PSALM 83 Awareness

God's people can tell when things are not right.
Others don't even notice.
In Psalm 83, the psalmist expresses heart felt prayer
because he is aware that forces are attempting to undermine all that is good.
Psalm 83:1-4  NIV
O God, do not keep silent, be not quiet, O God, be not still.
See how your enemies are astir, how your foes rear their heads.
With cunning they conspire against your people;
they plot against those you cherish.
"Come," they say,"let us destroy them as a nation
that the name of Israel be remembered no more."

Governments in the West have reduced restrictions on the sale of alcohol .
They have permitted "social use" of drugs.
They have reduced restrictions on gambling .
They have enacted legislation which has led to the breakdown of the family
and damaged the institution of marriage while  increasing adultery and divorce.
      People of ill intent , in politics and in the media
      mock all that is wholesome and decent.
      They conspire to discredit good people and good organisations .
Those in authority have permitted false religions to flourish
while Christian institutions have been undermined by
"politically correct" --anti Christian regulations.
     True Christians are aware just how far the media has gone
to undermine everything clean and decent .
Yet others don't seem to notice how Un-Christian the media has become.
      This psalm underscores the need, to-day, for Christians
to live reflected, contemplative lives and to be guided by the Spirit of God
to be aware and to pray. The psalmist did so.
He prays that God will act against the wicked;-
in urgent defense  of God's people,
and to cause the wicked to reform their behaviour .

Psalm 83:16-17 ESV
Fill their faces with shame;
    that they may seek your name, O LORD.
Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever;
    let them perish in disgrace,
that they may know that you alone,
    whose name is the LORD,
    are the Most High over all the earth.

The wicked hate God
Psalm 83:2 ESV
For behold, your enemies make an uproar;
those who hate you raise their heads.

The wicked hate his people
Psalm 34:21 ESV
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned

While many worldly folk have no interest in God, it is self
evident that those who actually hate God and hate the righteous
are not guided by the Holy Spirit. They live in a darker dynamic
They persecute and oppress God's people, imprisoning Christians
taking hostages and abducting the righteous, bombing churches
and killing believers
Believers who practice Christian discernment are aware that
hatred of God and the people of God,
is indicative of  those who have chosen evil ways.

PSALM 82:3-4

Psalm 82:3-4 NIV
Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless
     maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed
Rescue the weak and the needy;
     deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

Since Christ lives within us
we identify with the afflicted in a Christlike way.
                                                           see Romans 8:10

Since we are guided by the Spirit of God
we can , in love, do the best for people
according to their need.                        see Romans 8:14

Since we are strengthened with power through His Spirit
in the inner man, we are able to share the love of Christ
in deed and word.
                                                            see  Ephesians 3:14-19
Just as we recognize Christ in the hungry
the housebound, the weak and the needy,
we become Christ to the needy and afflicted
when our own lifestyle fulfills all we are called to in Psalm 82:3-4

In the Spirit,
contemplatives become social workers
and social workers become contemplative.

PSALM 82 Sons of the Most High

We realize our spiritual potential to the measure in which
we are raised towards God and united with Him.
No one can become God.
Yet because Jesus Christ is God Incarnate,
our motivation to aspire to the divine nature is a possibility .
Our new life in Christ causes a recreation of our nature.
It is a work of the Spirit which requires our lifetime's cooperation.

Psalm 82:1 & 6 NIV
1    God presides in the great assembly
              he gives judgment among the "gods"
6    I said, " You are gods
              you are all sons of the Most High.

Being "born of God" makes us "sons of the Most High"

Galatians 3:26  NIV
You are all sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ.

Matthew 23:9 KJV
call no man father upon earth
one is your Father which is in heaven.

Galatians 4:6 KJV 
    God hath sent forth the Spirit  of his Son into your hearts.

Romans 8:14 NJB
    All who are guided by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

Romans 8:14 NRSV
    For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

Romans 8:10 NLB
    Since Christ lives within you, even though your body will die
    the Spirit will bring you to eternal life.

