JESUS’ PRAYER REQUEST!

Today’s Reading: Psalms 130-134

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).

This is a model of the Temple from the time of Jesus. The Temple was destroyed in 70 AD by the Romans. Today, a Muslim mosque, known as the Dome of the Rock (seen in the background), is located on that same Temple Mount. In the time of King David, people from all 12 tribes would sing his songs as they walked from all over Israel up to this mountain top to which David moved the Tabernacle of Moses and then David’s son, Solomon, built the temple here.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

Key Verses: Psalm 133:1

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is

For brethren to dwell together in unity!

Psalm 130 provides us a meditation through a prayer of repentance in which the person experiencing the depths of a dark night of the soul rises to the heights of hope.

Psalm 131 takes us to the point where the writer no longer has to depend upon the things of this world, but his hope in God brings calm and quiet in all circumstances!

Psalm 132 may have been sung as the visitors to Jerusalem travelled along the same route taken by King David when he brought the Ark of the Covenant back to its place in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:12-15).

Psalm 133 may have been composed as King David watched people from all 12 tribes of Israel streaming into Jerusalem for one of the feasts. Second Samuel 3:1 tells us of the long civil war that had divided the people. Now, under David’s leadership, God brought unity.

Psalm 134 may have been the benediction song as those who had travelled to Jerusalem prepared to leave for their homes. This exhortation comes to us also to make sure that in our generation, we, as servants of the Lord, continue to bless the Lord wherever we are, carrying out our sacred duties to which God has called each of us!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, I pray for a heart of repentance, for a total dependence upon You, and for a song of rejoicing in You! I pray the prayer of Jesus, “That they may be one…” (John 17:20-26). Lord Jesus, I ask You for the grace of consistency in my worship of You and in my service for You. In Your Name I pray, Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

In one of the congregations I served as Pastor, one of our Deacons, who came to Canada from Scotland, complete with his unique accent, would rise during a service every few months and quote Psalm 133! I knew it was coming and I stopped my words and waited for him. What an important message! Unity! In fact, that church had a wonderful unity. I felt it from the very first Sunday I stood in that pulpit. Because of that unity God was able, within His self-imposed restriction of not violating human free will, to do an amazing work of grace in many lives. As Psalm 133:3b says, “There the Lord commanded the blessing!”

Yours for the unity of all believers, “that the world may know…”,

David

SOWING AND REAPING

Today’s Reading: Psalms 125-129

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).

Mount Tabor is located in Lower Galilee, about 11 miles (18 km) west of the Sea of Galilee. It is believed by many Christians to be the site of the Transfiguration of Jesus. As we look west from Mount Tabor across the farmers’ fields below you can see Nazareth on the right. The beautiful patchwork of the fields tells us that people have sown seed and will reap the harvest.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

Key Verses: Psalm 126:5-6

Those who sow in tears

Shall reap in joy.

He who continually goes forth weeping,

Bearing seed for sowing,

Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,

Bringing his sheaves with him.

Psalm 125 states the fact that “The Lord surrounds His people!” On the basis of that fact the Psalm’s composer can pray, “Do good, O Lord, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts!”

Psalm 126 gives an answer to the “Do good, O Lord” prayer, which is received with laughter and singing! These songs were sung by the people as they ascended Mount Zion. They may have been the former slaves in Babylon who had wept many tears; now, with Jerusalem in sight, they are rejoicing. Most of us who read our key verses are Christians. Our first tears are shed in repentance for sin. This brings joy! The next wave of tears are shed in our intercessory prayers for others who need to know Jesus. The Scripture teaches us that the seed we sow is the Word of God (Mark 4:1-20).

Psalm 127 confirms to us the futility of human effort apart from God. Those who rely on God can expect to be rewarded with restful sleep which results in peace of mind. Our families are blessed and our families bless us!

Psalm 128 reveals that the basis of a truly happy and successful home is “the fear of the Lord!” This “fear” is that awesome respect we owe God, our Creator, and that “fear” is manifested by the attention we pay to His Holy Word!

