Category: “Listening to God” Devotional

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Psalm 135 English Standard Version (ESV)

Your Name, O Lord, Endures Forever

135 Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord,
  give praise, O servants of the Lord,
2 who stand in the house of the Lord,
  in the courts of the house of our God!
3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
  sing to his name, for it is pleasant!
4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself,
  Israel as his own possession.

5 For I know that the Lord is great,
  and that our Lord is above all gods.
6 Whatever the Lord pleases, he does,
  in heaven and on earth,
  in the seas and all deeps.
7 He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth,
  who makes lightnings for the rain
  and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.

8 He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
  both of man and of beast;
9 who in your midst, O Egypt,
  sent signs and wonders
  against Pharaoh and all his servants;
10 who struck down many nations
  and killed mighty kings,
11 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
  and Og, king of Bashan,
  and all the kingdoms of Canaan,
12 and gave their land as a heritage,
  a heritage to his people Israel.

13 Your name, O Lord, endures forever,
  your renown, O Lord, throughout all ages.
14 For the Lord will vindicate his people
  and have compassion on his servants.

15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
  the work of human hands.
16 They have mouths, but do not speak;
  they have eyes, but do not see;
17 they have ears, but do not hear,
  nor is there any breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them become like them,
  so do all who trust in them.

19 O house of Israel, bless the Lord!
  O house of Aaron, bless the Lord!
20 O house of Levi, bless the Lord!
  You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord!
21 Blessed be the Lord from Zion,
  he who dwells in Jerusalem!
Praise the Lord!

Reflection

• The psalmist began by expressing his wonder that God should have chosen the Hebrew people to be his own. As the entire Old Testament testifies, this was a sovereign choice, not based on Israel’s merits. God, “who does whatever pleases him,” selected Israel simply because he wanted to.
• How good to know that God’s choice of you and me is also an expression of his free will. God loves us because he wants to, not because we deserve to be loved.
• God’s love counts. He, unlike the pagan’s idols, is able to act for us in the real world. No wonder Israel was moved to praise! God wrested Israel from slavery, struck down many nations, and gave his people their land as an inheritance.
• God demonstrates his sovereignty in nature and history. Truly there is no other God like Him.
• Can you think of a song to praise God’s sovereignty in nature and history – your history or that of another’s?

Read chapter in full: www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Psalms+134

Psalm 134 English Standard Version (ESV)

Come, Bless the Lord

A Song of Ascents.

134 Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
  who stand by night in the house of the Lord!
2 Lift up your hands to the holy place
  and bless the Lord!

3 May the Lord bless you from Zion,
  he who made heaven and earth!

 

Reflection

• This last pilgrim psalm called on the priests who served God at the temple to praise Him, and it called on God to bless them.
• Priests were on duty 24 hours a day at the temple. They served as guards, and they also offered sacrifices and carried out other sacerdotal functions during the daylight hours. The psalmist called on them to praise God even at night. Lifting up the hands in prayer was a common posture that symbolized the petitioners offering praise up to God and receiving blessings from Him. The pilgrim then asked God to bless these special servants of His.
• Pray for pastors and leaders of the church that they will “lift up their hands and bless the Lord”. And also be blessed by the great God who made heaven and earth!

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Psalm 133 English Standard Version (ESV)

When Brothers Dwell in Unity

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

133 Behold, how good and pleasant it is
  when brothers dwell in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil on the head,
  running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
  running down on the collar of his robes!
3 It is like the dew of Hermon,
  which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing,
  life forevermore.

 

Reflection

• The psalmist called the Israelites to consider the beauty of the unity of brethren. He said it is essentially good and it is a pleasant condition. This was an appropriate thought for pilgrims to entertain as they anticipated meeting other worshippers in Jerusalem shortly.
• If the oil of anointing that saturated Aaron’s beard and priestly robes was so precious and sanctifying (v. 2; Ex 29:7; Lev 21:10), what does that say about harmony running its course through the fellowship of God’s people?
• Have you experienced the good, pleasant and sacred “brothers dwell in unity”? How can you help to bring it into existence in your cell group, your church and other places?

Read chapter in full: www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Psalms+132

Psalm 132 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Lord Has Chosen Zion

A Song of Ascents.

132 Remember, O Lord, in David’s favor,
  all the hardships he endured,
2 how he swore to the Lord
  and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
3 “I will not enter my house
  or get into my bed,
4 I will not give sleep to my eyes
  or slumber to my eyelids,
5 until I find a place for the Lord,
  a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

6 Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah;
  we found it in the fields of Jaar.
7 “Let us go to his dwelling place;
  let us worship at his footstool!”

