June 29, 2015

EVERY DAY AND FOREVER

Psalms 140–145

Missy Williams
Monday's Devo

June 29, 2015

Monday's Devo

June 29, 2015

Central Truth

Each day can be full of both pain and beauty, sorrow and joy. But no matter the circumstances, God is weaving together a story of love and redemption that is so worthy of praise every day and forever.

Key Verse | Psalm 145:2

I will praise you every day;
yes, I will praise you forever. (Psalm 145:2)

Psalms 140–145

Deliver Me, O LORD, from Evil Men

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

Deliver me, O LORD, from evil men;
    preserve me from violent men,
who plan evil things in their heart
    and stir up wars continually.
They make their tongue sharp as a serpent's,
    and under their lips is the venom of asps. Selah

Guard me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked;
    preserve me from violent men,
    who have planned to trip up my feet.
The arrogant have hidden a trap for me,
    and with cords they have spread a net; 1 140:5 Or they have spread cords as a net
    beside the way they have set snares for me. Selah

I say to the LORD, You are my God;
    give ear to the voice of my pleas for mercy, O LORD!
O LORD, my Lord, the strength of my salvation,
    you have covered my head in the day of battle.
Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked;
    do not further their 2 140:8 Hebrew his evil plot, or they will be exalted! Selah

As for the head of those who surround me,
    let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them!
10  Let burning coals fall upon them!
    Let them be cast into fire,
    into miry pits, no more to rise!
11  Let not the slanderer be established in the land;
    let evil hunt down the violent man speedily!

12  I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted,
    and will execute justice for the needy.
13  Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name;
    the upright shall dwell in your presence.

Give Ear to My Voice

A Psalm of David.

O LORD, I call upon you; hasten to me!
    Give ear to my voice when I call to you!
Let my prayer be counted as incense before you,
    and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!

Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth;
    keep watch over the door of my lips!
Do not let my heart incline to any evil,
    to busy myself with wicked deeds
in company with men who work iniquity,
    and let me not eat of their delicacies!

Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness;
    let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head;
    let my head not refuse it.
Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds.
When their judges are thrown over the cliff, 3 141:6 Or When their judges fall into the hands of the Rock
    then they shall hear my words, for they are pleasant.
As when one plows and breaks up the earth,
    so shall our bones be scattered at the mouth of Sheol. 4 141:7 The meaning of the Hebrew in verses 6, 7 is uncertain

But my eyes are toward you, O God, my Lord;
    in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless! 5 141:8 Hebrew refuge; do not pour out my life!
Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me
    and from the snares of evildoers!
10  Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
    while I pass by safely.

You Are My Refuge

A Maskil 6 142:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term of David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer.

With my voice I cry out to the LORD;
    with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD.
I pour out my complaint before him;
    I tell my trouble before him.

When my spirit faints within me,
    you know my way!
In the path where I walk
    they have hidden a trap for me.
Look to the right and see:
    there is none who takes notice of me;
no refuge remains to me;
    no one cares for my soul.

I cry to you, O LORD;
    I say, “You are my refuge,
    my portion in the land of the living.”
Attend to my cry,
    for I am brought very low!
Deliver me from my persecutors,
    for they are too strong for me!
Bring me out of prison,
    that I may give thanks to your name!
The righteous will surround me,
    for you will deal bountifully with me.

My Soul Thirsts for You

A Psalm of David.

Hear my prayer, O LORD;
    give ear to my pleas for mercy!
    In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!
Enter not into judgment with your servant,
    for no one living is righteous before you.

For the enemy has pursued my soul;
    he has crushed my life to the ground;
    he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.
Therefore my spirit faints within me;
    my heart within me is appalled.

I remember the days of old;
    I meditate on all that you have done;
    I ponder the work of your hands.
I stretch out my hands to you;
    my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah

Answer me quickly, O LORD!
    My spirit fails!
Hide not your face from me,
    lest I be like those who go down to the pit.
Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
    for in you I trust.
Make me know the way I should go,
    for to you I lift up my soul.

Deliver me from my enemies, O LORD!
    I have fled to you for refuge. 7 143:9 One Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts To you I have covered
10  Teach me to do your will,
    for you are my God!
Let your good Spirit lead me
    on level ground!

11  For your name's sake, O LORD, preserve my life!
    In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble!
12  And in your steadfast love you will cut off my enemies,
    and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul,
    for I am your servant.

My Rock and My Fortress

Of David.

Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
    who trains my hands for war,
    and my fingers for battle;
he is my steadfast love and my fortress,
    my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield and he in whom I take refuge,
    who subdues peoples 8 144:2 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Dead Sea Scroll, Jerome, Syriac, Aquila; most Hebrew manuscripts subdues my people under me.

O LORD, what is man that you regard him,
    or the son of man that you think of him?
Man is like a breath;
    his days are like a passing shadow.

