Pslams 44

Psalm 44

Former Deliverances and Present Troubles.

For the choir director. A Maskil of the sons of Korah.

1O God, we have heard with our ears,
Our (A)fathers have told us
The (B)work that You did in their days,
In the (C)days of old.
2You with Your own hand (D)drove out the nations;
Then You (E)planted them;
You (F)afflicted the peoples,
Then You (G)spread them abroad.
3For by their own sword they (H)did not possess the land,
And their own arm did not save them,
But Your right hand and Your (I)arm and the (J)light of Your presence,
For You (K)favored them.
4You are (L)my King, O God;
(M)Command victories for Jacob.
5Through You we will (N)push back our adversaries;
Through Your name we will (O)trample down those who rise up against us.
6For I will (P)not trust in my bow,
Nor will my sword save me.
7But You (Q)have saved us from our adversaries,
And You have (R)put to shame those who hate us.
8In God we have (S)boasted all day long,
And we will (T)give thanks to Your name forever. Selah.
9Yet You (U)have rejected us and brought us to (V)dishonor,
And (W)do not go out with our armies.
10You cause us to (X)turn back from the adversary;
And those who hate us (Y)have taken spoil for themselves.
11You give us as (Z)sheep to be eaten
And have (AA)scattered us among the nations.
12You (AB)sell Your people cheaply,
And have not [a]profited by their sale.
13You make us a (AC)reproach to our neighbors,
A scoffing and a (AD)derision to those around us.
14You make us (AE)a byword among the nations,
A (AF)laughingstock among the peoples.
15All day long my dishonor is before me
And my (AG)humiliation has overwhelmed me,
16Because of the voice of him who (AH)reproaches and reviles,
Because of the presence of the (AI)enemy and the avenger.
17All this has come upon us, but we have (AJ)not forgotten You,
And we have not (AK)dealt falsely with Your covenant.
18Our heart has not (AL)turned back,
And our steps (AM)have not deviated from Your way,
19Yet You have (AN)crushed us in a place of (AO)jackals
And covered us with (AP)the shadow of death.
20If we had (AQ)forgotten the name of our God
Or extended our hands to (AR)a strange god,
21Would not God (AS)find this out?
For He knows the secrets of the heart.
22But (AT)for Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are considered as (AU)sheep to be slaughtered.
23(AV)Arouse Yourself, why (AW)do You sleep, O Lord?
Awake, (AX)do not reject us forever.
24Why do You (AY)hide Your face
And (AZ)forget our affliction and our oppression?
25For our (BA)soul has sunk down into the dust;
Our body cleaves to the earth.
26(BB)Rise up, be our help,
And (BC)redeem us for the sake of Your lovingkindness.

This psalms is a very interesting one. It begins completely recognizing the sovereignty of God and ends recognizing the sovereignty of God and yet begins v.1-9 with incredible praise and then 10-26 in great despair. I could just feel the joy and goodness of the beginning and then the incredible despair. How great is the psalmists despair that he cries out "Why do You sleep, O lord?" and "Why do You hide Your face and forget our affliction and our oppression?" Surely our God is not alseep and not forgetful the way man is and yet his despair makes him feel so. Even in despair he follows the same believe that, "I will not trust in my bow, nor will my sword save me" because it is all God, all God and no one else. In good times and bad he can see this. But recognizing such sovereignty makes it seems as if Maskil is accusing God-and in a way he is. He accuses God of sleeping and forgetting because with his pinkie or his breathe, God could rescue His people. I can completely understand both. Is Maskil wrong? David does this often too, pleading for God almighty to rescue them and pleading for him not to turn his face and forget. Even Moses does this pleading with God to save Israel after the golden calf. I guess that's the position we are meant to be in, completely powerless, stripped of agency and therefore humbled, pleading God on the basis of his own nature to save. The same God is constant forever and is still the God who will "redeem us for the sake of Your lovingkindness."

Psalm 43

Psalm 43

Prayer for Deliverance.