8 Arise, O Lord, and go to your resting place,
  you and the ark of your might.
9 Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,
  and let your saints shout for joy.
10 For the sake of your servant David,
  do not turn away the face of your anointed one.

11 The Lord swore to David a sure oath
  from which he will not turn back:
“One of the sons of your body
  I will set on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant
  and my testimonies that I shall teach them,
their sons also forever
  shall sit on your throne.”

13 For the Lord has chosen Zion;
  he has desired it for his dwelling place:
14 “This is my resting place forever;
  here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
15 I will abundantly bless her provisions;
  I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16 Her priests I will clothe with salvation,
  and her saints will shout for joy.
17 There I will make a horn to sprout for David;
  I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.
18 His enemies I will clothe with shame,
  but on him his crown will shine.”

Reflection

• David wanted to build a magnificent temple for God to glorify Him. And he made great personal sacrifices to prepare for its construction, even though the Lord did not permit him to build the building himself. David’s desire to build God a house resulted in God promising to build David a house or dynasty. The psalmist prayed that God would remember and fulfill His promises to David.
• The Israelite pilgrims who sang this psalm resolved to meet God on Mt. Zion where the ark – God’s footstool rested (v. 7). They asked God to remember His promises to David, His anointed king, “The Lord swore to David a sure oath” (v11).
• Jerusalem, the city of David, was ruled by an unbroken line of his descendants. And one of his descendants would yet be placed on the throne, there to rule “forever”. In addition, God had chosen Zion as the location for his temple. So Israel’s future was secure.
• This psalm should encourage God’s people to believe that He will fulfill His promises. Therefore, we too face a future that is totally secure. We can celebrate, for in Christ God’s oath to David was fulfilled, and a new promise of eternal life made to every person who puts his or her trust in the Lord.
• Have you received this new promise? Do you believe God will fulfill His promise to you?

Read chapter in full: www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Psalms+131

Psalm 131 English Standard Version (ESV)

I Have Calmed and Quieted My Soul

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

131 O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
  my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
  too great and too marvelous for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
  like a weaned child with its mother;
  like a weaned child is my soul within me.

3 O Israel, hope in the Lord
  from this time forth and forevermore.

Reflection

• David pictured faith as a young child, nestling against its mother, and contrasted this attitude with an arrogance which challenged God’s word.
• Pride is essentially a belief that one does not need God but is self-sufficient. He looks down on other people and overestimates his own abilities as well as his own importance. The humble person, however, has a realistic understanding of his or her capabilities and limitations.
• The ability to rest and be quiet, rather than struggling for what we want, is a sign of maturity as well as humility.
• David called on the nation to follow his example and rest in confidence that the Lord would provide what His people needed. This dependent trust is a need God’s people never outgrow.
• This psalm reminds us what it means to have faith as a child. We can trust God because he is who he is. We must trust him because we are who we are.

 

Read chapter in full: www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Psalms+130

Psalm 130 English Standard Version (ESV)

My Soul Waits for the Lord

A Song of Ascents.

130 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
2   O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
  to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
  O Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
  that you may be feared.

5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
  and in his word I hope;
6 my soul waits for the Lord
  more than watchmen for the morning,
  more than watchmen for the morning.

7 O Israel, hope in the Lord!
  For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
  and with him is plentiful redemption.
8 And he will redeem Israel
  from all his iniquities.

Reflection

• Donald Grey Barnhouse used to picture a believer, burdened with a sense of guilt, appealing to God for forgiveness. The believer was ashamed, for he knew that he had committed the same sin many times before. “O Lord,” he begged, “Please forgive me again, I know I don’t deserve it, as this is the nineteenth time I’ve committed this sin this month. But please, Lord, forgive me this nineteenth time.” And Dr. Barnhouse would say, the Lord looked up in surprise. “What do you mean, nineteenth?”
• The point this great old expositor of God’s Word was making is stated clearly in Psalm 130:3-4. “If You, O Lord, kept a record of sins, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness.”
• God keeps no record of our sins! When we confess, He forgives, and then our sins are gone.
• What a blessing! Our past no longer is a weight we must carry with us always. Our past is gone, and we can look ahead with renewed hope. Through forgiveness we have been cleansed! Tomorrow will be different, and through Christ we will win victory over sins that in the past meant defeat.
• Don’t let a sense of shame keep you from enjoying God’s forgiveness. Confess your sin (sorry), Receive God’s forgiveness (thank), Ask for protection and strength to resist any future temptations (please).

