Tag Archives: Psalms 143-150

Daily Bible Study

July 9, 2023 Bible Study — Let Everything Which Breathes Praise the Lord

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Psalms 143-150.

When we struggle with the difficulties of life, let us remember what God has done for His people in the past.  When our enemies are too strong for us, and we seem doomed to destruction at their hands, let us meditate on God’s works.  In times of trouble cry out to God for direction, and entrust your life to Him.  Follow the guidance which God gives you and remember His love for you.  As insignificant and powerless you consider yourself, and you are not wrong, God cares for you.  God does not love us because we are mighty warriors, or powerful individuals who can accomplish great things on His behalf.  He is the Maker of all that is and does not need our help.  Rather, we need His help and should humbly rely on Him.  God takes delight in those who put their trust in Him, rather than putting their trust in powerful people, wealthy people, or politicians.  Let us fear and trust God, and gain our pleasure in praising Him.  When you meditate on God’s mighty works, you will see that all of Creation brings glory to God’s name.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

July 9, 2022 Bible Study — Do Not Put Your Trust In Human Institutions

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Psalms 143-150.

There are two lines from the first of today’s psalms that resonate with me: “Show me the way I should go,” and “Teach me to do Your will,”   Later the psalmist tells us how we can open ourselves up to God to receive that direction.  We do so by meditating on God’s works, think about what God has done, both in our lives and in the world around us.  As we do so we will see that those who make God their Lord will be blessed and that God watches over those who love Him.  The psalmist also tells us that those who truly see the works which God has performed will praise Him.  I commit myself to praising God every day for as long as I live.  I will not put my trust in any human being, and certainly not in any government, or any other human institution.  No, I will put my trust and faith in God.  I know that no human power will make the world a better place.  We will not make the world better because we are strong, or determined, or wise, or intelligent.  We will only make the world a better place by fearing God and relying on His love.

 

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

July 9, 2021 Bible Study — Let Everything That Has Breath Praise The Lord

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Psalms 143-150.

My title today comes from the last verse of the last Psalm.  That truly sums up the them of today’s psalms, and really it sums up the whole Book of Psalms.  As I read today’s psalms they filled me with joy as I thought of all of the reasons I have to praise God.  I praise His name while calling out to Him to give me guidance, to show me the direction I should go and what I should do.  He is my stronghold and my deliverer.  I like the way the psalmist puts those two things together.  A stronghold provides defense and blocks the attacks of the enemy.  A deliverer comes and takes one out of a dangerous situation: I always picture someone pulling someone out of a raging flood.  The psalmist goes further in reminding us that we should tell the generations which come after us about the great things God has done.  Each and every one of us has reasons to praise God.  If you take the time to examine your life, find a reason to praise God, then do so, you will discover that you will have more reasons to praise God.  Note: I am not saying that if you search your life and praise God for those good things He has done that you might have overlooked that you will realize there are more of them than you thought (although that is usually true as well).  No, I am saying that if you praise God for the things He has done you will open yourself up for Him to do MORE for you.  If you praise God for what He has done, He will give you more reasons to praise Him.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

July 9, 2020 Bible Study Let Everything Which Lives Praise the Lord

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Psalms 143-150.

May everyone and everything which lives praise the Lord, because He has given them life and His love will care for them.  As I am writing this the sun is shining on flowering plants.  God has been good to me and praising Him each day brings me joy.  The psalmist warns us against putting our hope in powerful people because when they die all of their plans die with them.  The opposite is also true, do not fear them for the same reason.  Instead put your hope in God.  He has made everything that is and His love is eternal.  His power is absolute.  I could write more, but the psalmist says it so much better.  Read these psalms and praise the Lord.

Daily Bible Study

July 9, 2018 Bible Study — It Is Hard To Be Depressed When You Are Praising God

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Psalms 143-150.

