Psalms of Praise

Monday, July 31, 2017

Psalms of praise in the Bible tend to follow a bit of a pattern. Have you ever noticed? Let’s look at the different components we might find in these psalms.

“Bookend” An exhortation to praise the LORD.

I.       Call to Worship
This is usually an imperative like, “Praise the Lord!” or “Sing to the Lord!”

II.     Identify the Audience (who)

servants, whole earth, angels, hosts of creation, everything that breathes

III.   Mode of Praise (how)
with the voice: singing, exaltation
with instruments: lyre, harp, tambourine, flute, etc
with the body: dance, lifted hands, upward faces, open hearts

IV.  Reasons for Praise (why)

Attributes or activities of God: descriptions of who He is or what He has done

V.    Rhetorical questions
Who is like Him? Who can compare to Him?

“Bookend” Final exhortation to praise the LORD.

With this in mind, let’s try to write our own psalms of praise. Are you up to the challenge? It doesn’t have to follow the above outline exactly. It should simply be from your heart. And if you feel so inclined, send it to me as a personal message on FaceBook. I’d love to see what you write.

Memory Verse 2017 -- Week 30

Sunday, July 30, 2017

Then He said to them all: 

"Whoever wants to be my disciple 

must deny themselves 

and take up their cross daily 

and follow me."

Luke 9:23

We must be all-in. 

We must be willing to suffer for His sake. 

Spend the week focusing on this scripture: 

• Read the verse in your Bible. 
• Read the passage before and after it. 
• Write it in your journal. 
• Ask the Lord to show you how it applies to your life. 
• Put it on a piece of paper and post it in a prominent place in your home so that you can see it often. 
• Put the words to music. Make up a tune or use one you already know. Singing always helps in the memory process. It's a left brain / right brain thing. 
• Always memorize the scripture reference with the verse so you can remember where to find it in the Bible. 

I am your servant

Saturday, July 29, 2017

“Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God . . . and that I am your servant . . . ."

‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭18:36‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I guess if my mother had a favorite Scripture verse -- she loved them all -- it might have been this one. She wanted above all for her life to represent the Lord well -- for others to see Jesus in her. 

Her very loose paraphrase of the verse was:

"God is God and I am not."

And that is pretty much the way she lived her life. She never took herself too seriously. She never thought too much of herself. She always considered the Lord first. And she pointed countless people to Him throughout her life. 

Yesterday was the one year anniversary of Mother's home-going. She is celebrating in heaven and worshiping God right now with all of her might. Although I miss her, I'm so glad she is with the Lord. 

Lord, you alone are God and worthy to be praised. I am your servant. May I bring glory to you now and forevermore. 

Psalm 136: Nurturer

Friday, July 28, 2017

The last two verses of this psalm circle back to  the subject of creation. As Master Designer, God takes care of His stuff.  And why wouldn't He? I've crafted a few things in my lifetime -- clothing, wall art, creative writing, children -- and I guarantee you that I take better care of my creations than somebody else would. My stuff is special to me. 

So out of His unending love, God provides nourishment (as well as other things) for His creatures. God provides spiritual food for us as well. 

Man does not live by bread alone. But by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4

One time when I was a girl, I went to feed my little dog, Mau. I got a can of food from the cabinet and placed it, unopened, in his bowl. "There you go, little boy." He cocked his head and looked at me as if to say, "what good does THAT do?" And he was right. I could give him a hundred cans of food -- lots of nourishment. But since he had no way of opening the container, he could die of starvation. 

God's not like that. He gives us spiritual food in ready-to-feed packages (the Bible, church services, classes, music, etc) equipped with a can opener (the Holy Spirit) to give us access to it. He wants us to grow and thrive. 

Our response to God our Creator, Lord, Deliverer, and Provider? We give thanks to the God of heaven for His love endures forever. (Psalm 136:26)

Psalm 136

¹Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.
² Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.
³ Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.

