Long ago when I first began studying the Psalms I learned that Jesus said in these we would find prophetic words written about Him (Messianic Psalms):

“Then He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you, everything which has been written about Me in the ^[a]Law of Moses and the [writings of the] Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” (Luke 24:44 AMP)

 

Some of the Messianic  Psalms are: Psalm 2, 8, 16, 22, 40, 41, 45, 68, 69, 102, 110, & 118.

Psalm 69 is also called an imprecatory Psalm because it speaks of suffering, a cry for justice and judgment. 

In today’s reading we find David, crying out to God for help because his enemies caused great oppression over him. In the first three verses David expressed how the “waters had come up to his neck and how he had sunk into deep mire” (69:1-3)

As we take these overwhelming feelings back to our Lord’s suffering, He was: “sinking down into the deep mire of humanity’s sin and guilt, coming truly to the deep waters, where the floods overflow. No wonder it was said of Jesus before He went to the cross, He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed (Matthew 26:37 ).”  (M. Henry)

David´s enemies hated David without cause and we can see that our Lord Jesus was hated without a cause as well!

^“Those who hate me without cause are more than the hairs of my head;
Those who would destroy me are powerful, being my enemies wrongfully;  (69:4a)

This prophecy was fulfilled in John 15:23-25.

It was foretold of how Jesus would cleanse the temple and how He would suffer from mockery and insults, in verse 69:9

“For zeal for Your house has consumed me, And the [mocking] insults of those who insult You have fallen on me.”

This prophecy was fulfilled in John 2:13-17 and in:

 Romans 15:3: “ For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written [in Scripture], “The reproaches of those who reproached You (the Father) fell on Me (the Son)”

In Psalm 69:21 we read: “They (self-righteous hypocrites) also gave me gall [poisonous and bitter] for my food, And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”

 

This prophecy was fulfilled in Matthew 27:34 and in:

John 19:28-30: ^“ After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said in fulfillment of the Scripture, “I am thirsty.” ²⁹ A jar full of ^[a]sour wine was placed there; so they put a sponge soaked in the sour wine on [a branch of] hyssop and held it to His mouth. ³⁰ When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and [voluntarily] ^[b]gave up His spirit.”

 

In Psalm 69: 22-29 it was foretold what had to happen to our Lord’s enemies: the unbelieving Jews who not only rejected Him but wanted His destruction!

 “May their table [with all its abundance and luxury] become a snare [to them]; And when they are in peace [secure at their sacrificial feasts], may it become a trap. ²³ May their eyes be dimmed so that they cannot see, And make their loins shake continually [in terror and weakness].” (69:22-23, 25)

These prophecies were fulfilled in Acts 1:15-20 and in Romans 11:5-10.

“The rejection of the Jews for rejecting Christ, as it was a signal instance of God's justice and an earnest of the vengeance which God will at last take on all that are obstinate in their infidelity” (M. Henry)

Finally, when David realized that although he was sorrowful and in pain, the unfailing love of God whom he trusted wholeheartedly, would deliver him and set him securely on high. (69:29) Then David would praise and magnify Him throughout the land! (69:30-36)

“When his sorrows are over, and He enters into the joy that was set before him, when He is heard and discharged from his imprisonment in the grave, the humble shall look upon it and be glad, and those that seek God through Christ shall live and be comforted, concluding that, if they suffer with him, they shall also reign with him.” (M Henry)  Halleluiah!!

Let’s pray:

Heavenly Father, there are no words to express our gratitude for the Saving Grace you lavished over us, through the sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ!  Thank you for scriptures which show us how Faithful and True You are and have been throughout the ages! Thank you that we can rest in these truths and may we boldly declare, that You are the Alpha and the Omega, and our future in eternity is secure in You, when we in faith surrender our lives to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Amen!

Blessings,

Mary

Our Reading:Psalm 68 & Isaiah 45:22

The Christian life is a life of dependence. It is a life to be lived one day at a time, surrendering that day to the glory of God. This includes every event and circumstance of that day, whether pleasant or difficult, happy or sad. Each morning that you awaken, your purpose is to be wholly dependent on God and His desires for your life. David lived his life humbly before God, seeking Him daily and relying on His provision.

“Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Selah”.  Psalm‬ ‭68‬:‭19‬ ‭

Every day we are on this earth is a gift from God and He has work for us to do. Do you want to be used by God? Never underestimate your value as a tool to be used by Him. Every person you encounter, every situation you are put into is a potential opportunity to impact another person’s life. 

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”  Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭10‬ ‭

God is always at work and we can be part of that work if we are yielded to Him.

This includes friends, family, strangers. You may not even realize that impact but if you are humbly yielding to Him, then you are reflecting dependence on Him and that dependence on Him is what yields fruit.  We can’t run ahead of His plans or lag behind, but must keep in step, making sure we are joining in His work and not doing our own work that is outside of His plan.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”  John‬ ‭15‬:‭5

That daily dependence is meant to be a place of rest and refuge where we find comfort and provision. He wants us to be teachable and every day holds opportunities for us to learn from Him and be increasingly more transformed to be like Him. 

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."” Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭28‬-‭30‬ ‭

Paul, like David looked to God for daily dependence, through varying seasons and conditions. He learned to be content in all circumstances because He found His strength in God. 

“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬-‭13‬ ‭

In this Psalm we see David expecting God to deliver His people, overcoming the enemy and providing for their needs. This is also a key to daily dependence. We trust in the mighty power of God, that He cares about us and hears our prayers and we wait for Him to act. 

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.” Psalm‬ ‭37‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭

Reflection:

1. Are you daily depending on God? Would others see that dependence?
2. Can you find purpose and contentment even when circumstances are not easy?
3. Are you able to trust and wait upon the Lord? 

Prayer:

Father, we know that we can do nothing of eternal value without You. Each and every day we are in need of You to teach us, to guide us, to strengthen us and provide for our needs. May every day that You give us breath, be a day that we glorify You and rest in You. We thank You for Your love and Your blessings! 

I love how psalm 66 starts out with songs of praise to God for His glory, greatness, and works. Oh how easy it is to sing such wonderful songs when we feel surrounded by God’s glory. Those times we experience a spiritual, physical, and emotional closeness with Him. Usually it’s due to a received blessing, answered prayer, or a need fulfilled. We feel as if we’re walking on a cloud. Our hearts are filled with the joy, comfort, and warmth of fellowshipping with our Lord. And in our thankfulness we swear to never again forsake God, vowing to faithfully follow His will. 

Then life goes on, and it’s business as usual. And slowly our focus wanders away from the Lord. Our time and energy is spent once again pursuing our fleshly desires. We let go of His hand, stray from His path, and go about attempting to meet our needs in our own strength. We put God in our back pocket, never pulling Him out again until the next crisis. But the joyful news is this. No matter how much we forget or reject God, He never does the same in kind. Never will our Heavenly Father withhold His precious love, time, or attention. Nor ever turn a deaf ear to our prayers. 

Don’t you hate it when you’re trying to reach someone and your call goes straight to voicemail? That never happens with God. Through the privilege of prayer, we have a direct and open line of communication with the Lord. And no matter how long it’s been, He picks up on the first ring. Because God is always excited to hear from His children. For He’s been anxiously waiting, ready and eager to receive our call. Sadly, some Christians mistakenly believe that God only wants to hear from us about the big stuff. But the truth is, He cares and wants to hear about every area of our lives both big and small.

So much so that one of the many wonderful names of God is El Roi, the God who sees me. Our Lord never slumbers nor sleeps. His eyes are always watching over the righteous, His ears always listening for their prayers. Take a minute and really think about that. As Creator of the universe, God has His hands full. But even so, not a moment goes by where He takes His eye off of us. For He is the One who, “keeps us in life, and does not allow our feet to slip.” (Ps. 66:9)

Prayer is a gift God gives to us so that we can come to Him anytime, anywhere, with anything. Be it a petition, guidance, thankfulness, or to unburden our heart, God wants to be our first and daily destination. Out of His great love, when we talk to Him, God promises to both listen and respond. And although we may not like the answer, we can give thanks that no prayer will go unanswered! 

Pause and Reflect -

How much time do you give God each day? Do you make Him a top priority? How does spending time in His presence daily make a difference in your life? 

