Friday May 5th, Psalm 150, Isaiah 40:25-29, Eph. 4:4-8 

Wow! What an amazing journey we have been on through the psalms. Psalms is where I go to when I want comfort, direction, spiritual warfare and praises! I love this verse let everything that has breath praise the Lord!  I imagine the day when Christ will return and we will be praising Him forever.

Matthew Henry- "Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord. Such is the very suitable end of a book inspired by the Spirit of God, written for the work of praise; a book which has supplied the songs of the church for more than three thousand years; a book which is quoted more frequently than any other by Christ and his apostles; a book which presents the loftiest ideas of God and his government, which is fitted to every state of human life, which sets forth every state of religious experience, and which bears simple and clear marks of its Divine origin." 

My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever. Psalms 145:21

"For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands." Isaiah 55:12  This verse is the motto of the camp I work at.  I have to tell you that when the groups come and they are all varied groups...it is such a joy to hear them praising the Lord! I have heard them praising Him in many different languages and it is such beautiful music to my ears.  I have even heard them call the people with a shofar [which can also be called trumpet]. When I first heard the shofar I stopped and remembered that when Jesus returns He will be calling us with the shofar/trumpet.

I encourage you to go to the psalms often and find rest for your souls.  

Are you in His Word daily?                                                                                                                      Do you praise the Lord in everything?                                                                                                      Do you sing and dance before the Lord?

Father, we come humbly before You and want to give you praise and thanksgiving in everything.  For it is You who works out all things for our good because we love You and are called according to Your purpose.  Speak to us through Your Word.  Bring joy, peace and comfort as we praise You!  We long for and look and listen for Your return.  Thank you for these precious sisters that we have journeyed with through the psalms.  Keep them in Your care and bless them abundantly beyond what they ask for.  Put a song in our hearts of praise to You!   Help us to keep our focus on You, Jesus and look forward to His return for us.  Amen!

Lyn

Scripture for today: Psalm 147 & Isaiah 40:25-29

We did it, Girls!  We've read and studied every psalm, or will have on Friday! Have we become women after God's own heart? I believe so! I know my faith has grown tremendously through this study; far more than in any other study we've done over the past ten years! And how fitting to end our study focused on praising our amazing Father and our Lord, Jesus Christ!

Before we begin, let me ask you, how easy do praises roll off your lips? 

Psalm 147 begins, "Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!" (147:1)

I thought the choice of words the psalmist uses to encourage us was interesting - "pleasant and fitting to praise Him." for not everything that is fitting is pleasant. 

Forgiving an offender is fitting, but may not always be pleasant, particularly if the offense is often repeated, or the offender isn't sorry. Giving and receiving discipline is fitting, but it may not be pleasant at the moment (Hebrews 12:11).

BUT Psalm 147 tells us that praise is both pleasant, fitting and good! “How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!”

So, I've decided to go on a quest today to discover why! 

There are many good things to do in life, but praising God is man’s highest good. There is nothing more rewarding, more beautiful, and more beneficial than to praise the Lord of the universe and to appreciate His works.

Praise Invites the Presence of God

But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. (Psalm 22:3 KJV emphasis mine)

".. —indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying:

“For He is good,
For His mercy endures forever,”

that the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God. " (1 Chronicles 5:13-14)

Praise Guarantees Victory

2 Chronicles 20:15-20 tells a story of King Jehoshaphat and his army, "rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying:

“Praise the Lord,
For His mercy endures forever.”

Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated..."

Praise Delivers Us From Our Enemies 

I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies. (Psalm 18:3)

Through the praise of children and infants
    you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
    to silence the foe and the avenger. (Psalm 8:2)

Praise Drives Out Depression 

  and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor. (Isaiah 61:3)

Praise Satisfies our Souls

O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. (Psalm 63:1-5)

Praise Brings Joy!

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. (Psalm 100:4)

 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.

Today’s Reading: Psalm 134, Ephesians 4:1-6

This Psalm is the last of the fifteen Song of Ascents we’ve studied (Psalm 120-134). In the first two verses God’s people are calling the priests and Levites of the temple to continue praising the Lord as an act of service.

