June 7
________________________________________
PSALM 20 TRUST IN THE NAME OF THE LORD OUR GOD
May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!
May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion!
3 May he remember all your offerings and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah
4 May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans!
5 May we shout for joy over your salvation,
and in the name of our God set up our banners!
May the LORD fulfill all your petitions!
6 Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with the saving might of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
8 They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.
9 O LORD, save the king! May he answer us when we call. – Psalm 20:1-9
________________________________________
WHEN WE TRUST IN THE LORD by ILMA
When we trust in the name of the Lord our God, we are strong
The Lord is our strength; only in Him can we have freedom and joy
When we trust in the Lord, he fulfills our needs and grants us wisdom
He is our source of peace and comfort as we go through all life’s seasons.
When we trust in ourselves and not on the Creator of all things
We fall apart and become weak; we easily get tempted to sin
When we trust in others and not on the mighty Name of the Lord
We open doors to be attacked by Satan who is the prince of this world.
When we think we can protect ourselves from the forces that bring us down
We are lying to ourselves because only God has power to defeat Satan
Let us surrender to the one true God who made the world and heaven
Let us trust in Him alone and never succumb to our human desires or cravings.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• Why is it easy to trust ourselves or others and not totally depend on God?
Monthly Archives: June 2022
PSALM 89 GOD’S WRATH AGAINST HIS ANOINTED
June 5
________________________________________
PSALM 89 GOD’S WRATH AGAINST HIS ANOINTED
38 But now you have cast off and rejected;
you are full of wrath against your anointed.
39 You have renounced the covenant with your servant;
you have defiled his crown in the dust.
40 You have breached all his walls;
you have laid his strongholds in ruins.
41 All who pass by plunder him;
he has become the scorn of his neighbors.
42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes;
you have made all his enemies rejoice.
43 You have also turned back the edge of his sword,
and you have not made him stand in battle.
44 You have made his splendor to cease
and cast his throne to the ground.
45 You have cut short the days of his youth;
you have covered him with shame. Selah– Psalm 89:38-45
________________________________________
WHEN GOD’S WRATH MANIFESTS IN YOUR LIFE by ILMA
When you continue to follow your flesh and disobey the Lord
Do not be surprised when you slowly witness God’s wrath
As you proceed with your sinful ways with much recklessness
Watch out! You will get more confused and wallow in darkness.
The Lord made a covenant with his people and faithfully fulfill it
In turn, he expects much loyalty and obedience to the Holy Spirit
As soon as you allow your hearts to be lawless and hardened
Expect the consequences of such disobedience to manifest.
Abide in the Lord, live to please him alone and follow his path
This is the only way you can stand strong and not be swayed
Keep away from evil and you will never experience God’s wrath
Pursue peace, get close to the Lord and you will experience joy.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• Why is God who is love also a God of wrath?
PSALM 89 HIS OFFSPRING SHALL ENDURE FOREVER
June 4
________________________________________
PSALM 89 HIS OFFSPRING SHALL ENDURE FOREVER
28 My steadfast love I will keep for him forever,
and my covenant will stand firm for him.
29 I will establish his offspring forever
and his throne as the days of the heavens.
30 If his children forsake my law
and do not walk according to my rules,
31 if they violate my statutes
and do not keep my commandments,
32 then I will punish their transgression with the rod
and their iniquity with stripes,
33 but I will not remove from him my steadfast love
or be false to my faithfulness.
34 I will not violate my covenant
or alter the word that went forth from my lips.
35 Once for all I have sworn by my holiness;
I will not lie to David.
36 His offspring shall endure forever,
his throne as long as the sun before me.
37 Like the moon it shall be established forever,
a faithful witness in the skies.” Selah – Psalm 89:28-37
________________________________________
THE PROMISE KEEPER by ILMA
God’s steadfast love is constant and unchanging
Though his children are disobedient and unrelenting
He never violates his covenant or changes his promises
The Lord is faithful to fulfill his covenant vow to his people
Humans are fickle but the Lord is always constant and faithful
Never lose your trust and dependence on a God who is so reliable
He sees all things and how fallen we all are yet he never gives up on us
The Lord preserves, protects and delivers his people into life and freedom.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• How can we become more like God in keeping our promises?
• What does it do to someone if promises are broken by someone to them?
PSALM 89 THE HIGHEST OF ALL KINGS
June 3
________________________________________
PSALM 89 THE HIGHEST OF ALL KINGS
19 Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one, and said:
“I have granted help to one who is mighty;
I have exalted one chosen from the people.
20 I have found David, my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him,
21 so that my hand shall be established with him;
my arm also shall strengthen him.
22 The enemy shall not outwit him; the wicked shall not humble him.
23 I will crush his foes before him and strike down those who hate him.
24 My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him,
and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
25 I will set his hand on the sea and his right hand on the rivers.
26 He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’
27 And I will make him the firstborn,
the highest of the kings of the earth. – Psalm 89:19-27
________________________________________
STAND ON GOD’S PROMISES by ILMA
When things are rough, there is one thing to do
Look up to the promises of our dearest Creator
He has assured help to all those who are faithful
The Lord has chosen Christ to come from his own people
Our heavenly Father has established his kingdom through David
The king was given anointing and strength to crush the enemy.
So much blessings were granted to all those whom he has chosen
God’s steadfast love and faithfulness manifests in all his servants
The Lord promised protection and victory against the enemy
There is nothing to fear when evil plots seem overwhelming
He will crush the foes and strike down all those who harm them
The Lord is the rock of our salvation, He has total control and power.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• Why is it important for God’s people to always look up and stand on all the promises He gave to us?
PSALM 89 THE CREATOR AND OWNER OF ALL THINGS
June 2
________________________________________
PSALM 89 THE CREATOR AND OWNER OF ALL THINGS
8 O LORD God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O LORD,
with your faithfulness all around you?
9 You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.
10 You crushed Rahab like a carcass;
you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
11 The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours;
the world and all that is in it, you have founded them.
12 The north and the south, you have created them;
Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.
13 You have a mighty arm; strong is your hand, high your right hand.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
15 Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,
who walk, O LORD, in the light of your face,
16 who exult in your name all the day and in your righteousness are exalted.
17 For you are the glory of their strength; by your favor our horn is exalted.
18 For our shield belongs to the LORD, our king to the Holy One of Israel.
– Psalm 89:8-18
________________________________________
EXALT THE LORD AND BE EXULTED IN HIM by ILMA
O Lord, I bring you all the praise and glory; You are worthy
You created all things for the purpose of giving you glory
Your commands are based on justice and righteousness
Help us to choose and walk towards the path to uprightness.
Blessed is the Lord who lights the lives of his chosen ones
Exalt the Lord so you can be exulted and share your joy
The Lord is your strength and your shield, your true vindicator
Praise and worship him; He alone is your source and Redeemer.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• How can exalting the Lord make you exulted?
• How is praising God the way to eternal life?
• What happens when we praise ourselves instead of God?
PSALM 89 A GOD GREATLY TO BE FEARED
June 1
________________________________________
PSALM 89 A GOD GREATLY TO BE FEARED
I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever;
with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.
2 For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever;
in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.”
3 You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
I have sworn to David my servant:
4 ‘I will establish your offspring forever,
and build your throne for all generations.’” Selah
5 Let the heavens praise your wonders, O LORD,
your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!
6 For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD?
Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD,
7 a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones,
and awesome above all who are around him? -Psalm 89:1-7
________________________________________
AN INCOMPARABLE GOD WORTHY OF PRAISE by ILMA
Who else can compare with a God whose steadfast love endures forever?
Who among the heavenly beings can even come close to a God who is majestic?
Let all people give praise to an incomparable God who made all things
Let the whole creation bow down to Him who has the sole sovereignty
Praise and give glory to the one who established a covenant with David
The Lord promised an offspring from his lineage to rescue God’s people
Let us sing and shout out joyfully for he has been faithful to his promise
Lift up your hands and sing a song to declare his goodness and majesty.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• What can you observe from these beginning verses of the psalm written by Ethan the Ezrahite?
• Why was this considered a community lament? What where they weeping about in this song?
PSALM 88 O LORD, WHY DO YOU CAST MY SOUL AWAY?
May 31
________________________________________
PSALM 88 O LORD, WHY DO YOU CAST MY SOUL AWAY?
13 But I, O LORD, cry to you;
in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14 O LORD, why do you cast my soul away?
Why do you hide your face from me?
15 Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,
I suffer your terrors; I am helpless.
16 Your wrath has swept over me;
your dreadful assaults destroy me.
17 They surround me like a flood all day long;
they close in on me together.
18 You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me;
my companions have become darkness.– Psalm 88:13-18
________________________________________WHEN DARKNESS SURROUND ME by ILMA
When darkness surrounds me, I feel your absence
Why have you hidden your face from me; I feel helpless
O Lord, I cry out to you as I suffer these terror
Why have you allowed me to be swept over?
Fear envelopes my whole being when I don’t have your presence
I plead you to deliver me from all these betrayals from my friends
I trusted these people, shared all my gifts and formed bonds with them
But the wicked have used my generosity use it to supply their needs.
When darkness surrounds me, I feel restrained and fearful
Hold my hand so I can follow you to the path for the faithful
Why have you abandoned me Lord, come to my rescue
Bring back that Holy Presence so I can have my mind renewed.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• Why is it so easy to wallow in our feelings? How can we combat this fleshly desire to cater to it?
PSALM 88 ARE YOUR WONDERS KNOWN IN DARKNESS?
May 30
________________________________________
PSALM 88 ARE YOUR WONDERS KNOWN IN DARKNESS?
8 You have caused my companions to shun me;
you have made me a horror to them.
I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
9 my eye grows dim through sorrow.
Every day I call upon you, O LORD;
I spread out my hands to you.
10 Do you work wonders for the dead?
Do the departed rise up to praise you? Selah
11 Is your steadfast love declared in the grave,
or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12 Are your wonders known in the darkness,
or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? – Psalm 88:8-12
________________________________________
MY EYES GROW DIM THROUGH SORROW by ILMA
My Lord, I cry out to you as I am in this chasm of darkness
You have allowed my closest friends to continue their wickedness
I feel so isolated and trapped in this silence that you give me
My eyes grow dim through the pain, sorrow and adversity
How long will you let me suffer Lord, have I not been faithful?
Lord, I call on you daily and yet they continue all their ridicules
Have mercy on me and let me feel your presence again
Show the enemy that their tactics are all in vain
I will not survive this world if your presence is ambiguous
Give me strength to continue to overcome this darkness
Lead me to a place where your assurance of your love is present
Deliver me out of this pit where I cannot experience your presence.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• Why does the psalmist sound so desperate and depressed in this individual lament?
• What was the cause of the psalmist’s grief when he wrote this psalm?
• Why is it important not to dwell on our feelings as this psalm illustrates?