February 18
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HIDE ME FROM THE WICKED
Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; preserve my life from dread of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the throng of evildoers,
3 Who whet their tongues like swords, who aim bitter words like arrows,
4 Shooting from ambush at the blameless, shooting at him suddenly and without fear.
5 They hold fast to their evil purpose; they talk of laying snares secretly,
Thinking, “Who can see them?” 6They search out injustice,
Saying, “We have accomplished a diligent search.”
For the inward mind and heart of a man are deep.
7 But God shoots his arrow at them; they are wounded suddenly.
8 They are brought to ruin, with their own tongues turned against them;
All who see them will wag their heads.9 Then all mankind fears;
They tell what God has brought about and ponder what he has done.
10 Let the righteous one rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in him!
Let all the upright in heart exult! – Psalm 64:1-10
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The ESV study bible says that this psalm is an individual lament that shares with Psalm 63, a confidence in God’s victory over those who brings trouble on the righteous. The psalm has two parts: a request for help against deadly schemes and confident expectation that God will fight on behalf of his faithful (vv7-10). God gives victory as instruction for mankind (v9) and to bring joy to the godly (v10).
As the psalm indicates, all of us should run to the Lord to hide from the wicked. He must be our refuge. We must not rely on our own selves but only approach the ultimate protector and deliverer, who can grant victory even at the most impossible attacks.
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ADORATION: Praise be to the only source of protection and honor, the Lord God Almighty.
CONFESSION: Forgive me Lord whenever I rely on my own strength to fight evil.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you that you are our refuge, strength, protector and deliverer.
SUPPLICATION: May the Lord constantly hide us from the wicked and all their evil ways.
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REFLECTION
• Do you run to God for protection when the enemy attacks you with lies and evil tactics or do you fight in your own strength?
Monthly Archives: February 2020
THE KING OF GLORY Poem Devotional
February 17
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THE KING OF GLORY
The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness there of the world and those who dwell therein,
2 For he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.
3 Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.
5 He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.
7 Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
That the King of glory may come in. 8 Who is this King of glory?
The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle!
9 Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors,
That the King of glory may come in. 10 Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory! – Psalm 24:1-10
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The psalm addresses the Israelites and to glorify the only true king who has delivered them and granted them victory in battles. They acknowledge the source and the creator of all things who wants all of his people to be pure for him and to hate evil, just as he does. The word hosts is a translation of the Hebrew word sabaoth, meaning “armies”—a reference to the angelic armies of heaven. Thus, another way of saying “LORD of hosts” is “God of the armies of heaven.” This is the only psalm declaring God as king of glory. The Hebrew word for glory (kavod) is sometimes used figuratively to mean “heavy” or “dense.” When we speak of a “weighty” person, someone who is honorable and worthy.
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ADORATION: We praise you, the Lord of Hosts, the King of glory. We lift up our heads to give you praise and honor.
CONFESSION: Forgive me each time I fail to hate evil and compromise my purity.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for all creation and all your provision to fill my needs.
SUPPLICATION: May all men bring you the glory that is only Yours alone. May all peoples come to their knees and bow down only to the King of Glory.
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REFLECTION
• Why is the stance of looking up to the Lord in praise essential for all Christians?
O LORD DELIVER MY LIFE Poem Devotional
February 16________________________________________
O LORD DELIVER MY LIFE
O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; heal me, O LORD,
For my bones are troubled. 3 My soul also is greatly troubled.
But you, O LORD—how long? 4 Turn, O LORD, deliver my life;
Save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
5 For in death there is no remembrance of you;
In Sheol who will give you praise? 6 I am weary with my moaning;
Every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.
7 My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes.
8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil,
For the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping. 9 The LORD has heard my plea;
The LORD accepts my prayer.10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled;
They shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment. -Psalm 6:1-10
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We hear King David’s penitent heart in this psalm. He pleads the Lord to correct him but not in anger. He asks for God’s grace to heal him as he acknowledges his sins and past mistakes. We hear the dependence of David to God in the midst of great trouble and physical ailments. What is amazing with this psalm is his humility to admit how weary and tired he was. It illustrates a picture of a king who bows down to a greater eternal King. We see in this psalm how David is intimate with the Lord and isn’t afraid to admit his need for God’s deliverance for him. He is full of hope that the Lord will deliver him. What a heart that really seeks God’s heart!
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ADORATION: Praise to you Lord, full of grace and mercy. You are my deliverer and Savior.
CONFESSION: Forgive me each time I fail to repent and confess my sins.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for never being stingy to reveal yourself to me.
SUPPLICATION: May all believers have a heart like David, who is humble, repentant and pursues God’s heart.
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REFLECTION
• How do you relate with David’s circumstance in this psalm?
• How can he be depressed, tired, sick and yet hopeful at the same time?
SING TO THE LORD A NEW SONG Poem Devotional
February 15
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SING TO THE LORD A NEW SONG
Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song,
His praise in the assembly of the godly! 2 Let Israel be glad in his Maker;
Let the children of Zion rejoice in their King! 3 Let them praise his name with dancing,
Making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!
