Psalm 146, Romans 8:32

What a journey it’s been going through these songs of David. And there’s no better way to end our study than with these final Psalms of praise. Many are the reasons to give God the glory. Creator and Ruler of all things, He champions the weak, fathers the orphans, heals the afflicted, and blesses all who put their hope in Him. Everyday there are reasons to give thanks to the Lord. And God covets the praise of His people. But not for His benefit. For ours.

Why does God tell us to give Him thanks in all things? (1 Thess. 5:18) In memory of Dr. Charles Stanley, I’d like to share some of his wisdom on the subject. “It’s because praise is the clearest and most direct means by which you declare your dependence on God. It repeats your trust in Him in the midst of darkness. It confesses your allegiance and devotion to the One who was crucified for you and to whom you are eternally joined.”

For me, no matter how low I feel or bad the circumstance, nothing soothes my soul like giving glory to God. It brings peace to my troubled mind. Joy to my hurting heart. And brings me close to my Abba, Father, who welcomes me with open arms of love. Most of all praising the Lord humbles me. For it reminds me of how much I fail God daily and still somehow, He wants me anyway. How could such an amazing and unmerited love not make my heart burst with songs of worship and thanksgiving!

There’s no quicker way to grow in our walk with God than to live a life of praise. Because it motivates us to live the way Jesus teaches, makes us desire to put Him first in our lives, and soothes even the deepest of hurts. David was considered a man after God’s own heart because of His devotion to God. In good times and bad, peace and turmoil, sorrow and joy, the first thing David did was seek God. When we too seek God first with everything we have and are, have absolute, unwavering faith, and follow Him joyfully, we will be counted as women after God’s own heart.

Pause and Reflect - 

Why do you praise God? How does praising God help us focus on Him instead of our circumstances? How can praising God help us in times of difficulty or suffering?

Let’s Pray Together,

Our dearest Father in heaven above, Ruler and Creator of all things, hallowed be Thy name. Father, we come before You with humble hearts, recognizing Your greatness and majesty. We thank You for Your faithfulness and goodness, and are grateful for all that You have done for us. Father we praise You for Your infinite wisdom and power, and for Your unfailing love and grace. You are the Creator of the universe, and yet You care for each one of us with a tender and compassionate heart. Finally Father may our hearts overflow with gratitude as we reflect on all that You bless us with, and may our lives be a reflection of Your love and grace. In Jesus precious name we pray, Amen. 

Don't' forget to head over to our Facebook group at, https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenintheword2 to join in on the discussion. Also check out our public Facebook page at, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083156569388 and give us a like!

I can’t wait to hear your thoughts, and I pray your day overflows with love and blessings.

💖 Lisa

Welcome to Scripture Saturday!

Every day I will bless You and praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable. (Psalm 145:2,3)

“…who does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number” (Job 5:9)

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable.” (Isaiah 40:28)

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and inscrutable His ways!” (Romans 11:33)

“To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ…” (Eph 3:8)

Knowing that God is incomprehensible/unsearchable shows me that He is worthy of my praise forever and ever, even though I can never understand fully Who He is. 

He is incomprehensible: God is beyond our understanding. We can comprehend Him in part but not in whole.

As we near the end of our time in the Psalms I hope you all were blessed with our Scripture Saturday assignment. God has revealed much of Himself to us as we read the words of the Psalmists. I know that God’s character is so much greater than what I was able to find in the Psalms, but just because I am not able to comprehend Him fully, I know that I was created to glorify and praise Him everyday for what I do know about Him. So let us live our lives here on earth as David says at the end of Psalm 145, “I will praise the LORD, and may everyone on earth bless His holy name forever and ever.” (v. 21)

Here is this coming week’s schedule of readings…

                    Seeing Jesus/Going beyond God’s attribute(s)

                                        that I found in the

                                          Psalm

Monday 5/1 Psalm 146             Romans 8:32

Tuesday 5/2 Psalm 147             Isaiah 40:25-29

Wednesday  5/3  Psalm 148              Eph 4:4-8

Thursday 5/4  Psalm 149             Isaiah 40:25-29 and

                       Eph 4:4-8 again

Friday  5/5  Psalm 150                     Isaiah 40:25-29 and

                       Eph 4:4-8 again

*Knowing that God is _____________ shows me that _________________________________.

