgement falls upon the wicked. !!!

Psalm 58 Justice and Peace

Noah and his family were rescued from a society which had no fear of God
and had no intention to change their ways.
When God imposed justice , Noah and his family were saved.
The Children of Israel were freed from slavery in Egypt.
Their freedom and justice  was achieved when the judgement of God
fell on the Egyptians.
Those who proclaim "peace at any price" and even pray for "peace at any price"
 are dislocated from the will of God and His active presence in the world.
Since "God With Us" is "God For Us" the psalmist dared to pray
for the judgement of God to come into effect in his own oppressed circumstances.
There is a sense that when we pray for justice and for God's  intervention in a
situation, we are asking God to act according to His judgement (not ours).
So to pray for justice and peace is to pray for the judgement of God to be implemented.

If I was praying for justice and peace for the innocent in Syria or South Sudan or Somalia,
in faith that God would act according to his judgement ,I might not mention the terrorists
or their teeth ; but the psalmist prayed with integrity  and with urgency.
And if I really felt that families of believers in those countries are my brothers and sisters.....
then each news bulletin of atrocities might cause my prayer to become more urgent
and more explicit.
And would righteous men not rejoice if we witnessed that there is indeed
Divine Justice on Earth ?
Lord , may there be divine justice in Syria , in South Sudan and in Somalia. AMEN.

Psalm 57 Universal Audience

Psalm 57:9-10
The New Oxford Annotated Bible
New Revised Standard Version.

9. I will give thanks to you,  O Lord,
                     among the peoples;
    I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10  For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens;
             your faithfulness extends to the clouds.

The audience of the psalmist stretches over centuries,
over nations and over many languages.
Spoken Psalms and written Psalms are used by more people than ever.
Recorded Psalms are played privately and are broadcast on radio and TV.
On the net you can hear Psalms sung in Anglican chant, Gregorian chant and
in Orthodox chant. Though each of those may seem a world on their own,
they use the same 150 Psalms as American acappella choirs and brass bands.
Psalms are sung in more than a dozen Indian languages to local accompaniment.
There are Taize Psalms, Reggae Psalms and beautiful Serbian Psalms.
Classical composers have written settings to Psalms which are performed  to
music lovers internationally.
Welsh choirs , Chinese choirs and French Creole choirs sing praises to our One Lord.
Church organs, pan pipes and great orchestras provide accompaniment  to the same
150 Psalms
Hebrew, Byzantine, Greek and Syriac psalms from antiquity are used for worship today.
The words of Psalm 57:9-10 NRSV make a clear statement;-
The universal audience of the psalmist is matched by the universal extent of the divine
love and faithfulness of the One True God.

Psalm 57 Alive in The Spirit

Psalm 57 verses 7-9
THE MESSAGE // REMIX
the Bible in Contemporary Language.

I'm ready,  God,  so ready,
ready from head to toe,
Ready to sing,  ready to raise a tune:
   "Wake up,  harp !  Wake up lute !
         Wake up ,  you sleepyhead sun !"
I'm thanking you God,  out loud in the streets,
     singing your praises in town and country. 

There is nothing dull or tedious here
nothing dreary to induce boredom !
Wouldn't you choose to work with people so motivated,
so eager, so fully alive to the Lord our God,
so in tune with His purposes,
so in harmony with His love!
    In this translation of Psalm 57
We can reflect on the eagerness of the Psalmist.....
not just an academic compliance.......
The psalmist is inspired,  animated by the Spirit of God.
May all of us who call ourselves Christians
find life in the same Spirit.

PSALM 57 Glory of God

In Psalm 57 verse 5  ESV  ,King David prays;-
Let your glory be over all the earth.

In Psalm 72 verse 19 ESV The psalmist again prays ;-
Blessed be his glorious name forever
may the whole world be filled with his glory,
                                                 AMEN AMEN

The whole world will be a holy site of worship
where God makes his presence known.
This prayer is that the whole earth be such a sanctuary.
We live in the age when this is coming about.