    I have always felt that the Psalms contain directions on overcoming depression. Today’s set is certainly such a prescription. I will not say that there are not those for whom more is needed to overcome depression, but I will say that today’s psalms contain the starting point even for them. So, what is the psalmist’s prescription for depression? Step one: Cry to God for mercy and confess your sinfulness to Him. Ask God to save you from despair and to show you what you should do. Seek to do as God directs and ask Him to teach you to do His will. Meditate on the mighty miracles He has performed in the past and trust that He will do more in the future.

    The next step is to recognize that God will train you in the skills which you need to do to do His will. Yes, we mortals are mere nothings in the scope of the Universe, where God counts and knows each and every star. Yet He loves us deeply and sincerely. Which brings us to a key portion of the psalmist’s prescription: praise God. It is hard to be depressed when you are singing praises to God. Praise God morning, noon, and night. Praise Him with all of your being and to all who may hear you. Share your faith with others. Telling them what God has done for you.

Daily Bible Study

July 9, 2017 Bible Study — Oh Lord, Teach Me To Do Your Will

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Psalms 143-150.

    Often times we pray that God will teach us His will. That is a good thing to pray, but in today’s psalms there is an even better prayer: teach me to DO your will. There is a wide chasm between merely knowing God’s will and doing God’s will. I know that unless God’s Spirit actively maneuvers me to do God’s will, I will fail to do so. So, I pray that God will teach me to do His will. Teaching involves both positive and negative reinforcement. None of us desire negative reinforcement, but when we fail to face negative consequences for doing wrong we will continue to do so. As part of communicating God’s saving grace we must communicate both the negative consequences of failing to do His will and the positive consequences of following it. We, as human beings, have a tendency to focus on the importance of only one. God never forgets that, as teaching tools, positive reinforcement without negative reinforcement and negative reinforcement without positive reinforcement has limited impact.

    One part of God’s will is for each generation to tell the next the story of God’s love. We have many stories of God’s power and love which we need to tell the next generation. However, these stories are all part of one story and we must make sure to both tell the multiple stories and how they fit together into one story. The message of good news which God has given us to convey can only be transmitted by inviting people into the community of faith and telling them the stories. Part of the story we have to tell is that God is good to everyone. Despite God’s wonderful majesty and our transient nature, God cares for each and everyone of us. Do not think that God is overwhelmed by the huge number of human beings. You will not, cannot, get lost in the crowd to God. He knows each individual star as unique from the rest and He knows each individual human being as unique from the rest. No one is just a number to God and we should seek to know and treat each individual we meet with similar caring and love.

Daily Bible Study

July 9, 2016 Bible Study — Praise The Lord

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

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Today, I am reading and commenting on Psalms 143-150.

    My theme from today’s psalms is Praise the Lord, not just when things are going well, or when things are going poorly. Praise the Lord all of the time, in whatever circumstance you find yourself in. God will prepare us for whatever battle He intends for us to fight, but make no mistake, He is preparing us for battle. God will be our shield as we go out into the battle to which He has called us. The enemies we will face in this battle lie constantly, even when they swear to tell the truth, they lie. But we must strive to stick to the truth, all of the truth, not just the part that pleases us. We will find the strength to go on fighting God’s battles by praising Him for every victory He gives us. We must not let the stories of what God has done get lost. We must tell the next generation what God has done in our lifetimes, and we must tell them the stories which those who went before us told to us. When I look at the things which I see going on in the world around me, I want to remind everyone that God helps the fallen and lifts those bent beneath the heavy load. He will give justice to the oppressed. He will listen to those who call on Him. Let us praise the Lord and lift our prayers to Him. That is the answer to the terrible things going on in our country, praise the Lord and lift our hands in prayer to Him.

  • Praise the Lord
  • Pray for those who are suffering
  • Pray for those who are angry
  • Pray for those who a frightened
  • Pray for those who have been wronged
  • Pray for those who have done wrong
  • Praise the Lord