March 13
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MY SOUL WAITS FOR GOD ALONE
For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.
2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.
3 How long will all of you attack a man to batter him,
Like a leaning wall, a tottering fence?
4 They only plan to thrust him down from his high position
They take pleasure in falsehood. They bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse.
5 For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
7 On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.
8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us.9 Those of low estate are but a breath;
Those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up;
They are together lighter than a breath.10 Put no trust in extortion;
Set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them.
11 Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God,
12 And that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love.
For you will render to a man according to his work. – Psalm 62:1-12
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The ESV study bible says that this psalm is one that God’s people sing this psalm for encouragement as they oppressed by powerful, wealthy people. In such a situation, it would be easy to despair, or else to seek security in power and wealth rather than God, but David always faithfully sees the power of God in whatever he is going through. He believes that only God can be his refuge and that he always focuses on God’s steadfast love and waits for his deliverance alone.
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ADORATION: Praise the Lord, who alone is the source of power, strength and help.
CONFESSION: Forgive me Lord when I forget that you are the only one who can help me.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for being the rock that I am anchored in.
SUPPLICATION: May all believers have a faith like David has. He never wavered.
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REFLECTION
• How can we develop a faith that is strong enough to combat any adversity?
Monthly Archives: March 2020
JOY COMES IN THE MORNING ILMA’S VLOG
March 10
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JOY COMES IN THE MORNING
I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up
And have not let my foes rejoice over me.2 O LORD my God, I cried to you for help,
And you have healed me.3 O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;
You restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.
4 Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.
5 For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
6 As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.”
7 By your favor, O LORD, you made my mountain stand strong; you hid your face;
I was dismayed.8 To you, O LORD, I cry, and to the Lord I plead for mercy:
9 “What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness?
10 Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me! O LORD, be my helper!”
11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth
And clothed me with gladness,12 that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever! -Psalm 30: 1-12
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According to the ESV study bible, this psalm was written by David for the temple’s dedication which took place after his death. It was King Solomon, his son who finished the building of the temple. It praises the faithful God who always brings joy in the morning. In Lamentations 3:22-23 it says that God’s mercy never ends and they are fresh and new each morning. No matter what we are going through, joy always comes after. No matter how bleak circumstances are, God generously gives us hope and joy especially when we are faithful to love him.
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ADORATION: I exult you Lord. You are worthy, you are Mighty, you are Lord and Savior.
CONFESSION: Forgive me whenever I resort to being discouraged and hopeless.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for your mercy, always fresh each morning.
SUPPLICATION: May we all find joy in trials for it grows our faith and endurance.
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REFLECTION
• What do you do when you get discouraged with a challenging situation?
I WILL BLESS THE LORD ILMA’S VLOG
March 9
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I WILL BLESS THE LORD
Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity,
And I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
2 Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind
For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness.
4 I do not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites.
5 I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands in innocence and go around your altar, O LORD,
7 Proclaiming thanksgiving aloud, and telling all your wondrous deeds.
8 O LORD, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells.
9 Do not sweep my soul away with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
10 In whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes.
11 But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12 My foot stands on level ground; in the great assembly I will bless the LORD.
– Psalm 26:1-12
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An article on gotquestions.org is about What does it mean to bless God? The Hebrew word translated ‘bless’ or ‘praise’ means literally ‘to kneel’, the implication being to kneel in worship. Therefore, to bless the Lord means to praise Him, exalt Him and worship Him. We offer Him our praise and blessings because He deserves them. Unlike God’s blessings upon us, which are wholly undeserved and by His mercy and grace, our blessing God is done out of an understanding that He is the true praiseworthy Creator and our heavenly Father. God is glorified when we bless and praise and acknowledge Him.
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ADORATION: Praise the Lord of all Nations, lift Him up in exultation.
CONFESSION: Forgive me when I get to be so busy to bless you my Lord and my God.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for being the perfect Father to all your children.
SUPPLICATION: May all of God’s children never forget their purpose in this life: to bring God all the glory, honor and praise.
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REFLECTION
• What are the benefits of blessing the Lord? Why do we need to make a habit of it? What happens when we don’t do it?
LEAD ME IN YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS ILMA’S VLOG
March 8
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LEAD ME IN YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS
Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning
2 Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray.
3 O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice;
In the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.
4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you.
5 The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.
6 You destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
7 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house.
I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you.
8 Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies
Make your way straight before me.9 For there is no truth in their mouth;
Their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave;
They flatter with their tongue.10 Make them bear their guilt, O God;
Let them fall by their own counsels; because of the abundance of their transgressions Cast them out, for they have rebelled against you. – Psalm 5:1-10
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This psalm is an individual lament from David. It is the first psalm that prays for the downfall of one’s enemies. You may wonder how David can ask the Lord to bring downfall to his enemies. Only someone who is so deeply intimate with the Lord will have the honesty and courage to do so. His heart is right because he knows that the Lord hates evil. He knows well how God would react to transgressors and wicked people. He has the confidence that he is one with God’s heart. Do we have such confidence in our relationship with God?
