Psalms finale

About two and a half years ago i started studying the psalms, and now we reach the final one. It has been illuminating for me. I used to think the psalms were a bit lovey-dovey, how i was wrong! They are powerful outpourings of different emotions and passionate faith! It has been inspiring to research and consider each one week be week to find out the hearts of those who wrote them, and the level of trust and hope they each had in God. They have inspired me to keep holding on, to know that steadfastness is key, and that there is always, always hope even in the most desperate situations when God is in the picture! He has triumphed over enemies, hearts, cities, the heavens, He reigns supreme and will never let you down. He is worthy to be praised always. 

So, without further ado, let us read the final psalm;

 Psalm 150:1–6 (ESV): 

Praise the Lord! 

  Praise God in his sanctuary; 

praise him in his mighty heavens! 

 2  Praise him for his mighty deeds; 

praise him according to his excellent greatness! 

 3  Praise him with trumpet sound; 

praise him with lute and harp! 

 4  Praise him with tambourine and dance; 

praise him with strings and pipe! 

 5  Praise him with sounding cymbals; 

praise him with loud clashing cymbals! 

 6  Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! 

  Praise the Lord! 

How fitting that the last psalm focuses on praising God in a multitude of ways. Bearing in mind all of the psalms that have come before, the culmination of the heartache, triumph, despair, joy, patience, confusion and victory is to praise God!

No matter where you are, what you are doing or experiencing, or what you have about you - use that to praise God! If you are amongst a group of people or alone, are having an easy or a tough time, you can ‘praise him for his mighty deeds’. The things God has achieved are incredible no matter who is around or what you are doing or what is happening. God deserves to be praised because He is great! His character is perfect, steadfast, considerate, loving and powerful even when you are not feeling it or recognising it. 

Over the years when i have felt tired, downcast, overwhelmed, confused and upset, when situations have been unfair and difficult, choosing to worship has been powerful. It is often a difficult thing to do, to put aside emotions and mindset and decide to praise, but listening to worship songs, choosing to pray positively, or dancing around the kitchen, may not change the circumstances, but it has changed me. Setting your mind to praise God even when you don't feel like it is good for you. God deserves it for He is still good even if things around you aren't! 1 Thessalonians 5 says; '16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.' God's will is for you to praise Him no matter what, and it does you good for it changes your focus and your thinking, God expects you to rejoice and give thanks 'in all circumstances'! God knows what is good for you, praising Him brings joy and hope as you remember who He is. Your circumstances and emotions need to be put into perspective, and worshipping God does that. You can always, ‘praise him for his excellent greatness!’ You can always do that. For God never changes, He is always excellent and great!

You can praise God in many ways and with many things. If you play an instrument, use that to extol God, if not, you can use whatever you have; your own body in dance, your voice to sing and pray, and you can even praise God by crashing cymbals together - it doesn’t even need to sound pleasant to anyone else! Even if, like me, you do not have a singing voice that others enjoy, God loves to hear it - so sing loud as your praise is for God’s ears, not for others. Get over being embarrassed - that is concern for the opinion of others rather than the heart of God, so sing for HIm. He wants you to sing, dance, play music, he enjoys to see and hear you do that in praise of Him. Parents like to see and hear their kids do these things, even if it is a 'joyful noise' (psalm 100). So, as a child of God, show Him your love, make a noise for Him, move your body for Him, crash cymbals for Him, for He loves it! It is the heart of praise that the Lord loves to hear, so let your heart for Him come through as you worship God in your own intentional way. 

Think about God. ‘his mighty deeds’ and ‘his excellent greatness’ and let these truths lead you to overflow in worship. 'Everything that has breath' has cause to praise the Lord, so what are you praising Him for today?

How to calm and quiet your soul

 Psalm 131:1–3 (ESV):  

1  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 marvellous 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. 

There is a time to look to the hills for your help, a time to rally, a time to mourn and be jubilant, and there is a time to quiet your soul. 

When there are times of great celebration, confusion or concern, it is good to ‘not occupy myself with things too great and too marvellous for me’. Instead of worrying, trying to think things through or make sense of matters, the best thing is to to run to God as a small child would run to their Mum. When a child is distressed, confused or scared, they seek comfort in the presence of their mother. They often don’t even need to say anything. They just know that their emotions and soul are not ok, so they seek the stability and comfort of their parent. Knowing that being in their presence and resting in their bigness, capability and love is enough to settle them, They will get the calm and quiet that they need when they go to Mum. So, as a child of God, do you run to Him when you are dysregulated? Do you seek and sit in His presence? Knowing that He is big enough to handle all of your dysregulation, confusion, tears and panic? God can bring quiet and calm to your soul, as a Mum does for her child, are you letting Him? 