How can making a joyful noise to God bring happiness to God and to you, even when you do not feel joyful? Why do you think expressing joy is important to both us and God? 

Finally let’s pray together, 

Our dearest Father in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Heavenly Father we lift up our voices in praise to Your glorious name, for You alone are worthy, You alone are the Lord Almighty. You have saved us from the pit and have set our feet on the Rock of salvation. How awesome are Your deeds. We thank you Lord for remembering and never forsaking us. You are always faithful, even when we are not. Father thank You for the gift of being able to come to You in prayer. Please cleanse us from all wickedness harbored in our hearts. Free us from anything that hinders You hearing our pleas. For we know You bless obedience, not stubbornness. Father we give thanks for Your precious Son, Jesus and praise your awesome works. In Jesus precious name we pray, Amen.

Good morning and welcome to Scripture Saturday!

O God, You are my God; earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh faints for You, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. (Psalm 63:1)

Knowing that God is my God, my living water, shows me that it is only in Him that my soul will be satisfied.

In Psalm 63, David writes how he longs for God…how God is better than life itself. David has a passion for God. Am I as passionate for Him?

“You are my God”…sounds so simple doesn’t it? But those words contain so much meaning! He is my God and if I have claimed Him as my own I must have an intimate, personal relationship with Him. He isn’t just this being that is somewhere way off, uninterested in me and my life. No, He is an ever-present God. He is sufficient for all of the difficult circumstances in my life. There is nothing that I can’t go to Him about. So I must “earnestly” seek Him just as I would for water in a dry, parched land. He should be my “living water” and I should “earnestly” seek Him as I am living in the world today. I must read and meditate on His Word, I must go to Him in prayer, I must go to Him when I need wisdom, correction, forgiveness, acceptance, understanding. And as David said, then, “My soul will be satisfied…” (v.5) 

For He promises that when our soul clings to Him, His right hand will uphold us. 

Let’s all praise God!

Don't forget to share with us the attribute of God that most spoke to you this week!

Here is this coming week’s schedule of readings…

            Seeing Jesus/Going beyond God’s attributes

Monday 11/28 Psalm 66         Luke 9:35 &

            Hebrews 10:19-22 again

Tuesday 11/29 Psalm 67         Numbers 6:24-26

Wednesday 11/30 Psalm 68         Isaiah 45:22

Thursday 12/1 Psalm 69                 John 15:21-27

Friday 12/2 Psalm 70                 Romans 15:1-4

*Knowing that God is _____________ shows me that _________________________________.

Here is the link to our study on Facebook...WitW Facebook Page

Have a blessed week everyone!

Sandra

*from Jen Wilkin’s book,  Women of the Word.

Friday Nov. 25^th

God’s abundant favor!

Read Psalm 65-Psalm 139 1-18

I wonder how do you view your life before the Lord?                                                                                  Do you see each day as a day to serve the Lord with joy?                                                                            Do you know that He has a plan for your life and will help you to live it?

We are chosen! He knit us together in our mother’s wombs. He is intimately acquainted with us.  When I am feeling down or unworthy, I remember that I am not here by chance and that I am fearfully and wonderfully made by Almighty God.  He chose me to live at this particular time and place.  His goodness satisfies my soul and there is plenty enough for all.  It is always ready and we cannot put a price tag on it. It is only through faith and prayer and being in constant communication with Him.  He is where we find our comfort, and happiness.

You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. ¹⁷ This I command you, that you love one another. John 15:16-17

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, ⁴ just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. Ephesians 1:3-4

We are blessed!   Throughout my day I can see the Lord’s blessings on me and I praise Him!  Even through the hard days I can see His blessings.  I love the chorus of this song Count your blessings:

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. James 1:17

We are filled with good things!  He is the fountain of life and He is always with us.  We have a hope and a future.  He is coming again!

Do you realize that you are chosen?                                                                                                        Are you counting your blessing every day?                                                                                              Do you know your future?

Father, You chose us and You knit us together in our mother’s womb.  We are fearfully and wonderfully made.  You delight in us and we can see your blessings over us each day of our lives.  Even when the days are tough You are still with us and we may not see what You are doing immediately but we can rest assured that You are working all things together for our good.  Help us to stop and acknowledge You and praise You for Your provisions for us and that You never leave us nor forsake us.  We rejoice in knowing that You are coming again and we will spend eternity with You.  Amen!

