April 28
________________________________________
ZION, GOD’S CHOSEN DWELLING PLACE
11 The LORD swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back:
“One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant and my testimonies that I shall teach them,
Their sons also forever shall sit on your throne.”
13 For the LORD has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his dwelling place:
14 “This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
15 I will abundantly bless her provisions; I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16 Her priests I will clothe with salvation, and her saints will shout for joy.
17 There I will make a horn to sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.
18 His enemies I will clothe with shame, but on him his crown will shine.”
– Psalm 132:11-18
________________________________________
Matthew Henry’s commentary says that the Lord never turns from us when we plead the covenant with his anointed Prophet, Priest, and King. How vast is the love of God to man, that he should speak thus concerning his church! It is his desire to dwell with us; yet how little do we desire to dwell with him!
The psalmist recalls God’s covenant with David and how God will never turn his back on Zion as his chosen dwelling place. The Lord desired it and have made it is forever dwelling place. He made a covenant with David that if his sons and descendants keep their promise to make a dwelling place for Him, his sons will be abundantly blessed and provided for. The covenant also ensures that the Lord will shame their enemies and in David will spring forth the promised Messiah. Do we constantly recall the covenant that God made with his people? Are we keeping our temple worthy for God to dwell in it?
________________________________________
ADORATION: Bless the Lord who is holy and who is a promise keeper.
CONFESSION: Forgive me when I do not live up to the commitment that I made with you when I accepted you as my Lord and Savior.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for keeping your promise to those who love you.
SUPPLICATION: May all believers maintain the temple of God holy, which is their bodies.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• Why did God choose Zion as his dwelling place?
Tag Archives: ilmaarts.com
UNTIL I FIND A PLACE FOR THE LORD ILMA’S VLOG
April 27
________________________________________
UNTIL I FIND A PLACE FOR THE LORD
Remember, O LORD, in David’s favor, all the hardships he endured,
2 How he swore to the LORD and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
3 “I will not enter my house or get into my bed,
4 I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids,
5 Until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
6 Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar.
7 “Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool!”
8 Arise, O LORD, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might.
9 Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let your saints shout for joy.
10 For the sake of your servant David, do not turn away the face of your anointed one.
– Psalm 132:1-10
________________________________________
According to Matthew Henry’s commentary, David bound himself to find a place for the Lord, for the ark, the token of God’s presence. When work is to be done for the Lord, it is good to tie ourselves to a time. It is good in the morning to fix upon work for the day, with submission to Providence, for we know not what a day may bring forth. And we should first, and without delay, seek to have our own hearts made a habitation of God through the Spirit.
How easy it is for us in our corrupt world to forget a place for the Lord in our hearts, minds and spirits. The world has completely taken over our attention with so much distractions that we haven’t prioritized God in all that we are and all that we do. David made an oath to God that he won’t stop until he finds a resting place for the Lord. Shouldn’t we emulate such heart that pursues God?
________________________________________
ADORATION: Praise the Lord for his unfailing love, mercy and grace.
CONFESSION: Until I find a place for the Lord in my heart, I will not stop.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for giving me a constant hunger for knowing you and your truth and will.
SUPPLICATION: May all believers have the heart like David that constantly pursue God.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• Why is it important for us to never stop finding a place for the Lord in our lives?
April 26
________________________________________TRUST THE LORD WHO IS YOUR HELP AND SHIELD
9 O Israel, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield.
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield.
11 You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield.
12 The LORD has remembered us; he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel;
He will bless the house of Aaron; 13 he will bless those who fear the LORD,
Both the small and the great.14 May the LORD give you increase,
You and your children! 15 May you be blessed by the LORD, who made heaven and earth!
16 The heavens are the LORD’s heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of man.
17 The dead do not praise the LORD, nor do any who go down into silence.
18 But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and forevermore.
Praise the LORD!– Psalm 115:9-18
________________________________________
Proverbs 3:5-8 says to trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.
These verses clearly illustrate what “trusting in the Lord” means. It involves the heart, not just the mind. It is recognizing God as sovereign and omnipotent who is the only source of knowledge and deliverance. It is not depending on our human reasoning and knowledge but revering God and turning away from wickedness. To trust in the Lord brings about healing to the body and sustenance for our bones. This entire verses in Psalm 115 echoes Solomon’s words in Proverbs 3. Trusting the Lord is a challenge to do because we are by nature sinners, but it can be done when we allow the Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts. When we do, we are delivered and protected.
