April 13
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DELIVER & PROTECT ME FROM MY ENEMIES
Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me;
2 Deliver me from those who work evil, and save me from bloodthirsty men.
3 For behold, they lie in wait for my life; fierce men stir up strife against me.
For no transgression or sin of mine, O LORD,
4 For no fault of mine, they run and make ready. Awake, come to meet me, and see!
5 You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Rouse yourself to punish all the nations;
Spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. 6 Each evening they come back,
Howling like dogs and prowling about the city.
7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths with swords in their lips—
For “Who,” they think, “will hear us?”8 But you, O LORD, laugh at them;
You hold all the nations in derision.9 O my Strength, I will watch for you,
For you, O God, are my fortress. – Psalm 59:1-9
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In 1 Samuel 19, we hear an account how Saul tries to kill David. He even talked to his son Jonathan who was a friend to David to plot for his life. But Jonathan warned David so he fled from Saul. In verse 11, Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him, that he might kill him in the morning, but David’s wife, Michal told her father’s plot to kill him, so David fled through the window that night. In this psalm, David pleads to God to be delivered from these enemies who want so much to kill him. He describes how they are bloodthirsty and howling like dogs and prowling about the city. We still witness David’s trust and dependence on God despite all these evil and wicked men who want him dead. He declares that God is his fortress and he is confident that he will be protected and delivered from these enemies by his faithful God.
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ADORATION: Praise the Lord, our faithful protector and deliverer. He is mighty to save.
CONFESSION: Forgive me when I succumb to panic or fear when I am attacked by evil.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for your steadfast love and protection.
SUPPLICATION: May all God’s people remember to run to him for deliverance and victory over the plots of the enemy.
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REFLECTION
• How do you deal with people who scheme and plot evil to you?
Category Archives: Psalm Blog
I WILL CAUSE YOUR NAME TO BE REMEMBERED ILMA’S VLOG
April 12
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I WILL CAUSE YOUR NAME TO BE REMEMBERED
10 Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear:
Forget your people and your father’s house,11and the king will desire your beauty.
Since he is your lord, bow to him.12 The people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts,
The richest of the people. 13 All glorious is the princess in her chamber,
With robes interwoven with gold. 14 in many-colored robes she is led to the king,
With her virgin companions following behind her.
15 With joy and gladness they are led along as they enter the palace of the king.
16 In place of your fathers shall be your sons; you will make them princes in all the earth.
17 I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations;
Therefore nations will praise you forever and ever. – Psalm 45:10-17
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This hymn celebrates a royal wedding and in verse 10-12 the song turns to the bride. Her loyalty now is to her husband, the king and no longer to her father’s house. The song speaks of the king’s enduring line. The marriage of a Davidic king is not a private matter. It is crucial for the fulfilling of God’s promises, not simply to Israel but to the nations.
In this psalm, we see how the princess is encouraged to be loyal to her king because she isn’t in her father’s house anymore. It shows that she is to submit to her king and her sons will be the replacement for her father. It is essential that she contributes for her king to be remembered.
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ADORATION: Praise the Lord, the king of heaven and earth.
CONFESSION: Forgive me Lord each time I don’t follow authority.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for giving us leaders who can rule over us.
SUPPLICATION: May all people submit to their rulers and leaders as they would to the Lord Jesus Christ.
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REFLECTION
• Why should women submit to their husbands and be faithful to them? Why is a woman’s submission to her husband essential in a marriage?
YOUR THRONE, O GOD, IS FOREVER ILMA’S VLOG
April 11
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YOUR THRONE, O GOD, IS FOREVER
My heart overflows with a pleasing theme; I address my verses to the king;
My tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.
2 You are the most handsome of the sons of men; grace is poured upon your lips;
Therefore God has blessed you forever.3 Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one,
In your splendor and majesty! 4 In your majesty ride out victoriously
For the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness;
Let your right hand teach you awesome deeds! 5 Your arrows are sharp
In the heart of the king’s enemies; the peoples fall under you.
6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.
The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;
7 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
With the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
8 Your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia.
From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;
9 Daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor;
At your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir. – Psalm 45:1-9
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According to the ESV student study bible this psalm is a hymn written by the Sons of Korah and celebrates a royal wedding. The words of this song are addressed to the king. It speaks to the king, praising him for his appearance and gracious speech (v2), military power (v3) and commitment to promoting justice (v4) These ideals are what lead to God’s blessing for the king and to the king’s own respected position in the world.
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ADORATION: Your throne O Lord stands forever. You are the King of kings. Praise to you.
CONFESSION: The Lord anoints those kings whom he chose to lead his people.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you Lord for the leaders who reigns over us.
SUPPLICATION: May all leaders bow down to the real and true King Jesus. May all leaders have integrity to lead their people and maintain peace.
