BUT AS FOR ME AFFLICTED AND IN PAIN I WILL PRAISE GOD

Proclamation:

“But as for me, afflicted and in pain, may Your salvation, God, protect me.  I will praise God’s name in song and glorify Him with thanksgiving.”  Psalm 69:29-30 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  David begins this psalm by comparing his situation to a drowning man, up to his neck in water. (Psalm 69:1-2)  He prays to The Lord God to rescue him, to not let him drown or be swallowed up by a pit. (Psalm 69:13-18)  Many Bible scholars believe that this psalm referred to Christ and predicted events documented in The New Testament.  (Psalm 64:4 people hating Him without cause in John 15:25; Psalm 69:9 the zeal for God’s house consuming Him in John 2:17; Psalm 69:21 being given vinegar and gall to drink in Matthew 27:34; Psalm 69:22 let their table be made a snare in Romans 11:9; and Psalm 69:25 about Judas’ house being deserted in Acts 1:16-20)  But even while suffering the psalmist prays and says that he will praise God and give Him thanks.

Application:

Even in the midst of His pain and suffering while He was on the cross, Jesus prayed for us saying, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)  Nothing that we go through is as bad as what He went through and He was still able to pray, and to pray for others.  Nor have we gone through things as bad as King David went through, and even with all of his sins David prayed and praised God and he was a man after God’s own heart. (Acts 13:22)  We need to keep our focus on The Lord God and not on our problems.  Prayer, praise, and thanksgiving are always appropriate, even in the midst of our storms.

KING DAVID'S PREDICTION OF THE CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST

Proclamation:

“Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet.  All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me.  They divide my clothes among them and casts lots for my garment.”  Psalm 22:16-18 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  He begins by presenting suffering from his personal point of view, (Psalm 22:1-2 and 6-7) from that of his forefathers, (Psalm 22:3-5) and from that of Jesus, The Christ. (Psalm 22:13-18)  Then David changes and presents praise and thanksgiving, and the rationale for doing so, in the second half of this psalm. (Psalm 22:21-31)  However, he begins this psalm stating the words which Jesus would say on the cross. (Psalm 22:1, Matthew 27:46, and Mark 15:34)  Then in verses 16 through 18 he clearly make reference to events which would occur during the crucifixion of Christ on the cross. (Matthew 27:35, Mark 15:24, Luke 23:34, and John 19:23-24)

Application:

While most believers are aware of the prediction of the crucifixion of Jesus, The Christ, by the prophet Isaiah, (Isaiah 53:6-12) many did not know that King David also predicted it and included it in the words of a song which the people of God sang.  Additionally, because of his long history of reliance on The Lord God, (Psalm 22:9-10) David knew that He would save him and he boldly proclaimed his praise to Him. (Psalm 22:21-22)  Then he exhorted all believers to praise The Lord. (Psalm 22:23)  Hallelujah!!!  Praise The Lord!!!  Praise His holy and righteous name!!!

REJOICE AND PRAISE THE LORD FOR HIS STRENGTH AND POWER

Proclamation:

“Be exalted in Your strength, Lord; we will sing and praise Your might.” Psalm 21:13 (NIV)

Explanation:

This psalm is a song which was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David to be sung by the people after he was victorious in battle.  This is the companion song along with Psalm 20 that was part of the prayer and praise that the people did for their king before (Psalm 20) and after (Psalm 21) the victory in the holy wars.  This is a psalm of thanksgiving and celebration for The Lord God answering their prayer for the victory.  This psalm begins by finding joy and rejoicing in the strength of The Lord and it ends with the people singing, praising, and exalting The Lord because of His strength and power.  It also addresses and anticipates future victories. (Psalm 21:8)

Application:

Jesus, The Christ, said that all power in heaven and in earth was given to Him. (Matthew 28:18)  As believers we know that The Lord God is omnipotent.  He said things that are impossible for men are possible with God, for with God all things are possible. (Mark 10:27)  Given all that He has created and all that He has done, including all that He has done for us, we ought to also sing and shout praises to Him and exalt His holy and righteous name.  For those whom we pray for, afterwards we should also pray and give God thanks for working things out for them and for giving them the victory.   

BE THANKFUL PRAY AND SHARE

Proclamation:

"You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God."  2 Corinthians 9:11 (NIV)

Explanation:

The Apostle Paul wrote these words, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in The Church at Corinth to encourage them to be generous with those who were less fortunate.  He told them that they had been blessed, and would be blessed even more so that they could be a blessing to others. 
He also said that their generosity would result in them giving thanksgiving to God.

Application:

O, give thanks unto The Lord. (Psalms 105:1, 106:1, 107:1, 118:1, and 136:1)  We should begin our thanksgiving celebration with prayer, as Nehemiah was first to do. (Nehemiah 11:17)  We are encouraged to always come before the presence of The Lord with thanksgiving. (Psalms 95:2)  When we enter into our place of worship, we should do so with thanksgiving. (Psalms 100:4)  We should sing unto The Lord with thanksgiving. (Psalms 147:7)  This should not be something that we do one day of the year, every day is a day of thanksgiving.  We have been blessed in more ways than we can count, and we should be thankful. (Psalms 100:4 and Colossians 3:15)  We have been blessed so that we can be a blessing to others. (Proverbs 11:25)  Let us thank God for the blessings which we have already received, and let us share with those who are less fortunate.  Let us not worry about anything, and pray about everything with thanksgiving to God. (Philippians 4:6)  Let us do this every day, and not just on this day of celebration, but continually. (Colossians 4:2)  Have a blessed day of thanksgiving.  O, give thanks unto The Lord. 

Pray About Everything And Worry About Nothing

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

In a letter to the believers in The Church at Philippi, the Apostle Paul wrote while imprisoned in Rome to encourage them, (Philippians 4:1-5), to thank them for their gift, Philippians 4:14-18), and to warn them.  He told them not to worry about anything, but to pray about everything.  He told them that they should present their requests to The Lord God in prayer, with thanksgiving in their hearts.  He also said that if they prayed and did not worry, that God would grant them peace of mind and heart through Jesus, The Christ.

The old saying is: "If you pray, then don't worry; but if you are going to worry, then don't pray." (Author unknown)  The Lord God did not give us the spirit of fear. (2 Timothy 1:7)  Jesus said do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself. (Matthew 6:34)  King David said do not worry about evil doers. (Psalms 37:1, 37:7, and 37:8)  His son, King Solomon also said the same thing. (Proverbs 24:19)  In fact, the phrase "fear not" is used sixty-three times in The Bible.  Additionally, we are encouraged to always pray. (Luke 18:1, Luke 21:36, and 2 Thessalonians 1:11)  If we pray and praise God continuously, then there is no need for us to worry about anything.  We should not let the devil steal the joy out of the present, by causing us to worry about the future, for we know who holds and controls the future.