Unless you go to God and spend time with Him, remembering who He is, you will will not gain the calm and quiet that your soul desires. Spending time considering who God is, and who you are in His eyes stops your head from whirling with a million thoughts,  ideas and worries. You can just simply sit with Him. His presence is enough to cause the things that are 'too great and too marvellous' to stop seeming so incredible. You can spend time with God in a number of ways; reading The Word, listening to worship, praying, or just being still and appreciating whose presence you are in. Even without saying anything, God can still your heart and your soul, equipping you, comforting you and strengthening you. The psalmist learnt that they could run to God and sit with Him in this way. They must have been in a situation that seemed overwhelming, and so they considered themself like a small child, dependent upon it’s mother. The presence of the parent providing certainty, safety and security for their child. When an unexpected event happens that can cause a child to fear, the child instinctively looks to their parent. They watch their reaction, and base their response and level of safety on them. You can do the same with God. When you face an unexpected situation, and feel uncomfortable and afraid, look to your Father in Heaven. Where is He, and what is His response? Take strength, hope and peace in His steadfastness and presence, and your soul will be quieted. Like a child, you can trust in the actions and reactions of your Almighty Father. 

The writer of this psalm, David had learnt to ‘not occupy myself with things too great and marvellous for me’. That’s a big statement coming from the king of a nation! He had huge things to consider and mighty problems to solve and important relationships to serve. Yet he knew that there were things, whether to do with the nation or his everyday life that unsettled him. So, he learnt to go to God and be with Him. Just resting in God's presence and trusting that He had things figured out, and could keep David safe. For you, there will also be things in this life that will not make sense; people, situations, relationships, work problems, world issues - they are too big and incredible for you to fathom and they can bring a feeling of uncertainty and fear. David’s recommendation to you, is to not spend time trying to resolve these things in your mind or try to understand them, but spend time with God. God will be with you through it all and will bring you in close. He can only do that when you stop running about and fretting. So, look for, run to, and rest with your loving and steadfast Father. He will strengthen and guide you so that your soul can become quiet and calm. 

Why live God's way?

 Psalm 119:33–40 (ESV): 

He

 33  Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes; 

and I will keep it to the end. 

 34  Give me understanding, that I may keep your law 

and observe it with my whole heart. 

 35  Lead me in the path of your commandments, 

for I delight in it. 

 36  Incline my heart to your testimonies, 

and not to selfish gain! 

 37  Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; 

and give me life in your ways. 

 38  Confirm to your servant your promise, 

that you may be feared. 

 39  Turn away the reproach that I dread, 

for your rules are good. 

 40  Behold, I long for your precepts; 

in your righteousness give me life! 

Allow God to teach you. Do not get distracted by the things of this world, but hold firm to the Word of God. Determine to see God’s commands as good, even when they are difficult. For He is a good parent, He gives boundaries and instructions so that you you can live a good, godly and healthy life. 

The rules of parents do not always make sense to their children, but when the children obey them, they grow well. When they do not, there is fear, anger, relationship breakdown and a life lived outside the safety of the family. Therefore, rather than trying to see what you can get away with, or ignoring some of the rules because they seem old, boring or not in line with cultural expectations, ask God to teach you. Remind yourself that God is the best parent, and that as His child you may not understand all that He expects of you. Then ask Him to ‘give me understanding that i may keep your law’ and ‘lead me in the path of your commandments, for i delight in it’. being happy learning about instructions is difficult to do! Yet, you can ask God for help, and through learning more about God and His character, you will see more clearly that He loves you and wants the best for you. The you can come to love His ways and His instructions. 

Following God can become joyful when you look at the big picture. God gives you promises (v38), He turns away reproach (v39), and He gives you life now and for eternity (v40). If these are the consequences of obedience to Him, surely it is worth it!

Psalm 119:40–48 (ESV): 

Waw

 41  Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, 

your salvation according to your promise; 

 42  then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me, 

for I trust in your word. 

 43  And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, 

for my hope is in your rules. 

 44  I will keep your law continually, 

forever and ever, 

 45  and I shall walk in a wide place, 

for I have sought your precepts. 

 46  I will also speak of your testimonies before kings 

and shall not be put to shame, 

 47  for I find my delight in your commandments, 

which I love. 

 48  I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, 

and I will meditate on your statutes. 