HABAKKUK 6:9 ESV
For the earth will be filled
with the glory of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.

ISAIAH 6:9  ESV
Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts
the whole earth is full of his glory

The song of the seraphim who appeared in Isaiah's  vision.
The glory of God's manifest presence with his covenant people.

PSALM 57 Trinity

Psalm 57:3 New RSV
He will send from heaven and save me
he will put to shame those who trample on me
God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.

This double "sending forth" of saving power and love is remarkable
because the same verb is used twice in Galatians 4:4-6

When in the fullness of time had come,
God sent forth His Son
.......And because you are sons,
God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son.

The words of Psalm 57 seem to suggest that the "Wings of God",
under which believers take refuge are the Son and the Holy Spirit
who were "sent forth" in steadfast love to save us.

The psalmist lived at a time when these wonderful things
were only hinted at.
Believers living in our age experience the active presence
of the three persons of the Trinity in our own lives.

PSALM 57 Images of God

Psalm 57:2 The Message
             I call out to High God
             the God who holds me together.

GNB    I call to God, the Most High
             to God who supplies my every need.

KNOX   I will cry out to the most high God
               the God who has ever befriended me.

RSV      I cry to God Most High
&ESV   to God who fulfills his purpose for me.

SAAS      I will cry out to God most High
                My God who is my benefactor.

NCV        I call out to God Most High
                 to God who takes care of me.

alt             Who perfects his work in me.

REB        I shall call to God Most High
& TLV    to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.

The Cathedral Psalter  New Edition  1880
The American Anglican Church
                 I will call unto the most high God
                 even unto the God that shall perform
                 the cause which I have in hand.

The various translations of the second verse of Psalm 57
spell out incomplete but thoughtful and helpful insights
into the nature of our God as experienced by the psalmist
and the people of God down the centuries .

PSALM 57 Disposition for Prayer

Psalm 57:1 Jerusalem
Take pity on me, God, take pity on me,
in you my soul takes shelter;
I take shelter in the shadow of your wings.....

The prayer of the suffering church is the prayer of Christ
since He is head of the body of Christ.
Psalm 57 then is at once the prayer of God's suffering people.
Here the prayer of David is the prayer of Christ.

For those who  are willing and inclined to pray, our tendency to pray
finds direction and encouragement in Psalm 57.
We are offered in verse 1 a disposition for prayer
and in verse 2, true images of God.

Psalm 57:1 English Standard Version
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me
for in you my soul takes refuge:
In the shadow of your wings I will take refuge
till the storms of destruction pass by.

PSALM 56, Walking With The King

I place my trust in you.
In God , whose word I praise.
In God, whose word I praise--
in the LORD, whose word I praise--
in God I place my trust.

 Psalm 56 verses 5 and 11 (NCV) is talking about
God's "word" by which He committed Himself to His faithful.

Psalm 105:8-10 (NCV)
He is mindful of his covenant forever
the covenant he made with Abraham
and the oath he swore to Isaac.
He established it as a decree for Jacob
and as an everlasting covenant for Israel.

Psalm 56:14 NCV  ( v13)
For you have delivered my life from death
and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk in the  presence of God 
in the light of the living.

The psalmist enjoys ongoing fellowship with God.

Psalm 36:10 NCV
For with you is the fountain of life
and by your light we see light

1John 1:5,6 NRSV
God is light and in him there is no darkness at all
If we say we have fellowship with him while we are
walking in darkness, we lie.......
but if we walk in the light, we have fellowship....

All who are walking in the presence of God
are walking in the light.
1 John 1:7 NRSV
but if we walk in the light, as he himself is in the light,
we have fellowship with one another
and the blood of Jesus his son clenses us from all sin.

Walking is not standing still and not running.
Walking is moving on, moving on with the Lord,
in His company, by His side
with the Lord , whose word we praise
by which He committed Himself to His faithful.
We are walking with the King.

Psalm 16:11 New Catholic Version
You will show me the path to life;
  you will fill me with joy in your presence
  and everlasting delights at your right hand.