⁴ to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever.
⁵ who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever.
⁶ who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever.
⁷ who made the great lights— His love endures forever.
⁸ the sun to govern the day, His love endures forever.
⁹ the moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever.

¹⁰ to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt His love endures forever.
¹¹ and brought Israel out from among them His love endures forever.
¹² with a mighty hand and outstretched arm; His love endures forever.
¹³ to him who divided the Red Sea^[a] asunder His love endures forever.
¹⁴ and brought Israel through the midst of it, His love endures forever.
¹⁵ but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea; His love endures forever.

¹⁶ to him who led his people through the wilderness; His love endures forever.

¹⁷ to him who struck down great kings, His love endures forever.
¹⁸ and killed mighty kings— His love endures forever.
¹⁹ Sihon king of the Amorites His love endures forever.
²⁰ and Og king of Bashan— His love endures forever.
²¹ and gave their land as an inheritance, His love endures forever.
²² an inheritance to his servant Israel. His love endures forever.

²³ He remembered us in our low estate His love endures forever.
²⁴ and freed us from our enemies. His love endures forever.

²⁵ He gives food to every creature. His love endures forever.

²⁶ Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.

Psalm 136: Covenant Keeper

Thursday, July 27, 2017

Can you name some of the people with whom God made a covenant in the Old Testament? I'm sure there are more but these come to mind right away.

• Adam 
• Noah
• Abraham 
• Isaac
• Jacob
• Moses
• Aaron
• David

What about covenants in the New Testament? The only one I can remember is God's promise through Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 1 Corinthians‬ ‭11:23-26‬ ‭NIV‬

How many of these Biblical covenants has God broken? Hasn't He lived up to everything He promised?

What does that tell you about His trustworthiness? He, alone, can truly be trusted. 

Psalm 136:16-24 describes God as one who lives up to his promises. He protected the Israelites as they fled for their lives. He delivered the Promised Land into their hands. He remembered them when they were in the lowest valley and raised them up to freedom from their adversaries. The Israelites didn't always keep their end of the bargain but God sure did.

It is no different today.

God promised that because of the New Covenant in Jesus, "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." I John 1:9

And it is because of the kindness and love He displayed in the New Covenant that "He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life." Titus 3:5-7

Isn't that something to praise God for: His love endures forever.

Psalm 136

¹Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.
² Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.
³ Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.

⁴ to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever.
⁵ who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever.
⁶ who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever.
⁷ who made the great lights— His love endures forever.
⁸ the sun to govern the day, His love endures forever.
⁹ the moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever.

¹⁰ to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt His love endures forever.
¹¹ and brought Israel out from among them His love endures forever.
¹² with a mighty hand and outstretched arm; His love endures forever.
¹³ to him who divided the Red Sea^[a] asunder His love endures forever.
¹⁴ and brought Israel through the midst of it, His love endures forever.
¹⁵ but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea; His love endures forever.

¹⁶ to him who led his people through the wilderness; His love endures forever.

¹⁷ to him who struck down great kings, His love endures forever.
¹⁸ and killed mighty kings— His love endures forever.
¹⁹ Sihon king of the Amorites His love endures forever.
²⁰ and Og king of Bashan— His love endures forever.
²¹ and gave their land as an inheritance, His love endures forever.
²² an inheritance to his servant Israel. His love endures forever.

²³ He remembered us in our low estate His love endures forever.
²⁴ and freed us from our enemies. His love endures forever.

²⁵ He gives food to every creature. His love endures forever.

²⁶ Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.

Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul. 

Thank you, Lord, for making me while. 

Thank you, Lord, for giving to me

Thy great salvation so full and free. 

Psalm 136: Mighty Deliverer

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

The Psalmist would have been delivering this responsive reading to Israelites who would not have been too many generations removed from the exodus from Egypt. They would have been well aware of all the events leading up to, during, and after their families had fled from captivity. It would have been good for them to have this reminder and to interweave it with thanksgiving to the Lord.  

Is there any application to today? 

Have we experienced oppression and captivity? 

Well, maybe not by the hands of today's Egyptians. 

