[Pastor Ralph]

Exercise. For one of the psalms in this lesson -- or another psalm with a similar theme -- do one of the suggested exercises to help you experience the Psalms (www.jesuswalk.com/psalms/psalms-exercises.htm). These include such things as praying a psalm, meditating, reading to a shut-in, paraphrasing, writing your own psalm, singing, preparing a liturgy, and memorizing. Then report to the forum what the exercise meant to you personally or share what you've written with others.

[Tabatha]

Exercise. For one of the psalms in this lesson -- or another psalm with a similar theme -- do one of the suggested exercises to help you experience the Psalms (www.jesuswalk.com/psalms/psalms-exercises.htm). These include such things as praying a psalm, meditating, reading to a shut-in, paraphrasing, writing your own psalm, singing, preparing a liturgy, and memorizing. Then report to the forum what the exercise meant to you personally or share what you've written with others.

DARK HOURS

I will remember my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search. Will the Lord cast off for ever? And will He be favorable no more? Is His mercy clean gone forever? Doth He in anger shut up His tender mercies?" Psalm 77: 6-9

DARK HOURS? " Oh God.... where are you? Don't you care? Can't you see what I am going through? Why, oh Lord, WHY??"

Have you found yourself asking these questions? Have you ever felt the darkness of insurmountable problems and griefs overwhelming you and leaving you with an ache in your heart? At such a time it seems that all have forsaken you......even God Himself! But has He really? !

During the darkest hours of your life you can look out the window and see God's creation....trees that stand in splendor, flowers of every color and hue, sun shining so bright, children laughing ! How could everything be so black in such a beautiful world ? But sometimes it is ! There are times when God sees it is best to allow us to feel the blackness of night upon our lives. Often it is during the darkest hours when God can accomplish the most in your life!.... to mellow you, soften you and make you fit for the better days that lie ahead.

Dark days comes in all different sizes and shapes!..... Financial loss, lost friends, the death of a loved one, remorse over mistakes in your life, unfair persecution or slander, sickness, family problems, offensive words from some careless tongue, or maybe you have offended someone and can't make things right no matter how hard you try... or perhaps you have an emptiness inside that drives you to search for reality. All of these...sad and upsetting as they are, sometimes leaving you shattered and at wits end.... can be the greatest stepping stone that you have stepped up on.!

But even when it is the darkest..... there is always a song in the night ! If you listen... listen carefully....the bird is singing out there. It is a beautiful song that will cheer your heart and help you to know that morning is near.

God hasn't forgotten you! He's watching over you and loves you. H simply knows the formula to make you a better person..... to draw you closer to Himself

When you are in one of your darkest hours... when your whole world is crashing in around your head... remember... " The Darkest Hour Is Just Before The Dawn!" So empty those words may seem when such turmoil envelopes you.......... but hang on to these words! SUNRISE IS NEAR!

[charisbarak]

Sometimes it is helpful & interesting to read other translations/transliterations. I have chosen Ps. 150.

"Hallelujah! Yes, Praise the Lord!
Praise him in his Temple, and in the heavens he made with mighty power.
Praise him for his mighty works. Praise his unequaled greatness.
Praise him with the trumpet and with lute and harp. Praise him with the tambourines and processional. Praise him with stringed instruments and horns. Praise him with the cymbals, yes, loud clanging cymbals.
Let everything alive give praises to the Lord! YOU praise him!
Hallelujah!" The Living Bible


"Hallelujah!
Praise God in his holy house of worship,
praise him under the open skies;
Praise him for his acts of power,
praise him for his magnificent greatness;
Praise with a blast on the trumpet,
praise by strumming soft strings;
Praise him with castanets and dance,
praise him with banjo and flute;
Praise him with cymbals and a big bass drum,
praise him with fiddles and mandolin.
Let every living, breathing creature praise God!
Hallelujah! " The Message

[Patsy Laycoax]

DARK HOURS

I will remember my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search. Will the Lord cast off for ever? And will He be favorable no more? Is His mercy clean gone forever? Doth He in anger shut up His tender mercies?" Psalm 77: 6-9

DARK HOURS? " Oh God.... where are you? Don't you care? Can't you see what I am going through? Why, oh Lord, WHY??"

