PSALM 110 19 APRIL 2008
By David

King & Priest

This is both a royal & Messianic psalm making total reference to the rule & conquest of the Messiah. David certainly was not pointing to any human or earthly king since there was never a Jewish king who was a priest, not to mention a ‘priest forever’ v4. There were also no known earthly kings who have conquered the world as mentioned in v 6.

In this psalm, we see Jesus exalted by the Father as King v1-3 & victorious in His conquest of all other kings v5-7. This King is special, He is Priest forever, making His throne truly a throne of grace for the people & the nations.

Application:
Often, we identify with God more like He is our Priest, interceding & mediating for us. As the King of kings, we need to see ourselves subject to His rule & obey Him in His commands. Failing to obey makes us disloyal & the enemies of the King. Are there any areas in your life that remains un-submitted to God? Submit to Him & find His grace for that situation.


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Psalm 119 has 176 verses & takes 30 minutes to read in one sitting. You will hit it on 28 April, Monday. Plan your time that day to read it!



PSALM 109 18 APRIL 2008
By David

Train Your Spirit to Pray

This psalm was likely penned before David was king & when his enemies were king Saul and his officials. David seemed to have come to the end of himself in dealing with his enemies here.

Although his enemies have told lies about him, hated him, fought against him without cause, he still tried to love them v4-6. When attempt to win over his enemies failed, David submitted the matter to God, “In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer.” Psalm 109:4

David prayed to God for nature to take it’s course: since his enemies were merciless in their dealings with him, hence, may the Lord’s judgement be over them v6-20, 27-29. David then prayed for himself for the Lord’s healing & deliverance for him in his suffering and weakened state due to the attacks from his enemies v21-26, 30-31.

“See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; Everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit” 1 Thess 5:15-19

Application:
Be a man or a woman of prayer today. True strength and faith is borne in our spirit nursed by the Holy Spirit in our prayer life.



PSALM 108 17 APRIL 2008
By David

Trust God

Psalm 108:1-5 was extracted from Psalm 57:7-11 and Psalm 108:6-13 from Psalm 60:5-12. The authorship of this psalm is credited to David since he penned both Psalm 57 & 60. In this instance, the worship leader did a re-mix. He cut & paste and created a new psalm.

Psalm 108 opens with praise to the Lord v1-5 followed by God’s response from His Sanctuary v6-9 and a prayer seeking God’s Presence to go forth with them into battle wherein if God is with them, victory is assured v10-13.

Once again, David puts his confidence in God. “I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth.” Psalm 108:3-5

Application:
Are you confident in the Lord today? Start your day praising the Lord & as you praise Him, let your confidence in His victory & help rise up in your spirit.



PSALM 107 16 APRIL 2008
Author Unknown

Trouble, Thanksgiving & His Love

There are 4 cycles of troubles described in this psalm. Each time the people cry out to God in their trouble v6, 13, 19 & 28, God saves them and the people are thankful v8, 15, 21-22, 31-33.

The psalmist records 4 different troubles in this psalm:

(i) Basic needs not met, no water & food v4-7, 9
(ii) Bondage & enslaved eg in our attitudes and spirit such as depression v10-14
(iii) Afflictions & sicknesses due to sin, foolishness and rebellious ways v17-20
(iv) Dangerous situations v23-30

The Lord could have treated us as we deserved and count it as our dues when calamity befalls us. Some troubles are indeed our own doing v11, 17. Yet, through all our troubles, we can thank Him & testify that His love for us is truly great! “Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the LORD.” Psalm 107:43

Application:
Often we pray for God to save us or relief us from pain. Pray instead that we will encounter God’s love & be satisfied with Him. Don’t stop short of just being glad the pain or trial is over. The wise are able to see beyond the situation or trial to see a Hand of eternal love reaching out for yours. Reach for Him today!



PSALM 106 15 APRIL 2008
Author Unknown

Yes, I am Praising God!

While Psalm 105 focuses on the covenant God has with His people, Psalm 106 recalls the failings of the Israelites. We can learn from these failures and avoid the mistakes made by Israel.

Time & again the Israelites sinned against the Lord in rebellion towards God & Moses v7, 14, 16, 32-33, idolatry v19, 28, 35-39 and faithlessness v25. And that was all in the backdrop of tremendous miracles, provision & victory of God. One major problem the Israelites and for that matter, the modern day people like us are prone to do, is to forget His goodness & blessings, v7, 13, 21-22.

Often it’s in our forgetfulness or taking God for granted that would lead to rebellious deeds. Hence, Psalms 103, 104 & 105 are duly apt to teach us to praise God. For we guard our hearts from sin & rebelliousness when we remember God’s faithfulness & blessings and guard our spirits by praising Him! “Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the LORD or fully declare his praise?” Ps 106:1-2

Application:
Take 10 minutes to praise the Lord today. Remember His goodness to you & be assured that you need to only wait patiently for Him to come through for you in your trials.



PSALM 105 14 APRIL 2008
Author Unknown

So blessed! We Have A Covenant Keeping God

This psalm was probably written after the Babylonian exile by a Levite returning to Judah with the remnant. The recall of history serves as a reminder of god’s faithfulness.

In his recount, the psalmist recalls God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac & Jacob, v8-11. God fulfilled His covenant to the nation of Israel when He raised a nation up in Egypt & then delivered them from slavery, v12-41 then led the Israelites into the Promised land, v42-45.

