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If anyone looks at this-a great song based on this is performed by Rich mullins called "while the nations rage" What does Psalm 2 teach us about Yahweh's "anointed" king? The nations rage against the LORD and His Messiah (1-4) The LORD has placed His chosen Messiah on the throne (6) The Messiah (the King) proclaims the LORD

Q2. (Psalm 145) Which aspects of God's character mentioned in Psalm 145 stand out to you in particular? Well its hard to pin down, as the psalmist says

Which one or two aspects of God's character mentioned in this Psalm stand out to you? His attributes are somewhat intertwined in this Psalm( see verse 8 compassion, love, slow to anger, gracious…which as a whole seem to lead to verses 9-10 not keeping His anger, or accusing, treating us as our sins deserve…) God’s compassion stand out most of all I think especially seeing it is linked with the father/child picture which as a parent gives me more understanding His love also is emphasized-and seems to be linked directly with His forgiveness (see how it ties with 11-12) and could also be a summary word for all the other attributes Why do you think the Exodus was so foundational in Israel's understanding of God? In the Exodus God showed His intentions towards Israel, He revealed His power, Love etc in His glorious acts of redemption… as this Psalm says He revealed His ways to Moses and His deeds to the people of Israel and God through the Passover told them to remember this period of His activity-something was unique about it, His Character was seen in a unprecedented way …the same is true of the incarnation and the cross (hence communion as a focal reminder) Through Israel’s constant grumbling and unfaithfulness God remained faithful, He provided, forgave, led, Israel saw God character 1st hand! According to Psalm 103:10-12, what are the limits to God's forgiveness? We read in verse 3 that He forgives ALL our sins and in verse 10 He does not treat us as our sins deserve, in verse 12 we see that in His compassion and love He has removed ours sins from us- as far as the east is from the west. Heavens L O V I N East FORGIVENESS West K I N D N E S S Earth

Q3. (Psalm 31) What does it mean to say to the Lord, "Into your hands I commit my spirit" (31:5)? How does that statement bring peace to a person? How does the statement, "My times are in your hands" (31:15), bring peace to the troubled soul? I think all those questions are inter-related

Q2. According to Psalm 23, how does the Lord our Shepherd quiet his sheep and give them confidence? How many ways can you find in this psalm? Our Shepherd provides for our need- we shall not be in want, He prepares a table, His goodness and loving kindness is present all the days of our lives Our Shepherd makes us lie down in green pastures

Q1. According to Psalm 131, just how does David quiet his inner person before the Lord? What are the elements mentioned in this psalm? It

Have addressed this question when replying to day 2

Q2. (Psalm 91) What does this psalm teach us about God's protection when in danger? It teaches us that we can be confident concerning God protection. God Himself is our protection- and so we can trust in Him (2) He saves us and delivers us, we dwell in the shelter of His wings, He is our refuge and shield, He covers us, He gives His angels charge over us God promises protection against all kinds of foes at all times The psalmist tells of God protection during the day and night The fowlers snare, deadly pestilence, terror, arrows, plague, disaster, striking our foot against the rocks, the lion and great lion, the cobra and serpent, The Psalmist is aware that God is protective and will help us through, and be with us through all trouble (15) God

Q1. (Psalm 61:1-4) What images does the psalmist evoke to communicate his trust in God's protection? Towering Rock of safety NLT = rock speaks of protection strength and stability Refuge = a strategic place where one can find shelter from enemies Towers = usually a tall, narrow building used for defense " were used for military purposes; in the case of a siege, people could find protection in them (cf. Jdg 9:51-52). Tent = image of Moses and God

