Sunday Scripture

 It's time for another Sunday Scripture!  This is another post in what will be an ongoing series on my simple study of Psalms.  You can see a copy of the journal here: The Book of Psalms 1-50 or you can find all the resources right here on Women Living Well, Psalms 1-50.  I'm attempting to SOAP each Psalm too, though some of them are longer so I will likely only do a selected passage from many of them. [Quick reminder that S stands for Scripture; O stands for for observation; A stands for application, and P stands for prayer.]  Each psalm's study also includes a reflection question, which I will attempt to journal an answer to.  Today's study is from Psalm 5.  I will be SOAPing only verses 1-3.

S= "Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.
"Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God; for unto Thee will I pray.
"My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up."  (Psalm 5:1-3)

O= The biblical heading for Psalm 5 is "To the Chief Musician upon Nehiloth,  A psalm of David."  The ESV heads it this way: "To the Choirmaster for the Flutes".  C.I. Scofield, in the Scofield Study Bible, titles this psalm "A prayer for guidance."

Cross-reference for "Give ear to my words" (v.1) -- "Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness."  (Psalm 4:1a)

Cross-reference for "meditation" ([ESV= "groaning"] v.1) -- "My heart was hot within me; while I was musing the fire burned; then spoke I with my tongue."  (Psalm 39:3)

William MacDonald explains, "At the outset [David] asks God to hear not only his words but consider his meditation as well.  It is a valid request.  The Holy Spirit can interpret our meditations just as easily as the words we speak."

Cross-reference for "King" (v.2) -- "Yea, the sparrow has found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even Thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God."  (Psalm 84:3)

Concerning the phrase "my King and my God", Charles Spurgeon wrote: "Observe carefully these little pronouns, my King and my God.  Here is a grand argument why God should answer prayer -- because He is our King and our God."

Cross-reference for "unto Thee" (v.2) -- "O Thou who hearest prayer, unto Thee shall all flesh come."  (Psalm 65:2)

"Observe the order and force of the words "my cry", "the voice of my prayer", and also "give ear", "consider", and "hearken".  These expressions all evince the urgency and energy of David's feelings and petitions."  -- Martin Luther

Cross-references for "in the morning" (v.3) -- "But unto Thee have I cried, O LORD, and in the morning shall my prayer come before Thee."  (Psalm 88:13)

"I anticipated the dawning of the morning, and cried; I hoped in thy word."  (Psalm 119:147)

"My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning; I say, more than they that watch for the morning."  (Psalm 130:6)

Cross-reference for "morning" (v.3) -- "Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I  pray, and cry aloud; and He shall hear my voice."  (Psalm 55:17)

Cross-reference for "look up" [ESV "watch"] (v.3) -- "I will stand upon my watch, and set myself upon the tower, and will watch to see what He will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved."  (Habakkuk 2:1)

Concerning the phrase "direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up", Spurgeon wrote, "I will put my prayer upon the bow, I will direct it towards heaven, and then, when I have shot up my arrow, I will look up to see where it has gone."

William Gurnall wrote, "An unbelieving heart shoots at random, and never minds where his arrow lights, or what comes of his praying; but faith fills the soul with expectation."

Spurgeon summarizes the last two clauses: "1) Prayer directed; 2) Answers expected."

A= Martin Luther said that the words and phrases "give ear", "consider", "hearken", and "my cry" are forceful and urgent.  They do carry that sense of energy and urgency.  This shows me that it's okay to cry out to God with fervor.  

The terms "my king" and "my God" emphasize that God is a personal God who cares about the concerns of each and every one of His children.  Therefore I can confidently bring my concerns to Him.  The idea of directed, specific prayer is also seen here, as is looking up to watch and see how God will answer. 

I can find a wonderful example here for my own prayer life.  Pray at the beginning of the day; pray specifically, personally, and fervently, waiting expectantly to see what God will do in answer to my prayers.

P=  "Lord, I do thank and praise You for the verses from this psalm that show me David's heart for prayer.  These verses show me some wonderful principles for my own prayer life.  My early morning time with You is a priority for me, as it was for David.  I pray that You will help me to continue to pray specifically, fervently, personally, and expectantly as I watch for Your answer.  I praise You for the privilege of prayer, in Jesus' name, Amen."

Reflection question: David woke up with God on his mind.  He made it a priority for God to hear his voice in the morning.  This means he prayed out loud at the beginning of his day.

Does God hear your voice in the morning?  If not, how can you rearrange your priorities to make time for prayer in the morning?