Ephesians 3:14-19 NASB
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
from whom every family in heaven and on the earth derives its name,
that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory,
to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;
and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
may be able to comprehend with all the saints
what is the length and the height and the depth,
and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge,
that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 4:4-6 NKJV
4   There is one body and one Spirit,
     just as you were called in one hope of your calling
5   one Lord, and one faith, one baptism;
6   one God and Father of all, who is above all
    and through all , and in you all.

"God within us" # "The indwelling presence"# "The sons of the Most High"#

PSALM 81 God Our Strength

Every time we tell what the Lord has done for us
we remember His power.
Every time we sing of  "God our Strength"
we remember His strength.
Psalm 28:7  NIV
     The LORD is my strength and my shield;
     my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
     My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.

Psalm 29:11  NIV
     The LORD gives strength to his people with peace.

Psalm 59:17 NIV
     You are my strength, I sing praise to you;
     You are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.

Psalm 73:26 NIV
     My flesh and my heart may fail , but God is the strength
     of my heart and my portion forever .

Psalm 81: 1  NIV
     Sing for joy to God our strength.

PSALM 80 Voice of the Martyrs

Psalm 80 verse 4     addresses the LORD God of Hosts
" how long ? "         is the cry of the martyr.
The voice of the individual suffering righteous person
who cries out to God.
The suffering of the martyr is a life poured out in sacrifice.
The suffering of an individual person is a kind of participation
in the shed blood of the Lamb.
"the outpoured blood of your servants" (Psalm 79:10)
 is the blood of the martyrs.
"Suffering servants" are Christlike and a witness to the world.
MARTYRDOM
Psalm 44:22 KJV
   Yea, for thy sake are we killed all day long;
   we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

Down the centuries, the wicked have chosen to display
the loveless evil of false religion
by burning churches and killing God's people.

-------------------------------------------------------------

PALM 80 Life in the Trinity

The psalmists cry "Restore us" (psalm 80:19) indicates the psalmists awareness
of the personal and corporate need for continuing conversion
and continual spiritual renewal.
That is continual help by the Spirit to develop gracious selfless lives.
In psalm 78:52 the psalmist indicates that he is aware of the need to be
"guided through" by the Spirit of God.

The person who lives dynamically his love for God the Father,
The person who chooses to be led by the Holy Spirit,
The person who sees all men with the eyes of Christ,
The person whose speech and action exudes the love of Christ,
lives in the dynamic of the Holy Trinity.

Psalm 80:17 NIV
Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand
the  son of man you have raised up for yourself.

Reference is made here to the" Son of Man" who we recognize
as our Lord  Jesus who God raised up and now sits
at the right hand of God the Father.
We have life in the Trinity.
The psalmist has life in the Trinity.

PSALM 79 God for us

Psalms 78,79 and 80 reveal something of the nature of God.
God is our Deliverer and Saviour , physically and spiritually.
Psalm 79:9 NIV
Help us, O God our Saviour
   for the glory of your name
deliver us and forgive our sins
   for your name's sake.

According to the faith of the psalmist,
God helps us, saves us, delivers us and forgives us!
God also restores us!

Psalm 80:19 NIV
Restore us , O Lord God Almighty

Psalm 80: 1 NIV
....you who sit enthroned between the cherubims,
shine forth.

God who is enthroned between the cherubims
is also God with us.
Mat 28:20 I am with you always to the end of the age.

PSALM 78 To whom we turn

The God, before whom we walk and to whom we turn in prayer
is described by the psalmist in Psalms 78, 79 and 80.
The God who leads and guides us is always active.

Psalm 78:52 NLT  he led his own people like a flock of sheep
                     guiding them safely through the wilderness.

Psalm 78:24 NASB  He rained down manna upon them to eat
                     And gave them food from heaven.
HE IS THE GOD WHO PROVIDES

Psalm 78:38 KJV  But he, being full of compassion,
                               forgave their iniquity.
That is our God--FULL OF COMPASSION.
THE GOD WHO FORGIVES IS OUR TEACHER
AND  HE WANTS US TO LISTEN TO HIM.
Psalm 78:1 ESV  Give ear, O my people, to my teaching:
                             incline your ears to the words of my mouth!