Psalm 129 is also a song! We can remember the words to songs well when we remember the tune. The songwriter remembers the history of Israel from the time it was a young nation up to the present. Those memories produce confidence in God’s overall plan!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, I pray for a harvest of joy that will come as a result of my tears of repentance and tears of strong intercessory prayer for the salvation of precious people all over the world. Save my loved ones, Lord, and may I love others with the love of the One who dwells in me. In His Name, the Name of Jesus, I pray! Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

There’s a saying I remember from childhood: “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.” There are great poets who wrote in the English language about God and His reality. Those words were written by Lord Tennyson in the 19th century. He imagines the death of King Arthur and writes the above famous line. He goes on to write,

“Wherefore, let thy voice rise like a fountain for me night and day. For what are men better than sheep or goats that nourish a blind life within the brain, if, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer both for themselves and for those who call them friends? For so the whole round earth is bound by gold chains about the feet of God.”

Over and over again through the years I’ve come to God in prayer, claiming God’s promise found in our key verses. I’ve found joy and rejoicing in God’s blessing. Also I’m old enough to have worked for several summers as a teenager behind a “binder”… a machine that produces sheaves of wheat which must be placed in an upright stack so that the water will run off them when it rains while awaiting the community threshing machine. Then the grain could be put into the barn awaiting hungry cattle and horses, or the flour mill. This was an exciting time as all the farmers in the area would work together for the success of the harvest! It reminds me of the precious souls harvested because many of us have done our part in God’s harvest through our support of “The Crossroads Family of Ministries!” (click here for more on the sowing and harvesting work of Crossroads).

Yours for successful sowing and reaping!

David

GOD WITH US!

Today’s Reading: Psalms 120-124

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).

This is the Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu (Gallicantu = “cock crow”). It’s a Roman Catholic Church located on the eastern slope of Mount Zion commemorating Peter’s triple rejection of Jesus on the night He was arrested. According to Christian tradition, the location of this church is also the original place of the House of High Priest Caiaphas. In the distance you can see the security fence that divides Israel from Palestinian territory. And even further you can see in the haze across the Jordan valley to the mountains of Moab in Jordan. We are reminded in today’s reading to “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.”

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

Key Verses: Psalm 121:5-8

The Lord is your keeper;

The Lord is your shade at your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day,

Nor the moon by night.

The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;

He shall preserve your soul.

The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in

From this time forth, and even forevermore.

Here are five little Psalms with big content!

Psalm 120 is written by a person of peace who did not take vengeance against those who slandered him. We can learn from these words that we should take false accusations to the Lord in prayer!

Psalm 121 teaches us that God continually watches over us. This is one of several “Songs of Ascent” to be sung as pilgrims are climbing up the mountainside to its highest point on which Jerusalem is located. As they look up they are filled with faith and expectancy as they are facing the City of God!

Psalm 122 was sung after entering the gates of Jerusalem. They realize that worship in Jerusalem would continue to be possible only if the city continued to be secure, prosperous and peaceful!

Psalm 123 was sung as they approached the Temple. Now they are lifting up their eyes to behold the Lord Himself!

Psalm 124 is sung to describe God’s interventions over the years in miraculously protecting the people of God as long as they welcomed His help, knowing that He would not intervene on their behalf if they didn’t want Him to do so. We are created in the image of the One “who made Heaven and earth.” Human free will, given to people who are made in God’s image, means that we must call for His help so that He can respond without violating our free will!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, I lift up my eyes to You. I know that You hear me! Therefore, I pray that You will preserve me from all evil! I “pray for the peace of Jerusalem!” Have “mercy on us!” Thank You that I have escaped like a bird. You have broken the trap (snare), and I am free! I pray in the name of the One who is truly on my side, Jesus Himself! Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