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

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

Have a blessed week everyone!

Sandra

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

Today’s reading: Psalm 144, 2 Corinthians 5:21

It is believed that this psalm was written by David after he was recognized as King of Israel.  He praises God with thankfulness, bringing to memory all the years of persecution and battles he had to endure to fulfill God’s purpose to govern His people!  (2 Samuel 5:1-5)  

“ Blessed be the Lord, my Rock and my great strength,Who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle; ² My [steadfast] lovingkindness and my fortress, My high tower and my rescuer, My shield and He in whom I take refuge, Who subdues my people under me.” (144:1-2)

David was amazed that God would have set His eyes on him for such a great responsibility, and humbly recognizes it was God who protected and saved his life from his enemies throughout all those years, for a time like this:

“Lord, what is man that You take notice of him? Or the son of man that You think of him? ⁴ Man is like a mere breath; His days are like a shadow that passes away.”  (144:3-4)

As Christians we also have to encounter many challenges and fight spiritual battles (Eph. 6.12) in order to fulfill God’s purpose in our lives, but just as David, we must also acknowledge Who is for us, and that through our Lord’s Jesus Sacrifice we are overcomers! We too can praise our God for His continual care and protection over our lives!

“The Lord thinks much of man, and in connection with redeeming love makes a great figure of him: this can be believed, but it cannot be explained.” (Spurgeon)

Yes, He loves us so much and it is so difficult for us to understand this, and even to explain it! Although our lives may continue to drift from battles to victories, we like David can be assured He will never leave us nor forsake us! We are so privileged to have His Word and His Holy Spirit which help us and empower us when we faint or want to give up!

^“26 In the same way the Spirit [comes to us and] helps us in our weakness. We do not know what prayer to offer or how to offer it as we should, but the Spirit Himself [knows our need and at the right time] intercedes on our behalf with sighs and groanings too deep for words. ²⁷ And He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because the Spirit intercedes [before God] on behalf of ^[c]God’s people in accordance with God’s will. ²⁸ And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose. “(Romans 8:26-28)

In the next verses (v. 5-8) David realized the great challenge it was to preserve his kingdom in the midst of all his enemies, so he cries out to the Lord for protection….Then as he remembers God’s faithfulness in the past, he praises God with thankfulness:

⁹ I will sing a new song to You, O God; Upon a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You,¹⁰ Who gives salvation to kings, Who sets David His servant free from the evil sword.” (v.9-10)

It never ceases to amaze me David’s boldness, faith and trust as he directs his prayer and praise to the Lord! No wonder he was considered a man after God’s own heart!

Finally David prays for blessings for God’s people, now under his government. (v.12-15).

That they would be blessed:

· With children in their homes.

· Blessed in the work of their hands.

· Blessed with safety and peace in their city.

“Happy are the people that are in such a case; those are blessed that prosper in the world. But he immediately corrects himself: Yea, rather, happy are the people whose God is the Lord, who have his favour, and love, and grace, according to the tenour of the covenant, though they have not abundance of this world's goods. As all this, and much more, cannot make us happy, unless the Lord be our God, so, if he be, the want of this, the loss of this, nay, the reverse of this, cannot make us miserable.” (Matthew Henry)

Yes, what is the case of having prosperity and other material goods if we do not have God reigning in our lives? (Matt. 6:25, 33)

There are still so many people around us longing and holding on to material things, making these a purpose for their lives, but they don’t’ want to realize how much they lose out!