Lyn

As we begin reading today’s Psalm we find David crying out to God to preserve him from fear!  His enemies were plotting his destruction. He knew from long ago that no one would make them stop, but His Faithful God whom He trusted!t So David’s only weapon was PRAYER!

Yes, like David finally declared: “The righteous will rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in Him; All the upright in heart will glory and offer praise.” (64:10)

Let’s pray:

Heavenly Father: Thank you that we can run to you as soon as the hurting words like arrows come against us, for You are our Shelter! May we recognize that these hurtful arrows come from our enemy who has come to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). May we be always ready with Your Armor (Eph. 6:10-18) and ready to shoot back with Your Words of Truth and Power, knowing that You are by our side! May we always rejoice in Your mighty deeds and glorify Your Name for You are Faithful! In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen!!            

Blessings,

Mari

Our Reading: Psalm 63, also Proverbs 20:28 & John 10:30

Today, I want to talk about a spiritual checkup.  Just like we take time to go to the doctor to get an assessment of our physical well-being and determine areas that need attending to, we also need to do spiritual checkups and make sure our spiritual well being is healthy. The number one question to ask yourself is: Who or what is at the top of my life priority list right now? Where do I put my time, my efforts, my thoughts, my energy? What or whom do I pursue? If God is not your top answer then perhaps you have become spiritually complacent. This is not a healthy place to be. “Complacency is the deadly enemy of spiritual progress. The contented soul is the stagnant soul.”- Aiden Wilson Tozer

We must not be content to just stay where we are spiritually. I remember many years ago, my husband and I were working with a Christian counselor on our marriage relationship. Our marriage had been in such failure that divorce papers had actually been drawn up. He asked how things had been going for the past few weeks and I said “ok. Not really any worse but not really much better. Just ok”. I thought that was a good sign, but he told me that “if a relationship is not growing and thriving and moving forward, then it essentially is dying and it’s just a matter of time before it withers away”. That got my attention and changed how I attended to and assessed the health of my marriage. It also changed my view on my spiritual relationship with God. My relationships can not grow if they stay the same. It’s about pursuing connection and understanding. 

In Psalm 63, David gives us an example of why he had such a strong spiritual walk with the Lord. He pursued this relationship with passion and definitely made God number one at the top of his priority list. He was not content to be complacent. 

“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”  Psalm‬ ‭63‬:‭1‬ ‭

Is that how you seek God? Is He the very essence of your survival? In a desert land without water, what good would any material possession be if you couldn’t quench your thirst? How much help could friends or family provide if they had no water to offer? You might survive a few days without water but death would certainly be inevitable. Spiritually we are in a desert of death without God’s living water to quench our thirst. 

Fortunately, God seeks to meet our need in the spiritual deserts and wilderness. He wants to be our caregiver and to have us rely on Him for our every need.

“"He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.” Deuteronomy‬ ‭32‬:‭10‬ ‭

God has always wanted to help us and provided deliverance for us. He knows our needs and He is the only One who offers us hope.

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭19‬ ‭

He wants to strengthen us and He wants us to be spiritually thriving and effective. It’s about being in a relationship where He guides and teaches us. It’s a growing relationship, not a stagnant one. 

“And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” Isaiah‬ ‭58‬:‭11‬ ‭

He is looking for those who are thirsty and seeking Him. Is that you?

“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭13‬ ‭

“And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.”  Revelation‬ ‭21‬:‭6‬ ‭

Reflection:

As you read Psalm 63, what stands out to you as keys to David’s passionate pursuit of God? 

Reflect upon the following hymn and search your heart to see if this is your true desire as well. For today, may this also serve as our closing prayer.

As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after Thee
You alone are my heart’s desire
And I long to worship Thee

You’re my Friend and You are my Brother
Even though You are a King
I love You more than any other
So much more than anything

I want You more than gold or silver
Only You can satisfy
You alone are the real joy-giver
And the apple of my eye.

Chorus:

You alone are my Strength, my Shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart’s desire
And I long to worship Thee.

As The Deer Panteth for the Water Martin Nystrom, 1984