I may have shared this before but here goes the story. My father, Roy Mainse, suffered 3 heart attacks after 21 years as a missionary in Egypt. His Doctor told him that he must return to Canada for any chance of recovering. A 300-mile car ride was necessary, from Assiut to Cairo, in the blazing June sun with no air conditioning. Dad was lying across the back seat (his nephew, Lorne Kenny was driving. Lorne for many years was the head of the Middle Eastern Studies Department at the University of Toronto). Dad told me that he felt he would faint in the intense heat. Somewhere on that trip Dad quoted out loud Psalm 121. Lorne confirmed this story to me several times. As Dad said the words of the old King James version (6a), “The sun shall not smite thee by day,” a small cloud came between the sun and the car. That cloud remained between the sun and the car for the remainder of the trip! My Dad and my cousin Lorne both assured me that Egypt, with the desert on both sides of the Nile River, does not have clouds in the sky in June! God was surely on Dad’s side that day! He lived and ministered here in Canada for another 20 years. At 76 years of age, while shovelling snow, he sat down on the steps of his Toronto home and his heart stopped. He was immediately with the One Who was truly on his side!!! Amen

Yours in recognition of the fact that when we decide to side with God, He will side with us!!!

David

P.S. I have an ostrich egg on which I had Psalm 121:5-6 inscribed in gold paint. It sits on the top shelf above me as I type. I love to show the egg to my great-grandchildren while telling them the story of their great-great-Grandfather and the Egyptian sun! Below is a photo of the egg.

I purchased this egg, emptied of its contents, in Jordan. Our guide offered to print the words of Psalm 121:5-6 in gold lettering after I had told him my Dad’s story. I look quite skinny in this picture. I’ve put on 20 pounds since this was taken! Praise the Lord!!! Thanks to all blog readers who pray for me!!!

DELIGHTFUL!

Today’s Reading: Psalms 119:129-176

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).

THE BIBLE! Here’s Reynold’s Bible on a Roman road in Tarsus. Saul of Tarsus became known as the Apostle Paul. Paul was a true scholar educated in the Roman/Greek university city of Tarsus and then sent to Jerusalem, where he studied the Hebrew Scriptures under Gamaliel, the most renowned Bible teacher of his time. Paul probably knew Psalm 119 by heart. He wrote to a young man named Timothy these words, “From childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:15,16).

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

Key Verses: Psalm 119:130, 174

The entrance of Your words gives light;

It gives understanding to the simple.

…I long for Your salvation O Lord,

And Your law is my delight.

We have every reason to be full of delight! (of “the light”). Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12). Psalm 119 shines “understanding” into us! We understand that the “Words” which we read in the Bible express the thoughts of God. Paul writes, “We have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16b). Peter, a follower of Jesus, needed the light of the understanding of God’s thoughts (God’s Words express His thoughts) when he actually contradicted Jesus because Jesus began to speak of His own death and resurrection. Jesus said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan, you are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men” (Matthew 16:21-23). In other words, Satan was darkening Peter’s mind so that Peter’s thoughts, which he expressed, were not God’s thoughts, but thoughts from Peter’s own mind. The way to get God’s thoughts to be our thoughts is to read constantly God’s Words. In this way we make God’s thoughts the essential DNA of our very being. According to Psalm 119, God’s thoughts are “GOOD,” “RIGHT,” “PERFECTION,” “SWEET,” “WONDERFUL,” “RIGHTEOUS,” “UPRIGHT,” “FAITHFUL,” “TRUTH,” “EVERLASTING,” and our experience proves that God’s Words are a “DELIGHT!!!”

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, I thank You that “The entrance of Your Words gives light” to me. I pray that the “Light of the world,” Jesus, the Messiah, will be my 24/7 Light, so that I will never stumble around in the dark. When I meet others, may I be conscious that there’s a light on the inside of me, and may the light shine brightly through me on my path and on the path of others. I ask this blessing in the Name of Jesus, the “Living Word,” the One who is the full Expression of Your thoughts to the human family. Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

During my first year of intensive study of God’s Word in Bible College, someone (I don’t remember who) said something about the reading of the Bible that I have never forgotten. Here it is, “Read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest the Scriptures.” The year after that I applied that knowledge in pioneering a new congregation in the Chalk River/Deep River area of Ontario. Yes, I went back to school for more years of study after that year off, but during that year of preaching and teaching God’s Word, I learned so much, perhaps more than I learned sitting in the lecture hall. That year, I also filled in as the Principal of the local public school. The regular Principal was off for health reasons. The government of Ontario Department of Education required us, as teachers, to teach the Bible to our students. The Department published a Bible study guide for us to follow. Just imagine trying to do this in a public school today! A while ago I drove around what was called a “Middle School.” I couldn’t believe my eyes! There was a high iron fence around the entire school with steel bars to protect the students from a possible violent assault. I was filled with such sadness. Our public schools in Canada and the U.S.A. have put the Bible and prayer out and the iron bars are in. There’s a security guard and a metal detector inside the one small entrance through the bars through which the students, teachers, and parents must pass.

