allyann

According to Psalm 23, how does the Lord our Shepherd quiet his sheep and give them confidence? The Lord our Shepherd watches over His sheep, and preserves us. We can be confident that as the owner of sheep, sets such great store by them and they are of value, knowing that we belong to the Lord. As our God loves us, he is not only able , but willing to supply our needs. Notice that the words of this psalm are in the present tense. They are timeless and what was true for the psalmist is also true for us today. God has proven over and over that he is our Sheperd and we shall not want. Surely goodness and love shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. He has assured us of that victory through the birth, death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, through which we can claim victory, because he restores our souls daily with new grace and mercy. How many ways can you find in this psalm? He is my shepherd I shall not want He restores my soul He guides me in the path of righteousness for his name's sake I fear no evil for you are with me Your rod and your staff they comfort me You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

According to Psalm 131, just how does David quiet his inner person before the Lord? David is saying to God that he is submitting himself with a humble and quite spirit to the will of God. He is saying that he is not concerned with any great matters, but is content with what God has planned from him. Matthew 18:3 says, " Unless you become like this little child, you will no wise enter the kingdom of heaven." We sometimes in our quest to be wise over think matters, here David says my soul is quieted, peaceful within me, undisturbed by any personal desires. What are the elements mentioned in this psalm? A humble heart- my heart is not proud Humility- My eyes are not haughty Duty- Did not employ himself in things to great or too high for him Restfulness- A still and quiet soul Reconcilation- Stilled and quieted my soul like a child weaned from its mother Confidence in God- Put your hope in the Lordboth now and forevermore

I chose to meditate on Psalm 121. We always open our Sunday morning services with the following meditational hymn. This is just an excerpt. " I will lift my eyes to the hills , knowing my strength is coming from you. You are the source of my strength, you are the strength of my life, I lift my voice in total praise to you knowing that my help is coming from you." Thats not all, but that is the most relevant to me as this is what psalm 121 is saying to me. I am forever grateful that the Father who watches over me never slumbers or sleeps and that he keeps me from all harm and that he will watch over my life, all of my comings and goings forevermore.

Since Christians don't seem immune to accident, persecution, and death, how are we to understand these psalms of protection? These psalms are not saying that as Christians or believers that we will not have to undergo trials, but as believers if we know whose we are and always acknowledge Him, He will be our protector, He will hide us in times of trouble, He will be our rock and fortress, and we will always be safe and secure as long as we trust in Him. Why don't some believers seem to be protected? Faith is closely linked with trust. We must trust and believe wholeheartedly that God is our refuge and our strong tower in times of trouble. A lack of faith allows the snares of the enemy to gain a foothold and our doubt causes us to stumble and that lack of faith takes us out of the covering of protection. Belief in God does not make us exempt from personal tragedy. At some point in every believer's life comes a time when we doubt God, based on some personal tragedy or traumatic emotional situation and oft times we leave God for a season and although He never leaves us, it may seem as if we are no longer operating under the covering of His protection. Does God really protect us? How? Yes. God said that He would never leave us or forsake us, that Lo He would be with us always even till the end of the earth. He said that if we only trust Him, He would never leave us and that He is always only a prayer away. He said that in times of trouble, He will keep us safe in His dwelling, that He would hide us in the secret places of His tabernacle and set us high upon a rock, then our heads will be exalted above the enemies who surround us.

What reassurance is it to you that God keeps you and watches over you? Verses 3-8 tells us that the Lord is our protector. That He watches over us vigilantly, so that we do not stumble, He never slumbers or sleep and is watching over our lives, all of our coming and goings both now and forever. He is the shade at our right hand, so that we will not be harmed by the sun during the day or the moon at night. How does Psalm 121 make you feel? That God continually guides us, always stretching out His arms to conduct us to safe passage and leading us to the desires of our hearts always.

What does this psalm teach us about God's protection when in danger? That those who are in constant communion with God, are always safe under his protection and may have peace of mind at all times. "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow shadow of the Almighty." " I will say of the Lord, " He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust." What does it teach about our authority to vanquish our enemies? Verses 9-13 tell us that that the man who dwells in God will be secure. He who makes God his refuge shall find him a refuge. For he shall give his angels charge over thee. They will lift you up in their hands so that your foot will not touch a stone. This tells us that those who know God by name can be assured that he will deliver them out of trouble and whatever troubles happens to us he will not allow us to be harmed. What promises does Psalm 91 contain? If we love, reverence and obey God; Because He loves us," says the Lord, I will rescue him;I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in times of trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life, will I satisfy him and show him my salvation." How does this psalm make you feel? This psalms brings to life in me " if you draw nigh unto me, I will draw nigh unto you." That if I continue to trust God in all situations, that He will protect and keep me in perfect peace.