My response: Yes, God does hear my voice in the morning.  For many years I have seen my time with God as my first priority for any day.  Now, with my husband retired, we are both able to spend our early morning hours praying, along with reading and studying God's Word.  

Another thing I have felt led to do over time is to make the choice not to spend any time on the internet until I've spent good quality time in the Bible.  I've learned that it's far more important to listen to God's Word first before I get input from any other source.  I could even adjust this boundary to include my prayer time, but at this point I do check my email and messages following my Bible study time so I can pray for any important requests I may have received overnight.

And there is our simple study of Psalm 5:1-3.  I hope it was a blessing to someone!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

 

 I would be remiss indeed if I didn't take a few moments to thank and praise our all-powerful, all-wise, all-knowing great God for the grace and mercy He has showered on us as His people and as a nation.  We prayed that He would shed His grace on us, and He has done exactly that.  Things will never be perfect in our fallen, broken world, but He has graciously answered our prayers, and we will thank Him.

Take time to vote and pray!

 

Lovely image from Abby at Little Birdie Blessings

Today, if you have not yet voted, I  encourage you to get out and do so!  (Here in our state, we do not have early voting except for absentee, so Mr. T and I will be going to the polls at our local elementary school today.)   I hope that we've all been praying about this important civic responsibility for awhile now, since the primary, at the very least.  If you haven't already made up your mind, do a little research (and a lot of praying) before marking those ballots.  

Beyond that, though, we all ought to be praying intelligently and specifically for our country every day.  I'm sharing an older post to encourage my readers (and myself!) in this, so if it seems you have read some of this information before, you probably have.   Feel free to skip the read, and just go vote.

Consider these words from the meaningful song "America the Beautiful":

"America! America!  God shed His grace on thee!" 

If our country ever needed God's grace, it is now.  I have come to believe that we are engaged in a struggle between good and evil -- a battle for the hearts and minds of our people.  Our liberty is truly at stake, friends.  This is not a battle between political candidates or between two political parties.  It is a battle between liberty and socialism and quite likely communism.  When one realizes that the leaders of one party are literally trained Marxists, it helps quite a bit in narrowing down our choices.

Mr. T and I are praying that evil will be exposed (and that it will be honestly and justly dealt with), that Americans will see the seriousness of our situation and that believers will pray faithfully for our beloved country.

For many years, I've prayed for our country every Thursday.  (I've shared about this before, but for those who may have missed it I will share the basics again.)  I begin by thanking God for the blessing of living in a free country.  I thank Him for the freedom to worship, the freedom to share my faith with others, the privilege of voting, and the privilege of living in a country with so many natural resources, such natural beauty, and a high standard of living.    I then pray for our president and other leaders, our men and women in the military, our judges and courts, my state and governor, and my town.

I still use the page below to pray for America every Thursday, but I have gone beyond that to pray for our country each and every day.

The printed page you see across the bottom of my prayer journal is from a pdf titled How to Pray for America.  It's a free download at Revive Our Hearts, and I have found it very helpful in praying for our country as a whole.   In 2016, these requests were printed in our church bulletin, and I clipped them out to use in praying for our country on a regular basis.  Below is a scan:

 

I have actually adapted this page and the one pictured from my prayer journal, to create a 31-day schedule of praying one request for each day of the month.  My hubby and I use this schedule to pray one request each evening for our country.  Thus, we are praying for American at least twice a day.

You will notice that one of the requests is for truth in the media.  Thankfully, there are a few independent news outlets where one can hear the truth.  We are not hearing it from the mainstream networks.  The Epoch Times is one that we have found trustworthy. We have also found many fascinating interviews and good news shows on Epoch TV.   If you subscribe to the newspaper, access to the interviews, etc. is free.  Check it out!

Another important request on this list is that people will be able to see truth, that error would be exposed, and that people with wicked agendas will be made weak.  I am actually praying that those who have wicked agendas will be caught in their own nets, thinking of some of the imprecatory requests that David prayed for the wicked.  Another great request is for God to overcome the enemies of truth and righteousness.  The Scripture verses for this request are pertinent:

"Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.  

"Through God we shall do valiantly: for He it is that shall tread down our enemies."
(Psalm 60:11-12)

 If you are not in the habit of praying for America, may I encourage you to do so?

  "America the Beautiful" also includes these powerful words:

"America! America!
God mend thine every flaw.
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!"

I've often been reminded that truly, God is the only One who can mend our flaws -- but we have to want that to happen and we need to beseech God that it will happen. Our flaws have never been more obvious, it seems, yet never have I been more aware of how fragile our liberties are and how easily they can be snatched away.

