June 29, 2020
For the next 15 days we will be reading through the Psalms of Ascent together as a church! The Psalms of Ascent are a collection of 15 psalms (Psalms 120-134) that pilgrims would sing on their way up to Jerusalem to worship. These songs are meant to instruct and prepare the hearts of the traveler to worship the Lord! As sojourners and aliens in this world, we too need to have our hearts prepared for and instructed in the worship of our God. Let’s meditate on these psalms and allow the Spirit of the Lord to move us to true worship as we seek Him together!
As the first psalm in this collection, this psalm is a sort of “leaving song”, representing the beginning of the pilgrim’s journey to Jerusalem! The psalmist recalls the past faithfulness of the Lord as an encouragement to cry out to Him once more, and then launches into a lament of his present circumstances. He mourns that he is surrounded by a culture filled with lies and deceit, that he is living among people who love war and violence rather than among the people of God!
As a beginning to our journey through the Psalms of Ascent, this psalm represents for us a discontentment with the brokenness of the world we see around us. We see death and disease, loneliness and heartache, corruption and injustice, and we long for something greater, something better, an environment of peace and wholeness!
What we long for, just like the psalmist, is to worship the Lord, to be in His presence and among His people. The psalmist longs to remove himself from among the wicked and to join the congregation of the righteous worshippers in Jerusalem; we long to remove ourselves from the world and culture which surround us and join with the body of Christ to worship Him together!
We feel this perhaps more keenly than ever before right now in our present circumstances. Injustice, evil, and brokenness are so evident all around us, and yet, because we are experiencing a pandemic, we are unable to gather together with our brothers and sisters to worship the Lord and to receive mutual upbuilding and encouragement. This should cause us to lament!
As we endure with patience and hope everything that life is throwing at us right now, let’s remember that, one day, the yearnings of our hearts to exit this broken world and be in a place where peace and justice reign will be finally and fully satisfied, and let’s do everything in our power to see that become a reality in the here and now, to see God’s kingdom advance in the world!
Psalm 120
Deliver Me, O Lord
A Song of Ascents.
120 In my distress I called to the Lord,
and he answered me.
2 Deliver me, O Lord,
from lying lips,
from a deceitful tongue.
3 What shall be given to you,
and what more shall be done to you,
you deceitful tongue?
4 A warrior’s sharp arrows,
with glowing coals of the broom tree!
5 Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshech,
that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
6 Too long have I had my dwelling
among those who hate peace.
7 I am for peace,
but when I speak, they are for war!
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Family Discussion Question:
- How does the brokenness of the world around us move us to seek God and His kingdom? What are some ways we can do that this week?
Father we are broken people. We need you. Help me to be more like Jesus. Help me specifically with my tone. Soften it to represent you Lord. Help me to not be so harsh with my words as well. Give me patience with my kids this week and help me use my time wisely. Thank you Father for your undeserving mercy and grace.
Dear Father please give us patience.
The Bible says that tribulation works patience. Be careful for what you ask.
More and more we live in a world that hates PEACE. The lies are louder than the truth.
Please Lord silence the tongues of the liars and help the truth to be heard.
Patience is a fruit of the spirit. God uses patience for good. I’m not afraid to ask for patience because I know all things work together for the good of those who love God.
Father, help Adriana ‘Taste Her Words”….Amen
Thank you for sharing your prayer. Amen!
Father God please heal thy people with the Covid-19 disease. Help those to seek you that need you in their lives. Be with those who have lost family and friends due to the Covid-19 disease. I ask all of this in your name Christ Jesus Amen
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” Matthew 5: 9
Deliver me, O Lord, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue.
How appropriate is this passage for these times. We are under attack from every direction, even our church. Like the early church, let us not ask for deliverance but let us ask for boldness. We cannot retreat from attack lest the church will fall into obscurity. Now as any time before in my 77 years, our anthem must be, “Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war. With the cross of Jesus, going on before! Christ the royal Master, leads against the foe; Forward into battle see His banners go.” Now is not the time to faint but to stand in the gap.
So true – the battle cry to motivate us.
Amen
Amen
Amen
Father of all creation, thank you for saving my soul for all of eternity. May I shun evil and seek you with every breath this day. Evil abounds and is intent on conquering good. Equip your soldier to do battle. On this battlefield of life, may I expend all, do all, say all, and point all to your saving grace. And with my last breath my someone hear me say, ‘Go and find one more for Jesus…’ Amen
Dear Heavenly Father,
There is so much hatred and brokenness in the world today. People have lost their way. It has become so vile and ugly as people have let sin and self overtake their lives. We all long for simple days where peace and harmony abound but without You Lord in our lives it cannot be. Help us to be peacemakers and to shine our light for You. It will take us all but one by one our light can extinguish the darkness around until the day comes when we are with You in Paradise. One soft voice, one kind word, one gentle spirit, one shining light will turn away wrath. Count me in . Onward
Christian soldiers, marching as before, with the cross of Jesus leading the way! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Me too – count me in. Words matter – let me choose to encourage, show love, give feedback to others. May the Holy Spirit work in me to shine Jesus to those on my path – the light, hope, and salvation for all of us.
Amen – make it so Lord ! The prayers of Douglas, Terry & Jan echo the desire & cry of my own heart.
Amen!
Psalm 120:1 – In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me.
Dear Lord,
Thank you that You are a God who hears when we call out to You. Equip us and fill us with Your Holy Spirit so we can be salt and light today for Your Kingdom’s sake, I pray.
In Jesus’s name .
Amen.
Lord let us be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. Let the Words of our mouth and the meditation of our heart be acceptable to You! “Search us, O God, and know our heart! Try us and know our thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in us, and lead us in the way everlasting!”❤️
Psalm 139:23-24
ESV
We praise You for justifying , sanctifying, transforming us. We praise You for making us a holy people, righteous in Your sight. Let us go out and be Your light in all the dark places. YOU O LORD ARE ENOUGH!❤️?? IN JESUS NAME AMEN ?
I continue to pray every morning for peace in our land and people to come to our Lord.
As I have often heard in the past, you may be the only Jesus that a person will ever see. Let’s strive to be a light in this troubled world . Help us to shine Your light for others to see. Help us to have Christlike attitudes and actions. We need to treat others like we want to be treated. Help us to love you, God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves. ( found in Mark 12:30-31, Deuteronomy 6:4-5, and Matthew 22:37-39. We need to practice this greatest command in our world today to help bring others into the family of God.
We were made for more than this current reality. We were made for eternity in God’s presence. I pray that my hunger for you Lord, for your kingdom, will overwhelm me today so that you can work through me and do your will in this world in my home and in my ministry.
As I can hear my mother’s voice reminding me that “Prayer Changes Things” we need all Christians on the same page as we pray for a major overhaul of our nation. Like Tony Evans preached about God’s wrath on our nation as we continue to get further and further away from him, it is going to have to be the church to change things and we are the church. The key is for us all to be unified in God’s word and not a political party. We need to stand firm on God’s truth and share the gospel and love with as many people as possible. We all need to remember Jesus died for all.
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for dying for us all and like I have said before you show no favoritism. Help us to show the love of Christ as love conquers all. Helps us not to be caught up in the things of this world because you died for the people and no matter what we experience here we will never experience the suffering and the death you went through for us on the cross. Give us boldness and strength when we are supposed to speak up for injustice and give us wisdom to always have your words and not our own. Thank you for the many blessings and miracles that you are continuing to give us during this pandemic and chaos. I pray these things in Jesus name. Amen