Raise a Song!

  Reading the Word Psalm 81:1–4 (ESV) 1 Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob! 2 Raise a song; sound the tambourine, the sweet lyre with the harp. 3 Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our feast day. 4 For it is a statute for Israel, a rule of the God of Jacob. Understanding and Applying the Word Israel was instructed to celebrate their festivals corporately. These festivals were put in place by God as ways to remind the people of what he had done for them … Continue reading Raise a Song!

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I Went to the Sanctuary of God

Reading the Word Psalm 73:15–20 (ESV) 15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed the generation of your children. 16 But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, 17 until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end. 18 Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. 19 How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors! 20 Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms. Understanding … Continue reading I Went to the Sanctuary of God

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All Things for Good

Reading the Word Psalm 71:19–24 (ESV) 19 Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you? 20 You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. 21 You will increase my greatness and comfort me again. 22 I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praises to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel. 23 My lips will shout for joy, … Continue reading All Things for Good

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Our Inheritance

Reading the Word Psalm 69:34–36 (ESV) 34 Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and everything that moves in them. 35 For God will save Zion and build up the cities of Judah, and people shall dwell there and possess it; 36 the offspring of his servants shall inherit it, and those who love his name shall dwell in it. Understanding and Applying the Word When we come to the end of this psalm, David calls on all of creation to sing praises to God. Why? Because God’s salvation belongs to all who love His name. The offspring of … Continue reading Our Inheritance

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I Will Praise the Name of God

  Reading the Word Psalm 69:29–33 (ESV) 29 But I am afflicted and in pain; let your salvation, O God, set me on high! 30 I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving. 31 This will please the Lord more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs. 32 When the humble see it they will be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive. 33 For the Lord hears the needy and does not despise his own people who are prisoners. Understanding and Applying the Word David’s focus … Continue reading I Will Praise the Name of God

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Praise the Conquering King

  Reading the Word Psalm 68:32–35 (ESV) 32 O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God; sing praises to the Lord, Selah33 to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens; behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice. 34 Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel, and whose power is in the skies. 35 Awesome is God from his sanctuary; the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God! Understanding and Applying the Word What wonderful words of praise end this psalm! Sing praises to God! … Continue reading Praise the Conquering King

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The Procession of God

  Reading the Word Psalm 68:24–31 (ESV) 24 Your procession is seen, O God, the procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary— 25 the singers in front, the musicians last, between them virgins playing tambourines: 26 “Bless God in the great congregation, the Lord, O you who are of Israel’s fountain!” 27 There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead, the princes of Judah in their throng, the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali. 28 Summon your power, O God, the power, O God, by which you have worked for us. 29 Because of your … Continue reading The Procession of God

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Considering Our Prayers

  Reading the Word Psalm 66:17–20 (ESV) 17 I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. 18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. 19 But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. 20 Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me! Understanding and Applying the Word These verses conclude Psalm 66. Here we read that the psalmist called out to God. This is a way of saying that the psalmist prayed … Continue reading Considering Our Prayers

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Come and Hear

Reading the Word Psalm 66:13–16 (ESV) 13 I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will perform my vows to you, 14 that which my lips uttered and my mouth promised when I was in trouble. 15 I will offer to you burnt offerings of fattened animals, with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams; I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah16 Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul. Understanding and Applying the Word In these verses, the psalmist promises to publicly worship … Continue reading Come and Hear

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Praise God for Testing Us

  Reading the Word Psalm 66:6–12 (ESV) 6 He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There did we rejoice in him, 7 who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations— let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah8 Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of his praise be heard, 9 who has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip. 10 For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. 11 You brought us into the … Continue reading Praise God for Testing Us

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