  As we exercise our right to vote, let's take time today to beseech God to help us "mend our flaws" as a nation, and to thank Him for the privilege of living in this land. Pray for His hand to be evident in the outcome of this election.  I'm so thankful today for God's sovereignty!

Sunday Scripture

 

 It's time for another Sunday Scripture!  This is the fourth post of what will be an ongoing series on my simple study of Psalms.  You can see a copy of the journal here: The Book of Psalms 1-50 or you can find all the resources right here on Women Living Well, Psalms 1-50.  I'm attempting to SOAP each Psalm too, though some of them are longer so I will likely only do a selected passage from many of them. [Quick reminder that S stands for Scripture; O stands for for observation; A stands for application, and P stands for prayer.]  Each psalm's study also includes a reflection question, which I will attempt to journal an answer to.  Today's study is from Psalm 4.  

S= "Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness.  Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.
"O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame?  How long will ye love vanity, and seek after falsehood?  Selah.
"But know that the LORD hath set apart him who is godly for himself; the LORD will hear when I call unto Him.
"Stand in awe, and sin not; commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.  Selah.
"Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.
"There are many that say, Who will show us any good?  LORD, lift Thou up the light of Thy countenance upon us.
"Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their grain and their wine increased.
"I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for Thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety."  (Psalm 4)

O= The heading for this psalm is "To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm of David".  Neginoth means "stringed instruments".   Scofield has titled this psalm "An evening psalm" just as he titled Psalm 3 "A morning psalm".  Some scholars (Spurgeon is one) feel that Psalm 4, like Psalm 3, was written at the time of Absalom's treachery.  

Cross-references for "righteousness" (v.1) -- "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn.  This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me, saith the LORD."  (Isaiah 54:17)

"In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is His name whereby He shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS."  (Jeremiah 23:6)

For the phrase "enlarged me"  (v.1) a reference of Job 36:16 is given for comparison: "Even so, would He have removed thee out of distress into a broad place, where there is no restrant; and that which shall be set on thy table shall be full of fatness."

Note concerning "enlarged me" (v.1) -- "David was in trouble and helpless.  The LORD gave him strength and courage.  David was 'enlarged'; he became a greater man for the tasks ahead of him." -- C.I. Scofield

Cross-reference for "lies" (v.2) -- "Thou shalt destroy those who speak falsehood; the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man."  (Psalm 5:6)

Cross-reference for "will hear" (v.3) -- "The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."  (James 5:16b)

I was quite interested in how different translations of the Bible began verse 4.  My KJV Bible begins this verse: "Stand in awe, and sin not." The NKJV says, "Be angry, and sin not".  The ESV says "Be angry, and do not sin."  NASB says, "Tremble, and do not sin."

Adam Clarke explains that the clause could be translated this way: " If ye be angry, and if ye think ye have cause to be angry; do not let your disaffection carry you to acts of rebellion against both God and your king. Consider the subject deeply before you attempt to act. Do nothing rashly; do not justify one evil act by another: sleep on the business; converse with your own heart upon your bed; consult your pillow."

Cross-reference for "sin not" (v.4) -- "Be ye angry, and sin not; let not the sun go down upon your wrath."  (Ephesians 4:26)

Cross-reference for "commune with your own heart" (v.4) -- "I call to remembrance my song in the night; I commune with mine own heart, and my spirit made diligent search."  (Psalm 77:6)

Cross-reference for "upon your bed" (v.4) -- "Yet the LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me, and my prayer to the God of my life."  (Psalm 34:8)

Cross-reference for "sacrifices of righteousness' (v. 5) -- "They shall call the people unto the mountain; there shall they offer sacrifices of righteousness, for they shall suck the abundance of the seas, and treasures hidden in the sand."  Deuteronomy 33:19)

Bridgeway Bible Commentary notes: "In this psalm David begins by praying to God (4:1), and then turns to speak to his enemies and to his supporters. He accuses his enemies of disloyalty, self-seeking and too easily believing Absalom’s lies in joining the rebellion. He assures them they will be defeated, for God is on the side of David (2-3). To his supporters David gives the calm advice that they must not have thoughts of hatred and revenge. Their thoughts must be centred on God and their actions must reflect their devotion to him (4-5)."