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ADORATION: Blessings to the one who leads us to righteousness, the Lord Jesus Christ!
CONFESSION: Forgive me when I fail to see wickedness for what it is.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for delivering me from evil each day, Lord.
SUPPLICATION: May we grow our intimacy with the Lord and confidently pray to him.
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REFLECTION
• Have you ever prayed confidently for God to bring justice to your enemies or those who oppose your faith?
THE REIGN OF THE LORD’S ANOINTED ILMA’S VLOG
March 7
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THE REIGN OF THE LORD’S ANOINTED
Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together,
Against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us burst their bonds apart
And cast away their cords from us.” 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;
The Lord holds them in derision. 5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
And terrify them in his fury, saying,
6 “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” 7 I will tell of the decree:
The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
And the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron
And dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” 10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
Be warned, O rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
For his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. – Psalm 2:1-12
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This psalm alludes to the promise of God to Abraham. He wanted the Messiah to come from the family of Abraham and David is from that lineage. According to ESV study bible footnote, “kiss the Son” (v12) denotes religious homage which the Davidic king (v2) deserves. The kings must understand that the ruler whom they reject is not just another human ruler but is God’s own appointed king for the whole world. David was the king where Jesus, the true king will come from.
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ADORATION: Praise the Son and the Father, who loves all of mankind. Blessings to them.
CONFESSION: Forgive me when I do not submit to authority and to your will, Lord.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you Jesus for coming down to our crazy sinful world to save us.
SUPPLICATION: May the Lord’s anointed rulers be honored and may all the world recognize that Jesus is the only true king for whom all things were made for.
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REFLECTION
• Why do you think David was anointed by God supernaturally even though he was just an ordinary shepherd boy? What was in him that God loves?
LET US SING SONGS OF PRAISE ILMA’S VLOG
March 6
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LET US SING SONGS OF PRAISE
Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving
Let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! 3 For the LORD is a great God,
And a great King above all gods.4 In his hand are the depths of the earth;
The heights of the mountains are his also. 5 The sea is his, for he made it,
And his hands formed the dry land. 6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! 7 For he is our God,
And we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.
Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
As on the day at Massah in the wilderness, 9 when your fathers put me to the test
And put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
10 For forty years I loathed that generation
And said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart,
And they have not known my ways.” 11 Therefore I swore in my wrath,
“They shall not enter my rest.” – Psalm 95:1-11
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Do you remember when you first experienced joy? When my son was born, I couldn’t stop marveling at the miracle right in my arm. If you are a parent, you know what I am talking about. That rejoicing was something leaping out of my heart to thank the Lord for getting me through almost 8 hours of labor. It was a delight to see that the person I carried inside me is right in my arms. You can’t help but thank a God who brings life. You want to shout out loud and sing songs of praise to him just like this psalm focuses on how we need to focus on his greatness and constantly thank him with songs of praise and worship.
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ADORATION: Praise be to the rock of our salvation, the greatest God and Maker of all.
CONFESSION: Forgive me when I don’t rejoice in all the big or little things you make.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for the gift of life and all the provisions you give us.
SUPPLICATION: May all believers never be lukewarm in praising the Lord and giving him all the laud that is due him.
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REFLECTION
MY SOUL THIRSTS FOR YOU ILMA’S VLOG
March 5
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MY SOUL THIRSTS FOR YOU
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you
My flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.
3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
And my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,6 when I remember you upon my bed,
And meditate on you in the watches of the night; 7 for you have been my help,
And in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
8 My soul clings to you; our right hand upholds me.
9 But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth;
10 They shall be given over to the power of the sword; they shall be a portion for jackals.
11 But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult,
For the mouths of liars will be stopped. – Psalm 63:1-11
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This psalm that David wrote while he was in the wilderness of Judah is full of expectancy and passion for God. It sounds like a lover constantly wooing his beloved. He thirsts so much for the Lord as a dry land would for water (v1). He is looking forward to God’s steadfast love as it is better than life itself. He is waiting for that promise that God will deliver him for the mouth of liars and those who seek to destroy his life. Do we have this unwavering hope and passion for God like David had?
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ADORATION: Praise you Lord for your steadfast love that endures forever.
CONFESSION: Forgive me when I stop looking forward to your promises and get discouraged or let down by trials and sufferings.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for making us in your image; that it is possible to truly love like you do.
SUPPLICATION: May love be always the reason why we do things and relate with others.
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REFLECTION
• How can we thirst for God like David does? What is the most crucial virtue we can have to be able to pursue God’s own heart?
GOD WHO JUDGES THE EARTH ILMA’S VLOG
March 4
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GOD WHO JUDGES THE EARTH
Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?
Do you judge the children of man uprightly? 2 No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;
Your hands deal out violence on earth.3 The wicked are estranged from the womb;
They go astray from birth, speaking lies.4 They have venom like the venom of a serpent,
Like the deaf adder that stops its ear, 5 so that it does not hear the voice of charmers
Or of the cunning enchanter.6 O God, break the teeth in their mouths;
Tear out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD!
7 Let them vanish like water that runs away;
When he aims his arrows, let them be blunted.
8 Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime,
like the stillborn child who never sees the sun.
9 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns,
Whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!
10 The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance;
He will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
Surely there is a God who judges on earth.” – Psalm 58:1-11
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This community lament is sung by God’s people when they are confronted with injustice from their own rulers. When rulers are wicked, they do not honor God. They will be answerable to the Lord for not stewarding the people that God allowed them to rule over.
Since the Israelites know that the Lord will deliver them from all the unfair practices of these people ruling them, they are sure that God will deliver them from such wickedness.
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ADORATION: Praise the Lord who is just and who is our deliverer.
CONFESSION: Forgive me each time I fail to pray for my leaders.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you that you are a sovereign and just God who sees all things.
SUPPLICATION: May all leaders and rulers seek guidance from God as they lead their people and nations.
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REFLECTION
• How have you steward the responsibilities that God has given you?
BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO FEAR THE LORD ILMA’S VLOG
March 3
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BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO FEAR THE LORD
Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
Who greatly delights in his commandments! 2 His offspring will be mighty in the land;
The generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches are in his house,
And his righteousness endures forever. 4 Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;
He is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
5 It is well with the man who deals generously and lends;
Who conducts his affairs with justice.6 For the righteous will never be moved;
He will be remembered forever. 7 He is not afraid of bad news;
His heart is firm, trusting in the LORD. 8 His heart is steady; he will not be afraid,
Until he looks in triumph on his adversaries. 9 He has distributed freely;
He has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever;
His horn is exalted in honor. 10 The wicked man sees it and is angry;
He gnashes his teeth and melts away; the desire of the wicked will perish!
– Psalm 112:1-10
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This psalm is a companion to psalm 111 and focuses on the moral character of the faithful and on the benefits such people bring to themselves and others. In Psalm 111, it praises the great works of the Lord and that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We clearly see the blessings that is bestowed on those who stay righteous and faithful to the Lord. The biggest aftermath of faithful and loyal servants of the Lord is that they will be strong, immovable and persistent. They will have power, blessings, wealth and riches (vv2-3); will never be moved and be remembered forever (v6); he is not fearful but he is strong (vv7-8); just and generous (v9).
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ADORATION: Praise and glory to God’s power and might. Hallelujah to a loving God.
CONFESSION: Forgive me when I tread the path of unrighteousness unknowingly.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for all the blessings and promises you grant us when we stay faithful and loyal to you.
SUPPLICATION: May all believers continue to be loyal, persevering and faithful to God.
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REFLECTION
• Share an experience of strength and stability from Christ in your Christian walk?
DELIGHT IN THE LORD’S WORKS ILMA’S VLOG
March 2
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DELIGHT IN THE LORD’S WORKS
Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart,
In the company of the upright, in the congregation.
2 Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them.
3 Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever.
4 He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered
The LORD is gracious and merciful.5 He provides food for those who fear him;
He remembers his covenant forever.6 He has shown his people the power of his works,
In giving them the inheritance of the nations.
7 The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy;
8 They are established forever and ever,
To be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.9 He sent redemption to his people;
He has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name!
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom
All those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!
– Psalm 111:1-10
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The ESV bible study comments that this is a hymn of praise that celebrates the great works the Lord has done to his people. He has called them to be his own and has cared and protected them. Singing the psalm reminds the people of these deeds and encourages them to respond with a “fear of the Lord” (v10).
Does the great works of the Lord bring us to memory of how mighty and wondrous his deeds are? Doesn’t it make anyone quiver and give reverence to the only true God? As the hymn says, it is in this reverence or fear that we gain wisdom and understanding.
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ADORATION: Praise be to the Lord of all wondrous deeds, who made all things good.
CONFESSION: Forgive me each time, I fail to point to your goodness and power.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for all that you have created to make our life good and right.
SUPPLICATION: May all people fear the Lord so that wisdom will prevail in this corrupt and chaotic world.
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REFLECTION
• How is “fear of the Lord” the beginning of wisdom? Share a testimony on this.