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.)