________________________________________
ADORATION: Praise the Lord who is our shield and deliverer.
CONFESSION: Forgive me Lord whenever I try to figure things out and not depend on You.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for the steadfast love you have shown to all your people.
SUPPLICATION: May all God’s people run to God as their shield and deliverer.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• How can we develop a trust in God especially in times of suffering?
TO YOUR NAME GIVE GLORY ILMA’S VLOG
April 25
________________________________________
TO YOUR NAME GIVE GLORY
Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory,
For the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
2 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”
3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.
4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.
5 They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see.
6 They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell.
7 They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk;
And they do not make a sound in their throat.
8 Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.– Psalm 115:1-8
________________________________________
This hymn urges God’s people to trust and worship the Lord alone. He alone is worthy of their deepest loyalty. There is always a temptation to turn to idols. We must understand how hopeless it is to serve such false gods. Only the Lord deserves glory, honor and praise because of his steadfast love and faithfulness.
The writer mentions the futility of believing and worshiping other idols other than the real God, who created all things. It is pointless because they have no mouth that speaks or eyes that see, or anything that has life in them. It gives us a warning in verse 8 what happens to those who trust in idols, they become like these little gods whom they adore. These modern days, it is harder to recognize idols that we make for ourselves. They can come as our loved ones, work, friends, church, ministry or even our own desires for a good self image or good works.
________________________________________
ADORATION: You are the only Mighty and Eternal God who alone we need to worship.
CONFESSION: Forgive me when I unknowingly carve idols that I may not necessarily see.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for giving us your Word so we can know the only God we need to bow down to.
SUPPLICATION: May all those who claim they are committed to Jesus recognize the subtle gods they have made that hinders their intimacy with the Lord, and destroy them.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• What idols have you made for yourself and how have you bowed down to it?
LORD, WHY DO YOU CAST MY SOUL AWAY? ILMA’S VLOG
April 24
________________________________________
LORD, WHY DO YOU CAST MY SOUL AWAY?
10 Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the departed rise up to praise you?
11 Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12 Are your wonders known in the darkness,
Or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?13 But I, O LORD, cry to you;
In the morning my prayer comes before you.14 O LORD, why do you cast my soul away?
Why do you hide your face from me? 15 Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,
I suffer your terrors; I am helpless. 16 Your wrath has swept over me;
Your dreadful assaults destroy me.17 They surround me like a flood all day long;
They close in on me together.18 You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me;
My companions have become darkness. – Psalm 88:10-18
________________________________________
The ESV student bible notes on verses 10-12 “Do you work wonders for the dead?” If one were to die under God’s wrath, then he could not anticipate any experience of God’s wonders, or any chance to praise him. Darkness is the last word of the psalm. Yet the faithful know that there is no alternative but to keep seeking the Lord in prayer.
We can almost hear the lament and the loud emotions of the psalmist as we read this part of this song. He clearly knows the Lord very well as he mentions God’s steadfast love. Yet, we hear his desperate helplessness as his own friend and beloved have shunned him. I empathize so much with the psalmist as I recall a feeling of betrayal when our loved ones reject us and what we believe in. Despite the tone of desperation and hopelessness, we still hear his humble heart asking God assurance that he will be delivered and one day have peace instead of feeling overwhelmed and helpless. We clearly see the honesty in the turmoil he is going through as he lay down all his weaknesses and dejection to God.
________________________________________
ADORATION: Praise the God who is full of Mercy and Compassion.
CONFESSION: Forgive me when I give in to my feelings and emotions.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for giving us a heart that can empathize with others.
SUPPLICATION: May we be honest to God with all the hardships and suffering we go through.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• Do you think God honors those who are honest with their emotions? Why or why not?
I CRY OUT DAY AND NIGHT BEFORE YOU ILMA’S VLOG
April 23
________________________________________
I CRY OUT DAY AND NIGHT BEFORE YOU
O LORD, God of my salvation, I cry out day and night before you
2 Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry!