Cross-references for "lift Thou up the light of Thy countenance" (v. 6) -- "The LORD lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace."  (Numbers 6:26)

"Restore us, O God, and cause Thy face to shine, and we shall be saved." (Psalm 80:3)

"Make Thy face to shine upon Thy servant, and teach me Thy statutes."  (Psalm 119:135)

Cross-reference for "goodness" (v.7) -- "Thou hast multiplied the nation, and increased the joy; they rejoice before Thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil."  (Isaiah 9:3)

Cross-reference for "lie down" (v.8) -- "And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety." (Job 11:18-19a)

Cross-references for "dwell in safety" (v.8) -- "Wherefore ye shall do My statutes, and keep Mine ordinances, and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety.  And the land shall yield his fruit, and ye shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety."  (Leviticus 25:18-19)

"But when ye go over the Jordan, and dwell in the land which the LORD your God giveth you to inherit, and when He giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety."  (Deuteronomy 12:10)

A=  Warren Wiersbe noted in With the Word that David "could not do much about the war around him, but he could do something about the war within him.  He did not want to lie in bed and worry, so he committed himself and his situation to the Lord.  He asked.  Asking the Lord for help is still a good way to deal with inner turmoil.  He believed.  He faced his anger honestly and gave it to the Lord ...  He received.  In the darkness, he saw the face of God and received light.  In his sorrow, he discovered the gift of gladness.  In the time of battle, he received peace.  God did not immediately change the situation, but He did change David."

As I look at this psalm, I see David calling out to God first in his trouble, noting the righteousness of God and how He has previously enlarged him in his distress.  Next he turns to the "sons of men", addressing his enemies and possibly, in verses 3-5, his supporters as well.  In verses 6-8 he goes back to addressing God, and in verse 8 expressing his ability to sleep peacefully, knowing that God is keeping him safe.

The reflection question provides even more application for this psalm, so scroll on down to read that question and my response.

P= "Lord, I praise You for all that can be learned from this psalm concerning adversity and anger.  Help me always to turn to You first in trouble, remembering how You've cared for me in the past, and that You are always the One who makes me dwell in safety.  Help me to follow these priceless instructions for handling anger -- to not sin; to meditate and search my own heart; to be still; to do what's right; and put my trust in You.  I thank and praise You for Your love and care for me, and for the gladness You have put in my heart, in Jesus' name, Amen."

Reflection question for this psalm:  David instructed his people what to do when they found themselves getting angry: do not sin, search your heart, be still, offer right sacrifice and trust in the Lord.  How can you apply these instructions to your life when you feel anger creeping into your heart?

My response: Sometimes anger may be justifiable, but we're not to sin in our anger.  I would say that to "meditate within your heart" might include searching your own heart, but it can also surely involve meditating on God's Word and on what He has done in the past.  The instruction to "be still" makes me think of other verses: "stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD"(2 Chronicles 20:17) and "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10).  I'd guess "sacrifices of righteousness" might involve serving God from a pure heart, not harboring sinful anger or bitterness.  We trust the Lord to work in our situation.  He knows what is making us angry and will help us to handle our anger correctly.

And there is today's simple study of Psalm 4.  I hope it's a blessing to someone!

Some goals for November

 

A new month means new goals (and with me, always some ongoing ones as well).  Thankfully, November doesn't look anywhere near as busy as October was.  Here goes:

* Keep up with Flylady's homemaking zones of the week
* Get back to working through the "Make Room Challenge" from Make Room for What You Love
* Spend time with our friends who are younger believers
* Enjoy our church ladies' gathering
* Post in this blog as often as possible
* Post in my Christmas blog as often as possible
* Get serious about planning Christmas gifts and making handmade ones
* Continue planning for family birthday gifts and crafting any handmade ones
* Use Charles Swindoll's devotional Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life for my quiet time daily
* Continue studying and preparing for my Sunday Scripture blog posts
*Work on Even If, a study of Habakkuk from the Daily Grace Co.
* Continue stocking my Etsy shop and continue selling vintage items
* Write at least 4 encouraging notes to friends and family
* Touch base with teen grandchildren regarding the Stand Firm Bible study
* Help and encourage my local daughter as I'm able
* Plan meals with a greater emphasis on healthy eating
* Continue to work on memorizing the book of James
* Continue to help a widowed friend with the challenges of life in general
* Get to bed by 8:30 each night we are at home
* Drink enough water each day
* Walk and/or exercise at least 4 times each week
* Possibly get together with friends for Veterans' Day
* Brainstorm about Thanksgiving with my daughter
* Plan and prepare food for Thanksgiving
* Get together with friends for breakfast the day after Thanksgiving
* Work at our volunteer jobs as needed
* Continue a 40-day sugar fast (this will end the Saturday before Thanksgiving)

HEALTHY HABITS FOR NOVEMBER:  Drink more water/get more sleep/get more exercise/intermittent fasting/limit carbs

WORD FOR 2024: Continue 

And there you have it -- my goals for November.   We will see how I do!