Bow your heavens, O LORD, and come down!
    Touch the mountains so that they smoke!
Flash forth the lightning and scatter them;
    send out your arrows and rout them!
Stretch out your hand from on high;
    rescue me and deliver me from the many waters,
    from the hand of foreigners,
whose mouths speak lies
    and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

I will sing a new song to you, O God;
    upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,
10  who gives victory to kings,
    who rescues David his servant from the cruel sword.
11  Rescue me and deliver me
    from the hand of foreigners,
whose mouths speak lies
    and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

12  May our sons in their youth
    be like plants full grown,
our daughters like corner pillars
    cut for the structure of a palace;
13  may our granaries be full,
    providing all kinds of produce;
may our sheep bring forth thousands
    and ten thousands in our fields;
14  may our cattle be heavy with young,
    suffering no mishap or failure in bearing; 9 144:14 Hebrew with no breaking in or going out
may there be no cry of distress in our streets!
15  Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!
    Blessed are the people whose God is the LORD!

Great Is the LORD

10 145:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet A Song of Praise. Of David.

I will extol you, my God and King,
    and bless your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless you
    and praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised,
    and his greatness is unsearchable.

One generation shall commend your works to another,
    and shall declare your mighty acts.
On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
    and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
    and I will declare your greatness.
They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
    and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

The LORD is gracious and merciful,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
The LORD is good to all,
    and his mercy is over all that he has made.

10  All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD,
    and all your saints shall bless you!
11  They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
    and tell of your power,
12  to make known to the children of man your 11 145:12 Hebrew his; also next line mighty deeds,
    and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13  Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
    and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

[The LORD is faithful in all his words
    and kind in all his works.] 12 145:13 These two lines are supplied by one Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint, Syriac (compare Dead Sea Scroll)
14  The LORD upholds all who are falling
    and raises up all who are bowed down.
15  The eyes of all look to you,
    and you give them their food in due season.
16  You open your hand;
    you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17  The LORD is righteous in all his ways
    and kind in all his works.
18  The LORD is near to all who call on him,
    to all who call on him in truth.
19  He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
    he also hears their cry and saves them.
20  The LORD preserves all who love him,
    but all the wicked he will destroy.

21  My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD,
    and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

Footnotes

[1] 140:5 Or they have spread cords as a net
[2] 140:8 Hebrew his
[3] 141:6 Or When their judges fall into the hands of the Rock
[4] 141:7 The meaning of the Hebrew in verses 6, 7 is uncertain
[5] 141:8 Hebrew refuge; do not pour out my life!
[6] 142:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
[7] 143:9 One Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts To you I have covered
[8] 144:2 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Dead Sea Scroll, Jerome, Syriac, Aquila; most Hebrew manuscripts subdues my people
[9] 144:14 Hebrew with no breaking in or going out
[10] 145:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet
[11] 145:12 Hebrew his; also next line
[12] 145:13 These two lines are supplied by one Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint, Syriac (compare Dead Sea Scroll)

Dive Deeper | Psalms 140–145

2007 was a transformational year for our family. My husband and I had just completed a course called Perspectives on the World Christian Movement and had subsequently enrolled in re:generation, Watermark’s 12-Step Recovery ministry. The Lord used Perspectives and re:gen to dramatically change the way we approached our relationships with Jesus and our view of God. We began to see His divine, good, and faithful hand in every aspect of our lives, including the really hard stuff. We started to pray differently and to seek His glory rather than our own.

In December of that year, we had the opportunity to travel to South Sudan on a mission trip. At the same time, I was working on Step 4 of my re:gen homework, which involved making an inventory of my resentments, fears, and sins. So, while I was being stretched and broken on this trip from all I had witnessed, I was also digging through every hurt from my past. The result: I was a wreck.

But, in all of that, in every hard story I witnessed in South Sudan, and in every deep hurt from my own past, I began to see God’s hand. I could see His “mighty acts,” both big and small. I could see His compassion and unfailing love, even in the pain. I could see the way that He was knitting together a story, His story, built of both joy and sorrow, devastation and beauty, all of which pointed to His glory. I could see that the South Sudanese praised God in a way I had never witnessed—it was reflective of the praise David wrote of in Psalm 145. In the words of Psalm 145, David was committed to praising God fervently every day and forever.

To praise God every day and forever requires an intimate relationship built on unbreakable trust. Each day can be full of pain or beauty. While David knew excruciatingly hard moments so very well, he also knew of God’s grace, mercy, and goodness. David could see the Lord’s hand weaving together a story of love and redemption that was so worthy of praise every day and forever.

Discussion Questions

1. When was the last time you meditated on God's "majestic, glorious splendor and [His] wonderful miracles," both big and small (Psalm 145:5)?

2. How have you seen God's hand in the midst of both joyful and difficult times?

3. Are you able to praise God every day? If not, what keeps you from it?

4. What are you doing to invest in a trusting relationship with God so that you can praise Him every day and forever?