The God to whom we turn, before whom we walk
is actively our shepherd, leading and guiding us.
He provides for us. He is full of compassion and He forgives us.
He is our teacher and calls us to listen to him.

PSALM 78 Joy of the angels

Psalm 78 has 72 verses in which God's people are addressed,
given God's teaching and given responsibility to
"tell the coming generation" (Psalm 78:42)
People need to know what God has done for them
in order to convince succeeding generations.
It is not good enough for the next generation
to be " left to it ".
We give our personal testimony of what God has done for us
and in doing so, we remember His power. (Psalm 78:42 )
Neither should we forget that "God is our Rock and that
God Most High is our Redeemer  (Psalm 78:35)

With all this constantly in mind.......
With all this in our heart as well as in our head.......
With all the aids to discernment we receive
     from spiritual reading and contemplation.......
With all the comfort, support and inspiration
     we find in prayer......
We share the joy of the angels
over each fellow creature drawn to God..

PSALM 78 Remember You are Redeemed

We can be redeemed from self indulgence, self-centredness
and all sorts of self induced strife.
2nd Corinthians 5:17-19 NIV
.....if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation,
the old has gone, the new has come.

Psalm 78:35 NIV
They remembered that God was their Rock
and that God most High was their redeemer.
 Some failed to remember .
Psalm 78:42
They did not remember his power
the day he redeemed them from the oppressor.
 The consequences of forgetting God's Power
forgetting that God Most High is our redeemer
is given in;-
Psalm 81:12 NIV
So I gave them over to their stubborn  hearts
to follow their own devices.
We remember that God is our Rock
and that God Most High is our Redeemer.

PSALM 77 You are Redeemed

Psalm 77:15 NIV
With your mighty arm you redeemed your people

Psalm 77:20 NIV
You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Psalm 78:70-72 NIV
He chose David his servant
and took him from the sheep pens;
from tending sheep he brought him
to be the shepherd of his people Jacob,
of Israel his inheritance.
And David shepherded them with integrity of heart;
with skillful hands he led them.

Isaiah 44:22 NIV
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you:
I have summoned you by name: you are mine.

Isaiah 44:22 NIV  I have swept away your offences like a cloud,
your sins like the morning mist.
Return to me, for I have redeemed you.

PSALM 76:9 Lifestyle of the blessed

Psalm 76:9
NLT  You stand up to judge those who do evil, O God.
          and to rescue the oppressed of the earth.

NIV  when you, O God, rose up to judge
         to save all the afflicted of the land.

NASB    When God arose to judgement
               to save all the humble of the earth.

When we allow the words of the psalms to influence our thoughts
we are disposed to make better choices .

Psalm 1:1  Blessed is the man who does not walk in the
                  counsel of the wicked.

Psalm 128:1  Blessed are all who fear the LORD,
                       who walk in his ways.

Psalm 41:1  Blessed is he who has regard for the weak. 

We can choose the lifestyle that is pronounced blessed
and adopt the lifestyle of the blessed.........
rescue the oppressed , save the afflicted,  save the humble,
fear the LORD, have regard for the weak.

PSALM 75 Discern the voices of the wicked

Psalm 75 NASB v4 I said to the boastful "Do not boast"
                                 And to the wicked "Do not lift up your horn"
                            v5 " Do not lift up your horn on high
                                 Do not speak with insolent pride"

The boastful raise themselves up like rams with threatening horns.
It is noticeable,  we should beware.

Psalm 12 NASB v2 They speak falsehood to one another.
                                 With flattering lips and double heart they speak.

Psalm 62 NASB v4 .....They delight in falsehood;
                                 They bless with their mouth
                                 But inwardly curse
.
The wicked praise their ill gotten gains.

Psalm 49 NASB v6  Even those who trust in their wealth
                                  And boast in the abundance of their riches.

It is always necessary to review our own motives and behaviour
to know which voices we are listening to and acting upon.
Young people who practice discernment personally,
are able to make better choices and are less likely
to be taken in by the unscrupulous .  

PSALM 74:12-17 Proclaim the mighty works of God

When we read aloud or sing Psalm 74:12-17 , we are telling
( all who can hear ) and proclaiming the mighty works of God.

