scabral

Praise is difficult in the midst of trying circumstances because we are filled with fear & anxiety & are thus unable to express words of gratitude & faith in God.We are unable to look beyond the darkest storm & lift our hearts to the Creator of this universe because we do not see God in the right perspective! Once I determine in my mind that I'll praise God no matter what happens then I'll be able to praise God inspite of the situation. It has to be a conscious effort, not based on feelings but based on the intimate relationship that I share with God daily in worship , adoration & praise! Praise lifts & releases our spirit & enables us to trust in God's greatness.It changes our attitude towards God & also towards our circumstances. We are able to see our 'giants' from God's perspective: as tiny 'grasshoppers'!!

1. I will quieten my inner person before the Lord & take my hands off in surrender & rest in God's presence by allowing Him to put His mighty hands on me! Rest means to surrender my fear,situation,circumstances & problems into the Mighty hand of God & trust Him to act on my behalf.That means there's no need for me to plan my own strategies & schemes after I've committed the matter to God. 2. I seek God's peace first of all by focussing my mind & heart as to who God is by begining to worship Him.I also read aloud the promises in God's Word.These promises makes me feel safe & secure & increases my faith in my God!I will speak out these promises in the midst of the darkest circumstances & cling onto them till the Lord shows mercy & sends help..'.....so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he shows us His mercy'. (Ps 123:2b)

1. The imagery of river & streams makes us feel safe & secure in the midst of chaos & turmoil;refreshes us & fills our mind with great peace;& above all reminds us that we are continually being sustained by His water of life! It will never run dry inspite of the magnitude of our circumstances; as its source is in our Eternal God! 2.'Knowing God' enables us to be still & put our confidence & trust In Him.When we dwell in His presence & seek His face & enjoy intimacy with Him our faith in God is stregthened & we are filled with courage & boldness.We are able to see God as our supreme Authority, Power,Might for whom nothing is impossible! Once we are able to get the right perspective of who God is & abide with Him,then our confidence & trust in Him will grow more & more; we will not panic in times of need but will be able to trust Him for our protection & help.We will be able to be still in His presence as chicks are still under the wings of the mother hen! 3. We will begin to speak words of hope & faith based on God's promises . 4. We are commanded to be still so that we learn to relax & let go of all our fears & trust God completely & allow Him to work on our behalf.

1. It means the total readiness of entering into the eternal presence of God. Complete surrender. 2.This faith & great hope in Jesus enables us to rest in God & fills our heart with peace & joy. 3.When we say & believe that our time is in God's hand,we express our trust in the Eternal God.We learn not to dread the future but rather learn to await eternity based on the promises of God's Word!

* Our Provider: The Lord as our Shepherd provides food for His sheep & so we are never in need for anything. * Our Leader: He leads with care & love.He is trusted by His sheep. *Our Restorer:He restores & heals & binds up the wounds. * Our Guide:He guides His sheep in the right path. * Our Protector :The Shepherd calms us in times of danger & protects from all evil attacks & enemies. He is ever watchful. He does not slumber or sleep. While we are following Him we may have to go through dark canyons & valleys, but we are not to be paralyzed with fear, Instead we are to keep our eyes fixed on His rod & His staff.For we know that He will use it to protect us, even to the extent of sacrificing His life for us. *Our Gracious Host : He lays a table before us & lets our cup overflow with abundant blessings. * Our Eternal Security :Promise of goodness & mercy to be with us always and to dwell with Him forever! He assures us of our future. He fills us with hope & confidence.He gives us rest.He dispels fear & enables us to have faith on Him.The more we get to know our Shepherd the more we are able to relax & rest & trust Him.

