Author: PGC Administrator

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Psalm 100 (ESV)

His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

A Psalm for giving thanks.

1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
² Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!

³ Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!

⁵ For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

REFLECTION:

1. The psalmist invited God’s people to approach the Lord with joy. We can serve God gladly because He is the creator, and we can worship Him thankfully because He is good and faithful.
2. We appreciate the fact that our God is the sovereign God. And acknowledge that He has created us and that we are not self-made individuals. We belong to Him, and we partake of what He graciously provides for us.
3. In response, we are called to enter into worship with thanksgiving in our hearts and live with liberating trust in God. We are to confess that God’s steadfast love and faithfulness will never fail. This opens the way for us to be joyful and glad.
4. How might it help you personally to “know that the LORD is God,” that you are made by Him, and “the sheep of His pasture”?
5. God is inviting you to worship Him with gladness. Offer a brief song or poem or prayer of worship or praise to God.

PRAYER:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.

HYMN:

Enter In – www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1gETAmOejs

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Psalms+099

Psalm 99 (ESV)

The Lord Our God Is Holy

1 The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble!
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
² The Lord is great in Zion;
he is exalted over all the peoples.
³ Let them praise your great and awesome name!
Holy is he!
⁴ The King in his might loves justice.
You have established equity;
you have executed justice
and righteousness in Jacob.
⁵ Exalt the Lord our God;
worship at his footstool!
Holy is he!

⁶ Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
Samuel also was among those who called upon his name.
They called to the Lord, and he answered them.
⁷ In the pillar of the cloud he spoke to them;
they kept his testimonies
and the statute that he gave them.

⁸ O Lord our God, you answered them;
you were a forgiving God to them,
but an avenger of their wrongdoings.
⁹ Exalt the Lord our God,
and worship at his holy mountain;
for the Lord our God is holy!

REFLECTION:

1. This psalm celebrates the Lord as the great and holy king in Zion. It repeatedly calls the people of God to worship, to tremble, to be overwhelmed by the God who is with us but is set apart from us.
2. Other songs celebrate God as king for His acts of creation and deliverance. This one focuses more on God’s character as one who is just, who answers those who call for help, who forgives and establishes justice all at once, who is holy.
3. God is terribly awesome and holy, forgiving and punishing.  What does God expect you to do in response to His holy character and righteous decrees?
4. This psalm invites us to tremble, praise, exalt and worship this Lord. How do you do that each day?
5. Let the awe of knowing this holy God sink in. Pray for a desire to be and do and love the things that characterize this holy God.

PRAYER:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.

HYMN:

Psalm 99 – www.youtube.com/watch?v=113XpysHskA

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Psalms+098

Psalm 98 (ESV)

Make a Joyful Noise to the Lord

A Psalm.

1 Oh sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
² The Lord has made known his salvation;
he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
³ He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.

⁴ Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
⁵ Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody!
⁶ With trumpets and the sound of the horn
make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!

⁷ Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
the world and those who dwell in it!
⁸ Let the rivers clap their hands;
let the hills sing for joy together
⁹ before the Lord, for he comes
to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.

REFLECTION:

1. This psalm celebrates the marvel of God’s love, faithfulness, and righteousness, which bond together to win glory for “the ends of the earth.” (This psalm inspired Isaac Watts to write the hymn “Joy to the World!”) The chorus is joined by the sea and all in it, the world and all living things in it, the rivers and mountains as well.
2. When the Lord comes to earth to reign, God’s salvation appears. We, along with all creation, will at last be set free. It is with this anticipation of a future victory that the psalmist called on his readers to praise God.
3. Do you ever “cut loose” in joyful expression? Or do you sing your songs to God like a quiet ballad?
4. In your next cell meeting, sing some favorite praise songs together. Try to use some instruments, even if some homemade instruments, clapping hands, stomping feet. Really make a LOUD and JOYFUL NOISE to the Lord. After all, His coming will be a good thing for humankind. We who are believers should rejoice greatly as we anticipate it, and we should pray for its arrival.

PRAYER:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.

HYMN:

Sing Unto the Lord – www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbOd8Uc8Js0

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Psalms+097

Psalm 97 (ESV)

The Lord Reigns

1 The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!
² Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
³ Fire goes before him
and burns up his adversaries all around.
⁴ His lightnings light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
⁵ The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of all the earth.

⁶ The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
and all the peoples see his glory.
⁷ All worshipers of images are put to shame,
who make their boast in worthless idols;
worship him, all you gods!

⁸ Zion hears and is glad,
and the daughters of Judah rejoice,
because of your judgments, O Lord.
⁹ For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.

¹⁰ O you who love the Lord, hate evil!
He preserves the lives of his saints;
he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
¹¹ Light is sown for the righteous,
and joy for the upright in heart.
¹² Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy name!

REFLECTION:

1. The foundation of God’s rule is justice and righteousness. This psalm is vibrant with a sense of awe at God’s greatness. That greatness is displayed in a righteousness which establishes justice, punishes the wicked, and delivers the upright who hate evil.
2. This psalmist describes the appearance of God in glory in vivid word pictures: clouds and thick darkness, fire, lightning, trembling earth and the melting of mountains. They depict God’s awesome power, His consuming judgment, and the Lord’s coming to earth.
3. What word pictures can you use to describe God’s appearance in your life?
4. Since God loves righteousness and hates evil, it is only fitting that those who love Him should hate evil. By doing so, they will receive His blessing rather than His discipline. If we live a righteous life we are promised both light to guide us and joy to accompany us.
5. Which description fits you the closest: (1) Hater of evil? (2) Faithful? (3) Religious? (4) Upright in heart? Which would you like to be? Speak with God about it.

PRAYER:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.

HYMN:

The Foundation of God’s Home – www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_gSwDwEJt0