Have you found yourself asking these questions? Have you ever felt the darkness of insurmountable problems and griefs overwhelming you and leaving you with an ache in your heart? At such a time it seems that all have forsaken you......even God Himself! But has He really? !

During the darkest hours of your life you can look out the window and see God's creation....trees that stand in splendor, flowers of every color and hue, sun shining so bright, children laughing ! How could everything be so black in such a beautiful world ? But sometimes it is ! There are times when God sees it is best to allow us to feel the blackness of night upon our lives. Often it is during the darkest hours when God can accomplish the most in your life!.... to mellow you, soften you and make you fit for the better days that lie ahead.

Dark days comes in all different sizes and shapes!..... Financial loss, lost friends, the death of a loved one, remorse over mistakes in your life, unfair persecution or slander, sickness, family problems, offensive words from some careless tongue, or maybe you have offended someone and can't make things right no matter how hard you try... or perhaps you have an emptiness inside that drives you to search for reality. All of these...sad and upsetting as they are, sometimes leaving you shattered and at wits end.... can be the greatest stepping stone that you have stepped up on.!

But even when it is the darkest..... there is always a song in the night ! If you listen... listen carefully....the bird is singing out there. It is a beautiful song that will cheer your heart and help you to know that morning is near.

God hasn't forgotten you! He's watching over you and loves you. H simply knows the formula to make you a better person..... to draw you closer to Himself

When you are in one of your darkest hours... when your whole world is crashing in around your head... remember... " The Darkest Hour Is Just Before The Dawn!" So empty those words may seem when such turmoil envelopes you.......... but hang on to these words! SUNRISE IS NEAR!

I was wanting to thank Tabatha for this,I am in the midst of some dark hours and this blessed me.

[csreeves]

Exercise. For one of the psalms in this lesson -- or another psalm with a similar theme -- do one of the suggested exercises to help you experience the Psalms (www.jesuswalk.com/psalms/psalms-exercises.htm). These include such things as praying a psalm, meditating, reading to a shut-in, paraphrasing, writing your own psalm, singing, preparing a liturgy, and memorizing. Then report to the forum what the exercise meant to you personally or share what you've written with others.

I love the praising in these Psalms. I just go around my house singing praises to God for he is my mighty King. Praise Him for all he has done. Alleluiah! Is Jesus in the house today. Yes said the unbeliever. Alleluiah Praise the King. This continually goes on for God loved us so much that He sent His Son.....I can't imagine, but I do see his reflection in the loving angelic people in my life, why he cares for me.

[masika]

Q4. After studying these Psalms this is my Commitment:-
The greatest thing I will ever do in this life or eternity is to Praise and worship God. I determine today to be a true Praiser /Worshiper and to make this my supreme goal in Life. I will teach someone else this vital way of life also.

[Ms CJ]

Exercise. For one of the psalms in this lesson -- or another psalm with a similar theme -- do one of the suggested exercises to help you experience the Psalms (www.jesuswalk.com/psalms/psalms-exercises.htm). These include such things as praying a psalm, meditating, reading to a shut-in, paraphrasing, writing your own psalm, singing, preparing a liturgy, and memorizing. Then report to the forum what the exercise meant to you personally or share what you've written with others.