PSALM 55 The Fear of God.

In Psalm 55 verse 19 we learn that the wicked refuse to change their ways.
They have no fear of God.
But God who has ruled them forever,
will hear them and humble them.

Similarly , a long and continued period of ease and pleasure
i.e. uninterrupted prosperity
can allow the worst influences to affect people
who do not have the grace or the benefit of an ongoing
personal relationship with the living God.

When trials drive us to seek God's aid.....
Psalm 55:17 NIV..........I cry out in distress
                                       and He hears my voice.
.....we are overwhelmed with awe
in the presence of the everlasting God.
Psalm 55:18 KJV.
He hath delivered my soul in peace
from the battle that was against me.

Then the psalmist and the believer can say with conviction...
Psalm 55:22 KJV   Cast thy burden on the LORD,
and He shall sustain thee.

PSALM 55 The Way of the Wicked

Words used to describe the actions of the enemies of the psalmist in Psalm 55
taken from the Jewish Publication Society Tanakh Translation of Psalm 55
verse 4;- oppression, bringing evil, harassing
verse 18;- lawlessness and strife
verse 11;- evil and mischief
verse 12;- malice fraud and deceit
verse 14;- betrayal of friendship
verse 21 ;- harming allies and breaking pacts.
From the New Living Translation
verse 3;- making loud and wicked threats, bringing troubles
verse 9;- violence and conflict
verse 10;- wickedness in the city
verse 11;- threats and cheating
verse 19;- refusing to change their way,
                not fearing God
verse 20;- betraying friends and breaking promises.
None of these actions draw people towards God.
None of these activities would be motivated by love or truth
None of these activities would be inspired by the Holy Spirit
Psalm 55 is a guide to discernment and common sense for believers.

PSALM 55 The Way of Faith

David, Daniel and Hosea illustrate the real "Way of Faith",
an ongoing relationship with the Living God.
Psalm 55:17  KJV     Evening, and morning, and at noon, 
I will pray, and cry aloud:and he shall hear my voice.

At the risk of being cast into  the den of lions  (Daniel 6:10)..
he went into his house ;
and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem
he kneeled upon his knees three times a day,
and prayed and gave thanks before God.
Three fixed daily prayers are based on the biblical verse
"Evening and morning and at noon will I pray and cry aloud
and He shall hear my voice"  ( Psalm 55:17 )
These prayers are connected to the visible changes that occur every day:
Shahrit at the beginning of the day, with the rising sun:
Minhah in the afternoon, when the sun turns toward setting;
Ma'ariv in the evening, once darkness falls.
These three prayers correspond to the order of sacrifices in the Temple.
Shaharit corresponds to the daily offering Tamid brought in the morning.
Minhah to the Tamid offering brought toward dusk.
Ma'ariv to the flesh offering burnt on the altar during the night hours.
HOSEA 14:2 NLT    Forgive all our sins and graciously
receive us, so that we may offer you the sacrifice of praise.

HOSEA 14:2 KJV    "Take away all our iniquity and receive us 
graciously. So we will render the calves of our lips"
( Our offering of prayer, a sacrifice equal to the offering of a calf)
Morning , noon and night, believers
offer the sacrifice of our praise with the offering of our prayer.
Openly we offer ourselves a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable.
That is our spiritual worship..( as in Romans 12:1.)

PSALM 54 A Living Sacrifice

Psalm 54:6 (verse 8 in the St Athanasius Septuagint (SAAS)
I will sacrifice to You voluntarily.

Psalm 54:6 NKJV
I will freely sacrifice to You  

verse 6 is a prophecy of the free sacrifice of the Lord Jesus
on the cross of Calvary  where He gave Himself for us.
The greatest offering we can make is ourselves.

Take my life and let it be,
Consecrated , Lord , to Thee.
                    Frances Ridley Havergal, 1836-79

Were the whole realm of nature mine
That were an offering far too small.
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
                    Isaac Watts 1674-1748
                    from " When I survey the wondrous cross"

Romans 12:1  ESV
I appeal to you therefore , brothers and sisters,
by the mercies of God
to present your bodies as a living sacrifice
holy and acceptable to God,
which is your spiritual worship.