What images does the psalmist evoke to communicate his trust in God's protection? He evokes the image of an unmovable rock, a strong tower built to withstand all manner of storms that may constantly buffet him. Even as he grows weary of the constant storms, he realizes who has sheltered him and longs to dwell in and take refuge in God's Holy presence forever and to remain sheltered in His loving arms. How do the first four verses of this psalm make you feel? These verses give me confidence. Like the psalmist, I feel that no matter how dire my circumstances and no matter how far away God seems, I can always look to the past to know that He has been my rock and my refuge against all enemies and circumstances. This has created in me a longing to always be in His presence and take refuge under the covering of grace and mercy granted me by my redeemer, Jesus Christ.

I chose to meditate on Psalm 40 In this psalm is a prayer, an answered prayer and a testimony of God's goodness. I waited patiently on the Lord, He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit and set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a new hymn of praise to our God. Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust. Many O Lord my God are the wonders you have done. The things you have planned for us, no one can recount to you. Then I said Here I am, I have come. I desire to do your will O my God.I proclaim your righteousness, I speak of your faithfulness and salvation. I do not hide of your love and truth to me. With my lips I boldy proclaim your love, truth and righteousness to all those that have ears to hear. Many hear and put their trust in you. Please Father, do not withhold your mercy from me, may your love and truth always protect me, for troubles without number surround me, forgive my sins, for they are many Dear Lord and my heart weeps that I have grieved you. Please deliver me from the shame and confusion of my transgressions. Come quickly Dear Lord, for I am poor and needy. You are my help and my deliverer. O God please do not delay, be quick to save me. Father all who seek you, rejoice and am glad in you. Those who love your salvation will always say " The Lord be exalted."

If you were to formulate a personal prayer for revival for your own life or for your congregation, how would you word it? My heart is fixed O God, my heart is fixed. Father please search and know my heart, please test and know all of my anxieties, expose every wicked way Father, so that I might confess, seek forgiveness and be placed on the path that lead to your way everlasting. Your power is amazing dear Father, You spoke the universe into being, You sustain it by your word. Who am I to serve you? Please help me to learn to bow to a king, Father, I'm so used to making my own decisions and going my own way. Father you are so deserving of my allegience. Your Word tells me that you are good. As I follow you, open my eyes so that I might see your goodness poured into my life. You are wisdom, and your ways are perfect. You are love. You paid the ultimate price to buy me back from the kingdom of darkness and bring me into your kingdom of light. Because of Jesus, I can come before your throne right now. So here I am God. Accept my praise and worship now and lead me to follow you todays and always. Amen What elements should be present in a prayer for personal or congregational revival? Surrender, service and sacrifice, spirituality, humility, and integrity in our heart's response to God's call on our lives. We must surrender ourselves totally to God's service, willing to make any sacrifice. Coming to God openly and honestly with no hidden agendas, not doing anything that would be displeasing to God, longing to please Him in everything we do and not doing anything without giving consideration to the Godliness of our actions. What would this prayer have in common with 2 Chronicles 7:14? God is desiring men and women whose hearts are completely His. We must be real in our spiritual walk and we must be as servants. Servants hearts are humble, doing as they are told, they do not rebel, they respect those in charge and they serve faithfully and quietly. They have one goal and that is to make the leader more successful, they dont want that person to fail, they dont want glory, they just want to get the job done. What does this mean? It means that we continuously seek God's face and place Him first in our lives. That everything we do , we do to bring glory and honor to God. How does this kind of prayer pave the way for revival and restoration to take place? Paul expressed the wish that God who gives steadfastness and comfort will enable Christians to live harmoniously according to the teachings of Christ. God has laid up spiritual blessings for us in his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, but requires us to draw them out and fetch them in by prayer. By this we mean that it is Christ, the Savior who supplies all the necessities to those who trust him and gives them all the blessings in the richest abundance. And by be partakers of Christ, we can be filled with the fullness of grace and glory in him.

The less we think of ourselves, the more God will think upon us. The less we put trust in ourselves, the more we may trust in God for help and deliverance. When either humility or faith is lacking, we cannot expect deliverance, we are leaning into our own understanding.