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REFLECTION
• Why is it important for all of God’s people to pray for all their leaders?
MAKE HASTE TO HELP ME O LORD ILMA’S VLOG
April 10
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MAKE HASTE TO HELP ME O LORD
11 As for you, O LORD, you will not restrain your mercy from me;
Your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me!
12 For evils have encompassed me beyond number;
My iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see;
They are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me.
13 Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me! O LORD, make haste to help me!
14 Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether
Who seek to snatch away my life;
Let those be turned back and brought to dishonor who delight in my hurt!
15 Let those be appalled because of their shame who say to me, “Aha, Aha!”
16 But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you;
May those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the LORD!”
17 As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God! – Psalm 40: 11-17
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“Make haste to help me, O Lord” seems like David is asking God to hurry up and rescue him. Some religious and legalistic people may seem that this is inappropriate for a servant of the Lord to command his Master and Lord. If you do not take this phrase out of context, you will see how much David knows his Master so well. He is confident that the Lord he serves is someone who made a lot of promises to him that he is sure to receive. It almost illustrates the relationship between a father and his child. His child knows that because his father loves him or her so much, he is able to ask anything from him that will be a deliverance from his enemies. He knows that the father will protect him. That is probably how God wants us all to come to him and ask confidently what he is willing to give us.
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ADORATION: Praise the Father, who is the greatest of all fathers.
CONFESSION: Forgive me when I do not intimately relate with you.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for constantly being there for me, Lord.
SUPPLICATION: May we get intimate with our knowledge of our loving heavenly Father.
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REFLECTION
• What made David confident in asking God to urgently help him?
MY HELP AND MY DELIVERER! ILMA’S VLOG
April 9
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MY HELP AND MY DELIVERER!
I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry.
2 He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog,
And set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.
3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD.
4 Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not turn to the proud,
To those who go astray after a lie!5 You have multiplied, O LORD my God,
Your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told.
6 In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear.
Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required.
7 Then I said, “Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me:
8 I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” – Psalm 40:1-8
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This psalm of David manifests his total dependence on God. It also shows how he is so much patient. We know that patience is a fruit of the Spirit and so we can actually deduce that he is a led by God’s Spirit to constantly hope for God’s deliverance. He praised the Lord for his help and deliverance, something David has never failed to exude. Even in the direst situation, he still praises the Lord. His confidence must have come from his deep intimate relationship with his Lord and Deliverer. He even blessed those who put their trust in the Lord and proclaim him as the only God who is incomparable with any other gods.
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ADORATION: Praise our Lord, our Help and our Deliverer! He is steadfast and faithful.
CONFESSION: Forgive me Lord whenever I fail to trust you especially in times of troubles.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for letting me experience adversities so I can rely on you and grow my faith and endurance.
SUPPLICATION: May all the people of God trust only in the Lord who delivers us from evil.
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REFLECTION
• How can David still delight to do God’s will in the midst of attacks from his enemies? How can we develop a patience and confidence in God like David?
THE RIGHTEOUS GOD ILMA’S VLOG
April 8
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THE RIGHTEOUS GOD
8 The LORD judges the peoples; judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness
And according to the integrity that is in me.
9 Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and may you establish the righteous—
You who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God! 10 My shield is with God,
Who saves the upright in heart. 11 God is a righteous judge,
And a God who feels indignation every day.12 If a man does not repent,
God will whet his sword; he has bent and readied his bow;
13 He has prepared for him his deadly weapons, making his arrows fiery shafts.
14 Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief
And gives birth to lies.15 He makes a pit, digging it out,
And falls into the hole that he has made.16 His mischief returns upon his own head,
And on his own skull his violence descends.
17 I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness,
And I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High. – Psalm 7:8-17
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In this psalm of David, he emphasizes how God is a righteous God. He judges people according to their integrity. The Lord is the only one who knows everything. He knows what we are thinking even before we think of it. He sees our hearts and every intention we have is never hidden from him. This psalm gives us a reminder how to live righteously so that we do not have to contend with the consequences of wrong choices and actions. If we love the Lord, we will do what is right and true. We will give him glory for being a just judge and a rewarder of good.
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ADORATION: Lord, you are worthy of praise and glory, you are righteous and just.
CONFESSION: Forgive me when I fail to choose the right thing at times.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for your truth that keeps me in check with staying right.
SUPPLICATION: May all Christians never forget that all our actions have consequences and that we have a righteous judge who rewards good and punishes evil.
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REFLECTION
• Why do we have to remember that God hates evil and won’t allow it to thrive?
• Do you think it is fair to punish those who do evil? Why or Why not?