Q5. (Psalm 80) If you were to formulate a personal prayer for revival for your own life or for your congregation, how would you word it? Father in Heaven, Thank you for the favor You have shown us in Your Son. Thank You that You are my Shepherd- You will not leave me where I am and You will not leave me to my own devices. Thank You for the confidence we can place in You because as the great Shepherd of the sheep You will not leave us to wander- but Your rod and staff will guide us back on the way everlasting when we stray Father I don’t know all the details of what is wrong in my life, but I am aware that I am not walking in the fullness of what You have planned- with a heart that is wickedly deceitful I struggle to discern all my errors- please forgive my hidden faults as well as my willful sins, please show me clearly what is not pleasing to You so I might truly repent and bring You joy and glory- and please show me day by day what pleases You, so I can live for you walking in the good works which You prepared in advance Please Father work an indelible change in my heart so that I might live as You intended and bring You glory As Moses prayed- because of I know Your favor- teach me Your ways-so that I might find further favor Lord help me become more and more confident in You- increase my faith Lord, and please, I ask this with all respect, do not answer that cry the way You did with Your disciples saying… if you had faith…but Lord may faith truly come, and be ever increasing as I hear and live and breath Your word- the word of Christ Lord, revive me, restore me, may my life be transformed from glory to glory, may my life cause You joy, help me Father to truly be a man after Your own heart Lord help me to get past my own problems, so that I can, by the power of Your Spirit, truly make a difference in this world for Your glory Lord please revive me, I long for a undivided heart- I long for the peace of knowing my walk is pleasing before You, I long for clarity not confusion, I long for the deliverance Paul spoke of when, with conflict in his dived heart, he cried out, oh wretched man that I am who will save me from this body of death- thanks be to you God for Jesus Father help me live in Romans 8 not just Romans 7! I need You so desperately and I know that in realty I need You more than I know! Lord I realize that I get caught up in all my problems, and often cant get beyond praying for myself- please change this, help me become what You have called me to be- God focused and kingdom focused- not just David focused, Lord help me be a weapon of righteousness, help me grow and advance You kingdom- planting and watering and believing for Your increase Lord please forgive me for all the ways I have let You down, for all the pain I have brought Your heart from my sinful thoughts and actions, Lord I thank You that in my heart I know that there is something deeper at work in my heart than the wickedness that resulted at the fall – Thank You that You are at work within me to will and work for Your good pleasure Lord I ask for Your continued work of grace, I ask for this work of indelible change, and I know I can only ask it according to Your mercy and grace- I believe what I am asking is according to Your word and I thank You in advance for all You are going to do my great Shepherd Love David What elements should be present in a prayer for personal or congregational revival? Asking God for clarity- what is truly holding us back from the fullness of the life He has planned for us Confession of sin- absolute honesty of our present state and how it is not pleasing to God Confession of need-humility and acknowledgement of our desperate need of God to see transformation Basis of request- the mercy of God, the glory of God, the promises of God Asking specifically for outcome- i.e. revival or restoration, asking for ongoing work- a deep indelible change at the heart of who we are rather than a surface change Affirmation of our responsibility– God has provided the wind we must raise our sails (Augustine) Asking God what we need to do in order to see What would this prayer have in common with 2 Chronicles 7:14? Prayer Humility Seeking God Turning from sin How does this kind of prayer pave the way for revival and restoration to take place? God gives grace to the humble! He forgives the penitent! He shapes the pliable! He guides the seeking! He answers the asking!

Q4. (Psalm 40:17) In this verse David combines both humility and faith in his prayer to God. Why are both humility and faith necessary? What happens when one of these qualities is missing? Faith and humility go hand in hand and are quite inseparable from a Christian point of view- humility says

Q3. (Psalm 40:5b) When you realize that God's thoughts and plans are focused on you in particular, how does that make you respond? It is amazing to think of all that God has planned for us- David says God's thoughts and plans towards are too many to declare! When this truth sinks in for David his response is obedience (6-8), testimony & praise (9-10,16) and a true sense of humility (verse 17) It

Q2. (Psalm 69:30-32) Why does this lament (and nearly all laments in the Psalms) end with an upswing of hope and praise? What does this teach us about our own laments and prayers? Why is praise, the language of faith, so important in our prayers, especially prayers of desperate pleas for help? Some of this I already touched on yesterday. Regarding the