But what about the oppression of dysfunctional relationships? Or domineering employers? Or power-hungry government officials? Or overbearing senior residents or attending physicians? Or ________ . . . .

And what about the captivity we feel in our own skin because of choices we have made? Choices with finances. Choices with relationships. Choices with substance abuse. Choices regarding our attitude.

God wants to deliver us from whatever it is that captivates and oppresses us. He wants to remove us from our bondage; to part the formidable sea that threatens to do us in; to provide for us as we walk through the desert; to conquer our foes for us. And through this we can see that His faithful love endures forever!

Psalm 136

¹Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.
² Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.
³ Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.

⁴ to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever.
⁵ who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever.
⁶ who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever.
⁷ who made the great lights— His love endures forever.
⁸ the sun to govern the day, His love endures forever.
⁹ the moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever.

¹⁰ to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt His love endures forever.

¹¹ and brought Israel out from among them His love endures forever.
¹² with a mighty hand and outstretched arm; His love endures forever.
¹³ to him who divided the Red Sea^[a] asunder His love endures forever.
¹⁴ and brought Israel through the midst of it, His love endures forever.
¹⁵ but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea; His love endures forever.

¹⁶ to him who led his people through the wilderness; His love endures forever.

¹⁷ to him who struck down great kings, His love endures forever.
¹⁸ and killed mighty kings— His love endures forever.
¹⁹ Sihon king of the Amorites His love endures forever.
²⁰ and Og king of Bashan— His love endures forever.
²¹ and gave their land as an inheritance, His love endures forever.
²² an inheritance to his servant Israel. His love endures forever.

²³ He remembered us in our low estate His love endures forever.
²⁴ and freed us from our enemies. His love endures forever.
²⁵ He gives food to every creature. His love endures forever.

²⁶ Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.

Lord, make us keenly aware of the things in our lives that bind and oppress us. Free us, Lord. Take care of us. Bring us to rest in your promised land. May we praise your name forevermore. 

Psalm 136: God of gods and Lord of lords

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

I don't think we thank God enough for who He is. We might acknowledge the things He has done to benefit us in some way. But we need to praise Him and thank Him for who He is. 

He is God. 

He is Lord. 

He's not just a deity -- one that man has conjured up. He's not a mythological character. He is the Creator of the universe. What man has tried for thousands of years to figure out, He created with a word. And it is perfect. 

His Lordship extends from east to west. How? Because He makes His home in believers' hearts around the globe. And his royalty trumps any earthly king there is or there ever has been. As Lord of all mankind, He is everywhere and He reigns supreme. 

Psalm 136

¹Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.

² Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.
³ Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.

⁴ to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever.
⁵ who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever.
⁶ who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever.
⁷ who made the great lights— His love endures forever.
⁸ the sun to govern the day, His love endures forever.
⁹ the moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever.

¹⁰ to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt His love endures forever.
¹¹ and brought Israel out from among them His love endures forever.
¹² with a mighty hand and outstretched arm; His love endures forever.
¹³ to him who divided the Red Sea^[a] asunder His love endures forever.
¹⁴ and brought Israel through the midst of it, His love endures forever.
¹⁵ but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea; His love endures forever.

¹⁶ to him who led his people through the wilderness; His love endures forever.

¹⁷ to him who struck down great kings, His love endures forever.
¹⁸ and killed mighty kings— His love endures forever.
¹⁹ Sihon king of the Amorites His love endures forever.
²⁰ and Og king of Bashan— His love endures forever.
²¹ and gave their land as an inheritance, His love endures forever.
²² an inheritance to his servant Israel. His love endures forever.

²³ He remembered us in our low estate His love endures forever.
²⁴ and freed us from our enemies. His love endures forever.
²⁵ He gives food to every creature. His love endures forever.

²⁶ Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.

Lord, as we consider your handiwork and it's perfection, we thank you that you made it (and us) so carefully. Thank you for being God -- for being Lord of all. You alone are worthy of our praise.