William Lincoln writes " People talk about love, but the true test of love to God and Christ is that in the trial it says--- " I would not lose the favor and smile of God, so will rather suffer than grieve Him." Lord God, sow in my life peace, bearing not only the fruit of your righteousness, but also wisdom, purity, gentleness, compliance, mercy, and everything good so that I may be worthy of your love and your favor.

Why does this lament (and nearly all laments in the Psalms) end with an upswing of hope and praise? They end positively because the psalmist is confident that the Lord heard his prayers. Also because the psalmist has faith and trust in God to deliver him from his current situation and promise and vow to offer up praise and thanksgiving to the God that delivers. What does this teach us about our own laments and prayers? That although they arose from some crisis facing the psalmist individually or collectively as a family, church or nation, these laments can be adapted to our individual situations. They teach us that we to can pray specific prayers suited to our individual needs and be confident that God not only hears our prayers and but will deliver us. Why is praise, the language of faith, so important in our prayers, especially prayers of desperate pleas for help? By giving praise, we express our trust and faith in God that not only will He hear our pleas, but will deliver us from our circumstance. So we give reverence to God for not only who He is but what He is in our lives.

How could David dare to ask anything from God after the shameful things he had done with Bathsheba and Uriah? David is a man after God's own heart, even though he sinned and brought shame to his family. David in 2 Samuel 12:11-12 personally confesses that he has sinned againt God. He does not blame anyone else or anything for his actions. He alone takes responsibility. In Psalm 51, David confesses his sin " For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge." In this psalm, we see David's grief over the one whom his soul has loved and whose loving kindness has always shown him favor. David confesses his sin, begs forgivness and promises to bear testimony to the wages of sin so that other sinners would return to God with broken spirits and contrite hearts and offers up sacrifices that the innocent does not suffer for the sins of the guilty. How does God's grace and mercy function in the face of our sins? 2 Samuel 13-14 " The Lord also has taken away your sin, you shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child that is also born to you shall surely die." Again in psalm 51, we see a clear picture of who God is in relation to our sin as well as who we are in relation to our sin if we are truly repentent. God is both merciful and just, he will not overlook our sins, but invites us to him to seek forgiveness. We have to seek forgiveness if we are to be restored to a right relationship with God, a cleansing renewal of a new spirit. We must be transformed.

What are the reasons given for praise in Psalm 98? God has done a new thing, He has won a mighty victory. Marvelous is the word for all the Lord has done with His right hand of power and His holy arm. Why do you think praise is so exuberant in this psalm? This psalm is one of celebration, of the second coming of Christ. Final victory of the strong man has been acheived. It pictures the Kingdom as if its already come and all of God's promises have been fulfilled and is well known by all, both Jew and Gentile. That the love God bore us, that the promises of redemption and mercy have been fulfilled because of His faithfulness to us. How exuberant is praise in your congregation, in your life? I like Paul have learned through the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ to be content whatever my circumstance, to give fervent praise, honor and glory to the Almighty in every situation as I press on towards the mark of a higher calling in my life. I know who my redeemer is and I know and serve a risen Savior. That is the reason why there is exuberant praise in my personal worship and the worship of the parishioners of the church I attend. Why or why not is it exuberant? I attend a church where the members longingly and actively seek to hear the voice of God and ask for His revelation, His blessing and His guiding and directing hand in all that we do so that we can be effective as we go about our Father's business of building His kingdom on this earth.

What are the reasons why we should worship contained in this psalm? A joyful shout to the Rock of our salvation, in whom we find eternal refuge. We should come in His presence shouting to the heavens, confessing our thanksgiving for all that he has done for us. We should praise the Lord, because He is a great God, He is a great King, above all. The deep places of the earth are in His hand in the sense that he owns them. The mountain peaks are His, because He formed them. He created the oceans and it was His hands that shaped the earth. we should worship and kneel before the Lord our maker, because He is our God. He is our God by creation and redemption through Jesus Christ who was the good sheperd who gave His life for us. We are the people of His pasture, and the sheep who are led, guided, directed and protected by His nail-pierced hand. Why do you think the warning in verses 8-11 is included in this psalm? This is the voice of God warning His people against the hard heart of unbelief and rebellion. It is God grieving and angry over the lack of faith and trust of the unbeliever who has forgotten everything that God has brought them through. One who complains when tested and tried by God instead of remembering God's goodness and giving thanks through trials and tribulations, knowing that God is ever faithful and is the same God who delivered them in the past. God is warning us that unbelief will keep us from God's rest and reguge. How does this fit with the earlier elements of the psalm? This is an abrupt change from worship to warning. In the earlier verses, worship and reverence for the God of creation was evident. Praises were sung to God for who He is " Lord of All", what He is in the lives of the believer, a great God, a great King above all, the Lord our Maker, Our God, our sheperd. The Israelites went from praise to rebellion, spanning 40 years, going from worshiping God to faithlessness.