1^(A)Vindicate me, O God, and ^(B)plead my case against an ungodly nation;
O deliver me from ^(C)the deceitful and unjust man!
2For You are the ^(D)God of my strength; why have You ^(E)rejected me?
Why do I go ^(F)mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
3O send out Your ^(G)light and Your truth, let them lead me;
Let them bring me to Your ^(H)holy hill
And to Your ^(I)dwelling places.
4Then I will go to ^(J)the altar of God,
To God my exceeding ^(K)joy;
And upon the ^(L)lyre I shall praise You, O God, my God.
5^(M)Why are you in despair, O my soul?
And why are you disturbed within me?
Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God.

hope in God. the help of my countenance and my God.
for the sake of thy lovingkindness, help.

i dont have much to say, maybe i should paste my email to you guys here. im just learning how to trust in God in everything, especially the "bad" stuff. been talking with my roommate more, its been pretty cool.

something cj mahaney said something i've been thinking about... the more you are aware of God's divine initiative, the more you will be amazed at the grace of God. he chose us, apart from his gracious choice of you, you never would have chosen him. you didnt discover God, he revealed himself to you.

im thinking, how am i here, why has God been so good to me.

the secret things belong to the Lord, and the things he has chosen to reveal belong to us. its hard to go on when the end seems so far away. but i definately havent fought my sin to the point of shedding blood.

why are you in despair, o my soul
why are you disturbed within me
hope in God, for i shall yet praise him.
the help of my countenance and my God

CJ mahaney: here is the only reason i am a Christian, he chose me.

Psalm 42

1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" 4 These things I remember and I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go along with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God, with the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.

5 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence. 6 O my God, my soul is in despair within me; therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan and the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; all Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me. 8 The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; and His song will be with me in the night, a prayer to the God of my life.

9 I will say to God my rock, "Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?" 10 As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries revile me, while they say to me all day long, " Where is your God?" 11 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.

Today I was reminded of my inefficiencies in how I study for school and small group, in what I do with all the sermons I hear, in meeting up with people, in general just doing the things I'm supposed to do. I cant do all that I am supposed to because if I could, what need would I have for the cross? Through my inadequacy I see the complete adequate work of the cross from which I have everything. I've been trying to remember my sin more because I realize I hide it from myself really well by having a bad memory. But when I sin again in a similar fashion than I have before, I remember the last time I did it and the time before that, like being angry with Matt, or being prideful which results in anger with Edmund. Im tired of being sinful guys. I want so much to not be so disobedient to the commands that our great God calls us to walk in, but how quickly I forget the feeling of wanting to obey when I am in a situation where I am succeptible to judging or being prideful. I long for heaven and unhindered fellowship with the God that truely loves us, and a time where we wont be the ones who repeatedly mock Him and act as if we dont know Him.

Psalm 41

Psalm 41

1How blessed is he who considers the helpless;
The LORD will deliver him in a day of trouble.
2The LORD will protect him and keep him alive,
And he shall be called blessed upon the earth;
And do not give him over to the desire of his enemies.
3The LORD will sustain him upon his sickbed;
In his illness, You restore him to health.
4As for me, I said, "O LORD, be gracious to me;
Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You."
5My enemies speak evil against me,
"When will he die, and his name perish?"
6And when he comes to see me, he speaks falsehood;
His heart gathers wickedness to itself;
When he goes outside, he tells it.
7All who hate me whisper together against me;
Against me they devise my hurt, saying,
8"A wicked thing is poured out upon him,
That when he lies down, he will not rise up again."
9Even my close friend in whom I trusted,
Who ate my bread,
Has lifted up his heel against me.
10But You, O LORD, be gracious to me and raise me up,
That I may repay them.
11By this I know that You are pleased with me,
Because my enemy does not shout in triumph over me.
12As for me, You uphold me in my integrity,
And You set me in Your presence forever.
13Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
From everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and Amen.

i write this at 4 in the afternoon. i got back at 5 am and just came back from eating with hannah and a bunch of girls. hannah is leaving to korea next week. total estimated driving time is 12-13 hours...and how did ppl know i went to norcal? what happened to my secret keepers? its ok. =P
i was battling exhaustion most of the drive up and down...but more than that i was battling wrong thinking. my mind can't fight for truth if it itself is not grounded in it. and i realize how prone i am to thinking wrong things most of the time.
i know all of us are going through a lot of things right now girls...but i pray that we are all going through these things well. our Lord helps the helpless, our Lord protects the defenseless, our Lord sustains the weak and heals our souls. even when our most trusted friends and family desert us...He will never leave us. we are so quick to forsake the greatest Lover of our souls, but He is so quick to receive us back....running to meet us.

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.

Amen and Amen.

ever think about what amen means?
אמן
'âmên
aw-mane'
From H539; sure; abstractly faithfulness; adverbially truly: - Amen, so be it, truth.

so be it. blessed be the Lord.

Psalm 40

Psalm 40
1I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
2He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
3And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.
4Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
5Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.
6Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
7Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,
8I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
9I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest.
10I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.
11Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.
12For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.
13Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me.
14Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil.
15Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me, Aha, aha.
16Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified.
17But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.

