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Psalms 105-107, 111-121, 123, 125-126, 128-130, 132, 134-136, 146-150

         The theme for this week is worship and praise. This week will finish off our time in the Psalms (except for Psalm 137).  The focus of each psalm this week will be that of praising God for who He is and all He does. A variety of aspects of worship will also be discussed in the various psalms.  

July 9th

Psalm 105-106. “God is Always Faithful”

         Psalm 103 and 104 pair up nicely as they both open and close with the same phrase, “Praise the LORD, O my soul.” And as you come to Psalms 105 and 106 you see that they also pair up in a similar way. Furthermore, the first five verses of Psalm 105 read very much like the first four verses of Psalm 106.

         Psalm 105 focuses on Israel’s exodus from Egypt. Psalm 106 focuses on God’s patient care for His people, even perhaps after their Babylonian captivity.

         Psalm 105 describes how God faithfully provided and cared for His chosen nation. But, Psalm 106 describes God as the one who disciplines His people and forgives them, as the psalmist lists nine serious offenses that Israel had committed.

         Psalm 105 reminds us how faithful God is, and Psalm 106 reminds us how unfaithful mankind is. It reminds me of a statement the apostle Paul makes in 2 Timothy 2:13, “If we are faithless, Christ remains faithful.” And because of that we also say, “Amen! Praise the Lord” (Ps. 106:48).

July 10th

Psalm 107, 111-114. “Praise God”

         How might God describe how you praise Him?  Maybe God says, “Well, she praises Me every Sunday morning, and not much beyond that.”  Or, “He praises Me in the songs he sings, and that’s about it.  Well, come to think of it, he really doesn’t even do that, because the words coming out of his mouth are not the words he really means or wants to say.  What he is really wanting to sing is ‘My life is for me Lord…’ or, ‘I surrender some, some to Jesus I surrender,’ or, ‘I stand amazed at my presence…’”

         Haven’t there been times in your life when you have praised God because you were better off than someone else, or you finally felt like God was agreeing with your plan?  

         Sometimes our worship to God becomes something centered around us and not Him.  

         As per our week’s theme of praise, today’s psalms don’t disappoint, especially Psalm 113 which tries to describe God while it admits that it cannot adequately describe God. It discusses some of what God does while it exhorts us to praise Him. It opens and closes with “Hallelujah. Praise Jehovah, Yahweh.” May we do so today.
 
July 11th

Psalm 115-118.  “The Center of Praise”

         You have made it to the middle of the Bible, Psalm 118:8–9 (the 15,587th and 15,588th verses of the 31,174 verses in the Bible). The verses assure us that, “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes” (NKJV). That is obvious cause for worship and praise, but there is more.

         Psalm 113-118 are six psalms commonly called the Egyptian Hallel. Hāllel means “praise Yahweh.” Traditionally the Jewish people would sing Psalms 113 and 114 before they ate their Passover meal, and they closed by singing Psalms 115-118.  They were also sung in celebration of several other Jewish holidays.

         These four psalms provide us with numerous reasons to praise God. Charles Spurgeon appreciated the reminders of God’s love for His saints in Psalm 116. Of verse 15 he wrote, “Saints will not die prematurely; they will be immortal until their work is done. When their time comes to die, their deaths will be precious. The Lord watches over their deathbeds, smooths their pillows, sustains their hearts, and receives their souls.”
 
July 12th

Psalm 119.  “Shaped by the Word of God”

         Psalm 119 is the longest psalm, and an acrostic where every eight verses begin with each successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Out of nearly 200 verses, all but two do not directly or by inference refer to the word of God. Its emphasis is clearly on the value of the word of God in the life of believers, and it is this psalm that helped change the direction of my life.

         I knew about God from the time I was young, but I would not say it affected my life greatly until I was only weeks from graduating high school. At that point I heard a pastor speak on verse 11 of Psalm 119, “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

         Within this one verse we can see that the psalmist is sharing principles he has learned that help him avoid sin: 1) The psalmist desired not to sin. 2) The psalmist would have continued in sin if nothing was done. 3) The psalmist emphasized how sin came from the inner self. 4) The psalmist opened his heart to the Word of God. 5) The psalmist allowed the Word of God to shape his decisions.

July 13th

Psalms 120-121, 123, 125-126.  “Look Around You”

         Today’s selection of psalms is one that I pray you can enjoy and find peace and encouragement in. They speak of why we can trust God, why we can praise Him, and why we can know He cares for us.

         I have always loved the way Psalm 121 begins, that if anyone questions where our help comes from, we can respond with, “My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth!”  You will not find any help better than that.

         This psalm reminds us that everything in the heavens and on the earth bears witness to the great Creator, God, our heavenly Father. We are also reminded in this psalm that His eyes are upon us. He is concerned about us and watches over us all the time. He is with us, through the ups and the downs of life. And His care for us will go on forever.

         Spend time today contemplating things you can praise and worship God for.

July 14th

Psalms 128-130, 132, 134-135.  “Beyond Our Ability to Fully Understand”

         Today’s psalms provide us yet more reasons to praise God for who He is and what He does for His people. Psalm 135:6 reminds us that His power is unlimited, and He can use it as He chooses according to His holy character.

         But there may be seasons in our life when we read the first line of this verse, “The LORD does whatever pleases him,” and it does not settle well with us. For instance, I recently spoke with an angry young lady who lost her baby in childbirth, and she could not understand how God could allow such a thing.

         The Bible does not offer easy answers to those who are suffering. Reading that suffering can produce greater character in our life, or more opportunities to comfort others, or to read that it’s God way of testing the genuineness of our faith, are not comfortable answers in that moment of suffering.

         While God may not fit our description of being fair, we must remember that He is holy, just, merciful, omniscient, omnipotent, and His ways and thoughts are beyond our ability to comprehend (see Isaiah 55:8-9).

July 15th

Psalms 136, 146-150.  “For Who He Is”

         This is a great collection of psalms to conclude this week’s theme of praise with. Recognizing God for who He is and what He has done and will do is cause for worshipping Him with an attitude of gratitude, humility, and awe.

         Psalm 136 urges us to continually give thanks to God for who He is and what He has done.

         Psalm 146 encourages us to praise God throughout our life, and to praise Him because only He is worthy of our trust and hope.

         Psalm 147 reminds us that it is good and pleasant to praise God, and it is fitting because He is great.

         Psalm 148 informs us that when we praise God, we join the rest of creation, and we should regularly praise Him for His name alone is exalted.

         Psalm 149 exhorts us to praise Him joyfully and triumphantly.

            And Psalm 150 urges us to praise God for all He has done, and to praise Him with all that we have.

Bible Discussion Guide:
What is Godly praise? How should we praise and how did David praise God?
When do you find it difficult to praise the Lord?
What things or events in life are you truly passionate about?
Are you as passionate about worshipping God as you are about your favorite hobby?
Which of the postures for worship described in the devotional on July 12th do you resonate with the most?  Which one do you resonate with the least? 
In what ways does remembering help you to worship God?
Can you share a particular time when God demonstrated His faithfulness to you?
Do you find it easier to pray for others or for yourself?
What part of life do you find difficult to bring to God in prayer?
Is true worship just something we do on Sunday?
Personal application:  In what ways can you incorporate worship into your everyday life?