Yours with delight in God’s Word, and with tears because of the foolishness of courts, governments and school boards in turning out the Light of God’s Word, thus inviting the darkness into the public schools. May God have mercy on us and on our children,

David

P.S. Which will it be in the local schools near us over the next few years, BIBLES or BARS!! Here’s that school building I mentioned above.

The iron fence at the Middle School (junior high) in Florida.

PRECEPTS

Today’s Reading: Psalms 119:73-128

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).

One of the Hebrew language Bibles on the communion table in Christ Church in Jerusalem. The church is located 200 metres inside the Old City’s Jaffa Gate. More than any other Bible passage, Psalm 119 gives emphasis to the importance of God’s Word!

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

Key Verses: Psalms 119:73b, 104 and 105

Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments…Through Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

The word “precept” is repeated 20 times in Psalm 119! The New Oxford Dictionary gives a meaning of this word: “A general rule intended to regulate behaviour or thought.” This may fall short of the true meaning of the word. The word “principle” comes from the same Latin word as “precept.” When we say that a man or woman is “a person of PRINCIPLE,” we are getting the right idea. Our key verses ask God for “UNDERSTANDING” and then answers that prayer as to how to get “UNDERSTANDING!” We feed our hearts and minds in God’s precepts every day and a person of PRINCIPLE is growing. It’s like the gestation period of the elephant…two years. Our through-God’s-Word readings and blogs over these two years should produce a new person of “PRINCIPLE.” Amen?

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, may Your precepts flow into the very core of my being, bringing healthy spiritual growth. I pray that I will emerge from this two-year period of absorbing Your Word daily as a “PERSON OF PRINCIPLE.” In other words, Father God, I hope to resemble Jesus more and more. In His Name I ask for Your precepts to be the DNA of my life now and in the future. Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

In my first years as one who sought to follow Jesus, I decided to read the biographies of people who were, in my judgment, good people. Millions of such biographies should be written. There are too few! I found a common denominator in adherence to basic principles by which they ordered their lives. One such person is Abraham Lincoln, a former President of the United States. In 1957 a devotional book made up of select Biblical passages was discovered. It was owned and used by Lincoln. It’s called, The Believer’s Daily Treasure. A subtitle is, Texts of Scripture Arranged for Every Day of the Year. Here is a paragraph from a book called, Abraham Lincoln – Lessons in Spiritual Leadership, by Elton Trueblood:

“Frequently, Lincoln employed a verse from the Bible to clinch a point. He had been importuned saying that he would not interfere with slaves or slavery in states where they were acceptable. ‘I have,’ he wrote to William Speer of Tennessee, ‘done this many many times, and it is in print, and open to all who will read. Those who will not read or heed what I’ve already said would not read or heed a repetition of it. If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead.'”

That Bible quote is found in Luke 16:31. In my reading of Lincoln’s words, I have found that they are generously sprinkled with Scriptures. Lincoln knew the precepts of God’s Word thoroughly. I believe that his daily reading of God’s Word helped immensely to produce this great man of PRINCIPLE!

Yours for two years of gestation in the womb of Holy Scripture and for the birth of men and women of PRINCIPLE,

David

P.S. Click here for a look at one of the Bibles of Abraham Lincoln. His Bible was brought from the Smithsonian for the inauguration ceremony of President Obama.

Inside Christ Church in Jerusalem, which is the oldest Protestant Church in the Middle East. It was completed in 1849 and soon after became known as the “Jewish Protestant Church.” On the communion table are two Hebrew language Bibles (one of which is pictured above).

WHO’S WHO IN GOD’S BOOKS!