David quietens his inner person before the Lord by his attitude of humility & trust. He takes his hands off in surrender & rests in God's presence by allowing Him to put His mighty hands on him! He has abided in God's tabernacle long enough to be fed & nursed & now as he is being weaned ;he is learning to be still & quiet in His presence! The elements mentioned in this psalm are: * humility * stillness * rest * surrender * quietening our soul * trust * confidence * waiting * hope

The LORD is faithful to all his promises (Ps 145:13).So we do have the protection of the Lord upon us. Since we have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus & have been added to God's kingdom , the promises of God are for eternity.It goes beyond our physical realm!It's not only for this life but for eternity! The 'whys' I can't answer as I'm not able to fully comprehend this. But this I know that God is able to help me when I call Him. He is the same unchanging God of Abraham's, Issac's ,Moses', David's, Peter's& so on. We are to look beyond this life to the next with faith. Our enemies can harm our bodies but they can't touch our spirit! We have received eternal life & the Lord's hand is upon us and God will have the very last word on the Judgment Day.

When God watches over me , along with Him Jesus, the Holy Spirit & all the angelic hosts are backing their protective support! What a reassuarance!! Psalm 121 makes me feel blessed,loved, secure & lifts up my spirit in adoration & praise to God,my Maker & my Reeemer! It encourages me to keep trusting Him at all times.

1. The psalm first of all reminds us of who God is: God is The Most High, The Exalted God, the God higher than every false god. God is The Almighty, the God of Might, the ruler of all. God is The LORD or Yahweh, the great I Am, the eternally existent God. God is the Strong One. 2. Next the psalm shows us what God can do for us: This Great & Mighty God is able to hide us in His secret place;provide a shade of protection under the shadow of His wings;is able to give us refuge in time of need;is stronghold & a fortress;is able to shield us from the enemies attacks & plots;& is our safe dwelling place!Wow! How beautifully the Lord has prepared & promised for our safety ! 3. Once we know are able to get the right perspective of who God is & abide with Him,then our confidence & trust in Him will grow more & more; we will not panic in times of need but will be able to trust Him for our protection. 4.It teaches us about how we need not only be in the defensive but also in the offensive & destroy, tread & trample the enemy & his wicked schemes & plots. This is possible because of the power & authority that is given to us in the Name of Jesus! 5. Promises of angelic protection;of rescuing us ;of answering us;of being with us in trouble ;of delivering us; of honoring us;of satisfying us with a long life ;& of showing us His salvation. 6. These promises makes me feel safe & secure & increases my faith in my God!

1. The psalmist evokes the following images to communicate his trust in God's protection: *Very high rock:God as very high Rock where the psalmist reaches out to Him in order to be safe & hidden from his enemies. *A strong tower:The next image is of God as a place of refuge; source of protection where the psalmist can run from his foe when he is in trouble. *Dwelling in God's tent & in the shelter of His wings:In the final image God is portrayed as a mother bird sheltering and protecting her young with her wings. 2.I am able to identify with the psalmist's cry in the first 4 verses of this psalm. When I've been through very tough situations, literally it seemed that from the ends of the earth I cried out to the Lord for help! My heart grew weary & faint but I clung on to the promises of the Lord & He heard my cry! I'm overwhelmed by His love , protection & help!How the Lord never grows weary & how He protects & sends help from His sanctuary.

1. My Personal Prayer for Revival Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of your glory.You O Lord are seated on the throne, high and exalted, and Your train of Your robe fills the temple! I praise You & worship You! Open my eyes so that I may see You.....I seek Your face Lord Jesus...... O Lord my God, have mercy on me! I have sinned before You! My love for You has grown cold.Forgive me O Lord & do not spew me out of Your mouth ! My bones have dried; my walls have broken down; I am lying in the midst of ruin & shame! Because of me Your name is being disgraced! Have mercy on me O Lord!Break me & mold me & have Thine way in me once again.Ignite within me Your Holy fire! Burn away all that is unclean; all my fleshly desire; all that is evil in Your sight. Revive me O Lord! Fill me with Your love. Make me holy as You are Holy! Let Your Glory shine through me once again! Quicken me O Lord!..... 2. When we Christians humble ourselves before the Mighty hand of God and pray and seek God's face and turn from our wicked ways, then God will hear our cry from heaven and will forgive our sins and will heal our land.