Q1. (Psalm 69:12-18) How could David dare to ask anything from God after the shameful things he had done with Bathsheba and Uriah? How does God's grace and mercy function in the face of our sins? As I read this Psalm I am aware that David is very mindful of his sinfulness, he is aware that God knows all about his sin and folly (5), and he is aware that God is disciplining him because of it (see verse 26 i.e. God has wounded David), on top of all this David is aware that his sins are affecting others. We see in this Psalm that David is repenting, humbling his soul in fasting, weeping and sackcloth (9-12) and people are mocking him because of his act of righteous repentance in the face of God

What does this psalm teach us about praise? That it is based on who God is, and what He has done i.e.: That it comes from- pondering God

What are the reasons why we should worship contained in this psalm? Because of the joy we have from Him concerning Him (1) Because of His salvation (1) Because He, the Rock of our salvation, is worthy of thanksgiving (2) Because He is the great God, the King, -above all other so called gods (3) Because of His great and creative power- He is sovereign (4-5) Because He is OUR maker and OUR God (6-7) Because WE are the people He watches over, the sheep under His care (7) Why do you think the warning in verses 8-11 is included in this psalm? The theme of God

Q3. (Psalm 133) What about this short psalm seems to attract you? The use of imagery and the punchy message Why is "dwelling together in unity" so difficult? People are selfish, even Christian people, and when what they want conflicts with what others want

What topics of right living does it cover? Speaking truth from sincere hearts- I think I would look at the need of integrity between heart and mouth (out of the abundance of the heart

Q1. (Psalm 1). This short psalm seems to reaffirm what we already know: the righteous will succeed and the wicked will perish. Why do we need to be reminded of this? As the question states, we know that the righteous will succeed! But maybe the issue is- how are we righteous? (Not meaning justification by faith- but how righteous ways outworked in our lives? i.e. in our behavior). Here in this Psalm David attests to what Joshua heard from the LORD in Joshua chapter 1, godly success comes from mediating in God

Q2. (Psalms 42-43). What is the psalmist feeling during this spiritual struggle? The following words that describe the Psalmist feelings are from the NASB NIV and NLT (he sounds like a pretty miserable dude!): Sad, downcast, deeply discouraged, thirsty, tearful, in darkness, tossed aside and oppressed, broken hearted, disturbed, like his bones are shattered, downcast, rejected. How does he combat his spiritual depression? The Psalmist remembers the wonderful times he has had with God (42:4) He tells himself to be hopeful because there will be a time when he will again praise God as he did in the joyful times (42:5,11, 43:5) The Psalmist knows that key to what he is facing is turning his focus not to just past experiences with the LORD but to focus on the LORD Himself i.e.

Q1. (Psalm 24) What does it mean that David desires to "dwell in the house of the Lord"? I think this is- more than- speaking literally about the tabernacle at Shiloh, although I am sure that dwelling represents something tangible concerning the presence of the LORD and house of the LORD and is thus in David's view. The temple spoke of the LORD

Q3. (Psalm 139). In what way does the wonder of creation in the psalm seem to affect the psalmist? The other Psalms (8 & 19) look & marvel at the breadth of Creation (although at times focusing in on specifics) where as this psalm seems to be focusing more on the pinnacle of God

Q2. (Psalm 19) Verses 1 to 6 seem very different from verses 7 to 13, but there is a common thread that relates the first part to the second part. What is it? The link (as I see it) is that both are declaring a message. Verses 1-6 tell of how the Lord proclaims a message without using words. Verses 7-13 tell of how the Lord proclaims a message with words- one way is general, one specific. I think it is like our mission

hey buddy good to see you up and running

Good morning from NZ ( New Zealand). Wonderful Psalm and great comments Ralph. Like you the minuteness/ vastness contrast blows me away. I was thinking about that recently- we are so small! Just one amongst billions, it appears (from a human point of view) that we are like one insignificant grain of sand on a seashore- how amazing then- that God would say His thoughts towards us are more vast than all the grains of sand! (Psalm 139:17-18) The Majestic and glorious God is mindful of us personally(8:4)- The Creator of this incredible universe cares for us personally (8:4) It is more than God so loved THE WORLD (Jn 3:16) it is the Son of God who love ME and gave Himself for ME (Gal 2:20) How majestic is His name! blessing to all you David