Today’s Reading: Psalms 119:1-72

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).

A woman takes time to meditate on the cityscape of Athens from the Acropolis. In Athens, the Apostle Paul quoted, “certain of your own poets.” He was a well-educated man with a brilliant mind. Paul’s next stop was Corinth, where history tells us there were at least 5,000 prostitutes who served thousands of sailors who spent about a week each in Corinth. To the people of Corinth Paul wrote, “I determined to know nothing among you except Christ Jesus, and Him crucified!” (1 Corinthians 2:2). Paul spent three years there and eventually Corinth was transformed. It’s this message that has transformed the native communities of Northern Quebec (I’ll tell that story below). The Cree people own the airline, “Air Creebec,” and so they can police and destroy the source of much trouble…alcohol consumption…which has been reduced to almost zero. A statement I’ve made often here on this blog is, “Jesus changes everything!”

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

Key Verses: Psalm 119:9, 50

How can a young man cleanse his way?

By taking heed according to Your word.

…This is my comfort in my affliction,

For Your word has given me life.

Here we go into the Bible’s longest chapter, 176 verses, three days for the blog!

It is a perfect acrostic, having 22 stanzas of 8 verses each,1 stanza for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Amazing! Every verse with the exception of verses 90 and 122 mentions the Word of God or one of its ten synonyms. e.g. precepts, statutes, etc. The message here for us is unmistakeable! What we are doing in our two-year journey in this blog is of ultimate importance!!!

The question asked in our key verse about cleansing our ways is answered by the Scriptures. Psalm 119:11 assures us that if we hide God’s Word in our hearts (not just our heads) we will be kept from sinning against God! A New Testament statement in this regard is Ephesians 5:25-27 where we are told that we are cleansed by the “washing of water by the Word!” We are having our daily heart, soul and spirit bath right now as we read the “Word of God” here on 100words.ca. Amen!!!

Tomorrow, God willing, we will consider the way President Abraham Lincoln applied the Psalms to his life and presidency.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

O God, You have provided for washing in the pure water of the artesian spring of Your Word. I pray for the grace to be consistent in having a daily shower in the living water of Your testimonies, Your ordinances, Your judgments, Your law, Your precepts, Your statutes, YOUR WORD!!! I ask these blessings in the Name of the One who, in Himself, is “the Living Word,” Christ Jesus!!! Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

Ancient Athens is known as the intellectual, educational centre of the ancient world. I’ve discovered that during the first centuries, many Greek philosophers studied the Hebrew writers and discovered ultimate truth through God’s Word. I’ve often made the statement, “Never confuse education with intelligence.” Here is a story of Grand Chief Billy Diamond of the northern Quebec Cree Nation (photo below).

He did not have a long formal education (he attended one of the infamous residential schools), but the former Minister of Indian Affairs, Labour, and Health, the Hon. John C. Munroe, told me that in governmental negotiations, Billy Diamond was the most intelligent man he had ever met! I took John with me to Northern Quebec after he had left politics, and here’s what happened. This former Indian Affairs Minister walked around the town of Waskagenish in astonishment. He said, “The last time I was here, this was a totally disfunctional community because of the abuse of alcohol. At 30 below zero there were blankets stuffed in where windows had once been, the children were outside without proper clothing.” He asked, “What has happened here? Now, every home is properly cared for and there are many new homes, beautifully painted. The children are dressed warmly (it was early March). There are shiny snowmobiles.” John’s jaw dropped open several times. I showed him the new factory where they were making the large fibre glass Hudson Bay Canoes which they sold to the Japanese fishermen for their ocean voyages, etc., etc. That night I took this former 1960’s, 70’s and early 80’s government Minister to Church. When Billy Diamond made the call to receive Jesus as Saviour and make Him Lord, the first one at the altar was the Hon. John Munroe. John was struggling with difficult issues in his own life at the time. All the members of the Band Council gathered around him, laying their hands on him and welcoming him into the new life in Christ, which had transformed their lives and the entire community.