4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.
5 Let the godly exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their beds.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands,
7 To execute vengeance on the nations and punishments on the peoples,
8 To bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron,
9 To execute on them the judgment written!
This is honor for all his godly ones. Praise the LORD!- Psalm 149:1-9
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This is psalm inviting all the godly to rejoice, be glad and praise the Lord. It invites the children of Zion to rejoice in their king with dancing, making melody with tambourines and lyre. It is stressed in this psalm how the Lord is pleased when we sing to the Lord new songs. It is amazing how God has given us the gift of music so that he can be glorified. Sadly, in our world today, we use singing to glorify our own selves or sometimes the idols that we give more time for than the one who gave us all. Many Christians fail to sing to the Lord new songs because they are so busy with all worldly concerns and pleasing themselves.
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ADORATION: Sing a new song to the Holy, Eternal King Jesus. He is worthy! He is Mighty!
CONFESSION: Forgive me whenever I am not enthusiastically singing or rejoicing about your goodness, your omniscience and omnipotence.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you Lord that you gave us music to express our rejoicing for your glory.
SUPPLICATION: May all of God’s people exult him in songs of praises and hymns about his goodness and miracles.
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REFLECTION
• Why do you think God wants us to sing new songs to him? What should our songs be about?
HOW SHALL WE SING THE LORD’S SONG Poem Devotional,
February 14
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HOW SHALL WE SING THE LORD’S SONG?
By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept,
When we remembered Zion. 2 On the willow there we hung up our lyres.
3 For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth,
Saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
4 How shall we sing the LORD’s song in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill!
6 Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth,
If I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy!
7 Remember, O LORD, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem,
How they said, “Lay it bare, lay it bare, down to its foundations!”
8 O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed,
Blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have done to us!
9 Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!
– Psalm 137:1-9
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This community lament remembers the Babylonian captivity. The Israelites remember how they were asked to sing songs by their captors. It was difficult for them to do so as they would rather do so when they are in their own land. It is a prayer of plea to the Lord not to let them forget Jerusalem and to deliver them from the cruelty of the Edomites. This psalm requests the Lord to bring them justice and payment for the abuses and wickedness that the Babylonians did to them. Because they are sure that the Lord is a God of Justice, they look forward to that day that their enemies will be punished for their evil deeds to them.
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ADORATION: You are a just and fair God. Praise you for delivering us from evil.
CONFESSION: Forgive me when I fail to be intimate with you and rely on you.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for delivering me from wickedness and injustice.
SUPPLICATION: May evil be defeated by righteousness and your unfailing love.
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REFLECTION
• How can the Israelites pray with such boldness and trust for justice to be done to them? What is required to have such boldness to pray to God?
LET US GO TO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD Poem Devotional
February 13
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LET US GO TO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD
I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD!”
2 Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem!
3 Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together,
4 To which the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD,
As was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
5 There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! “May they be secure who love you!
7 Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!”
8 For my brothers and companions’ sake I will say, “Peace be within you!”
9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God I will seek your good. – Psalm 122:1-9
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This psalm is one of the 15 Songs of Ascents, sung by worshipers who were on their way up to the temple. It shows the joy of being God’s chosen city, Jerusalem and being in the house of the Lord to worship. The Songs of Ascents include Psalms 120-134.
The song begins with an invitation to all the pilgrims to set on a journey to go to the house of the Lord. The style of writing which the psalmist wrote this song is personification, giving human attributes to Jerusalem. The pilgrims were alluding to the way the city was built firmly and how it was designed to seat the thrones of the house of David in verses 3-5. Then the pilgrims say a prayer of peace and security for the whole place. It stresses in the last verse that because of the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, the people will seek to do what is right. We see how special the temple is to be located in their city.
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ADORATION: Praise to your faithfulness O, Lord! You built your temple amongst your holy people. You are generous and loving. We rejoice for your provision.
CONFESSION: Forgive me when I defile the temple of the Lord with my sinful nature.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for living inside me when I accepted you as my Savior.
SUPPLICATION: May all believers remember to keep their hearts, mind, body and spirit pure as it is the temple of the Lord. May they be united with other believers in worship.
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REFLECTION
• How is keeping oneself holy and being united with other Christians a form of worshiping the Lord? Why is it important to go to the body of Christ?
WHO IS LIKE THE LORD OUR GOD? Poem Devotional
February 12
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WHO IS LIKE THE LORD OUR GOD?
Praise the LORD! Praise, O servants of the LORD,
Praise the name of the LORD! 2 Blessed be the name of the LORD.
From this time forth and forevermore!
3 From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised!
4 The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens!
5 Who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high,
6 Who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?
7 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
8 To make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people.
9 He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children.
Praise the LORD! – Psalm 113:1-9
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According to the ESV Bible Study footnotes this short hymn of praise celebrates the way in which the great God who rules over all takes notice of the lowly. Such a God is indeed worthy to be praised by all mankind. Psalms 113-118 have been used in connection with Passover. These psalms likely provided the hymn that Jesus and his disciples sang after the Passover meal (Matt 26:30).
