A Cry for Justice (Psalm 7, Part 2)

God Our Judge (verses 6-9)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%207:6-8&version=NIV

We may appeal to God, the Judge of heaven and earth to declare our innocence. However, we must first obey God’s commands. In prayer may we allow God to search our minds and hearts and fill us with His righteousness.

Arise and awake our Lord and God; decree justice. We gather around while You sit enthroned over us on high. We let You judge the peoples. Vindicate us, Lord, according to the righteousness that You have imputed to us. Make us righteous, and probe our minds and hearts for Your mercy’s sake.

God Our Defense (verses 10-13)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%207:10-13&version=NIV

God is our defender. We do not need to defend ourselves. May we turn to God who always acts justly. Before God’s righteous justice the innocent need not fear. Christ, our friend in court, has declared us righteous.

Lord God, bring violence to an end and make the righteous secure. Thank You that You, our righteous God, probe our minds and hearts. Thank You that You save the upright in heart. Thank You that You are holy and righteous; we know we can depend on You to protect and save us.

A Cry for Justice (Psalm 7, Part 1)

When our integrity is attacked we can cry to God for justice.

Prayer for Refuge (verses 1-2)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%207:1-2&version=NIV

Without God’s protection we have no hope of escape. When we ask for deliverance, our unseen refuge has already been provided since it is located in God. We can experience His peace no matter what the outcome.

Lord our God, we take refuge in You. Save and deliver us. Fill us with Your peace in the midst of our fear and turmoil.

Oath of Innocence (verses 3-5)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%207:3-5&version=NIV

When we are slandered we can give the slander to God and leave it there. We must make sure that our consciences are clear and our cause is righteous. Christ’s blood cleanses us from all our sin, making us righteous.

Lord our God, if we have done this and if there is guilt on our hands, reveal that to us. We acknowledge that we are not innocent, and deserve much that comes to us. Help us not to confuse righteousness with self-righteousness. Increase our righteousness, Lord. Save us from our enemies, including our own temptations and self-righteousness.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2byvcqyGdY

Personal Weakness (Psalm 6, Part 3)

God Hears (verses 8-10)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%206:8-10&version=NIV

When we cry to Him, God hears and responds in mercy. As followers of Christ may we sow the seed of God’s Word, cultivate it with our prayers, and water it with our tears. May we pray for our enemies, not against them. May God have mercy on them.

Thank You, Lord, for hearing our cry for mercy and accepting our prayers. We pray for those around us who need to experience Your love and mercy.

We live in a distorted world that for now is far less than the world God created. May we mourn the suffering, oppression, pain, and evil in our society and increase our dependence on God and loyalty to Him.

O Lord, God of mercy, forgive us all our sins for the sake of the bitter sufferings of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Grant us a triumphant faith by which we may obtain the victory in all afflictions and temptations, and uphold us by Your grace when we must pass through the valley of the shadow of death. Amen.
Martin Luther (1483-1546)

Personal Weakness (Psalm 6, Part 2)

God Save Us (verses 4-5)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%206:4-5&version=NIV

Christ’s body needs God to save us. The Church, which seems dead, needs God’s life and His unfailing love.

Turn, Lord God, deliver us, Your Church. Save us because of Your unfailing love. Fill us with Your life so that we can boldly proclaim Your name.

Sorrowful Weeping (verses 6-7)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%206:6-7&version=NIV

In our satisfaction with the status quo of a materialistic worldview the Church has no sense of conviction. May God’s people groan with sorrowful weeping. May we sanctify by our tears the polluted body of Christ.

O Lord, convict us. Fill us with a deep sense of sorrow and shame for what we have become. In our weeping Your Holy Spirit make intercession for us (Romans 8:26). Wipe away our weeping and tears.

Personal Weakness (Psalm 6, Part 1)

May we lament the disturbed conscience and personal weakness that comes from our sins and drives our faith to despair. If we want to know how God feels in this regard, we need to look to Jesus, who wept at Lazarus’ tomb.

God be Merciful (verses 1-3)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%206:1-5&version=TNIV

The church has bought in to our society’s materialistic worldview. We deserve God’s discipline. May we hope in God and appeal to His grace to temper the discipline we deserve. In anguish we need to confess our faults and seek God’s mercy.

O loving Father, though we have earned Your rebuke, and deserve Your discipline, do not rebuke us in Your anger or discipline us in Your wrath. Have mercy on us, Lord. Heal us and remove our anguish.

http://www.geneva.edu/object/newsong_ehp_psalm6

Clouded Dawn (Psalm 5 Part 3)

God Blesses the Righteous (verses 11-12)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%205:11-12&version=NIV

May we gladly take refuge in God as we pray together. May we ever sing for joy. Our loving God blesses His people, surrounding us with His favor.

O Lord, fill us with gladness and may we ever sing for joy as we take refuge in You. Spread Your protection over us. We love Your name and we rejoice in You. Bless us, Lord, surround us with Your favor as with a shield.