I was the preacher at John’s funeral several years ago now. “Who’s Who” of the Liberal Party filled the front pews. I told this story! Prime Minister Jean Chretien honoured John by naming the Hamilton, Ontario, airport “The John C. Monroe International Airport.” Grand Chief Diamond acknowledged boldly everywhere he went that “Jesus is my Chief!” Billy would call me regularly. He always had a quote for me from “the Word of God,” the source of his wisdom! I’m confident that John and Billy are there now in the immediate presence of the God they served and loved.

Yours for the glory of the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Billy and John! Some of those in God’s Who’s Who books!

David

P.S. Sorry… I couldn’t begin to tell that story in 100 words…

Billy Diamond was the Grand Chief of the Grand Council of the Crees in Quebec from 1974-1984. He also was Founder of Air Creebec. He went to be with his Lord on September 30, 2010.

The view of Athens from the Acropolis towards the southwest. The Saronic Gulf of the Mediterranean Sea can be seen in the distance. Under the shadow of the Acropolis where the ruins of the Parthenon sits, the Apostle Paul spoke on Mars Hill. There he declared to the Athenian parliamentarians the same Jesus that transformed a Northern Quebec community, its leaders, and also the heart of a former federal Minister of Indian Affairs. Read Acts 17:16-34.

CHIEF CORNERSTONE

Today’s Reading: Psalms 117-118

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).

Bedowins set up their transient homes (commonly tents) in locations best suited for their livestock. Here they are located just below Mount Nebo, the mountain in the Kingdom of Jordan from which Moses viewed the Promised Land.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

Key Verses: Psalm 117:1-2

Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles!

Laud Him, all you peoples!

For His merciful kindness is great toward us,

And the truth of the Lord endures forever.

Praise the Lord!

Our key verses constitute the shortest Psalm, with only sixteen words in the Hebrew language. It comes in the middle point of the Bible. Of course, we have been moving back and forth between the New Testament and the Old Testament. For those who started 100words.ca with Matthew, we’ve been reading together for 17 months now. We have seven months to go to complete reading through the Bible. Don’t give up now!

Psalm 118 encourages us to join the composer with total confidence in God alone. As we look for the Bible to interpret the Bible we may want to read about the “Chief Cornerstone” (118:22) elsewhere. Click on 1 Peter 2:4-8 and Ephesians 2:19-22. Jesus, Messiah (Hebrew), Christos (Greek), is that “Chief Cornerstone” in the construction of God’s eternal building! Jesus was rejected by the majority of Roman-appointed political and religious leaders in Judaism, but not by thousands of living stones amongst the Jewish people. As that tiny Psalm says, “Oh, praise the Lord, ALL YOU GENTILES!” We non-Jews are also living stones in God’s spiritual house.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

O Lord God, I praise You, laud You, and give thanks to You. I pray that “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord” (118:17). “You are my God, and I will praise You! You are my God and I will exalt You” (118:28). I do this through the Person and work of “the Chief Cornerstone,” the Lord Jesus Christ! Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

At the wedding of our second daughter, Ellen, to Nizar Shaheen in the village of Cana of Galilee, the women from the village raised their voices in very loud high-pitched tongue shrill sounds. It’s called “ululation” (click here for a sample). I understand that this sound is what the word translated “laud” from the Hebrew implies in our worship of God. Pictured above is an Arab Bedouin tent home. I can guarantee that the people who live there at the foot of Mount Nebo know how to “laud,” or ululate.

It’s amazing to me how the Holy Spirit illuminates truth. For example, I’ve read Psalm 118:26-27 many times, but this time I saw something new. On Palm Sunday the people quoted verse 26a, “Blessed is He that comes in the Name of the Lord” (Luke 19:37-38). No doubt they had memorized this entire Psalm. These were their songs of worship. Like me they didn’t tie together verses 26 and 27. Verse 27b says, “Bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.” Jesus was on His way to the cross, not an earthly throne as those who cried “Hosanna” believed.

Yours because “His mercy endures forever!”

David

THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN

Today’s Reading: Psalms 114-116

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).