Indeed, when we see His faithfulness, we have every reason to sing and praise the Lord! “Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles,” Psalm 105:1-5a

Application:
Recall God’s acts of faithfulness in your life or some testimonies that awes you. Renew your trust in Him, He is faithful to His promises not just in the past, but today too.



PSALM 104 13 APRIL 2008
Author Unknown

So Blessed! Grateful for the Breath of Life

While the psalmist did not follow strictly the creation order of Genesis 1, he certainly had the Creation scene in his mind when he wrote this psalm. We see the psalmist mention the various aspects of creation: light v2, separation of the waters v2-4, separation of land & water and provision of water v5-13, provision of vegetation v14-17, the sun & moon v19-23, land & sea creatures v18, 24-26.

The created awaits the Creator to sustain them. “These all look to you to give them their food at the proper time.” Psalm 104:27 Whether it is through food or the breath of life v27-30, God sustains His creation. The psalmist ends off by saying that he can sing & praise the Lord as long as he is alive v31-35. “I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the LORD.” Psalm 104:33-34

Application:
The Lord has blessed us with much physically: life, breath, health, food, a liveable and comfortable environment. Take time to bless the Lord for blessing you with so much! Oftentimes we take all our physical blessings for granted. Today, take time to thank God for your parents, the roof over your head, school, teachers, classmates, leaders, the clothes you have, the shoes you have and so on. If Nick Vujicic could bless the Lord even though he has been born without limbs, most of us here with limbs should have more to be thankful & less to complain about in our lives.



PSALM 103 12 APRIL 2008
By David

So Blessed! Grateful for His Love

There are no requests made in this psalm, just a simple appeal to God’s people not to forget the blessings of God, v2. The psalmist is simply grateful to God for all His blessings. Listed from v3-5 are 6 blessings: forgiveness, healing, redemption, lovingkindness, compassion & renewal.

The psalmist is also grateful to God for His dealings with us, v6-18:

(i) Righteousness & justice for the oppressed, v6

(ii) Reveals His ways to those close to Him & His acts to His people, v7

(iii) Slow to anger & full of lovingkindness, v8

(iv) Does not stay angry forever, v9

(v) Does not punish us to the extent that we deserve, v10

(vi) His love is so vast it’s compared to the depth of heavens to the earth, v11

(vii) His forgiveness of our sin is so wide, covering the gap between the east & west, v12
(viii) His compassion is compared to that of a father to a child, v13

(ix) His blessings are for those who stay faithful to Him, v17-18

(x) He knows we are weak and inadequate of scoring points with Him based on our own merits or goodness, v14-16.

This psalm closes with a call to the faithful to carry on blessing the Lord, v19-22. May the whole universe bless the Lord.

Application:
How often we seek God’s blessing for our own lives but do we desire to bless Him as much as we want Him to bless us? Take time to bless the Lord today with all your strength like what the psalmist did. He is worthy of our blessing!

Psalm 103:1 (NASB) “Bless the LORD, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name.”


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Psalm 119 has 176 verses & takes 30 minutes to read in one sitting. You will hit it on 28 April, Monday. Plan your time that day to read it!



PSALM 102 11 APRL 2008
Author Unknown

Prayer of An Afflicted Man

This psalm was likely written long after the destruction of Jerusalem, v8, 14, 16 and around the time where Judah would be restored after the 70 year captivity, v13.

During the captivity, life was difficult in the land of Judah. The psalmist described his plight with images associated with loss of appetite v4, food tasting like ashes & drink like tears v9, he was skin & bones v5, he compared himself to unclean birds who are outcast & lived alone v6, sleepless & lonely v7, his name was cursed by enemies in the land v8 & he was thrown away like trash v10.

The psalmist then looks to the promise of God v12-13. “You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come.” Psalm 102:13

He trusts that although Judah & Jerusalem may be experiencing shame, nations will one day praise God again v15-16, 21 for indeed we serve a God of compassion v13-14, 17-20.

Application:
We all have our own set of trials & struggles. Have you lost appetite & taste for food & are struggling in relationships? God allows you to go through unpleasant journeys & will have compassion on you. Restoration is in the pipeline when you look to Him.

Psalms 103-106 are all praises to God. Psalm 103 blesses God for His love for His people, Psalm 104 for God’s care of His creation, Psalm 105 for His faithfulness to His covenant to Abraham and Psalm 106 for His journey with a rebellious people.



PSALM 101 10 APRIL 2008
By David

Spiritual Leadership 101

This psalm was likely written early in the rule of king David. “when will you come to me” v2 alludes to the fact that the Ark of God has not yet been returned to Jerusalem.

In this psalm, David spells out the essentials of spiritual leadership:

(i) Devotion to God, v1-2: Here we see David longing for the Presence (Ark) of the Lord.

(ii) Discernment of evil & those who are blameless, v3-7. In fact, David chooses to associate with those whose walk is right.

David hangs out with the faithful & blameless. Those who are perverse, arrogant & deceiving, he cuts them off from his leadership team, even his city.

Application:
Leadership is influence. Besides you influencing the rest of the pre-believing friends & family around you, we need to be aware too of what influences us. Are you exposed to good or negative influences in your school or office? Cut off the negative influence today.