²⁴ Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me]. ²⁵ For whoever wishes to save his life [in this world] will [eventually] lose it [through death], but whoever loses his life [in this world] for My sake will find it [that is, life with Me for all eternity]. ²⁶ For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world [wealth, fame, success], but forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matt. 16:24-26)

Heavenly Father: I humbly come to You offering my love and praise, for You have been my Rock and my Strength throughout all the days of my life! May I continue to grow in faith and trusting You more and more each day! May one day I too can become a woman  after your own Heart, my dear Lord! Thank you for rescuing me and setting me free from my sins and giving me a new life in Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior! I pray for my family and friends: ________; who are still lost…. Wandering like sheep without a pastor! They might have many material possessions and be blinded by them, but they do not have You in their lives!  May the eyes of their hearts be opened, that they may repent and receive Your Salvation, through Jesus’ Saving Grace. In Jesus’ name  we pray. Amen!

Mari

, 

Our Reading: Psalm 143 & Isaiah 57:16

David shows us that even back in the OT days, God was a righteous God who also exercised forbearance (patient self-control, restraint, and tolerance). David understood his sinful condition and the sinful condition of all of mankind. He understood his own guilt and inability to save himself. It was with this humility that he approached God and asked for His mercy.

“Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.” (v2)

This is the understanding that we have to approach God with in order to be shown His mercy and forgiveness. We have to be aware of our sinful nature and that we are not capable of being righteous in our own endeavors. 

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” 1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭

We must realize that we are 100% dependent on Christ for our righteousness and his sacrificial love that provides for our salvation. 

“as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.” Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭10‬, ‭23‬-‭25‬ 

No matter if our circumstances are going well or, as David faced in this Psalm, not so well, God is an ever present need in our lives. He doesn’t just want to be the One we call upon when we have crisis needs but the One we call upon for our deepest, daily spiritual needs. David longed for connection with God and considered it his most vital need. Like deep rooted relationships, he had history with God to reflect upon. 

“I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands. I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah” (v5-6)

David’s relationship with God was built on his willingness to perform 2 important actions

1. Trust: He trusted that God loved him and would direct him. “Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.” (v8)
2. Obey: He was humble and teachable, willing to yield to God’s instruction. “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!” (v10)

It sounds simple to just trust and obey but it can be a daily challenge to do so. That’s why it is so important to stay connected to Him and grounded in His Word. It’s not enough to know about Him but we have to get to personally know Him by spending time with Him and yielding our heart to His discipline and love. Each of us will have different experiences and opportunities. As we grow closer to Him, we have more history with Him to draw strength from and more wisdom from Him to share with others. We only get one life to live.  Each day we decide if we will journey alone or journey with Him. 

You will not obey Him, if you do not believe Him and trust Him. You cannot believe Him if you do not love Him. You cannot love Him unless you know Him. - Henry Blackaby

Reflection:

1. Have you taken that step of recognizing your absolute need for atonement because of your sinful state and accepted the complete unmerited salvation provided by Christ alone?
2. How well do you know your Savior? How well do you want to know Him?

Prayer: Father, how grateful we are that You are so patient and forbearing, and have provided a way for us to connect to You. Forgive us when we take that for granted and do not make the wise choice of seeking You and growing in our walk with You. Help us to know You more intimately and to be able to trust and cherish You as the vital source of spiritual life that we so desperately need.

 Scripture for Today: Psalm 142 & Prov 27:5-6 and John 17:17-19 again

How do you pray when you're in trouble; when trapped and feel there is no way out and no one who will support you?

 David was trapped in a cave; hiding from King Saul, who sought his life. His life was being threatened and he didn't know who he could trust, for men had betrayed him to Saul in the past. So, David turns to the only One he knew for certain would not abandon him. 

  Can you feel his anguish and total dependence upon the Lord? It seems he has looked around him for help but there was none. He has longed for someone to care but he is all alone. So, he turns to God and finds help in his time of need and comfort from the God of all comforts. He is not alone! God is with him.

But it was David's last words that grabbed my attention today. 

