Author: PGC Administrator

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Psalms+092

Psalm 92 (ESV)

How Great Are Your Works

A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath.

1 It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
² to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
³ to the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.
⁴ For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

⁵ How great are your works, O Lord!
Your thoughts are very deep!
⁶ The stupid man cannot know;
the fool cannot understand this:
⁷ that though the wicked sprout like grass
and all evildoers flourish,
they are doomed to destruction forever;
⁸ but you, O Lord, are on high forever.
⁹ For behold, your enemies, O Lord,
for behold, your enemies shall perish;
all evildoers shall be scattered.

¹⁰ But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox;
you have poured over me fresh oil.
¹¹ My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;
my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.

¹² The righteous flourish like the palm tree
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
¹³ They are planted in the house of the Lord;
they flourish in the courts of our God.
¹⁴ They still bear fruit in old age;
they are ever full of sap and green,
¹⁵ to declare that the Lord is upright;
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

REFLECTION:

1. This psalm proclaims God’s love, praises God for the goodness of His acts and the righteousness of His character. We too can exalt God and sing for joy as we contemplate God’s works and His thoughts.
2. Palm trees symbolize fruitfulness and cedars stood for long life. Both types of trees were also beautiful and desirable. The godly are like these trees planted in the temple environs who delight in drawing near to God.
3. Which of God’s deeds brings you joy? How do you express such joy?
4. How can you stay fresh and “flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar” as time goes by? What fruit do you bear?

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:

O Most High – www.youtube.com/watch?v=jERlH2pg7e4

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Psalms+091

Psalm 91 (ESV)

My Refuge and My Fortress

1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
² I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

³ For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴ He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
⁵ You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
⁸ You will only look with your eyes
and see the recompense of the wicked.

⁹ Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my refuge—
¹⁰ no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.

¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
¹² On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
¹³ You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.

¹⁴ “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
¹⁵ When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”

REFLECTION:

1. God Himself is our security. The psalmist described Him as the Most High (Sovereign Ruler) and the Almighty (one having all power). Those who rely on Him find that He is a shelter from the storms of life and a shadowy place of security, much like the area under a bird’s wing. He is a refuge where we can run for safety in times of danger and a fortress that will provide defense against attacking foes.
2. What are you particularly anxious about these days, for which God is waiting on you to call His name and acknowledge your need?
3. How can you make God your dwelling place, your refuge, and your shield in times of trouble?
4. God is waiting to hear from His people who love Him and acknowledge their need of Him. Tell Him whatever is on your mind, whatever fears you have and whatever terrible circumstances you are facing. Trust Him to answer.

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 91 – www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWe4nqgZrao

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Psalms+090

Psalms Book 4 – The Book of the King

Psalm 90 – English Standard Version (ESV)

From Everlasting to Everlasting

A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.

1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place
in all generations.
² Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

³ You return man to dust
and say, “Return, O children of man!”
⁴ For a thousand years in your sight
are but as yesterday when it is past,
or as a watch in the night.

⁵ You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,
like grass that is renewed in the morning:
⁶ in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
in the evening it fades and withers.

⁷ For we are brought to an end by your anger;
by your wrath we are dismayed.
⁸ You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.

⁹ For all our days pass away under your wrath;
we bring our years to an end like a sigh.
¹⁰ The years of our life are seventy,
or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we fly away.
¹¹ Who considers the power of your anger,
and your wrath according to the fear of you?

¹² So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
¹³ Return, O Lord! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
¹⁴ Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
¹⁵ Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
and for as many years as we have seen evil.
¹⁶ Let your work be shown to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
¹⁷ Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands upon us;
yes, establish the work of our hands!

REFLECTION:

1. Death is not a popular subject. We live in a society characterized by the denial of death. However, most people who have lived on this earth have given a great deal of attention to death. Preparing for a good death has been, in centuries past, an accepted goal in life. Psalm 90 has been part of that preparation for millions of Christians.
2. Death sets a limit to our lives and stimulates reflection on the context of life, which is not death, but God. Acknowledging our weakness and frailty is a step toward wisdom. (v12)
3. Read meditatively verses 14-17. What emerges as most important for you: what you do for the rest of your life, or what God will do in your life?
4. When you think about your own death, what do you think about? What do you feel? How long do you expect to live? How do you plan to live the years left to you?
5. Express your awareness that you will die. In your prayers be conscious of Christ’s death.

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:

Teach Us To Number Our Days – www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP64ik633oU

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Psalms+089

Psalm 89 (ESV)

I Will Sing of the Steadfast Love of the Lord

A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.

1 I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever;
with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.
² For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever;
in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.”
³ You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
I have sworn to David my servant:
⁴ ‘I will establish your offspring forever,
and build your throne for all generations.’” Selah

⁵ Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord,
your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!
⁶ For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord?
Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord,
⁷ a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones,
and awesome above all who are around him?
⁸ O Lord God of hosts,
who is mighty as you are, O Lord,
with your faithfulness all around you?
⁹ You rule the raging of the sea;
when its waves rise, you still them.
¹⁰ You crushed Rahab like a carcass;
you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
¹¹ The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours;
the world and all that is in it, you have founded them.
¹² The north and the south, you have created them;
Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.
¹³ You have a mighty arm;
strong is your hand, high your right hand.
¹⁴ Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
¹⁵ Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,
who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,
¹⁶ who exult in your name all the day
and in your righteousness are exalted.
¹⁷ For you are the glory of their strength;
by your favor our horn is exalted.
¹⁸ For our shield belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.

REFLECTION:

1. Psalm 89 is a long psalm of 52 verses. It celebrates something basic in the nature of God and vital to our relationship with Him. Because God’s love stands firm forever, because faithfulness surrounds Him, we who walk in His presence are assured of blessing, strength, and a ready answer to our prayers.
2. Read this passage, or better yet, read this psalm in its entirety thoughtfully. What evidence does it give that God is faithful forever? What does the fact of God’s faithfulness mean to you?

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:

Forever I Will Sing (Ps 89) – www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRfBaoRGflM