WE SHOULD PRAISE THE LORD GOD EVERY DAY

Proclamation:

“I will exalt You, my God The King; I will praise Your name for ever and ever.  Every day I will praise You and extol Your name for ever and ever.”  Psalm 145:1-2 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  This psalm is a psalm of praise, one of the “Hallelujah” psalms.  It is also acrostic, meaning that each verse begins with one of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, only the letter “nun” is missing.  The reason for that omission is still being debated by Bible scholars.  David begins by saying that he will lift up and praise the name of The Lord God every day. (Psalm 145:1-2)  Then he states that each generation of believers will tell the next generation of His great works, His mighty acts, and His goodness. (Psalm 145:3-7)  After that he proceeds to glorify God’s kingdom and recounts some of the reasons that The Lord God is worthy of all this praise. (Psalm 145:8-20)

Application:

As believers we are to praise The Lord God for who he is and not just for what He has done or can do for us.  We should also praise Him every day of the week and not just on Sunday when we go to church to worship.  We should not forget to praise the redemptive work of Jesus, The Christ, on Calvary, which He did for our salvation.  Nothing that we do is more important than our prayer, praise, and worship.  Maybe we should read one of the Hallelujah psalms each day. (Psalms 112 to 118 and 145 to 150)  Maybe this would help us in our praise without petitions.  We should not approach The Lord God only when we want something from Him.  Some of the time we ought to just praise Him and say thank you.

WHAT IS MAN THAT THE LORD GOD EVEN THINKS ABOUT HIM

Proclamation:

“Lord, what are human beings that You care for them, mere mortals that You think of them?  They are like a breath; their days are like a fleeting shadow.”  Psalm 144:3-4 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  This psalm begins by praising The Lord God. (Psalm 144:1-2)  Then David asks a rhetorical question, what is man that God cares about him or even thinks about him?  He knows that man is insignificant in comparison to an all-powerful, all-knowing God, who is everywhere all at the same time, who is eternal, and who spoke and created something out of nothing.  Man is like a vapor or a fleeting shadow, insignificant and short lasting. (Psalm 144:4)  David again prays and asks that The Lord God would deliver him and the children of Israel for the hands of foreigners. (Psalm 144:11)  Once that happens, he knows that they will be blessed. (Psalm 144:12-15)

Application:

When we consider all of the things which The Lord God has created, including the vastness of the universe, the planets, the earth and all of the things therein, man is insignificant.  We may be larger than some plants and animals, but we are much smaller than some of them, not to mention the mountains and seas.  We are blessed that The Lord God gives any thought to us.  We ought to be thankful and grateful for all that He has done for us out of His grace and mercy.   We are blessed because He is our God. (Psalm 144:15)

I LIFT UP MY HANDS IN TOTAL PRAISE

Proclamation:

“I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all Your works and consider what Your hands have done.  I spread out my hands to You; I thirst for You like a parched land.”  Psalm 143:5-6 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  This psalm is another prayer by David to The Lord God for urgent help.  He asks for mercy and he appeals to God’s faithfulness and righteousness.  He asked not to be judged. (Psalm 143:1-2)  He reflects on the things that The Lord God has done in the past and he asks for His help. (Psalm 143:5-9)

Application:

The Lord God has done so many great things in this world, no one can count them all.  We cannot even remember all of the marvelous and wonderful things that He has worked out in our lives.  But when we think about the things He has done for us, those which we can remember, we ought to throw up our hands in praise and thank Him.  When we think of the sinful things that we have done, we are so undeserving.  However, if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)  If we truly thirst for Him, we will satisfied.  “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6)  “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. (Matthew 7:7)  Praise His holy and righteous name.

POUR OUT ALL OF YOUR CONCERN TO THE LORD GOD

Proclamation:

“I cry aloud to The Lord; I lift up my voice to The Lord for mercy.  I pour out before Him my complaint; before Him I tell my trouble.  When my spirit grows faint within me, it is You who watch over my way. …”  Psalm 142:1-3 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  This psalm is a prayer he uttered when he was in the cave hiding from King Saul.  David poured out all of his concerns to The Lord and asked Him to have mercy upon him.   

Application:

No problem is too big or too small to take to The Lord God in prayer.  We should pray about all things. (Matthew 21:22)  The sincere prayer of righteous will be answered. (James 5:16)  If we are worried about something or desirous of something which is not in God’s will, then we need to pray that He will reveal to us His will and help us to align our will with His will. (Ephesians 5:17)

DO NOT LET MY HEART BE DRAWN TO EVIL

Proclamation:

“Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.  Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil so that I take part in wicked deeds along with those who are evildoers; do not let me eat their delicacies.”  Psalm 141:3-4 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  This psalm, like Psalm 140, is a prayer asking for The Lord God’s protection from evil doers.  He wants God to keep his words, thoughts, and deeds away from any evil thing, and let him not drawn into their sinful ways.  To keep him safe from the traps which have been set for him. (Psalm 141:9-10)  To keep his eyes fixed upon The Lord and to trust in Him. (Psalm 141:8) 

Application:

That which comes out of the mouth of man is what defiles him. (Matthew 15:11)  For out of the mouth come the issues of the heart. (Matthew 15:18 and Luke 6:45)  When we pray for The Lord God to help us control the things which we think and say, we should also ask Him to clean up our heart because that is the source of our thoughts and our words. (Psalm 51:10)  That way when He opens our mouth, we will speak words of praise to Him and about Him. (Psalm 51:15)  We want Him to keep our heart clean because out of the heart come the issues of life. (Proverbs 4:23) We want Him to direct our paths and order our steps so that we are not drawn into evil or sin. (Psalm 37:23) 

KEEP ME SAFE FROM THE HANDS OF THE WICKED

Proclamation:

“Keep me safe, Lord, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from the violent, who devise ways to trip my feet.”  Psalm 140:4 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  This psalm is a prayer which was sung asking for The Lord God’s protection from evil doers, violent people, and the wicked.  Protection from the people which the devil uses to trip us up, get us off track, and get our minds off of The Lord God and onto something sinful or onto our situation. (Psalm 140:1-4)  This prayer asks for The Lord God to have mercy and be our strong deliverer. (Psalm 140:6-7)  This prayer also asks that He not let the wicked succeed, that their plans would back-fire on them, and that burning coals would fall upon them and that disaster would befall them. (Psalm 11:6 and 140:8-11)

Application:

This is a prayer for deliverance from evil people and situations.  Unfortunately, there a many people in this world that would enjoy seeing a righteous person fall, suffer, and sin.  Some not only enjoy watching it but they will gladly participate in it.  Everyone who smiles in your face is not your friend.  Be very careful of the advice that you get from your “friends”.  We should pray over every decision that we have to make, and we should be sure to ask The Lord God to protect us from those who mean us no good but mean to harm us.  We should also pray for this same protection for our family and friends.  Do not get caught up in revenge, pray for deliverance.

THE LORD GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT US

Proclamation:

“I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place …Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.”  Psalm 139:14-16 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  This psalm presents the omniscience of God.  David made it personal but the same applies to each and every one of us.  The Lord God knows his thoughts, his actions, his going out and his coming in. (Psalm 139:1-3)  He knows every word that David was going to speak before he spoke it. (Psalm 139:4)  The Lord God is all around him and there is no place that he can go where God is not already there. (Psalm 139:5-12)  The Lord God created him, formed him in his mother’s womb, and knew every part of him before he existed. (Psalm 139:13-16)

Application:

The Lord God is omniscient.  He knows everything that there is to know about each one of us, and He knew it before any of us ever existed.  He created us from the union of our mother and father, and guided our formation in our mother’s womb.  He knew our thoughts before we had them, our words before we spoke them, and our actions before we committed them.  He knows all, He is all powerful, and He is everywhere all at the same time.  He is worthy of our praise and worship.

PRAISE THE LORD GOD WITH ALL OF YOUR HEART

Proclamation:

“I will praise You, Lord, with all my heart … I will sing Your praise.  I will bow down … and will praise Your name for Your unfailing love and Your faithfulness …”  Psalm 138:1-2 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  This is a psalm of praise which includes a bit of prophesy.  One day, all of the kings on earth will praise The Lord. (Psalm 138:4-5)  Here David is offering wholehearted praise to The Lord God because He answered his prayer. (Psalm 138:1-3)  The Lord God preserved him from his foes and vindicated him. (Psalm 138:7-8)

Application:

Most believers praise and worship The Lord God regularly.  We need to check ourselves and make sure that we are not just giving Him lip service and going through the motion habitually.  We need to sincerely offer prayer, praise and worship with our whole heart.  Our efforts need to be fervent. (James 5:16)  We should worship Him in spirit and in truth with the complete focus of our mind, heart, and soul on Him. (John 4:24 and Matthew 22:37)  Nothing in our life, including the little “gods” that we worship, should be more important to us than The Lord God.  He should be our first and most important priority.  “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)

MAY I SUFFER IF I FORGET YOU OR IF I DO NOT REMEMBER YOU

Proclamation:

“If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill.  May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.”  Psalm 137:5-6 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David to echo the words of the saints who were carried off in captivity into Babylon.  As they sat by the rivers of Babylon and as they wept, they remembered Jerusalem. (Psalm 137:1)  In their despondent situation, they were forced by their captors to sing. (Psalm 137:3-4)  They knew that they would never forget their holy city and the prayed that they would suffer greatly if they ever did not remember. (Psalm 137:5-7)

Application:

A lot of good things and bad things happen to us over the course of our lives, but there are some things which happen that are truly unforgettable.  Sometimes The Lord God allows us to go through a critical experience in order to bless us.  The experience is one of those unforgettable moments in our lives, however, we should not forget The Lord God who blessed us and brought us to and through that moment.  Some experiences will put a smile on our face, a song in our mouth, and joy in our heart.  Unfortunately, all too often we tend to focus on the experience and not on The Lord God who brought us through it.  Let us always remember, and never forget, that the hand of The Lord God is involved in every aspect of our lives. (Proverbs 3:6)  It is in Him that we live, move, and have our very being. (Acts 17:28)

GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD AND PRAISE HIM

Proclamation:

“To Him who alone does great wonders … who by His understanding made the heavens … who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever.”   Psalm 136:4-6 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God and given to the Levites to sing every day. (1 Chronicles 16:40-42)  The song was designed to show every kind of blessing which The Lord God had given them.  It begins with the work of creation (Psalm 136:5-9) and ends with the provision of food for every creature. (Psalm 136:25)  Each of the twenty-six verses in this psalm ends with the phrase, “…His love endures forever.”

Application:

As the children of Israel were reminded to remember all of the blessings that The Lord God had bestowed upon them, we need to remember all of our blessings.  We need to thank and praise The Lord God for all that He has done for us, for all that He has brought us through, for all that He has kept us from, and for all that He has provided for us.  His love and mercy endures forever.  We take so much for granted, let us not be ungrateful.

THE LORD GOD DOES WHATEVER HE PLEASES

Proclamation:

“The Lord does whatever pleases Him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths.  He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from His storehouses.”  Psalm 135:6-7 (NIV)

Explanation:

This psalm was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by an unknown human author.  It is thought to have been written by King David because the beginning is similar to Psalm 134, and it begins and ends with “hallelujah” like Psalm 113.  This is another one of the hallelujah psalms, a song of praise.  After exhorting the saints to praise The Lord and presenting the justification for doing so, (Psalm 135:3-5) the psalmist presents the awesomeness of God. And His power. (Psalm 135:6-7)  He follows this with several examples of things which The Lord God did. (Psalm 135:8-12)  Then he repeats the description of the idol gods and the people who worship them. (Psalm 115:4-11 and 135:15-18)  He ends the psalm by encouraging the people of God to praise The Lord. (Psalm 135:19-21)

Application:

Believers are encouraged to praise The Lord for He is good and He is great. (Psalm 135:3 and 5)  It is He who controls the weather and not Mother Nature. (Psalm 135:6-7)  Do not give credit which belongs to Him to anyone or anything.  This world is His, He made it. (Genesis 1:1)  We should not put anything ahead of God.  Nothing should be more important to us than The Lord God.  Most of us spend more time watching television than we do praising The Lord.  He is all powerful and deserves our praise and worship.

PRAISE THE LORD AND LIFT YOUR HANDS IN THE SANCTUARY

Proclamation:

“Praise The Lord, all you servants of The Lord … Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise The Lord.  May The Lord bless you …”  Psalm 134:1-3 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  This is the final song of ascent.  It is the song that the children of Israel sang after their journey when they had arrived in the sanctuary.  All of God’s people are to give Him praise and to serve Him.  The preachers, the deacons, and the saints each have a different role in serving The Lord during and outside of the worship services.   

Application:

Where we come from and what we have come through differs, but it is not important because once we have arrived in the sanctuary praising The Lord is our focus.  All believers are servants of The Lord, some just do a little bit more than others.  But this is not a competition, this is about our individual effort to please The Lord.  All of God’s people are not preachers, but as servants of The Lord we all can minister to and help someone.  We all may not sing in the choir, and when we sing we may sing off key, but we can all shout praises to The Lord.  We may not clap on time with the beat, and we may not dance like David, but we can all raise our hands in the sanctuary and give Him praise.  The Lord God knows if our effort to give Him praise is sincere and He will bless us for it.  May The Lord God bless each one of you.

IT IS GOOD WHEN GOD'S PEOPLE ARE TOGETHER IN UNITY

Proclamation:

“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!”  Psalm 133:1 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  This psalm of ascent is called “A Psalm of Brotherhood.”  It expresses the joy of God’s people when they fellowship together.  This is the second short, three-verse psalm, the other being Psalm 131.  That psalm dealt with child-like faith.  This psalm deals with brotherly-fellowship.  The next psalm, Psalm 134, is also a short, three-verse psalm, but it is the final song of ascent, the song of arrival and praise.  However, this psalm is about joyful experience of celebrating and worshiping with like-minded people whose company one truly enjoys.

Application:

This psalm is about the excellency of brotherly love and how good it is.  It is enjoyable to spend time in peaceful fellowship with people who share the same beliefs, be they family, friends, or saints.  Although today, it is difficult to imagine a large group of people living together in peace, all on one accord, with unity of thought and purpose, that being to praise The Lord God.  We come together with that purpose when we attend our worship services on Sunday mornings for a couple of hours, however, we do not live our daily lives in unity with one another.  Given that, this psalm may also be a prophecy of things to come.  God’s blessings will descend down upon His people who live peaceable in unity like the dew falls on Mount Zion. (Psalm 133:3)

MAY ALL OF THE MEN OF GOD BE CLOTHED IN RIGHTEOUSNESS

Proclamation:

“May Your priests be clothed with Your righteousness; may Your faithful people sing for joy.”  Psalm 132:9 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  The name of the human author of this psalm of ascent is unknown.  Some Bible scholars attribute it to King David while others say that it was written about David by someone else.  The psalmist begins by asking The Lord God to remember David, the oath he made, (Psalm 132:1-5) and the oath which The Lord made to David. (Psalm 132:11-12)  He prayed for the men of God and the people of God. (Psalm 132:9)  He then presents statements that The Lord God has chosen Zion for Himself.  He will bless the people of Zion and her priests. (Psalm 132:15-16) 

Application:

All men of God, regardless of the title by which they are called be it priest, pastor, preacher, minister, bishop, reverend, or whatever, they should be holy, clothed in righteousness.  They should be filled with The Holy Spirit and full of the grace of God.  One should be able to see the fruit of The Holy Spirit in their lives and their behavior.  However, preachers are human, they are not perfect and the all need prayer.  All of the saints, the people of God, should shout for joy.  They should make a joyful noise and praise The Lord.  Neither the priests nor the people are required to be perfect, but they should believe, read, and follow The Word of God.  Both should loudly proclaim to the world that they belong to The Lord God and both should pray for each other.  Pray for your pastor, and for every preacher you know, in addition to praying for every child of God.

BE NOT PROUD HAUGHTY OR CONCERNED WITH WORLDLY MATTERS

Proclamation:

“My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.”  Psalm 131:1 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm of ascent were written by David, before he became king, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  David knew that he had already been anointed king but he behaved humbly in King Saul’s court.  He did not concern himself with matters of state or of the church.  He was humble, content with his current station, and not aspiring to anything else. (Psalm 131:2)

Application:

Unfortunately, most of us are not content with our current station in life.  We are not content with that which we already have or have achieved.  We are ambitious and we want something better, loftier, newer, more luxurious, or more influential.  If we came into a large sum of money, most of us would change our standard of living instead of maintaining and enjoying our current status, and sharing more with others.  We need to learn to appreciate who we are and what we have.  We also should not look down upon those who have less than we have.  We have been blessed and we should be thankful for that which we have.  We need to be humble and not haughty, appreciative and not ambitious, pious and not proud, content and not craving.  Like the Apostle Paul learned, we need to learn to be content in whatever state we find ourselves in. (Philippians 4:11)   

PUT YOUR HOPE IN THE LORD GOD AND HIS UNFAILING LOVE

Proclamation:

“Israel, put your hope in The Lord, for with The Lord is unfailing love and with Him is full redemption.  He Himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.”  Psalm 130:7-8 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  The name of the human author of this psalm of ascent is unknown, however, some Bible scholars attribute it to King David.  The psalmist began by stating that when he was deep in distress he cried out unto The Lord. (Psalm 130:1-2)  He knows that The Lord can forgive him and he is waiting on The Lord. (Psalm 130:4-6)  Here, he encourages all of Israel to also put their hope in The Lord and wait on Him. (Psalm 130:7-8)  The Lord God is full of grace and mercy and only He can forgive their sins and redeem them.

Application:                                            

At one time or another, all of us have been deep in trouble, in way over our heads.  We may not have been literally in very deep water as Jonah was, (Jonah 2:1-3) but figuratively we were so deep in trouble that we could not see our way out.   Those are the times when The Lord God made a way out of no way and He carried us through whatever it was.  As we look back over our lives, looking back over “the footprints of time in the sand”, those times when we see only one set of footprints are the times when He was carrying us instead of walking beside us.  Whatever He brings us to, He can bring us through.  We just need to put our faith and trust in Him, ask Him to forgive us and have mercy on us.  Then we need to wait upon Him to answer our prayer and redeem us.

MAY THE BLESSINGS OF THE LORD GOD BE UPON YOU

Proclamation:

“May those who pass by not say to them, ‘The blessing of The Lord be on you; we bless you in the name of The Lord.”  Psalm 129:8 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  The name of the human author of this psalm of ascent is unknown.  The psalmist wants all of the enemies of God’s people be ashamed. (Psalm 129:5)  May they wither away like the short grass which grows on the tops of houses exposed to the scorching of the sun. (Psalm 129:6)  He did not want them to be blessed.  Although they did not say this to everyone that they met, he did not want the people of God who pass them by say to say, “The blessing of The Lord be upon you.”  “Bless you in the name of The Lord.” (Psalm 129:8)

Application:

In times of old, the people of God used to say to each other, “The Lord be with you.”  The reply or response to such a greeting was, “The Lord bless you.” (Ruth 2:4)  This was a way of expressing good wishes, pious congratulations, and a hope of success and prosperity to one another.  The reply was a way of saying thank you and God bless you.  We do not say this to each other today, but maybe we should.  The only time we hear people say ‘Bless you’, outside of the church, is after someone sneezes.  As believers, we should be so wrapped up in The Lord God and His Holy Word that conversations and our greetings to one another should reflect it.  We say a lot of words or phrases in order to sound “hip”, maybe we should say more words or phrases which reflect that we are Christian. (Philippians 1:27 and 1 Peter 1:15)   

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO REVERE AND OBEY THE LORD GOD

Proclamation:

“Blessed are all who fear The Lord, who walk in obedience to Him.  You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessing and prosperity will be yours.”  Psalm 128:1-2 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  The human author of this psalm of ascent is probably the same as the author of the previous psalm, Psalm 127, given the similar focus on the family.  Blessed is the family in which all members fear The Lord God and follow His ways.  The husband will prosper and provide, the wife will be fruitful when she is supported, and the children will honor and follow the lead of their parents. (Psalm 128:1-4)  This is similar to the blessing on the family offered in Psalm 112:1-3.  The psalmist ends this psalm by offering a prayer for the blessings of prosperity and a long life, long enough for one to see their grand-children and to enjoy the delight they give.

Application:

Repeatedly we are told that blessed is the man who walks uprightly and follows The Lord God. (Psalm 1:1, Psalm 15:2, Psalm 101:6, Psalm 128:1, Proverbs 10:9, Proverbs 13:20, Proverbs 14:2, Proverbs 19:1, Proverbs 28:6, and Isaiah 33:15)  It has been said, “Before the fall, paradise was man’s home.  After the fall, the home is man’s paradise.” (Author unknown)  However, the home can be either be a paradise or the exact opposite if The Lord God is not in it. (Proverbs 21:9 and 25:24)  If the reverential fear of The Lord God is not in the home and His Holy Word is not followed there, that home will not be happy or peaceful.  The family is blessed when all members of the family revere and obey The Word of God.  They are blessed with provisions, prosperity, productive partners, and flourishing progeny in addition to a long life.

IF GOD IS NOT IN IT THE OUTCOME IS FAILURE

Proclamation:

“Unless The Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.  Unless The Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.”  Psalm 127:1 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  There is some difference of opinion among the Bible scholars whether this psalm was written by King Solomon or for him by someone else.  The psalmist begins by stating that the work of man is in vain if The Lord God is not in it. (Psalm 127:1-2)  He ends this psalm by stating that children are a blessing from The Lord but states that they must be pointed in the right direction like arrows. (Psalm 127:4 and Proverbs 22:6)  Blessed is the man who has a lot of children. (Psalm 127:3-5)  There are those Bible scholars who believe that The Lord God will build a house and a family by giving them children to strengthen them.  Without God’s blessing, establishing a family will end up in vain.

Application:

In all that we do, we ought to acknowledge God’s hand in it and His help in doing it. (Proverbs 3:6)  Men may stand guard over our country but it is actually The Lord God who protects us.  This psalm suggest three things, the first is, what we may not expect.  Only The Lord God can build the house without laboring. (Psalm 127:1 and 1 Chronicles 17:10)  He can protect the house and the city without a watchman.  Additionally, He can provide food for us without our toiling in the fields. (Psalm 127:2)  The second is, what we may expect.  Any effort or project that we undertake will end up in failure if God is not involved in it.  The third is, what we should not do.  We should not fret, worry, or grieve about any worldly matter.  We should turn all of our concerns with the insignificant issues of daily living over to The Lord God and allow Him to work them out. (Psalm 127:2)  The Lord God creates and constructs for us, He protects us, and He provides for us.

THE LORD GOD HAS DONE GREAT THINGS FOR US

Proclamation:

“The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.”  Psalm 126:3 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God but the name of the human author is unknown.  This is another psalm of ascent, one of the songs which the children of Israel sang as they journeyed towards Jerusalem.  The psalmist begins by describing a dream-like situation of returning to Jerusalem, having their fortunes restored, and the joy that they felt. (Psalm 126:1-2)  They knew that The Lord God had done some great thing for them.  Their tears of woe had turned into songs of joy. (Psalm 126:5-6)

Application:

It is good to know that even in the midst of a bad situation, that deliverance and restoration are possible.  Saints may suffer and shed some tears but The Lord God knows what we are going through and He can wipe away all of our tears. (Psalm 126:5, Isaiah 25:8 and Revelation 7:17)  Weeping may endure for a night but joy is coming in the morning. (Psalm 30:5)  So, let us not be weary in our present situation, because in due season, if we faint not, we shall be restored and reap joy. (Isaiah 40:31 and Psalm 145:15)

THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD GOD SURROUNDS HIS PEOPLE

Proclamation:

“Those who trust in The Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever.  As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so The Lord surrounds His people both now and forevermore.”  Psalm 125:1-2 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God but the name of the human author is unknown.  This is another psalm of ascent, one of the songs which the children of Israel sang as they journeyed towards Jerusalem, which is on several mountains and is surrounded by mountains.  The psalmist begins by addressing the security of the city and God’s people. (Psalm 125:1-2)  Then he addresses the spiritual purity of the city and of God’s people. (Psalm 125:3-5)  Those who walk the crooked path of sin will be separated from God’s people, those who walk the straight and narrow righteous way. (Psalm 125:5 and Matthew 7:13-14)

Application:

The Lord God provides a hedge of protection around His people. (Job 1:10)  The Spirit of The Lord God is within us and His presence is all around us. He protects His people and His church.  We are encompassed by His favor and His loving-kindness.  We are safe in His hands (John 10:28) and under His wings. (Psalm 91:4)  His arms of protection surround us. (Psalm 89:10)  He goes before us and leads us and guides us. (Psalm 31:3)  He is always at our side. (Psalm 118:6)  His goodness and mercy follow behind us. (Psalm 23:6)  He is omnipotent, all powerful, and He is omni-present, always present everywhere all at the same time.  He will never leave us or forsake us.  This should instill confidence within us, and should give non-believers a reason for serving a true and living God.

IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR THE LORD ON OUR SIDE

Proclamation:

“If it had not been for The Lord on our side when people attacked us, they would have swallowed us alive when their anger flared against us; the flood waters would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept us away.”  Psalm 124:2-5 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  This is another song of ascent which the children of Israel sang as they made their way up the hills to Jerusalem to worship.  As the Israelites looked back over their history, it was obvious that The Lord God had moved in their lives and made it possible for them to get to that point.  They survived attacks from their enemies, bondage in captivity, the Red Sea, and the Jordan River, and they were grateful. (Psalm 124:6)

Application:

As we look back over our lives, we know that we did not make it this far on our own.  Believers can see the hand of God at work making a way out of no way to help us make it. (Isaiah 43:19)  We have been attacked, verbally and physically, by people and by the devil, in ways which affected our health, mental and physical, our family and friends, our finances and our circumstances, and The Lord made a way for us to make it through.  We should be thankful and praise The Lord, because if it had not been for The Lord on our side where would we be?