PSALM 54 God is My Helper

Psalm 54:4-5 NKJV
4 Behold, God is my helper
The Lord is with those who uphold my life.
5 He will repay my enemies for their evil
Cut them off in your truth.

The LORD is with your Doctor , the driver of your train,
whoever you depend on...everyone who upholds your life.
Plotted evil will recoil like curses upon the perpetrators of
injustice and oppression .
The violence which evicts families from their homes......
The violence which denies the poor their medical care.....
will rebound like curses on the perpetrators.

Isaiah 41:10 NKJV
Fear not , for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you.
I will uphold you with My
righteous right hand.

PSALM 54 Oppressors are Godless

Psalm 54:3 NKJV
For strangers have risen up against me
And oppressors have sought after my life.
They have not set God before them.

These men "do not set God before them"
in terms of doing His will or fearing His judgements.
In practice they are atheists.

As the Ziphites betrayed David ( 1 Kings 23:15-21 );-
     Judas  and the Jewish leaders betrayed Christ.

The psalmist expresses his real fear along with a cry for help.
He prays in faith in the midst of his danger
as did our Lord Jesus but our Lord was able to pray;-
"not my will but thine"  

PSALM 54 Prayer of Faith

Psalm 54:2 The Latin text from the Vulgate
Deus exaudi orationem meam auribus percipe verba oris mei
O God , hear my prayer: give ear to the words of my mouth.

The English text from Challoner's revision of the Douay translation.
Psalm 54 is a prayer of faith.
7. For he has delivered me from every trouble
    and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.
The psalmist in the midst of his troubles can say this
with expectant hope, because of his faith that God is his helper
and the upholder of his life. ( verse 4 )

PSALM 54 Authority in the Name

Psalm 54 : 1 & 6b  ESV
1  O God, save me by your name
    and vindicate me by your might.
6b  I will give thanks to your name,
      O LORD, for it is good.

Acts 3:6  " In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazereth ,
                   stand up and walk"
The power of Jesus was present and effective because Peter
had the authority from Jesus invested in him.
When a policeman says "Stop in the name of the law"
he has authority invested in him as a police man.
Each believer has the authority of a believer invested
in him or her

John 14:12-14 ESV
12 Truly, Truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me
will also do the works that I do; and greater than these
will he do, because I am going to the Father..
13 Whatever you ask in my name, this will I do, that
the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 I f you ask anything in my name, I will do it.

PSALM FIFTY-THREE verse 6

Foolish unbelief, corruption and vile injustice are administered to people
by governments and international organisations.
" The common good " is no longer a fashionable objective.
Psalm 53:6 NIV
Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When God restores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.

Who will give salvation to Israel out of Zion ?
Although everyone has turned away from God (verse 3)
and have become corrupt....
God has not turned away from his people.
He remains faithful !

Although the children of Israel have suffered
the consequences of unbelief and disobedience
God restores the fortunes of his people (verse 6)

PSALM FIFTY-THREE verse 5

Psalm 53:5 NIV 
There they were, overwhelmed with dread,
where there was nothing to dread,
God scattered the bones of those who attacked you;
you put them to shame, for God despised them.

                          The Lord will judge His people.   
Hebrews 10:31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into
                          the hands of the living God.

PSALM FIFTY-THREE verse 4

Psalm 53:4 NIV
Will the evildoers never learn--
those who devour my people as men eat bread
and who do not call on God ?

The slippery slope is a downward  spiral.
Violence often begins as greed or envy.
Injustice breeds violence.
Dangerous places are not animated by the love of Christ
or by Christian goodness.
In places where people do not know Christian values
and do not practice God's will
because they have no recourse to the one true God in prayer,
things go from bad to worse. 

PSALM FIFTY-THREE verse 3

Psalm 53:3 NIV
Everyone has turned away
they have together become corrupt;
there is no-one who does good, not even one.