Just as much as it is impossible to please God without faith (Heb 11:1), so it is also impossible to please Him without a broken & a contrite spirit! "I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.(Is 57:15) "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.(Is 66:2) When we surrender ourselves into God's hand then we are able to trust Him completely! When one of these qualities is missing we fail to depend on God .We begin to 'trust in chariots and horses intsead of trusting in the name of the LORD our God'!(Ps 20:7)

My response to this great truth that God's thoughts & plans are focussed on me makes me first of all feel special, loved ,secure, grateful & full of hope. It's such a unique feeling to know that the Eternal God cares & thinks of me ;& is my refuge & underneath are His everlasting arms( Deut 33:27)! How precious also are God's thoughts unto me! how great is the sum of them!( Ps 139:17)The Lord reminds me in Is 55:8 that:For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways! And in Jeremiah 29:11:For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.It fills my heart with gratitude & praise & leads me to bow down & worship God!

1. Because David was broken before God & poured out his heart before Him. He did not stop here but proceeded a step further by continuing to trust God & gave Him what was due to Him:praise & thanksgiving. This caused him to hope in God amidst his hopeless situatuion! 2. It teaches us to look to God & praise & thank Him inspite of our failures & circumstances. 3. Without faith it is impossible to please God [ Heb 11:16 ]. When we praise God, we acknowledge Him as our omnipresent ,omniscient & omnipotent God; a God for whom nothing is impossible. As we continue to praise Him, faith is released & we are filled with awe & reverence & look to God instead of our problems & circumstances!

1. David knew his God.He trusted Him very much.Prior to this particular incident he had spent many, many days & months in communing & worshipping & singing praises to his God. He had developed a very intimate realtionship with his God.He knew the Father heart of God. He knew of His steadfast love & mercy.He knew Him as his Saviour & Redeemer & King! That's why when he sinned he could go to God & pour out his heart before Him as one would do to his most trusted & beloved friend. 2.God loves us & is merciful & gracious to us.That's why Jesus paid the great price for our sins to deliver us from satan's bondage of sin & his wicked kingdom & reconcile us with God, the Father. The Lord sees us as His own children, even though we may fall into sin, He does not disown us.He is still compassionate & merciful & gracious to us. This is so because He is an unchanging God! He is the same yesterday, today & tomorrow! When we sin, we cry out to Him for forgiveness & He responds to our cry on the basis of His deep love, grace & compassion!

1. The reasons given for praise in Ps 98 are that the Lord is our Salvation, Righteousness, faithful ,just & is coming again to judge the earth. 2. Praise is so exuberant in this psalm because it is a victory cry of deliverance & gratitude to the Great & Mighty ,Saviour God! The Israelites have witnessed God's mighty deliverance from the hands of a hostile & powerful foe.The Lord has defeated their foes & has delivered them miraculously;they are jubiliant! They are filled with awe & wonder! They are filled with gratitude & praise for what the Lord has done on their behalf! 3.We are in the learning process of worshiping & praising God the way He wants us to. We do experience the presence of God in our midst when we join our hearts together in worship & adoration.

1. This Psalm encourages us to worship God because He is our Creator, Saviour & King; He is great & mighty;He is our God ; our Shepherd & we are His flock & He cares for us! 2. The warning in vs 8-11 has been deliberately included to remind us that we are to worship God in spirit & in truth: what we utter with our mouth we must mean it in our hearts;when we lift up our hands in praise & adoration & surrender we also must be submissive to God in our spirits. In other words our overt actions during worship should match with our covert submissive heart. ''The way we live our lives comprises our worship of God, not just what we say with our mouths on 'worship days'."

1. We are to praise God whole heartedly,joyously, with musical instruments, songs, dancing, unashamedly; in spirit & in truth. 2. Praise should occur on this earth & in the heavens; individually & collectively. 3. Praise should be conducted with instruments and dance; with songs & verbal expressions of our adoration & praise & thanksgiving to God our Creator! 4.Everyone that has breath should praise God. That includes all living beings. 5. After reading this psalm aloud I'm filled with joy & wonder & adoration & awe! I am reminded that worship is a celebration time! It's a time totally dedicated to God! It's 'God consciousness' & so I must not be 'self-conscious' when I'm worshipping my God!