Reading the Bible shows you that you are loved. God’s testimonies, His rules, the history of His people - all of these can reveal to you the vastness, beauty and reality of God’s love for you. He has ensured that you can read and hear about His character, goodness, battles, care and power through His Word. He has made sure all of this is written down because He wants to reveal His love to you. God's love is not fickle or minute, but steadfast and everlasting. Therefore read the Bible and discover the love of God!

This revelation of how God loves you should fill you with such joy and passion that you determine to ‘keep your law continually’. Whether you are in ‘a wide place’, speaking ‘before kings’ or in front ‘of him who taunts me’, God loves you and is with you. Therefore you can courageously speak and stand on the truth, no matter where you are, or who you are with. 

Does the environment you are in, or the people you are with effect your behaviour and topics of conversation? Do you acknowledge and love God in every place and in front of every person? Your love and obedience to God should not be hidden or changeable. Instead, the love of God should be your guiding force in life, not the love of anything or anyone else. 

Desire to lead a life pleasing to Him and you will have love, joy and peace, even when before kings and enemies.

Revenge

Psalm 70:1–5 (ESV):  

1  Make haste, O God, to deliver me! 

O Lord, make haste to help me! 

2  Let them be put to shame and confusion 

who seek my life! 

Let them be turned back and brought to dishonour 

who delight in my hurt! 

3  Let them turn back because of their shame 

who say, “Aha, Aha!” 

4  May all who seek you 

rejoice and be glad in you! 

May those who love your salvation 

say evermore, “God is great!” 

5  But I am poor and needy; 

hasten to me, O God! 

You are my help and my deliverer; 

O Lord, do not delay! 

Have you ever sought revenge?

I bet, like most of us you have. David does, in this psalm he is saying that he wants those who hurt him to be dishonoured, those who want him dead to be confused and ashamed, and those who mock him to be turned away in shame. He wants those who have troubled him to be hurt, to regret the way they have treated him. Yet he is not seeking revenge from his own hands. He asks God to do it. That takes a great deal of strength - to give the plotting, power and action of revenge over to someone else. It means you have to let go of the deep anger within and allow someone else to do what is fitting. Trusting them to act appropriately and to get the right result. Can you imagine how hard that must have been? 

Some of us automatically deal out revenge, or ‘payback’ as my kids call it, without even thinking about it. It is accepted and expected from the culture we are in. If someone hurts you - you get them back. What David did was very cross-cultural, but very much kingdom culture. He trusted God not only with his circumstances but to sort out those who were his enemies too, to give them what they needed and deserved.

I am sure you can relate to feeling hurt, annoyed, or even infuriated when people come against you. Especially when the hurt is unfair and unjustified. David felt like that, it is natural - everyone hates injustice when it is experienced in their life. God hates it too, so it is not a bad thing to feel like that. Yet allowing those emotions to control what you do next is a problem and can get you into trouble. I am sure David had learnt that from the experiences of his life, so in this situation he does not allow his feelings result in action from his own hands. This does not mean that he was inactive - he tells God about it and restrains himself as he bravely hands over his situation and emotions to God so that He can sort out the problem people. 

David does not follow the way of the World and seek his own revenge, but he considers the way of God instead and holds himself back. He restrains his power and tells God what he wants to happen then calls upon God to do something about it. This is displaying kingdom culture and wisdom. It is not easy, but it is the better way. It is not that he wasn't really bothered by what happened - David is passionately ranting at God - look at all the exclamation marks and how many times he asks God to hurry up! He is; frustrated, hurt and furiously angry about these people that are trying to get away with murderous intent. However David does not act in his own power, although he could. He is a king and successful warrior, so he could powerfully deal out revenge. However David knows a better and more successful way and that is to ask God to hurry up and sort them out! 

What strength David shows in his anger to demonstrate trust, restraint, patience and wisdom. For who is best equipped to sort out an injustice and to right a wrong? Surely one who has never committed a wrong and who can be temperate in their response, plus has all resources and strength in their hands. When we deal out revenge or punishment particularly when riled up, angry and agitated, it rarely goes well does it? Often we end up overreacting and make matters worse for ourselves as well as others. People can end up injured and imprisoned because they have sought revenge by their own hands. Therefore, David wisely allows his knowledge of who God is rule his ways and hands over these people into His hands to do what is fitting. Handing over situations, people and emotions to God when you’re frustrated and angry is a powerful and wise move. For a start, consider how much more God can do than you! He has all the resources, experience, knowledge and strength to sort these people out properly. He knows what they need. Plus, if you are part of His family, and have done nothing wrong, do you not think that your loving Father is going to fight on behalf of His kid? 