3 For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol.
4 I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am a man who has no strength,
5 Like one set loose among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave,
Like those whom you remember no more, for they are cut off from your hand.
6 You have put me in the depths of the pit, in the regions dark and deep.
7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me and you overwhelm me with all your waves.
8 You have caused my companions to shun me; you have made me a horror to them.
I am shut in so that I cannot escape;9 my eye grows dim through sorrow.
Every day I call upon you, O LORD; I spread out my hands to you. – Psalm 88:1-9
________________________________________
This psalm is a song written by the sons of Korah and an individual lament. It is suited for a person who is so overwhelmed with troubles that even his friends shun him, and who suspects that the Lord has rejected him as well.
This psalm speaks of my own heart these past days as I am confronted by so much uncertainties during this global pandemic. These sorrows are for the ones closest to me who do not know the Lord and has chosen a path that rejects Him and his word. I cry out day and night before the Lord. I feel God’s pain for those who turn their backs on him. I also cry for my weak flesh that sometimes succumbs to fear which leads to worries and anxieties over the consequences of wrong choices and sins that my family have also tied me up with. I plead the Lord to make me depend and trust Him especially when I am overwhelmed like this.
________________________________________
ADORATION: Praise the Lord for He is sovereign and knows what’s best for us.
CONFESSION: Forgive me for worrying and not totally trusting you.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for giving me a heart that seeks You alone Lord!
SUPPLICATION: May all believers look forward to the reward of heaven awaiting them.
May all unbelievers turn to God before it is too late.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• How can believers have an honest heart like the psalmist in this song?
THAT THEY MAY KNOW YOU ARE THE MOST HIGH ILMA’S VLOG
April 22
________________________________________
THAT THEY MAY KNOW YOU ARE THE MOST HIGH
9 Do to them as you did to Midian, as to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,
10 Who were destroyed at En-dor, who became dung for the ground.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 Who said, “Let us take possession for ourselves of the pastures of God.”
13 O my God, make them like whirling dust, like chaff before the wind.
14 As fire consumes the forest, as the flame sets the mountains ablaze,
15 So may you pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your hurricane!
16 Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek your name, O LORD.
17 Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever; let them perish in disgrace,
18 That they may know that you alone, whose name is the LORD,
Are the Most High over all the earth. – Psalm 83:9-18
________________________________________
In this song, Asaph runs to God for rescue from the Gentiles who formed alliances to bring down the people of God. He recalls how God delivered them from the Midianites, Siserites and Jabinites at the Kishon river by crushing them and becoming dung for the ground. He particularly names their nobles like Oreb, Zeeb, Zebah and Zalmunna who wanted to take possession of God’s pastures. What a strategy to win! Running to God and reminding him of his great deeds for them in the past!
In the ESV study bible, the basic request is that these enemies would utterly fail in their scheme. The ultimate reason for Israel’s existence is to serve God’s purpose of restoring true worship and authentic human life among all mankind. Therefore, it is really for the good of these hostile Gentiles that they fail in their plan to destroy Israel.
________________________________________
ADORATION: Praise the Lord for all the mighty wondrous deeds he does for his people.
CONFESSION: The Lord is our rescuer, our strength and our fortress.
THANKSGIVING: Let us give thanks to a God who constantly protects the righteous.
SUPPLICATION: May all of the schemes of the enemy be exposed and destroyed so that there will be no more impediments in worshiping and giving God the glory.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• What are some of the tactics or schemes of Satan to destroy God’s people?
• What attacks from the enemy have you encountered lately? How did you respond?
O GOD, DO NOT KEEP SILENT ILMA’S VLOG
April 21
________________________________________ O GOD, DO NOT KEEP SILENT
O God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God!
2 For behold, your enemies make an uproar;
Those who hate you have raised their heads.3 They lay crafty plans against your people;
They consult together against your treasured ones.
4 They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation;
Let the name of Israel be remembered no more!”5 For they conspire with one accord;
Against you they make a covenant—6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
Moab and the Hagrites,7 Gebal and Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;8 Asshur also has joined them;
They are the strong arm of the children of Lot. – Psalm 83:1-8
________________________________________
The ESV study bible says that this is a community lament, responding to a situation in which God’s people are threatened by Gentile enemies who aim to destroy them. The psalmist, Asaph asks that God will make these enemies fail miserably, be put to shame and perish so that they might come to know the Lord. The Gentile coalition and their evil crafty plans in verse 4 tells us they want to annihilate God’s people so their names will never be remembered anymore. Facing such danger, the people urge God not to be silent.