1. This pslam depicts the beautiful picture & truth about unity & this is what attracts me the most. 2. '' Dwelling together in unity '' is so difficult when we do not exhibit the love & compassion of the Lord. For this we need to be connected to our 'HEAD' the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to dwell in the presence of God.Then we'll experience the annointing of the oil of the Holy Spirit flowing down upon us & be immersed in His love! 3.Unity requires of us the commitment of love & faithfulness to the Lord & to one another. 4.Love binds us together whereas hatred, strife,bitterness, unforgiveness, slander, gossip,malice,selfishness,pride,etc separates us from God & from each other.So for us to be united we need to reconcile with God & with each other in the Body of Christ. We must obey Jesus' commandments & love each other [inspite of our differences] to show the world that we are His disciples.

Firstly, should teach them the importance of dwelling in the Lord's presence: from this stems all other aspects of ''right living'': a)living an upright & blameless life & abiding by God's law. b)love our neighbor as ourselves:respect them & not slander or gossip about them in our home c)We need to stand up for what is right in the sight of God. We must not be tolerant of evil or regularly associate with evil people. So, we must check the company we keep. d) Must learn to keeping our word.Our ''yes must be yes''. e) Learn to handle money in the right perspective: Surrender it to God & be a cheerful giver: to God(tithes)& to those in need.Learn not to be selfish & greedy.

1. We need to be reminded of this [ the righteous will succeed] so that we can be focussed & be motivated towards our goal & our walk with the Lord after we are saved or are born again. 2.Emotional standpoint: "He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers." (1:3) When I visualise this mighty,majestic ,evergreen tree laden with fruits in each season I'm so overwhelmed ,encouraged & blessed to be reminded of the effects of righteous living!I feel so secure!I'm also reminded of my Righteous Saviour & Master who is towering over me & surrounding & sustaining me & nourishing me as I read & meditate on His Word & commune with Him & walk with Him daily!

1. We need to be reminded of this [ the righteous will succeed] so that we can be focussed & be motivated towards our goal & our walk with the Lord after we are saved or are born again. 2.Emotional standpoint: "He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers." (1:3) When I visualise this mighty,majestic ,evergreen tree laden with fruits in each season I'm so overwhelmed ,encouraged & blessed to be reminded of the effects of righteous living!I feel so secure!I'm also reminded of my Righteous Saviour & Master who is towering over me & surrounding & sustaining me & nourishing me as I read & meditate on His Word & commune with Him & walk with Him daily!

1.Dwelling in the house of the Lord means to be close to the Lord at all times by abiding or residing with God : being in communion with Him in prayer & the reading of His Word & basking in His presence. 2.To ''seek His face '' means to seek,desire & yearn for His presence.This has to be conscious, moment by moment intimacy with God. As we begin to enjoy the love relationship with our Lord & crave to be with Him, we'll be able to seek Him. This has been David's experience. 3.David encourages us to cling to the Lord & ''wait'' for Him to act .We are not to give up but to hold on to our faith till our last breath!This is only possible when we learn to dwell in His presence & seek His face & enjoy intimacy with Him.This will result in our persevering faith in God & will give us courage & boldness.

The wonder of creation in the psalm leads the psalmist to surrender to his Creator!What an amazing response! What a contrite & broken spirit! What a beautiful way to crave to be cleansed & be connected to the holy,loving,omnipotent & omniscient Creator! What a heart-searching prayer!

1.The common thread is the Word of God. The first part reveals His creative Word displayed in the expanse of the universe! In the begining....God spoke & ''it was so''.Therefore the ''heavens '' declare His glory & echo His Words!The second part talks about His written Word as inspired by the Holy Spirit in the Bible. The psamist first soaks in the glory of God in the creation and then is filled with awe as he meditates on the Word of God ! 2.Yes, I've felt that way many times. 3.The psalmist's wonder in creation enabled him to turn to God's written Word & meditate on it. This in turn brought about an inner enlightment, revival & reverence for God. 4. In vs 14, David is asking God to cleanse him & his thoughts & words so that it'll be acceptable before God. He wants God to take delight in his thoughts and actions .