So often, 

• When someone is grieving the loss of a loved one, after a few days and everyone else has gone back to their lives, they feel lost and alone. 
• When one is diagnosed with a terrible disease, they are flooded with well wishers but after a few days they are left alone to face the reality of it all.
• When we keep trying to gain the victory over an addiction or habit, but fail, and those close to us may be tempted to give up on us.

We may be facing some great temptation in our life that has us so discouraged. We may feel we have lost the battle and are overwhelmed because once again we have given in to that which we know to be wrong. How do we tend to deal with life when we are all alone and there seems to be no help?

If I could speak to the lonely heart that is ready to give up and in; the heart who feels it will never end, I believe I'd say: 

Just like David, we need to turn to God. 

You may have heard the saying that no matter how far you are away from God, we only have to turn around.  He is always right there! He is our Creator and Friend. He knows exactly what is needed if we will only give it all to Him! And rest in His abilities. 

We can go boldly to the throne of grace to find mercy and grace to help in our time of need. Isn't that amazing? God's grace does not depend on you! 

 And, if you lack wisdom, James tells us, "you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." (James 1:5-6)

His grace is always sufficient for every need. 

AND then we can use our victory in Jesus to share His grace and help others in need.

Let's pray:

O Father, I thank you for your wonderful love, your matchless grace and your infinite mercy toward me. Thank You for always being here with me to help in my time of need. Thank You for helping me through so many things in my life already and for giving me comfort when I have been distressed, health when I have been sick, material things when I was without and love and companionship when I felt all alone. Help me use all I have and am to help others. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Psalm 141, John 17:17-19

One of the things I love most about the Psalms is the beautiful imagery David uses to express his feelings about God. And there isn’t a more glorious picture he paints then our arms raised to the sky in worship. And our prayers ascending to heaven in the cool of the evening, rising like a sweet-smelling fragrance to our Heavenly Father. David knew that prayer is a powerful tool to connect us to God. To bring about change in our lives, and to receive God’s blessings, love, grace, and guidance. But more than just the beauty and power of prayer, this Psalm also has wisdom we can apply to our daily lives.

1. Our dependence on God - Not a single second of a single day goes by where we don’t need God in our lives. We are weak and vulnerable, and apart from Him, we can do nothing. (John 15:5) And so humbly and thankfully, we need to acknowledge the Lord as Sovereign in our lives and turn to Him in times of trouble.

2. The danger of temptation - Even the strongest Christian can fall to the lure of sin. That’s why we need to be vigilant about recognizing and resisting temptation in our own lives. And when we feel the pull of sin taking hold, ask God to help us. For He will provide all we need to endure, overcome, and escape. (1 Cor. 10:13)

3. Trust in God's justice - It’s frustrating to see the wicked prosper. But we serve a just God. (2 Thess. 1:6) And we can trust that in His perfect timing He will bring about perfect justice to punish the wicked. And one day very soon, God will ultimately set all things right and bring about a world of peace and righteousness.

The days are growing darker. And as the time hastens until the soon return of the Lord, we need now more than ever to draw near to God. To lead dedicated prayer lives, have eyes open to the evil around us, and to trust the Lord completely in times of trouble.

Pause and Reflect - 

How can I deepen my prayer life and connect more deeply with God? What are the areas of my life where I am most vulnerable to temptation, and how can I seek God's help in resisting these temptations?

Lets pray together, 

Our dearest Father in heaven above, Ruler and Creator of all things, hallowed be Thy name. Father we come before you in humility, recognizing our need for Your help and protection. We ask that You would hear our prayers and guide us in our journey of faith. Father help us to resist temptation and to stay on the path of righteousness. Protect us from the lure of sin and help us to remain vigilant in our walk with You. Above all, Father we ask that You would draw us closer to You. And may we always turn to You in times of trouble, trusting  in Your perfect justice and mercy. In Jesus precious name we pray, Amen.

Don't' forget to head over to our Facebook group at, https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenintheword2 to join in on the discussion. Also check out our public Facebook page at, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083156569388 and give us a like!

I can’t wait to hear your thoughts, and I pray your day overflows with love and blessings.

💖 Lisa