The “Red Basilica” (Turkish: Kizil Avlu), also called the “Red Hall” or “Red Courtyard,” is a monumental ruined temple in the ancient city of Pergamos, one of the seven churches described in Revelation 2 & 3, now Bergama, in western Turkey. It is one of the largest Roman structures still surviving in the ancient Greek world. The temple is thought to have been used for the worship of the Egyptian gods, specifically Isis and/or Serapis.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

Key Verses: Psalm 116:14-15

I will pay my vows to the Lord

Now in the presence of all His people.

Precious in the sight of the Lord

Is the death of His saints.

Psalm 114 – What magnificent poetic imagery! We can let our imaginations soar when we consider that nature itself responds to the presence of God…”The mountains skipped like lambs!”

In Psalm 115 the question is asked by Gentiles of the Jewish people, “Where is their God?” The gods of this world were visible, as we see in the carved idol pictured below. They could not understand the worship of the God of Israel who could not be depicted by an image. Five times we are reminded here that we are blessed by our God! Let us rejoice and bless Him in return! Here’s a New Testament reading about idols – Romans 1:20-25.

Psalm 116 encourages us to personalize the message. It is written in the first person singular. Here are at least four reasons as to why we need to pray: (1) God hears us! Amen! (2) We need salvation and rest! Amen! (3) God promises great benefits throughout our lives. Prayer activates those benefits! Amen! (4) Our key verse reminds us that even our deaths are precious to God. Therefore, we call upon the Name of the Lord! And we will keep the promises (vows) which we have made to the Lord! He keeps His promises to us and on that basis we pray! Amen! Amen!!!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, Your Word teaches me that I must not bow down, worship and pray to any idol! I promise You that I will never do that. I pray by Your grace given to me that I will not make an idol of anything or anyone that would draw my attention away from You. I pray that I will forever worship You and You alone. Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

Often when someone we know dies, my wife Norma-Jean will send to a loved one left behind the Words, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” These are the faithful believers in Jesus and not just the few who are officially called “saints.” The word “saint” comes from the Latin word “sanctus” (holy). I find that the Scriptures teach me that by faith the righteousness of Jesus Christ is put on my account in God’s sight. Romans 3:22a tells us “The righteousness of God which is through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe.” Objectively, in God’s eyes I am promised, as a believer, the righteousness of God for me and on me! Subjectively, I have a long way to go, but I’m on my way to truly holy living! Amen!!! Writing this blog is helping me in that direction. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 is God’s truth well worth reading in regards to being seen as holy in God’s sight!

So….I greet all my fellow bloggers who are believers in Jesus by saying, “Have a saintly day, saints!”

David

Here you can see the stone-carved idol of one of the Egyptian gods that has been excavated and put on display outside of the Red Basilica in Pergamos. Many great buildings housed images as described in Psalm 115:4-8.

THE RIGHT HAND

Today’s Reading: Psalms 110-113

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).

In the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem candles are continuously being lit outside of the Edicule (small shrine chamber), where many believe that Jesus’ grave was located. When Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire in the fourth century after Christ, the vast wealth of the empire began to be poured into the construction of magnificent church buildings. There is no tomb here hewn out of rock. It is claimed that during the second and third centuries, when Jerusalem was declared to be a pagan city, the rock in which the tomb was located was removed in an attempt to remove the memory of Jesus’ resurrection.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

Key Verses: Psalm 110:1

The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at My right hand,

Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”

The key to understanding the Bible is to let the Bible interpret the Bible. As we read, we do our best to compare Scripture with Scripture. Let’s do this by reading Matthew 22:41-46, where Jesus gives a commentary on Psalm 110. There are many New Testament Scriptures to which we could turn to help our understanding. Here’s one more example found in Hebrews 5:5-10. Psalm 110 is quoted by both Jesus and by the writer of Hebrews.

Psalms 111 & 112 are written as acrostics. In Hebrew they are beautiful poetry. All sentences begin with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The acrostic is a device which is created to help in memorization. The Scriptures were written to be studied by all people who love God and who take pleasure in learning more about God. We who do this daily blog are some of those people!

Psalm 113 quotes from the song of Hannah, the mother of Samuel, who praised God for healing her so that she was no longer childless (1 Samuel 2:1-10).