What does this psalm teach us about praise? The glory of God was why we were created. We owe our existence to God. What better reason is there to praise Him. As we see and experience His goodness, love for us and all of the beauties that we are arrayed with daily that all come from our bountiful creator, we wake up praising and lie down at night still rejoicing and praising God, the creator of all. Where should praise occur? We should praise Him in His santuary and in His mighty firmament which is another way of saying everywhere on earth and in heaven. There is no place where worship is out of place. With what should praise be conducted? Praise should be conducted with our whole heart, enthusiastically with an orchestra and every kind of instrument, for His mighty acts, and according to His excellent greatness. He should be praised for what He has done for us and for who He is. Who should praise? "Let everything that has breath, praise the Lord." What does this psalm make you feel like after reading it out loud? Joyful and renewed in my love for my God. Grieved when I think about, how good God is and of His great love for us, when we don't give Him the honor and praise that He is so rightfully deserving of.

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.

What about this short psalm seems to attract you? This psalms attracts me because it is one of unity , it sings of peace and pleasantness. How much more can be accomplished if we dwelled in unity and worked on kingdom building on one accord. Christian unity is good for all, ourselves, our brothers/sisters, good for the lost seeking Christ and for the world, for a loving heart has pleasure and gives pleasure to others of like spirit. Proverbs 27:17 says " As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." Why is "dwelling together in unity" so difficult? Many call Christ, Master and Lord, who are far from serving him. They serve carnal fleshly and worldly interests. Since we are imperfect, some of the worlds evils, and unpleasantness is sure to get in the way of unity. What kinds of commitments does unity require of us? Unity requires us to be of one mind in the truth. Joining together and working together to do that which is good and pleasing in the sight of God. To turn from evil, especially when all involved are involved in it. Why are reconciliation and unity such high values in Jesus' teaching, do you think? If there is but one God, as God is one, so let them that serve Him be one John17: 21). How sad it is to see Christians wearing Joseph's many colored coat, to have so many opinions, going in so many directions, allowing Satan to sow seeds of discord among them. He first divides us from God, and then he divides us from each other. If God be one, let us all who profess Him as Lord and Savior be of one mind and one heart and fulfill Christ's prayer for unity.

The Wisdom Psalms are meant to instruct us. How would you use this psalm in your family to instruct your children? I would use this Psalm to instruct my children in the meaning of the ten commandments and the golden rule as it applies to daily living. I would use it to teach them that the same faith that saves is the same faith that results in living a Christ filled life. What topics of right living does it cover? The first topic it covers is integrity This is covered in verse 2. The person is one whose walk is blameless, who does what is right and who speaks the truth from his heart. This person is morally sound, one who would rather go to heaven with a clear conscience than remain on earth with a bad one, his word is his bond yes is yes and no is no. He does not backbite, he disciplines his tongue to uplift rather than tear down. He desires to help his neighbor, to encourage and teach what is right . He discerns what is right and what is wrong, good from evil, he despises the sinner only in the sense that he speaks openly against his ungodliness. When he makes promises , he stands by them. He hates perverted justice which says that everybody and everything has a price. He is the type of person who lives for God daily and for eternity.

Psalm 133 Oh Heavenly Father How excellent it is when your children come together on one accord to give honor and praise to your Holy name. Oh Father, if only we can totally commit and consecrate ourselves to your service like the precious oil poured on Aaron's head, running down his beard, saturating us with your Holy Spirit. It would be like the dew of Hermon, a blessing from you Dear Father. I pray that you will bestow your blessings on our works evermore, and that we will be fruitful in our labors for you Dear Lord. Amen