In those areas where greed and violence reign,
it is not safe for the innocent to walk the streets.

Where national leaders are corrupt and local leaders are corrupt
there is no justice for the innocent nor for the man in the street.

The psalmist is pointing out that when people banish God from
their thinking, they are lead to exploit their neighbours .
In our generation men have turned away from God
and allowed injustice to become law.......
but the God of the poor is not mocked.

PSALM FIFTY-THREE verse 2

Psalm 53:2 NIV
God looks down from heaven on the sons of men
to see if there are any who understand,
any who seek God.

Those who understand would act with wisdom.
Those who seek God in scripture and in prayer
and practice Christian discernment
are much more likely to act with some wisdom
than those who are lost in a sea of self gratification.

PSALM FIFTY-THREE, verse 1

Psalm 53:1 NIV
The fool says in his heart, "there is no God"
They are corrupt , and their ways are vile;
there is no one who does good.

So are we going to live our lives animated by the love
and wisdom of the true God ?
Or or are we going to make our lives a rat race
animated by self interest ?
Without God, financial self interest becomes greed.
Without God, social self interest becomes at least
                      competitive one-up-man-ship
Without God, morality has little meaning in practice.
Robbing people becomes a virtue not a sin..

The wrong attitude of the "fools"
has resulted in their wrong actions
towards their fellow human beings.

Jeremiah had the same problem (Jer 5:1)
to find even one person
"who deals honestly and seeks truth" 

PSALM FIFTY-TWO, HOLY

LEVITICUS  11:45 NRSV
For I am the LORD your God; sanctify yourselves
therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.

LEVITICUS 19:2 NRSV
1  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying;
2  Speak to the congregation of the people of Israel
    and say to them:  You shall be holy,
    for I the LORD your God am holy

1 Peter 1:15-16 NASB
like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves
also in all your bahaviour 16 because it is written
"YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY"

Psalm 52 TLV
I praise You forever for what You have done
I will hope in Your name, for it is good
In the presence of Your kedoshim (Your holy ones).

Our future is to give thanks and praise for ever
in the presence of Your holy ones..............TLV
in the presence of Your godly ones............NASB.

PSALM FIFTY-TWO, FOR EVER

Psalm9:7 NRSV       But the LORD sits enthroned forever.
Psalm 10:16  NRSV The LORD is king for ever and ever.
Psalm 33:11  NRSV The counsel of the LORD stands for ever.
Psalm 48:14  NRSV  you may tell the next generation
                              14 that this is God
                                   our God for ever and ever.
                                   He will be our guide for ever.
Psalm 52:8b               I trust in the steadfast love of God
                                   for ever and ever.
Psalm 52:9b               I will thank you for ever
                                    because of what you have done.

The ongoing relationship which we have personally with the LORD
our God is a relationship in which we stand in His counsel for ever,
in His guidance for ever, in His steadfast love forever, and is a relationship
in which we give Him our thanks and praise, for ever and ever

2 Corinthians 5:1  New American Bible 1971-1972 edition
Indeed, we know that when the earthly tent in which we dwell
is destroyed we have a dwelling provided for us by God, a 
dwelling in the heavens, not made by hands but to last for ever..

PSALM FIFTY-ONE, Do Good To ZION

Psalm 51:18 ESV
Do Good to Zion in your good pleasure
     build up the walls of Jerusalem.

As a member of God's covenant community
the psalmist prays for Jerusalem.

As a member of the Body of Christ we each pray for the restoration,
renewal and revival of the Body of Christ worldwide.
In confessing our failure to "bloom where we are planted" we look
forward to a time when our God reigns   in our government
in our courts, in the boardrooms of  industry, commerce, finance,
on the air, on the NET, and in all our hearts.

"GOD IS WORKING HIS PURPOSE OUT.
nearer and nearer draws the time
the time that shall surely be
when the earth shall be filled
with the glory of God
as the waters cover the sea."
Arthur Campbell Aigner  1841-1919.