SAVE ME FROM ALL MY PURSUERS ILMA’S VLOG
WHEN HE CALLS, I WILL ANSWER HIM ILMA’S VLOG
April 6
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WHEN HE CALLS, I WILL ANSWER HIM
9 Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place
The Most High, who is my refuge—10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
No plague come near your tent.11 For he will command his angels concerning you
To guard you in all your ways.12 On their hands they will bear you up,
Lest you strike your foot against a stone.13 You will tread on the lion and the adder;
The young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.
14 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
15 When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.16 With long life I will satisfy him
And show him my salvation.”– Psalm 91:9-16
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The psalmist enumerates what happens when we make God our refuge and fortress. First, there will be no evil befalling on you (v10). Second, no plague will come near you (v11). Third, he will command his angels to guard all your ways (v12). Fourth, you will crush all dangerous creatures including the serpent (v13). Fifth, you will be delivered as you hold on fast to God in love (v14). Sixth, God will answer him especially in times of trouble (v15). Seventh, God will rescue him and honor him (v16). Eight, he will have a satisfied long life and lastly, God will show him salvation. Wow! Isn’t this psalm full of promises to those who make the Lord their refuge and fortress? Why won’t some believers not exercise dependence and faith that God can be their sanctuary and stronghold?
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ADORATION: Praise the Lord who is my refuge and my fortress. He is my Deliverer.
CONFESSION: Forgive me when I fail to automatically run to you instead of relying on myself.
THANKSGIVING: I am grateful for your strength, protection and provision.
SUPPLICATION: May all true believers of the Lord never forget to depend on him for all things especially for deliverance from troubles, calamities and challenges.
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REFLECTION
• How is making God your refuge and fortress the solution to all trials, sufferings, adversities and hardships? Why does God wants us to run to him?
MY REFUGE AND MY FORTRESS ILMA’S VLOG
April 5
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MY REFUGE AND MY FORTRESS
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and buckler.5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
Nor the arrow that flies by day,6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
Nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.7 A thousand may fall at your side,
Ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked.
– Psalm 91:1-8
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This Psalm is a tender psalm describing the confidence that the believer may have through all types of dangers and challenges. The psalmist manifests a strong trust in the Lord as he declares that the Lord is his sanctuary in times of danger and his stronghold that will protect him from the tactics and attacks of his enemies. He believes that only the Lord will fight for him and if he depends on God’s strength, he will be able to courageously walk through all kinds of dangers, challenges, trials and adversities.
Do we exercise this kind of dependence on God or do we panic or become fearful because we rely on our own strength? This is a great prayer to utter especially now that the whole world is faced with a global pandemic. Instead of trying to figure out how we can beat this coronavirus, why aren’t we letting God take control of things and do our part to depend on him for protection? Why aren’t we making him our refuge and fortress?
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ADORATION: Praise you Lord, for being the God who knows all things and delivers his own people from evil and plague.
CONFESSION: Forgive me when I give in to panic or anxiety over anything that I have no control of. Pardon me each time I try to fix things instead of relying on you.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for your promise of deliverance for your people.
SUPPLICATION: May all believers remember to trust him with all their hearts and mind.
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REFLECTION
• Why do people forget to run to God as their refuge and fortress?
I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD! ILMA’S VLOG
April 4
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I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD!
9 There shall be no strange god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god.
10 I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. 11 “But my people did not listen to my voice;
Israel would not submit to me.12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts,
To follow their own counsels.13 Oh, that my people would listen to me,
That Israel would walk in my ways! 14 I would soon subdue their enemies
And turn my hand against their foes.
15 Those who hate the LORD would cringe toward him, and their fate would last forever.
16 But he would feed you with the finest of the wheat,
And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”– Psalm 81:9-16
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This second half of this psalm written by Asaph is a reminder to the Israelites that the Lord is a God who is jealous and wouldn’t want any competition. This psalm recalls the proofs that God presents to his people. Asaph reminds them of what God has done for all of them. He delivered them out of Egypt, fed them and provided their needs. Despite all of what God has done, the Israelites didn’t listen to God and continued to have stubborn hearts and followed their own ways. The Lord turned them over to their hardened hearts. Despite all the promised he gave to his people, they still continued with their disobedience.
How easily do we forget that there is only one powerful God who doesn’t want any other idols consuming his own people. He wants loyalty for he is faithful and steadfast in his love for us. In the midst of a global pandemic, isn’t God admonishing us to heed his call and follow his commands? We have been all so busy with modern day idols that we have forgotten who has given us all things and delivered us from evil.
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ADORATION: Bless the Lord who reproves his people and save them.
CONFESSION: Forgive us for not making you the center of our lives.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for the reproof to heed your call Lord.
SUPPLICATION: May all of God’s people give up stubborn and hard hearts.
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REFLECTION
• Why do humans forget that God is the only one in control of their lives?