The Lord is so faithful. I remember turning to this psalm a lot last month, when God was teaching me to wait patiently on him. It's still crazy for me to realize how reliable God is--whenever we pray to him, he responds in some way, and whatever he says, he is always so true to his word. It's humbling to me when i think of how fickle and temperamental i am. There is nothing about me that is constant, yet God is eternal--from everlasting to everlasting. I remember relating to verse 12--"my iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up.. my heart faileth me"--and I dont really remember why or how, but just looking at myself right now--i'm okay, i have God's joy in my heart--proves to me once again how faithful God is. He reveals our sin to us for our own good, and our feeling so burdened and weighed down by how sinful we are is just another result of our fleshliness. I wish that whenever God teaches me a lesson, no matter how painful it may be, my first reaction would be joy instead of woe. Joy in God's faithfulness, joy in the assurance that God is sanctifying me, and most importantly, joy in my salvation.

Make no tarrying, O my God, come deliver us from whatever's keeping us from you right now.

Psalm 39

to be updated by sarah...

Psalm 38

Psalm 38

Prayer of a Suffering Penitent.

A Psalm of David, for a memorial.

1O LORD, ^(A)rebuke me not in Your wrath,
And chasten me not in Your burning anger.
2For Your ^(B)arrows have sunk deep into me,
And ^(C)Your hand has pressed down on me.
3There is ^(D)no soundness in my flesh ^(E)because of Your indignation;
There is no health ^(F)in my bones because of my sin.
4For my ^(G)iniquities are gone over my head;
As a heavy burden they weigh too much for me.
5My wounds grow foul and fester
Because of ^(H)my folly.
6I am bent over and ^(I)greatly bowed down;
I ^(J)go mourning all day long.
7For my loins are filled with ^(K)burning,
And there is ^(L)no soundness in my flesh.
8I am ^(M)benumbed and badly crushed;
I ^(N)groan because of the agitation of my heart.
9Lord, all ^(O)my desire is before You;
And my ^(P)sighing is not hidden from You.
10My heart throbs, ^(Q)my strength fails me;
And the ^(R)light of my eyes, even that has gone from me.
11My ^(S)loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague;
And my kinsmen ^(T)stand afar off.
12Those who ^(U)seek my life ^(V)lay snares for me;
And those who ^(W)seek to injure me have threatened destruction,
And they ^(X)devise treachery all day long.
13But I, like a deaf man, do not hear;
And I am like a ^(Y)mute man who does not open his mouth.
14Yes, I am like a man who does not hear,
And in whose mouth are no arguments.
15For ^(Z)I hope in You, O LORD;
You ^(AA)will answer, O Lord my God.
16For I said, "May they not rejoice over me,
Who, when my foot slips, ^(AB)would magnify themselves against me."
17For I am ^(AC)ready to fall,
And ^(AD)my ^[a]sorrow is continually before me.
18For I ^(AE)confess my iniquity;
I am full of ^(AF)anxiety because of my sin.
19But my ^(AG)enemies are vigorous and ^[b]strong,
And many are those who ^(AH)hate me wrongfully.
20And those who ^(AI)repay evil for good,
They ^(AJ)oppose me, because I follow what is good.
21Do not forsake me, O LORD;
O my God, ^(AK)do not be far from me!
22Make ^(AL)haste to help me,
O Lord, ^(AM)my salvation!

i dont think im suffering enough to honestly say some of the things that he petitions to the Lord. something i think im suffering that much, but really im not. im very quick to look full on myself instead of remembering the hope that i have in Christ. at the same time, alot of the things he has said i can relate with because no matter the circumstance God gives people, the soul i guess has its limits and something easy for one person, might be the life trial of another. im very weak i realized. but i think we can imply from the psalm that david feels pretty weak right now too. he honestly tells God how he feels and his suffering, and earnestly petitions to the Lord. from the last 2 verse you can tell that God is his hope, his only refuge because it is to Him that he turns and remembers. Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation! i can image him shouting this out, with vigor and desperation but also with confidence not in himself but in God. its interesting how he says O Lord, my salvation. once my friend told me once someone asked her if she would want to be in heaven if she had all the benefits, but God wasnt there. and thats interesting thought. do i want to be at rest, have peace, and everything like that more than i want God? he says the Lord is his salvation. and the point of heaven is to be with God, and the point of living is to know and trust God more before we're glorified. everything points to God.

the joy of the Lord is my strength.