 

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Psalm 129 English Standard Version (ESV)

They Have Afflicted Me from My Youth

A Song of Ascents.

 

129 “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth”—
  let Israel now say—
2 “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth,
  yet they have not prevailed against me.
3 The plowers plowed upon my back;
  they made long their furrows.”
4 The Lord is righteous;
  he has cut the cords of the wicked.
5 May all who hate Zion
  be put to shame and turned backward!
6 Let them be like the grass on the housetops,
  which withers before it grows up,
7 with which the reaper does not fill his hand
  nor the binder of sheaves his arms,
8 nor do those who pass by say,
  “The blessing of the Lord be upon you!
  We bless you in the name of the Lord!”

 

Reflection

• The psalm writer urged the people to acknowledge that God had enabled Israel to survive the many persecutions throughout her history. Israel’s enemies had, as it were, plowed deep furrows on Israel’s back. This was a vivid figure of speech in an agricultural economy. It pictures the land as a human being. However, righteous God had cut the cords to Israel’s oppressors.
• The psalmist encouraged the Israelite pilgrims to pray for continuing deliverance. The mention of Zion, the pilgrim’s destination, recalled the place where God dwelt, the most important place in Israel. Those who hated Zion would be hating and setting themselves against God.
• God’s people should carefully thank Him for past deliverances, but should also continue to pray for His safekeeping in the future, since their enemies will continue to oppose and oppress them.

Read chapter in full: www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Psalms+128

Psalm 128 English Standard Version (ESV)

Blessed Is Everyone Who Fears the Lord

A Song of Ascents.

 

128 Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
  who walks in his ways!
2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
  you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.

3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
  within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
  around your table.
4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
  who fears the Lord.

5 The Lord bless you from Zion!
  May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
  all the days of your life!
6 May you see your children’s children!
  Peace be upon Israel!

 

Reflection

• “Fear of the Lord”, the Old Testament respect for God that motivates obedience, is the path of blessing for all of us. In most cases, the blessing will be obvious: long life, prosperity, a large and happy family.
• These are the things that the Jews of biblical times wished for one another as they gathered for worship. Peace and prosperity.
• This psalm beautifully tied family and nation together in the thinking of the pilgrim Israelite who traveled with his family to Jerusalem for a national feast. It is a reminder of the importance of God’s blessing on both home and nation that are mutually dependent. Families and nations can only succeed with God’s blessing.
• Pray for your family and your nation to fear the Lord and to enjoy God’s blessings.

 

Read chapter in full: www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Psalms+127

Psalm 127

English Standard Version (ESV)

Unless the Lord Builds the House

A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.

127 Unless the Lord builds the house,
  those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
  the watchman stays awake in vain.
2 It is in vain that you rise up early
  and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
  for he gives to his beloved sleep.

3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
  the fruit of the womb a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
  are the children of one’s youth.
5 Blessed is the man
  who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame
  when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

 

 

Reflection

• Our culture elevates the possession of things and applauds compulsive work habits. This psalm puts it in perspective. We can’t be self-sufficient. We can’t make ourselves safe. Work and workaholic lifestyles don’t help a bit. God alone provides, guards, and gives peace.
• The folly of working all the time and not trusting in the Lord should be obvious when one considers that much of what we enjoy does not come from working hard. Many of life’s best blessings come as gifts from God. Children are one of these great gifts. God gives them to a couple or withholds them, as he chooses, regardless of how much a husband and wife may strive to obtain them. 
• Followers of Christ need to recognize that people are never self-made. We owe all that we possess to God’s providence ultimately. Consequently, we should avoid the trap of depending totally on ourselves for all we need in life. Instead, we should trust God as we work and acknowledge His good gifts.
• Is God building your business? Family? Support system? Or are you building it?
• Have a conversation with God about this “building” business.

 

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in the “Spiritual Journal” book.

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Psalm 126

English Standard Version (ESV)

Restore Our Fortunes, O Lord

A Song of Ascents.

126 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
  we were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
  and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
  “The Lord has done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us;
  we are glad.

4 Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
  like streams in the Negeb!
5 Those who sow in tears
  shall reap with shouts of joy!
6 He who goes out weeping,
  bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
  bringing his sheaves with him.

 

 

Reflection

• This is a song of celebration by the exiles who returned to Zion. What emotions do you see expressed throughout this psalm? Have you ever experienced such emotions?
• Has God ever done something so great that you had to pinch yourself to see if you were dreaming?
• The Israelites give God the credit for the “great things” that have happened. How do you do with giving God the credit?
• When do you feel inhibited about freely expressing your joy?

What do you need to praise God for? Share your joy with him and others.