It is interesting that during this time in history, the people of God ask God to move into action against the Gentile alliance who wants to crush the Israelites. This probably shows how much they know their God and exhibits dependence on him. Their confidence stems in knowing their God will do everything to rescue them. Do we have this kind of dependence on our Lord? Do we reflect on his character and his promises?
________________________________________
ADORATION: Lord, I praise your steadfast love and surrender to your strength.
CONFESSION: Do not keep silent and allow evil to win over the enemy’s plot to destroy your people.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for your promise to be with us always in every situation.
SUPPLICATION: May the Lord’s will prevail especially in transitions from major changes in our lives.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• How can we develop confidence in depending on God? What must we give up?
HEAR THE DESIRE OF THE AFFLICTED ILMA’S VLOG
April 20
________________________________________
HEAR THE DESIRE OF THE AFFLICTED
10 The helpless are crushed, sink down, and fall by his might.
11 He says in his heart, “God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”
12 Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted.
13 Why does the wicked renounce God
And say in his heart, “You will not call to account”?
14 But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation,
That you may take it into your hands; to you the helpless commits himself;
You have been the helper of the fatherless.15 Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;
Call his wickedness to account till you find none.16 The LORD is king forever and ever;
The nations perish from his land.17 O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
You will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
18 To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
So that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more. – Psalm 10:10-18
________________________________________
According to the ESV student study bible, as the wicked person oppresses the faithful, he assumes that God has forgotten them-that God is indifferent to their suffering. The faithful mention this to God, asking him to show the wicked that he has not, in fact forgotten his people (vv12-14). The ensuing verses call God to action and to confront the evil things done to those who are helpless. The fatherless and the oppressed were mentioned in verse 18 as in those times, the Old Testament law is full of warning about oppressing such people as the fatherless (Exodus 22:22 and Deuteronomy 10:18). The cry for God to deliver these oppressed people from evil is their faith that God is king forever and that He will keep his promise to his people.
________________________________________
ADORATION: Praise the Lord, who is king forever and ever.
CONFESSION: Lord, help those vulnerable and weak people to be protected from evil.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for giving me an occasion to witness suffering so I can pray for those who are persecuted, oppressed and discriminated.
SUPPLICATION: May all God’s people continue to believe and hope despite trials.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• How can a plea for the vulnerable play a big role in their deliverance?
TEACH US TO NUMBER OUR DAYS ILMA’S VLOG
April 18
________________________________________
TEACH US TO NUMBER OUR DAYS
10 The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty;
Yet their span is but toil and trouble; They are soon gone, and we fly away.
11 Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you? 12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.
13 Return, O LORD! How long? Have pity on your servants!
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
That we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
And for as many years as we have seen evil.16 Let your work be shown to your servants,
And your glorious power to their children.
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
And establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!
– Psalm 90: 10-17
________________________________________
In this psalm, Moses pleads the Lord to have pity on his servants. In verse 15, he asks the Lord to show them mercy and replace all their afflictions with gladness. Before Moses’ time, people lived longer lives from 300-600 years, but because of people’s wickedness, God shortened the lifespan of humans which Moses refers to in verse 10. He longs for God to give his people wisdom how to live their short lives compared to their ancestors so that they can have a heart of wisdom. He desperately pleads God to have pity on his servants and bring back favor on them. Shouldn’t we all pray this psalm for all of mankind these days as we suffer God’s wrath for all of our sins of disobedience, rebellion, idolatry and unfaithfulness. Do you think this global pandemic is a call to remembrance of all God’s miracles in the past and how we need to bring our hearts to God in this short life?
________________________________________
ADORATION: Praise the Lord who have created us and who is steadfast in His love.
CONFESSION: Forgive the whole of humankind for all of our sins; Free us from your wrath.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for calling our attention to repent and return to you.
SUPPLICATION: May all people confess that God is in control of all things.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• Why is Moses pleading God to teach them to number their days?