The psalmist instructs us to do this in Psalm 66:3 NASB
Say to God, " How awesome are Your works !

In Psalm 71  (Ps 70 in the SAAR translation)
The psalmist asks for time...
v18....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 the highest heaven;

In Psalm 145:4-5-6 we find prophecy that this will happen;
4   One generation will commend your works to another,
            they will tell of your mighty acts.
5   They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,
            and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
6   They will tell of the power of your awesome works,
            and I will proclaim your great deeds.

Revelation 15:3 indicates that those who proclaim the mighty works of God
(in spirit and truth) are one in eternity with Moses, the Lamb
and the angels of God !!
Revelation 15:3 KJV.....on the sea of glass, having harps of God
3   And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God,
     and the song of the Lamb, saying
     Great and marvellous are your works,
     Lord God Almighty, just and true are thy ways.

Psalm 74:12-17 NASB
12   Yet God is my king from old,
       Who works deeds of deliverance in the midst of the earth
13   You divided the sea by Your strength;
       You  broke the heads of the sea monsters in the waters.
14   You crushed the heads of the Leviathan;
       You gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.
15   You broke open spring and torrents;
       You dried up ever flowing streams.
16   Yours is the day. Yours is the night;
       You have prepared the light and the sun.
17   You have established all the boundaries of the earth;
       You have made summer and winter.

We might produce our own 12 line proclamation of the mighty works of God.
Our personal list of God,s works might include what God has done for us
in New Testament times and in our own experience.
It is valuable to listen to what God has done for others, because
what He has done for others He can do for you.
What you share may reach people in distant places and distant times !

PSALM 74:8 The landscape in which Christians stand

Psalm 74:8  Their kindred said in their heart together
        "Come let us abolish all the feasts of God on earth"

In the U.K. the observance of the Sabbath day has been undermined.
Legislation has caused high retail activity on Sundays.
Relaxation of licencing laws has opened up the sale of alcohol,
sports meetings , betting shops and casinos .
Many people now have to work on Sundays.
Good Friday is now a busy day at shopping precincts in the U.K.

The media has played a major part in "Pushing back the boundaries"
"Norms" of social behaviour on T.V. now fall below standards which
used to be taken for granted. Scripture is contradicted in parliament,
in court and in schools ; and secularists claim that their values should
be accepted by everyone.

Christians are aware of these things and we understand that declining
standards and decadence do not arise out of innocent or wholesome
motives or worthwhile aspirations.
1st Peter 2:9 ESV   But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you.....
v10     .....now you are God's people.
Standing like rocks in a stream, individual Christians form a worldwide community;-
the body of Christ. 

PSALM 74:7 God's dwelling place

Psalm 74:7 SAAR
They burned down Your sanctuary
they defiled the tabernacle of Your name to the ground.

Ancient churches in Aleppo have been burned and bombed recently.

Psalm 74:4 ESV
Your foes have roared in the midst of your meeting place
they set up their own signs for signs.

All over the U.K. a noticeable proportion of church buildings have been
converted into bingo halls, night clubs, restaurants, and warehouses.
Some have been made into apartments and many have been demolished
 and redeveloped while others stand in disrepair.
But no one needs to be despondent about desecrated , delapsed or
destroyed buildings.

1 Peter 2:5 NLT
   now God is building you as living stones
          into his spiritual temple.
1st Corinthians 3:16 ESV
Do you not know that you are God's temple
and that God's Spirit dwells in You ?

PSALM 74 Engaged with the needy

Psalm 74 is a believers prayer for poor and afflicted people,
for all afflicted by persecution,
for those afflicted by poverty,
for all those afflicted by poor health,
and for the protection of those ministering to them in the love of God;-
the care workers, relief workers, missionaries involved in both
outreach and relief work.

Psalm 74:19 NASB
Do not deliver the soul of Your turtledove to the wild beast.
Do not forget the life of Your afflicted forever.
Psalm 74:19 KJV
O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove into the 
multitude of the wicked.
Forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever.