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, I thank You for communicating with me through prophets, kings, poets, musicians, priests, apostles, pastors, teachers, evangelists, but most of all through Your Son and my Saviour, Jesus Christ. I pray for more and more of the One that You promised would guide me into all truth…The Holy Spirit! Holy Spirit, I know that You live in me as a believer, according to the promise of Scripture. Now I pray that I, my total being, will live in You! I desire to be filled to overflowing with Your Person, Holy Spirit! I ask this in the Name of the One who was always filled with the Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus! Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

It was in 1968 when, as a young Pastor, I first visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. I was filled with joy to be in a place where it was said that Jesus was buried and then arose from the dead. However, as I stepped inside the man-made structure, I was met by a priest who asked for money. I gave him something, and I know I should have been more gracious, but my disappointment was so great that I turned and walked out immediately. My parents, missionaries to Egypt, had travelled to Jerusalem in 1924 for their honeymoon, where mother took pictures of what is known as “The Garden Tomb,” which is in a different location. I was raised on those pictures. That Garden Tomb may not be the actual location of Jesus’ burial, but it sure looks like it (see photo below from 1968).

Yours for experiencing the presence of God, whether in Jerusalem or here at home,

David

Me at the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem in 1968.

A side view of the Edicule built inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The candles symbolize the prayers offered here. God promises to hear the prayers of humble and sincere people of faith.

AWAKEN THE DAWN

Today’s Reading: Psalms 108-109

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).

Looking over the Western Wall visitor area in the Old City of Jerusalem, you can see into the Arab Quarter where many satellite dishes are mounted on roofs. You can also see solar panels which heat the water tanks, also located on the roofs. Since 1967, the flag of Israel has flown over what was part of Jordan. Over thousands of years Jerusalem has been ruled by many different powers. Every day the Good News of Jesus comes into Jerusalem homes through those satellite dishes. The modern city of Jerusalem, with its high-rise buildings, can be seen in the distance.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

Key Verses: Psalm 108:2-3

Awake, lute and harp!

I will awaken the dawn.

I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples,

And I will sing praises to You among the nations.

David could not have imagined a scene like the one pictured above in his city of Jerusalem. In a way, Psalm 108:5 is being fulfilled in that the satellites, which are in position 22,500 miles above the earth in space, do proclaim the Lord’s “glory above all the earth.” King David has made a decision as shown in the words, “I will.” He has decided to “awaken the dawn!” First thing each morning he is determined to “sing praises!”

Psalm 108 was probably written just after the rebellion of Absalom when many of those to whom David had shown only kindness had joined in treason against him. While David’s words do not show mercy toward his enemies, his later actions did show mercy. Jesus, who in Christian belief assumed the throne of David, not only shows mercy, but Jesus’ prayer for His enemies was, “Father forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing!” (read Luke 23:26-38).

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, because I pray “In the Name of Jesus,” I cannot pray the prayers that David prayed in Psalm 108:1-20.” But I do pray David’s prayers from 108:21-26. Particularly verse 26 expresses my heart, “Help me, O Lord my God! Oh save me according to Your mercy.” I also pray for the continuing television ministry of “Light For All Nations,” as Nizar and his guests come into those Jerusalem homes with the message of God’s love and mercy through Jesus Christ. Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

I’ve walked the streets, inside the walls of Old Jerusalem, with my son-in-law, Nizar. It takes hours when I’m with him. The people all want to talk to him. He has visited their homes daily for years through those rooftop satellite TV dishes. I marvel at the plan of God in bringing this man from Cana of Galilee into our family. Our daughter was led by God to study for a year at The American Institute of Holy Land Studies, where she met Nizar, and soon they were married in his home town of Cana, where Jesus performed His first miracle at a wedding (John 2:1-12). It was definitely, as the middle-eastern custom is, “an arranged marriage”…arranged by God back in 1983.  “Light for All Nations” is a charity incorporated in Israel, Canada and in the United States which is supported financially by people who desire the Gospel to permeate in several languages and many countries (click here for their website). I believe Psalm 108:13a, “Through God we will do valiantly!”

Yours for all of us doing “valiantly” for another day and forever!!!

David