This hymn elevates a God who sees all especially even the poor and the lowly (verse 7). It is amazing to remember that he is a God of Justice (verse 7-9) who brings equality to those who are poor and deprived. God’s people must never forget this one and only God who loves all his creation. We must revel and worship this God who is faithful, just and loving.
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ADORATION: You are one of a kind. We praise you Lord of all creation, full of love and mercy. You are just and fair to all of mankind. You are holy and righteous.
CONFESSION: Forgive me when I fail to be fair to others especially when I forget those who are in need and hurting.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for your unwavering and unfailing love and mercy to undeserving people like us.
SUPPLICATION: May all the earth give glory to God who is one of a kind and full of mercy.
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REFLECTION
• How can believers maintain a posture of worship to the one true God daily?
THE LORD OUR GOD IS HOLY Poem Devotional
February 11
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THE LORD OUR GOD IS HOLY
The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble!
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
2 The LORD is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name! Holy is he!
4 The King in his might loves justice. You have established equity
You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Exalt the LORD our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he!
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
Samuel also was among those who called upon his name.
They called to the LORD, and he answered them.
7 In the pillar of the cloud he spoke to them;
They kept his testimonies and the statute that he gave them.
8 O LORD our God, you answered them;
You were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings.
9 Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy mountain; For the LORD our God is holy!
– Psalm 99:1-9
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This psalm revels at God’s holiness and sovereignty over his people. All his people give glory to a king who loves justice and righteousness. The hymn mentions those whom God chose to lead his people to righteousness and obedience so him such as Jacob, Moses, Aaron and Samuel. These people were testimonies of God’s forgiveness, power and faithfulness. This psalm calls for all of God’s people to worship him for the Lord our God is holy.
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ADORATION: Praise be to you O Lord for you are holy, just and sovereign over all things.
CONFESSION: Grant me forgiveness when I forget to look up and revel at your holiness.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for all your faithful provision, mercy, grace and love.
SUPPLICATION: May all people worship you with the way they live, and with their mouths.
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REFLECTION
• Why is it essential for a Christian to revel at God’s holiness?
• What happens when we forget the righteousness of God?
MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE TO THE LORD Poem Devotional
February 10
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MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE TO THE LORD
Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.
2 The LORD has made known his salvation;
He has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
4 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth;
Break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
5 Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody!
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn
Make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD!
7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it!
8 Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together
9 Before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity. – Psalm 98:1-9
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This psalm is a celebration of God’s marvelous deeds for his people. This psalm reminds me of New Year’s celebration in my country of origin, the Philippines. Filipinos celebrate the coming of the year with a big bang, loud firecrackers and fireworks that probably lasts for a minimum of an hour and a maximum of four hours. Why can’t we do that for God who made all things? This psalm shouts and gives praises to the Lord who granted deliverance for the house of Israel. It also tells the whole world that God can do the same for all nations and it invites all people to praise the Lord.
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ADORATION: Shout and make noises to rejoice because the Lord is good. Praise him forever! He delivers his people from all evil and brings peace and joy to all mankind.
CONFESSION: Forgive me Lord when I am not expressing gratitude that declares your love.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for being faithful and a promise keeper.
SUPPLICATION: May all people declare and shout out loud their praises to the Lord.
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REFLECTION
• Why is rejoicing and making noises to the Lord something all Christians must do?
THE STEADFAST LOVE OF GOD ENDURES Poem Devotional
February 9
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THE STEADFAST LOVE OF GOD ENDURES
Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?
The steadfast love of God endures all the day.
2 Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit.
3 You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking what is right.
4 You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.
5 But God will break you down forever; he will snatch and tear you from your tent;
He will uproot you from the land of the living.
6 The righteous shall see and fear, and shall laugh at him, saying,
7 “See the man who would not make God his refuge,
But trusted in the abundance of his riches
And sought refuge in his own destruction!”
8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.
9 I will thank you forever, because you have done it.
I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly. – Psalm 52:1-9
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This psalm is one of the contemplative poems of David. He wrote this as he was fleeing from Saul who wanted him killed (1 Sam 21 and 22). David tried to seek help from the priest Ahimelech and when Saul heard about the help he got from the priest, his whole family and the other priests, 85 of them were all killed. It was Saul’s chief Doeg, who executed the whole priestly clan. It is amazing to see David trust the Lord despite the knowledge of the evil things that Saul and Doeg have done. He still relied in the Lord. He knows that God is steadfast in his love and that he will deliver him from all wickedness.
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ADORATION: Praise the Lord for his steadfast love that endures forever.
CONFESSION: Forgive me when I don’t totally trust in your unwavering love, O Lord.
THANKSGIVING: I am grateful for the stability I am given because of your faithfulness.
SUPPLICATION: May all believers recognize and realize that without your relentless love, we are nothing. May their faith grow and may they only rely on your steadfast love.
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REFLECTION
• How can David still be full of hope despite the wickedness of his enemies?