The turtledove was the sacrifice of the poor.
If relief workers are sacrificing themselves for the poor and needy,
this prayer is for the deliverance of the relief workers
who are in effect "God's turtle doves".
By bringing good advice and understanding to those who need to be
delivered from debt, dependency and homelessness, "God's turtle  doves"
are easily discerned from those in society and politics who speak with
the voice of the anti-Christ. 

PSALM 74 Prophecy of understanding

We pray and sing psalm 74.
not to inform God about problems with the wicked.
Psalm 74 provides the reader and psalm singer
with information, inspiration and understanding.

Psalm 74 and 78 are prophetic
and speak to " Children yet unborn " (Psalm 78:6 ESV)
According to the footnotes to this psalm in the
Orthodox SAAS translation ;-
Psalm 74 is a prophecy of understanding and
psalm 78 concerns understanding.

Psalm 74 has some descriptive names for;-
               Who we are in God
v19  Your afflicted people        NIV and NLT
v1    Sheep of your pasture      NIV and NASB
v2    Your congregation            NASB
v19  your dove                          NIV
v19  your turtledove                 NASB and NKJV
v19  the congregation of thy poor              KJV

So it is quite scriptural to pray to God as His afflicted people, as sheep of His pasture
as His congregation , or as the congregation of His poor. 

PSALM 73:28 God's Love

Psalm 73:28  The Psalms of David  ( Church of Scotland )

28     But surely it is good for me

                that I draw near to God:

         In God I Trust, that all thy works

                I may declare abroad.

The trust mentioned here is more than a vague hope.

The trust is that the will of God for me

is the most wholesome thing possible

and that anything else falls short.

Being utterly convinced of this

we eagerly seek to know and to do the will of God.

Psalm 73:28 Good News Bible

28     But as for me, how wonderful to be near God,

              to find protection with the Sovereign Lord

         and to proclaim all that he has done !

But the psalmist has found a lot more than security

and protection: He has found faith and trust  in the Lord,

faith and trust in the will of God.

In fact he has found faith and trust in the love of God

and in all the actions of the God who is his counselor,

enough to say.....

                          surely goodness and mercy

will follow me all my days......and I will live

in the house of the Lord forever.

Psalm 73: 28 New Catholic Version

As for me, my happiness is to be near God,

      and I have made the Lord my refuge

I will proclaim all your works

      at the gates of the Daughters of Zion.

There is a prayer of thanksgiving -- for all God has done

and a proclamation of faith and oneness in God's purposes

a prayer of humility recognizing every other person 

to be God's creation---

a fellow creature in God's love.

1 John 4:15-16 New International Version

15    If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,

        God lives in him and he in God.

16    And so we know and rely on the love of God for us.

        God is love

        Whoever lives in love lives in God

         and God in him.

Now we eagerly seek and to do the love of God.

PSALM 73:27 The Perishing

Psalm 73:27  The New Jerusalem Bible
Truly, those who abandon you will perish.

People who give their lives over to the wrong things
put themselves at risk. Verse 2 illustrates how it is possible
to stumble by focusing on the success of the wicked and
falling into envy.
The New Testament perspective is given in
2nd Corinthians 14-16 ESV
But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us
in triumphal procession, and through us spreads 
the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.
For we are the aroma of Christ to God
among those who are being saved
and among those who are perishing.

Those who never turn to him for guidance,
 are not among those who are being led by him. 

PSALM 73:26 INNER STRENGTH in your inner being.

Psalm 73:26  Good News Bible
My mind and my body may grow week,
     but God is my strength;
     he is all  ever need.

Psalm 73:26  English Standard Version
My flesh and my heart may fail,
       but God is the strength of my heart
       and my portion for ever.

In the New Testament, Paul is inspired
to give the same testimony as David.

2nd Corinthians 4
.......though our outer self is wasting away,
       our inner self is being renewed every day.
.......For the things that are seen are transient
       but the things that are unseen are eternal.

The Christian believer has an "inner self" and an  "inner life"
The inner self enjoys an ongoing relationship with the living God,
who is forever the source of his inner strength.
Note Pauls prayer for believers in Ephesians 3:16 KJV
      "That he would grant you according to the riches of his glory,
         to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.
Ephesians 3:16 ESV
       "that according to the riches of his glory he might grant you
         to be strengthened with power through his Spirit
         in your inner being.......