“They were the servants of the Lord by office, appointed to minister in holy things; they attended the sanctuary, and kept the charge of the house of the Lord, Numbers 3:6, etc. Some of them did by night stand in the house of the Lord, to guard the holy things of the temple, that they might not be profaned, and the rich things of the temple, that they might not be plundered. While the ark was in curtains there was the more need of guards upon it. They attended likewise to see that neither the fire on the altar nor the lamps in the candlestick went out. Probably it was usual for some devout and pious Israelites to sit up with them; we read of one that departed not from the temple night or day, Luke 2:37” (Matthew Henry)

“Charles Spurgeon suggested that the scene was of pilgrims departing Jerusalem in the darkness of early morning, calling out to the priests and Levites who stood watch at the temple. The pilgrims then receive the blessing spoken back to them.”(David Guzik)

Isn’t it wonderful how God’s people encourage each other to continue praising the Lord no matter what their position (in the body of Christ) is? Exhorting, encouraging and blessing one another. That is exactly how our Abba wants us all to be: in unity! (Ephesians 4:1-6)

This psalm shows us that praise should be added to all our work!

“Not one of you should serve him as of compulsion, but all should bless him while you serve him; yea, bless him for permitting you to serve him, fitting you to serve him, and accepting your service.” (Spurgeon)

When we surrendered our life to Jesus, we all received a special calling:

  ^“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a [special] people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies [the wonderful deeds and virtues and perfections] of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people [at all], but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”  (1 Peter 2:9-10 AMP)

We are His special people at His service, and as His servants we have special reason to bless and praise Him, because:

· We partner with God in His work, which is a special privilege.  (1 Cor. 1:9, 1 Peter 4:11)

· We enjoy the nearness that comes with working together with Him and his people.

   (Ro.  15:5-6)

· We receive the special strength and anointing as we serve Him. (Acts 1:8, Phil 4:11-13)

· We experience new and exciting challenges of faith. (Phil. 2:12-13)

Paul also exhorts us:

 “First of all, then, I urge that petitions (specific requests), prayers, intercessions (prayers for others) and thanksgivings be offered on behalf of all people, ² for ^[a]kings and all who are in [positions of] high authority, so that we may live a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. ³ This [kind of praying] is good and acceptable and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior… ⁸ Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger and disputing or quarreling or doubt [in their mind].” (1Timothy 2:1-3,8 AMP Emphasis mine)

-Did you ever wake up in the wee hours of the night, and by His Holy Spirit  were led to pray for someone or felt the urge to praise Him? Has this been frequent?

-How did this make you feel?

Heavenly Father: Thank you for the privilege and right to stand before You to minister with our prayers, intercessions and our praise to You. Even in the night we are under your sight, and You bend down to listen: we have direct have access to You! This is so amazing and I want to ask You to forgive me for the times when I grumble at the fact that I must let go of my sleep and be on guard for whatever is Your desire or need at that moment during the night! May I be diligent and cheerful as I minister to You! May I always acknowledge the privilege and honor of Your Holy Presence and the direction of Your Holy Spirit! Thank you for blessing me and loving me in the special Way that You do! May I extend this love and blessings to others too! In Jesus’s Precious Name I pray. Amen!

Blessings,

Mary

 Today's Scripture: Psalm 117 &   1 Thess 4:13-18 

 Did you know Psalm 117 is the shortest psalm and also the shortest chapter in the whole Bible? It is part of what is known as the Hallel of the Psalter. The Psalter has various collections of songs in it, and Psalms 113-118 forms one section known as the Hallel, which means "Praise." These psalms praise God for his salvation from sin and death, and speak of One who will bring this salvation. 

On the surface, Psalm 117 appears to be geared completely toward praising God. But if you take a closer look, you’ll find it has a hidden meaning for everyone.

“Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also, there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God….”

One day, there will be a new heaven and earth, and the new city of Jerusalem will descend from the third heaven where God is. This will be the moment when His salvation plan is completed. His offer of eternal life is for both the Jew and the Gentile (Romans 1:16), and God is making this abundantly clear here in verse 1 hundreds of years before the Messiah appeared, God is revealing His plans for all people.

The Reason for Praise 

For his unfailing love for us is powerful; the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever. Praise the Lord! (117:2)

Following God’s command comes the explanation of His invitation. The psalmist actually gives us two reasons to respond to Him—His merciful kindness is great, and His truth endures forever.

Paul references this one verse several times throughout his ministry to help drive home the point that God’s plan of redemption is for everyone; one example is found in Romans 15:11, but what I found really cool in chapter 15 of Romans is how Paul pulls out other verses from the Old Testament to drive home to his readers that God has always intended to include the Gentles in His plans for redemption:

Romans 15:10/Deuteronomy 32:43: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His servants and render vengeance to His adversaries. He will provide atonement for His land and His people.”

Romans 15:9/2 Samuel 22:50: “Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the Gentiles and sing praises to Your name.”

Romans 15:12/Isaiah 11:10 “And in that day, there shall be a Root of Jesse who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious.”