Why do we need to be reminded of this? Because daily we are constantly being bombarded through the media that true and lasting joy and happiness can be found in indulging in the worldly and carnal pleasures of life. Christians need to be reminded that for the righteous, success is measured not in the accumulation of wealth, but in experiencing God's blessings on our words and deeds. Proverbs 3:1-4 admonishes us to not forget God's teachings, but to keep His commands in our hearts, for they will prolong our lives many years and bring prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave us, to bind them around our necks, to write them down on the tablets of our hearts, that then we will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and Man. From an emotional standpoint, what lines in this psalm stand out to you? Blessed is the man who delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it both day and night. He is like a tree planted by the streams of water, which yields fruit in its season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prosper For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous. Why do you think you like them? Because they tell me that my destiny is not determined by the way I live, but by my faith and being born again in Jesus Christ. That as my relationship with God grows and the more I study of His word, it creates in me a desire to know more. That to be truly blessed is more than a feeling, it is a truly like a tree planted by the water, bearing fruit in its season, whose leaves to not wither, because we have a right relationship with God.

We will be able to have joy and peace in the midst of trial, because we can like the psalmist reflect on past trials and know that the God that delivered him in the past will never leave or forsake, so that we can continually offer up praises and thanksgiving because the lovingkindness of God is better than anything that life will give us. All of life is not to long to spend in thanking Him for His blessings, and our hands are continually lifted up to Him in praises and prayers for the fulfillment of those blessings.

What is the psalmist feeling during this spiritual struggle? David felt heartsick. Unable to worship pubically, the enjoyment of communion with God was an urgent need of his soul. David reflected on his early days of constant communion with God and longs for a renewal of that kind of fellowship with the Lord. How does he combat his spiritual depression? I will put my Hope in God, the source of my joy. I will praise him again, my Savior and my God. David's faith strikes back to combat his cyclic spiritual depression that it will remember God from the land of the Jordan and of Hermon and from the Hill Mizar. Although exiled and unable to visit the house of God, David still remembers the God of the house. The Lord will command His loving kindness in the daytime and in the night His song shall be with me, a prayer to the God of my life. Have you ever felt this way? Yes, there was a time in my life when I was being attacked on all sides, My marriage was failing, my children rebellious and one ran away, trouble on my job, all my support network taken. I felt alone and depressed to the point of contemplating suicide. I felt so far away from God. It seemed as if all my prayers were in vain. I so needed to feel the presence of God in my life. How did you reach out to God at this time? I continued to pray and study God's word. That was when I developed a love for the Psalms. A prayer litany for me can be found in Psalms 43. I prayed continually for God presence in my life. I trusted for to take care of all of the issues in my life. What was of primary importance to me was to feel God's presence and to be in communion with Him, to feel the joy, and peace, knowing that I was in His presence and could feel His love for me deep in my spirit.

David desired above all things to one in the household of God always; whatever his circumstances to be in holy communion with God, to always be living at home with the father. To seek God's face is ever a litany of the true believer. It would be painful to the believer if we asked to see God's face and if God withdrew himself from us making it impossible to meet with him. God's smile gives the greatest comfort to the believer, his frown despair. Wait on the Lord suggests trust in God's goodness and timing. God's timimg is not our timing and God acts and sees things differently from the way that we do. David waited on God, he depended on him alone for all of his needs and looked expectantly to him. David discovered the value of patience, he trusted God to send answers when and only when the time was right in God's eyes.

Psalm 27 My personal prayer Oh Lord, My light and my salvation,the one true stronghold in my life, I am not fearful or afraid, because I am confident that through your love,I will be victorious over any attacks against me. Father, I pray that I may dwell in the house of the Lord forever, so that my eyes may ever gaze upon Your beauty and bask in Your goodness. Father I Know that in times of trouble you are with me, that you will keep me safe, that you will shelter me in your secret dwelling place and set me high upon a rock. Father I know that through the indwelling of your Holy Spirit, I will be lifted up over my enemies. Oh Father, I give you halleujah praise, I will shout and sing praises to your name from the highest mountain top to the lowest valley. Hear my voice Oh Lord when I call. Father you said your sheep will know your voice, I beseech you Father to hear the voice of your servant and to be merciful and answer me. Father, I seek you face, Oh Lord turn not away from your servant. Father you have always been my helper, Your word says that you will be with me always, that you will never leave or forsake me. I give thanks to you Abba, My Father that you word is true, and I have contentement, joy and peace knowing that you will be with me always through good and bad times. As the deer pants after the water, so my soul longs after thee. God my hope ever rests with you and I praise you as my Lord , my Savior, my Redeemer and my God. Therefore I will wait on you Oh Lord, I will look for for works and earnestly seek you in my daily living and ever give you praise. Amen