PSALM 73:25 One Counsellor

The Psalms of David in Metre  ( Church of Scotland )
Ps 73:25
               Whom have I in heavens high
                 but thee, O LORD, alone ?

In the early 60s I thought that " living by the gun"was an expression
which described behaviour in black and white cowboy films.
Now so many live and die by the gun, not just in Somalia, Syria
and Sudan but in  South America and even in the USA.
Where do people put their trust ?...in money ? in guns?
in the media ?  in commentators and celebrities?

Psalm 73:24
while we who live in the counsel of the living God
are received into Glory.

PSALM 73:24 Divine Counsel

Psalm 73:24a   New Catholic Version
   You guide me with your counsel,......

God gives his servant wisdom and insight ( counsel ).

The person who dynamically lives his love for God
who chooses to be led by the Spirit of Christ
whose speech and action exudes the love of Christ
will enjoy Christian awareness, Christian perceptions,
Christian emotions, Christian desires, Christian energies,
Christian commitments, Christian actions and Christian habits.

Psalm 73:23b  New Catholic Version
.....and afterward you will receive me into glory.

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.

The psalmist could not have known that God so loved the world
that he would give his only son that everyone who believes in him
may not perish but may have eternal life.
However the self revelation of God to the psalmist led him to long
never to be separated from the LORD our God.

PSALM 73:22-23 Walking with the King

Psalm 73:22-23 NCV

22   I was stupid and unable to comprehend-

       like a brute beast in your presence'

A dangerous animal has to be violently controlled.

i.e. not sensitive to being lead by the hand.

23   Yet I am always with you, you grasp me by the right hand.

The experience of the presence of God changes the 

whole context of our existence and of our daily living .

The experience of anguish is transformed into

the joy of God's presence .

see psalm 63:8-9

8    For you are my help......

9    My soul clings tightly to you;

      your right hand holds me fast.

The person who chooses to live in the presence of God....
  who chooses to live in the present moment with Jesus as Lord and Saviour,

  who chooses to live with Master Jesus as constant companion and spiritual director,

  is walking with the King.

PSALM 73:21 Pray

Psalm 73:21 Good News Bible
When my thoughts were bitter
and my feelings were hurt.
Not a good time to make decisions !
Bitter thoughts and hurt feelings do not arise out of love.
We always need to ask ;-
Am I moved by the spirit of the lie ?
Am I moved by the spirit of fallen flesh ?
Am I moved by a humanist spirit ?
OR, Am I moved by the Spirit of Christ ?

PSALM 73:20 In Perspective

Psalm 73:20 New Revised Standard Version
They are like a dream when one awakes;
on awaking you despise their phantoms.
Most commercial advertisements invite you,
one way or the other, to live the dream;-
     by spending a lot of money on a dream holiday,
     by spending a lot of money on your dream home,
 or by spending a lot of money on a dream car.
Few advertisements invite you to live in the wholesome truth
      of the love and will of our Lord Jesus.
When one awakes to the truth, the "fairground prizes"
which the world offers,are seen in perspective.
It is a matter of choice for which one requires discernment. 

PSALM 73:19 Informed Choice

The wicked are on a course to self destruction.
Where did they make the wrong choices ?.
Let,s look at John 6:27 ESV;-
    Do not labour for food that perishes, but for food that endures
    to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.
    For on him God the Father has set his seal.

The wicked have chosen a course to destruction.
Let's look at John 14:15-17 ESV
      ....If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
16  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper
      to be with you forever,
17  even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive ,
      because it neither sees him nor knows him.
      You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. 

The wicked have chosen self destruction
How could they have chosen life ?

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 73:19 The Book of Common Prayer
    Oh how suddenly they do consume;
    perish, and come to a fearful end.

Psalm 73:19 The Grail Psalms
    How suddenly they come to their ruin
    wiped out, destroyed by terrors.

Psalm 73:19 Good News Bible
    They are instantly destroyed;
    they go down to a horrible end.

Having spent much of their lives putting their trust in their own wits,
mocking the Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Holiness
ignoring the word of God and the will of God,
the people they have become....are going down to a horrible end.