PSALM FIFTY-ONE, A Contrite Spirit

Today we have amazing freedom;- to vote in local and national elections,
to vote with our feet, to vote with our wallets, and our pension funds.
We continue as individuals and communities and nations, to vote for greed
and self indulgence , for adultery, for abortion, for oppression , for
persecution, for addiction and for perversion !
We get the literature we pay for---as a nation.
The media we use is the media we choose.
The "Way" we promote is the life we lead.
If Christian values are not the bench mark, in government, in business and
at the social core of our nation,  it is because our Christian witness,
decade after decade, has not been up to the mark:
So the bench mark has slipped.
How many sinners have returned to God
because we have taught them God's ways ?
Psalm 51 ESV
Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to You.
We should be disturbed by our own sin,
and concerned about its effect on others.
Psalm 51:19  TANAKH
True sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit;
God, You will not despise a contrite heart.
51:21  Then You will want sacrifices offered in righteousness.

PSALM 51 Charismatic Renewal

The person who lives dynamically his love for God,
                  who chooses to be led by the Spirit of Christ,
                  whose speech and action exudes the love of Christ
                  lives in an ongoing personal relationship
                  with their savior Jesus Christ.
                                                             see Joseph Tetlow,S.J. "Lightworks"
God's present-continuous "being"
includes dancing (the Father will dance)
and smiling and shining ( His face upon you )
forgiving ( the prodigal in us )
holding you ( in the palm of His hand )
loving you ( as the apple of His eye )
renewing. enabling , calling and sending,
separating light from dark,
and giving life.

Psalm 51:20...In your kindness, deal favorably with Zion
build up the walls of Jerusalem.

Hearts must be transformed.
God alone can effect this new creation, and infuse a new Spirit.
The Psalmist who  acknowledges his own sin,
has hope for himself and for Zion.
i.e.the individual relates to and prays for God,s covenant community.

PSALM 51 Anointed for Praise

Psalm 51: 15  ESV
O Lord, open my lips and my mouth will declare your praise

Psalm 19:14  ESV
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight O Lord , my rock and my redeemer.

It is the Lord who opens our lips for words of praise
We ask that those words be absolutely right with God

By the Spirits power we cry out to God  ( Romans 8:15 GNB )
Christians are instructed....Be filled with the Spirit  (Ephesians 5:18)
                              and....Pray at all times in the Spirit  ( Ephesians  6:18 ).

John 4:23-24 RSV
But the time is coming, and now is,
when true worshippers will worship the 
Father in spirit and truth, for such the 
Father seeks to worship him. God is spirit,
and those who worship him must worship
in spirit and truth.

PSALM FIFTY-ONE, Gifts to ask for.

Psalm 51 RSV
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
        and put a new and right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence,
        and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of thy salvation,
        and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Psalm 51:11 reveals that the Holy Spirit is the active agent of God the Father in accomplishing His purposes.
In this instance the reference might be to God's anointing and The Holy Spirit's enabling for the individual.
It may refer to The Holy Spirit's role in clensing the inner life by opening spiritual eyes and ears (Ezek 3:27).
Also EZEKIEL 36:27  I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.  ESV

Gifts to pray for in Psalm 51:10,11,12;-
a pure or clean heart
inner renewal
a steadfast/right spirit within
retention of The Holy Spirit and the presence of God
the joy of salvation
a willing spirit ( to uphold )
and a spirit of fervor ( to sustain. )

PSALM FIFTY-ONE, Godly/Christlike

Known as one of the penitential Psalms, Psalm 51 may express King David's repentance
for adultery and murder. It certainly expresses vary frank and sincere confession, and the
entreaty indicates authentic repentance.
We should be disturbed by our own sin and bring it to the Lord for forgiveness.
But we must not become obsessed with sin. verse one puts things in perspective.
ESV Have mercy on me, O God according to your steadfast love.
KJV Have mercy upon me, O God, according to your loving kindness.
NIV Have mercy upon me, O God, according to your unfailing love.
NEB Be gracious to me, O God, in thy true love.
Knox Have mercy on me, O God, as thou art ever rich in mercy.