A new Psalms from my heart:

My God, My Deliverer

I remember Oh God, how you delivered me out of my bondage
How you destroyed my enemies that ruled and reined over me

How you brought me out from the land of the dead into the land of the living
That once I was blind, but because of Your loving kindness towards me now I can see

I understand now My God what a loving Father you are
How you have gathered me from the ends of the earth
Set my feet on solid rock and no more am I in a sinking sand

Help me Holy Spirit of God to keep in remembrance in all He has done
To always give Him praise and honor and glory
Help me be a living example of Him towards others

My Lord and My Judge;
You are my righteousness and You are the keeper of my soul
It is only You I live for and it is only you I see as My Ruler
It is only in You I find forgiveness and worthiness and pureness
I know that I do not have to fear judgement as long as I praise you, live for you and never condemn You and find fault with Your ways.
That it is at the throne of grace that I know I am free from unrighteous things and I see the hand of You on my life

Thank you, Oh God for loving and caring
Thank you, Oh God for the tenderness of Your hands and for the cloud by day that guides me and for the fire at night letting me know that You are there even in the darkest of times of life.

Oh God, My God, You are the Light of my Salvation and whom or what shall I fear!

Copyright © Sept, 2006 by Cindy Johnson
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America.

This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-including, but not limited to, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise- or used for any commercial purpose whatsoever without prior written permission.

[emmaus]

This is Psalm 98 as I feel it in my heart. It is my meager attempt to praise our God who can never be praised enough.

Praise be to God Almighty!
Let me sing my love for you!
Worthy are you, my Lord, of all praise!
He does not forget his promises!
He forgives and saves his flock!
The oppressors see your mighty power!
The earth cries out, "Praise be to God!"
Instruments that you gave the vision to make fill the air with praise!
God of all creation I worship you with a heart full of joy and love!
Praise be to the King!
May you be worshiped and obeyed with humbled hearts,
For you will come to judge in righteousness and fairness!
Hallelujah!

[linda bass]

For these exercise, I have chosen to paraphase psalm 150.

Praise the Lord Almighty
Praise God in His holy temple
Praise God in the neverending heavens
Praise Him for His awesome acts of power
Praise Him for His unsurpassing greatness
Praise the Lord with the blast of the trumpet
Praise Him with guitar and bass guitar
Praise Him with tambourine and in the dance
Praise Him with violin and mandolin, with saxophone and keyboards
Praise Him with the drums, with the crashing of cymbals
Let every living creature that breathes, give praise to the Lord!

[Don W]

The Lord gave me a melody for a children’s song on Psalm 98:4-6 but I can’t sing it to you because I don’t know how to record music over the Internet. But the words go like this:

Shout for Joy to the Lord
(Psalm 98:4-6)

Shout for joy to the Lord all the earth; shout for joy to the Lord all the earth. Break into beautiful songs of music; make music to the Lord with the harp, with the strings and the sounds of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the horns—Shout for joy before the Lord, the King.

(Chorus) Shout for joy before the Lord, the King; shout for joy before the Lord, the King; Shout for joy to the Lord all the earth; Break into beautiful songs with music.

(Break) Make music to the Lord with the harp, with the strings and the sounds of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the horns—Shout for joy before the King! (Then repeat the Chorus and end).

[slicwidow]

I was talking to a friend who was 'down in the dumps' and was able to share Psalm 150!! What joy we have when we praise the Lord for who He is!!!

[MrsG]

I choose for this exercise to paraphrase Psalm 98.

Praise the Lord all ye people, sing a new song of His wonderful deeds.
Sing of the mighty victories He has won by His own power and holiness.

Announce His victories and acknowledge His righteousness, O ye nations@

Praise the Lord for He has remembered His promises to love and be faithful to us.
All the earth has seen His salvation!

Shout all the earth unto the LORD; Break out in songs of praise and of joy!

Praise God with your instruments, sing melodious songs unto His holy name! O seas and oceans and eveything in it shout praises to God our LORD.

All the earth and all living things join in with them.

Rivers clap your hands and be joyful.

Hills sings out in praise. Honor the Lord, Worship and Reverence HIm.

He is comingg to judge the earth and He will judge rightly. Praise the Lord!!!