Their only hope is to choose to accept personally the Deity of Christ
                     and to accept His saving grace
                            to be born again
                            to have New Life in Jesus Christ.

PSALM 73:18 Rescue

Psalm 73:18 Good News Bible
You will put them in slippery places
and make them fall to their destruction !

There is a sea of people who, daily, choose to cheat more,
steal more, gamble more and indulge themselves more at the
expense of others. How many evil choices did Hitler make
to bring himself and so many others to destruction ?

Can the individual believer play a beneficial role?
The psalmist promises to do so.

Psalm 51:13 NJB
I shall teach the wicked your paths
and sinners will return to you.

To-day the Christian believer is not powerless.
and has greater communication opportunities than ever.
We can share the gospel with every potential Hitler
on the internet.  

PSALM 73: 16-17 in God's perspective

If  someone brags to you that they successfully made a false claim on
their insurance ; Then you know that person is a cheat and a liar and
a thief. They have told you so. So discernment is common sense.
If in prayer you ask the Lord to reveal to you where your own words
or attitude fell short of the full glory of the LORD--this morning-- there
is a good chance that He will bring to mind a conversation or event in
which your action was not informed by the word of God and did not
fully display the love of Christ for all the people involved.
On the other hand he might show you where you didn't make the same
mistake as yesterday--One tiny step away from immaturity towards
Christian maturity  !

Psalm 73:16-17 NCV
16      When I tried to understand all this
          I found it too difficult for me.
17      until I entered the sanctuary of God
          and realized what their final end would be.

In prayer, in the presence of the living God
psalmist receives revelation.
A prayerful personal relationship with the LORD
allows the believer to receive the counsel of the LORD
and the LORD starts to put things in perspective for him.
And the believer begins to see things in God's perspective. 

PSALM 73:15 Responsability

Psalm 73:15 English Standard Version
If I had said "I will speak thus"
I would have betrayed the generation of your children.

We have to be true to what we believe ourselves.
We also have some responsibility to the world wide church.
As a member of the body of Christ we serve Jesus the head of the body.
The psalmist would refrain from going along with worldly actions and attitudes
which he feels would betray and bring disgrace on the body of believers
and be detrimental to future generations of believers.
Every Christian needs to be able to practice Christian discernment
reguarding social and moral issues which are embraced by society.
The practice of less than Christian values with reguard to adultery
and divorce have betrayed a generation.
There are many other issues. In the U.K. deregulation of gambling
and deregulation of restrictions on the sale of alcohol have had
detremental  and harmful effects.
Members of the public who do not have a mental sense of what is right
and wrong , are vulnerable members of society.

PSALM 73:13-14 Personal Integrity

Psalm 73:13-14 English Standard Version
13 All in vain I have kept my heart clean
     and washed my hands in innocence.
14 For all day long I have been stricken
     and rebuked every morning.
In contrast to the arrogant who
5  are not stricken like the rest of mankind.

To-day the psalmist might have said
"While others cheated in their exams ...I was honest"
"While others cheated on the Tax .......I was honest"
"While others made false claims ....I kept my integrity"

PSALM 73:12 Moral Choices

Psalm 73:12 NCV
Such are the wicked
as they pile up wealth , without any concerns.

The New Jerusalem Bible puts verse  12 like this;-
12  that is what the wicked are like
      piling up wealth without any concerns.

It has always been so. The oppressor chooses his priorities
year after year. Profit increases at the expense
of third world communities.
Christians make moral choices day by day.

PSALM 73:10-11 Need for Discernment

Psalm 73: 10-11 New Catholic Version
10  So people blindly follow them
      and find nothing offensive in their words.
11  They say "How does God know?"
    "  Does the Most High notice anything ?"

From the point of view of ordinary people,
the wicked often seem to enjoy power, status,
wealth and prosperity without restriction.
But people who have the advantage of Christian discernment
can see that adultery is adultery whatever you call it.,
Deception,  fraud,  and misappropriation is recognized as stealing.
It is better to be able to distinguish  people of good repute,
people of no repute and people of ill repute.
Young people need to be aware.
Every young Christian leaving home for college or work
needs to be discerning, to be able to practice Christian discernment
in everyday life in order to make the best choices and decisions. 