So it is Godly / Christlike;-
                                         to be ever rich in mercy
                                         to practice loving kindness
                                         to be of unfailing love
                                         to have steadfast love
                                         to be gracious, in true love
                                         to practice great mercy.

We wish all our friends were like that, and they wish we were like that. 

PSALM FIFTY-ONE, Gifts of the Spirit

PSALM 51:8  New Catholic Version..Saint Joseph Edition
But you desire sincerity of heart;
and you endow my innermost being with wisdom.

In this verse the Psalmist is talking about the wisdom to see
what is the will of God in situations;
the wisdom to be less immature in everyday life;
the divinely endowed wisdom which enables men and women
to speak and act as members of the Royal Priesthood ,
with love and patience and kindness:
And, when called upon, to act with wisdom and appropriate authority
in our everyday lives.
Eagerly desire such spiritual gifts.

1 Corinthians 14:1 NIV
Follow the way of Love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts. 

PSALM FIFTY-ONE, Mercy

Men and women become conscious of the sin that alienates them from God.
We can then pray with the psalmist the words of Psalm51
to ask the Saviour,s mercy and our own inner renewal.
     Have mercy on me , O God, in accord with your kindness*
     in your abundant compassion wipe away my offences;

*Kindness; Hebrew  hessed....may also denote mercy, benevolence and
favour  i.e.the love of the covenant between God and the community of
His people and therefore present in each member of His community...
that is kindness, abundant compassion, forgiveness, benevolence,
favour and love in all the members of the community.

Lord have mercy.......Kyrie  eleison in the Greek.
Words used by the sick in the New Testament, and addressed to Jesus
by people seeking healing.
God's mercy includes tenderness and compassion, covenant faithfulness,
faithful love and uprightness.
miserere mei     in  Latin    in it's original form actually means "to have pity"
"to feel sympathy for"  and  "to be gracious to".

   Thank you Lord;-
that your mercy includes tenderness and compassion
that You have felt sympathy for us
and that You still feel sympathy for us
and have pity on us and are gracious to us.       AMEN.

PSALM FIFTY, LET GOD SPEAK.

Psalm 50:7 TLV.  O my people, listen as I speak.
Here are my charges against you O Israel:
Psalm 50:17 TLV  For you refuse my discipline
and treat my words like trash.

Because He is our Spiritual Director, God reveals out failings to us.
How shall we ever ask for healing grace if we can't see how immature
we are being ?  God tells His people that He does not need their blood sacrifices,
but he does not reprimand them for their efforts.

Psalm 50:8 GNB    I do not reprimand you because of your sacrifices
and burnt offerings you always bring me.

In their longing for God and their desire for the comfort of His presence
They experience Him in Jerusalem, especially in the temple
where their Praise for Him is greatest.
For them God shines from Zion in perfect beauty

Psalm 50:2  TLV  From Mount Zion , the perfection of beauty,
God shines in glorious radiance.

To day those who have an appetite for God are likely to seek His presence
"on retreat" or in their own "quiet times" and contemplation.
Brother Laurence's book is about "Practicing the presence of God"
in an ongoing way.
Yet it is in thanksgiving and praise that something powerful happens.
Psalm 50:23 GNB 
Giving thanks is the sacrifice that  honours me
and I will surely save all who obey me.
Our God does not need food offerings
Psalm 50:12 If I were hungry I would not ask you for food...
How much does our God really need our praise?
God is most Praiseworthy and our praise and thanksgiving
are more than a communication of information.
It is in our most Christlike attitude of love and open worship
in the power of the Holy Spirit that we encounter the
transforming presence and abiding love of
The Almighty God, our LORD.
It is easy enough for us to look back to the psalmist and his friends
enjoying their processions and sacrifices  and think " It was your praises
which enabled you to know  God's presence". Fortunately we can also look
back at Psalm 22:3. As my friend Neil has commented
"God lives in the praises of His people"
Psalm 22:3 But thou art Holy,
O Thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
.