[allyann]

Exercise. For one of the psalms in this lesson -- or another psalm with a similar theme -- do one of the suggested exercises to help you experience the Psalms (www.jesuswalk.com/psalms/psalms-exercises.htm). These include such things as praying a psalm, meditating, reading to a shut-in, paraphrasing, writing your own psalm, singing, preparing a liturgy, and memorizing. Then report to the forum what the exercise meant to you personally or share what you've written with others.

I chose to meditate on Psalm 98. I likened this psalm to Christ's coming as the fulfillment of God's promise and love for us. For he has done wonderful deeds. He has won a mighty victory by His power and holiness. Through Christ's cruxificion, victory over sin was acheived, and God's righteousness to every nation was revealed. Christ died so that all may have life and have it more abundantly. Shout to the Lord all the earth, sing your praises and sing for joy. For the Lord is coming to judge the earth. Because of Christ's death and ressurrection, He now sits on the right hand side of the Father to intercede for us so that we may be judged with justice and fairness.

[glory]

I LOVE SINGING THE PSALMS AND PSALMS 95 HAS BEEN AN ALL TIME FAVORITE OF MINE, SO I HAVE BEEN SINGING DARLENE ZCHECH'S SONG- SHOUT TO THE LORD, AND ALSO " COME LET US WORSHIP AND BOW DOWN"- DONT REMEMBER THE SINGER'S NAME FOR THIS ONE, BUT THEY'RE BOTH TAKEN FROM THE WORDS OF PSALMS 95. THIS HELPS ME TREMENDOUSLY BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN BATTLING WITH A LOT OF ATTACKS LATELY AND I'VE ALWAYS BEEN SOMEONE WHO LOVES TO WORSHIP THE LORD THROUGH SINGING, SO I HAVE BEEN BLESSED AND SO HAS MY FAMILY BECAUSE THEY ENJOY GOD'S PRESENCE IN OUR HOME THROUGH WORSHIPPING HIM.GLORY...

[wondering04]

Right now there is a revival going on in our area and has been going on for 8 weeks, as I attend the meetings and the classes, I am finding myself more and more convicted to spend time in prayer and worship of God. One of the songs I sing to God as I go about my daily duties is "Come let us worship and bow down." The more time I spend with Him the more I feel His presence and the more I am able to reach out to others and help them find the joy of the Lord - it really is our strength. God has been healing areas of my past because I am spending time with Him, and He has helped me sort out many areas in my life.
Heather

[maynd]

I've taken to following scriptural rabbits. The variations of the word 'sing' led me through half the Psalms. Many tell of singing praises and worship unto God several speak of singing songs of lament. One reference led me to Zephaniah 3.16-17 where we are told when all of God's people have come home God himself will sing with joy. How utterly amazing, the Lord of Lords will sing over me. It gave me a true message to give to the congregation last Sunday night. They were blessed and I had a double blessing.

[servant for Christ]

Exercise. For one of the psalms in this lesson -- or another psalm with a similar theme -- do one of the suggested exercises to help you experience the Psalms (www.jesuswalk.com/psalms/psalms-exercises.htm). These include such things as praying a psalm, meditating, reading to a shut-in, paraphrasing, writing your own psalm, singing, preparing a liturgy, and memorizing. Then report to the forum what the exercise meant to you personally or share what you've written with others.

As I kept reading Psalm 150 over, out loud, I realized how much I need to praise God continually. When I get self out of the way, and worship and praise the Lord, He can move in the way He wants to. In the way that is best for me. To me, I think I am trusting God completely when I praise Him because I know He is in control. I know everything is taken of. I can do the work of the Lord and not be burdened down with the cares of this life. It pleases our Lord when we worship and praise Him. He has done so much for me in my life, all I know to do is worship and praise God. Offer thanksgiving from the bottom of my heart.

[Paul G]

Every morning I have time alone with the Lord for half hour to 45 minutes. I will take time to Praise Him, more then I have before in my daily prayers!