PSALM 73:9 Discerning Reality

Psalm 73:9 New Jerusalem Bible
   Their mouth claims heaven for themselves
   and their tongue is never still on earth.

Matthew 15:11 English Standard Version
Hear and understand 11  it is not what goes into the mouth
that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth;
this defiles a person.

The social reality of "Original Sin" is obvious when you
look at the worldly world with eyes of faith.
Battered infants, abandoned spouses, governmental deception
official lying and such things do not arise out of  "goodness"

Psalm 73:9 Good News Bible
   They speak evil of God in heaven
   and give arrogant orders to men on earth.

Exodus 20:7 Good News Bible
   Do not use my name for evil purposes,For I the LORD your God,
 will punish anyone who misuses my name.

Blasphemy and blasphemous attitudes expressed in the media
particularly on T.V., point people (without discernment)
in the wrong direction.                                                                                                                                

PSALM 73:8 Spiritual Darkness

Psalm 73:8 New Jerusalem Bible
   Cynically they advocate evil.

The desires, the habits and the attitudes of these folk
have developed from being plain worldly
to being deceptive, manipulative, deceitful,
potentially aggressive and violent.
Callously exploiting others,
they make others subservient to themselves.

Psalm 73:8  Good News Bible
They laugh at other people and speak of evil things
they are proud and make plans to oppress others.

You see it on television and it is more obvious in real life.
People who give their lives to darkness and destruction
deliberately exploit others to ruin them.
They murder in cold blood
They make others subservient to themselves
and take away others freedom.
Such people are living in spiritual darkness.
It does not just happen.
They choose to live in that dynamic.

PSALM 73:7 Poured Out

Psalm 73:7 Good News Bible
   their hearts pour out evil
   and their minds are busy with wicked schemes.

Discernment involves a lot of common sense .
You become aware of people acting without conscience,
taking unfair advantage of people, politically, financially,
socially, as oppressive employers, or money lenders,
holding people to ransom.

People in that state are not reliable or trustworthy.
It is dangerous to join them socially or politically
or in the way of business.

Matthew 26:28 New American Standard Bible
...this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out 
for many for the forgiveness of sins.

What a contrast between the self centered heart
and the Christ centered heart.
You can tell the difference between people
animated by the Spirit of Love
and those animated by a base selfish spirit.

PSALM 73:6 Discernment

Reflecting on some of his contemporaries the psalmist can discern the spiritual reality.
 Psalm 76:6 Good News Bible
And so they wear pride like a necklace
        and violence like a robe
It is possible to be aware when people are not motivated by care for others,
when there is nothing even humanistic about their desires and attitudes.
Pride is often worldly and selfish;
But when the drive to achieve self satisfaction
becomes aggressive and potentially violent,.....beware.
So pride is like a necklace for them
violence the garment they wear.
Thirst for power, for fierce exhilaration
gambling in their greed,
one step at a time becoming more aggressively
avaricious , and having less integrity. 

PSALM 73:5 Discernment

The psalmist reflects on some of his contemporaries with discernment.

Psalm 73:5 New Jerusalem Bible
     exempt from the cares which are the human lot
     they have no part in Adam's afflictions.

The psalmist can see that their perspectives on life have settled.
The way they perceive and value things and people
has become part of the people they are;
Their own greed and covetousness--all rationalized
and justified by social convention.

The theme of contemporary advertisements adds it up.
Have it all . Have it now. Get more. Indulge yourself.
Have the best. Be one up.

PSALM 73:4 Discernment

The psalmist practices discernment
Psalm 73:4 NEW JERUSALEM BIBLE
4   For them no such thing as pain
     untroubled their comfortable portliness
     exempt from the cares which are the human lot
     they have no part in Adam's afflictions.

The psalmist can see that those people were living for their own pleasure,
eagerly following fashion and absorbed in money and fine things.
They were living the dynamic of sin-prone flesh which we can refer to
with St Paul,s Greek word for fallen human nature "sarx"

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.