Psalm 107; Psalm 111; Psalm 112; Psalm 113; Psalm 114
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Psalm 107 today is a wonderful Psalm of thanksgiving! Okay, be honest, who started singing the Michael W. Smith/Chris Tomlin worship tune "Forever" when you read verse 1? - "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever." I did! That's a great tune... based on a great verse in a great Psalm.
Psalm 107 repeats a verse four times - starting with verse 6 here - ""LORD, help!" they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress." (then see verse 13, verse 19, and verse 28 - same verse) This is a great reminder to pray - and yes, it's great to pray during times of distress of course. But, how about praying during times of happiness & joy? Or even times of just regular blahs? I recently read much of the book "The Life You've Always Wanted" by John Ortberg (great book!), and it has a great chapter on prayer. It is so true that one of the best ways to truly know and love God is through prayer. Simple prayer. 5 minutes a day. Do you pray to God 5 minutes a day? When the storms of life come, do you cry out for help to Jesus? Do you know that he will always be there for you in the midst of the storm?
Psalm 111 is a wonderful Psalm of praise! I love the way it ends in verse 10: "Reverence for the LORD is the foundation of true wisdom. The rewards of wisdom come to all who obey him. Praise his name forever!" Do you believe that reverence for God is the foundation of true wisdom? Do you believe that there are rewards of wisdom if you obey God? Will you praise his name forever?
Psalm 112 is a great look at a godly person's life. Today in verse 1 we read: “Blessed is the person who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands.” Is fear of the Lord healthy? Why or why not? Is fear of the Lord the beginning of wisdom? Are you blessed if you fear the Lord? Do you find great delight in God’s commands? What are God’s commands?
Verse 4 stands out - "When darkness overtakes the godly, light will come bursting in." This is encouraging. When darkness overtakes us, if we stay true to God and Christ and faith, light will come "bursting in"! I like that... Know that the light is coming... Below is a fresco from 1517 by Raphael of God separating the light from the darkness -
And verse 9 is a great reminder - "They give generously to those in need." Are you doing something in your life to serve the poorest of the poor? There are 1.2 billion people living in our world today on less than $1 per day. Is there something you can do to give generously to those in need? Below is an oil on canvas painting from 1611 by Bartolomeo Schedoni titled "The Charity" -
Psalm 113 & 114 today are very interesting and important Psalms! These are 2 of 6 Psalms, 113 to 118, that form the "Egyptian Hallel." These Psalms were used in Jewish liturgy at the great religious festivals of Passover, Tabernacles, Dedication, Weeks, New Moon. At Passover Psalm 113 & 114 were sung before the meal and Psalms 115 - 118 were sung after the meal. As you read these two Psalms today, do you sense joy in the Lord's work? Justice? Glory? Power? Does reading these two Psalms make you want to celebrate and give thanks for the Lord and all he has done throughout history and in your life?
Worship Video: Psalm 112 today reminded me of Casting Crowns' song "American Dream:"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DumlIIHSrsQ
Are you chasing the American Dream? Click here and surrender to Jesus!
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!
God bless,
Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Chronological Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 - Download a schedule of our Chronological Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
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