David knows that God is His Heavenly Father, yet he is fed up of being mocked and ridiculed, hunted down and slandered, so he has a good rant to God about it, asking Him to sort it out. When a child has a rough day, do they not go to their parents and complain about it? Seeking solace, guidance and a solution. If you are a parent, and hear that your child has been mistreated by someone else, what would you do? I am sure you would be more than willing to sort out an injustice out for them! Even the mildest parent can turn into a lion when their child is harmed. So, just as a child trusts their parent to help them when things get tough, you can trust your Heavenly Father to protect and fight for you when you are unfairly treated, threatened or harmed. You do not need to fight your own battles, and it is best if you don’t. You have an Almighty, everlasting, ever-loving Father who is more than willing and capable of bringing judgement and justice, So do not be afraid to call out to Him to be, ‘my help and deliverer’ and to ‘put to shame and confusion’ those who persecute you.

Psalm 127 - part 2

In part 1 of this psalm, we looked at the first two verses, today will will be focussing on v3-5. With the recollection that labouring, watching and toiling without God is all in vain;

 A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon. 

*1* Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour 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. 

After the initial 2 verses showing us that working hard, worrying and looking out for others is pointless if God is not in it, Solomon then speaks about children. I think it is appropriate that Solomon tells us about the everyday things of life that we can worry about before he gets onto talking us about kids. Most of the time they are the aspect of life that parents worry about most! Therefore we need good practice at trusting God with the other things before we can even consider handing over our children to God. I think that is why this psalm is ordered that way - by first telling us that worrying about work, finances and safety is all in vain if God is there, before speaking into raising children. We have got to get our security in God in  those things first before we can even entertain the thought that our children can be entrusted to God because that is much harder to do. We need the very real practice of trusting God. When we can trust God for our future, work, rest and protection rather than our own abilities and hard work, and we have seen Him be faithful in those, then we can begin to entertain the idea that He can be trusted with our children too. It is easy to say that we trust God with all of these things, but it is very difficult to actually do. 

Verse 3 clearly tells us that children are a blessing. Sometimes we know that, other times we forget it! Children are in fact a, ‘heritage from the Lord’ - what an amazing statement! The word heritage is about having an ‘individual possession’ or an ‘allotted portion’. Children are ‘allotted’ to us ‘from the Lord’. They are not really ours, but we get to share life with them and guide them. Children are entrusted to us by God as a part of our life. We have part-ownership in our kids, not full ownership as we sometimes mistakenly believe. God has shown me this recently when things have been incredibly difficult, and i have told Him that i cannot do it. I cannot parent this child and i do not know what to do. God clearly told me 'give them to me then'. It was then i remembered this very thing; our children are not really ours. They were always God's first. I was battling, stressing and worrying (in vain!) when it is not fully my responsibility to do so, as these children are ‘allotted’ to us. We have part-ownership and we can go wrong and get stressed out when we forget and try to fix it all ourselves. That is what i was trying to do. I was praying and asking for guidance and at my wits end, so i was trusting God, but I wasn't handing over to Him. Does that make sense? Sometimes we can hold on too tight. We feel the full responsibility, but we were never meant to carry it by ourselves. It can be easy to pray and know that God is present even when things are falling apart, but then comes the reality that we need to give up trying to fix things and let God do it. That is where i was and it is scary and painful realising that you are not enough, but it gives God a chance to work and show what he can do. It is also a massive relief when you are able to emotionally do that. Remember that children are an, 'heritage from the Lord'. We can easily forget that and mistakenly believe that they are ours. Yet we share part-ownership. God is also invested and involved in the lives of our kids, and sometimes we need to let go and let Him influence, guide and guard. 

‘Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth.’ A warrior knows how to use his arrows. He takes care of them, protects them and refines them before he sets them loose. As a parent or influential adult in a young person's life, you can invest in guiding and refining them. The purpose of an arrow is to fly. A warrior does all he can to ensure it flies straight and hits the mark. That is our responsibility too - Children will one day fly - what are you directing them to when they do? 

One thing I often say as a parent is, “if my kids have got hold of who God is in their lives then I know they will be alright.” It doesn’t mean their lives will be easy or straight forward, but it does mean that their souls will be well. If our children know they have access to and can have a relationship with God, then they can handle life well. No matter what happens. So, it is my duty as a parent to do my best to model a good relationship with God and invite them into it and let them know they can have the same. To me, this is ensuring that the arrows fly well. Our children have purpose, meaning and a direction in life to follow. Our responsibility is to help, encourage and 'train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it' (proverbs 22:6). What great comfort that is.