Lord Jesus Christ, You are the Light of the world and alone the Way to eternal life. Restrain the corrupters of Your Word and all the enemies of Your truth. Preserve the truth of Your Gospel in these latter days and in faithful teachers who will lead us in the way everlasting. Grant us to serve You in steadfast faith and a good conscience to our end. Amen.
Martin Luther (1483-1546)

Clouded Dawn (Psalm 5 Part 2)

Desiring God’s Righteousness (verses 7-8)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%205:7-8&version=NIV

Because of God’s great love in sending His Son, not only can we enter God’s house, but we are God’s house. May we, in reverence, bow down to Him; and may He lead us in His righteousness.

Lord God, by Your great love we come to Your house and in reverence we bow down. Lead us in Your righteousness. Make straight the way before us.

Deceitfulness of Evil (verses 9-10)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%205:9-10&version=NIV

Our society has so much deceit that it is difficult to separate out the truth. The chaos of our sinful society requires a response from God. May we leave judgment in God’s hands, knowing that ultimately righteousness will triumph.

We pray against the malice and deceit of our society. But we ask You, Lord, to purify Your church and remove our deceitfulness. Forgive our rebellion against You.

Clouded Dawn (Psalm 5 Part 1)

May prayer lead us into God’s presence and remove the cloud that hinders our understanding of God’s authority.

Cry to God (verses 1-3)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%205:1-3&version=NIV

When we see the limited impact of the church on our society may we cry to God for help. May we start each day in the presence of our ultimate authority—our King and our God. May we quietly meditate on God’s Word, and wait on Him expectantly.

Oh God, listen to our words. Consider our lament. Hear our cry for help. We humbly acknowledge that we are coming before the almighty Ruler of the universe. We lay our requests before You and wait expectantly.

God Opposes Evil (verses 4-6)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%205:4-6&version=NIV

We know that God is repulsed by our wicked society. He hates the arrogance of our political and societal leaders who use deceit to obtain and protect their status.

O God remove the wickedness from us; purify Your body. Remove all evil, arrogance, lies, cruelty and deceitfulness from Your church.

http://new.music.yahoo.com/david-nevue/tracks/psalm-5--25088434

Safely Dwelling in God (Psalm 4, Part 3)

Dwell in Safety (verses 6-8)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%204:6-8&version=NIV

Our society searches for those who can bring prosperity. May the light of Jesus Christ through His church shine on us and fill us with joy. God does not necessarily take our troubles away; instead He gives us inner peace and joy. Trust in God brings us greater comfort than all the prosperity the people around us so eagerly seek.
Father of lights, let the light of Your face shine on us. Fill our hearts with joy. In peace may we lie down and sleep, for You alone, Lord, make us dwell in safety.

O Lord, my heart is fixed; Jesus is my hope and righteousness; the Lord will hear me when I call. And henceforth will I both lay me down in peace and sleep securely in Jesus, accepted in the Beloved; for this is the rest wherewith the Lord causeth the weary to rest, and this is the refreshing.
Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892)

Safely Dwelling in God (Psalm 4, Part 2)

Set Apart for God (verses 2-3)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%204:2-3&version=NIV

In their delusions influential members of our society seek false gods and turn God’s glory to shame. However We become His faithful servants because we have received Christ, and He has set us aside for Himself. He who set us apart hears our prayers.

Thank You, loving Father, that because of what Your Son, Jesus Christ, has done for us, You consider us Your faithful servants. Thank You that You do hear us when we call to you in prayer.

Trust in God (verses 4-5)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%204:4-5&version=NIV

The strong influences of our society have taught us to care only about what works for me. We are bombarded with the message that we are the center of the universe. Instead, we should offer sacrifices of praise to God who created the universe. May we take our eyes off ourselves and place all our trust in God.

Father in heaven change the focus of our lives from ourselves to Yourself. We offer the sacrifice of our lives and trust in You, our Lord.

Safely Dwelling in God (Psalm 4, Part 1)

With prayer our greatest resource, the righteous call on God to make things right. May we trust God when things go wrong.

Answer our Prayers (verse 1)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%204:1&version=NIV

We often perceive no evidence that God hears our prayers. Yet prayer is our greatest resource. Through prayer we can cast ourselves on God’s mercy with confidence that He does hear our prayers. Our trust lies in the truth of God’s promises rather than in our unreliable perceptions.

Thank You, righteous God, that when we call to You, You do hear our prayers. We cast ourselves on Your mercy. Thank You for hearing our prayers.


http://www.geneva.edu/object/newsong_pop_psalm4B

Peace within Hostility (Psalm 3, Part 2)

Rested (verses 5-6)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%203:5-6&version=NIV

With our confidence in the Almighty and All-loving God we can rest in the midst of opposition, with nothing to fear. God’s loving care moves us from despair to hope.

Our Loving Father, thank You that we can lie down and sleep in peace. Thank You for sustaining us. Release us from fear of those in who assail us. We abandon our concerns and problems to You.

Delivered (verses 7-8)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%203:7-8&version=NIV

God’s Son is our deliverer. Therefore we are victorious. We have been delivered from the politically correct pressures of our society. Furthermore we have received God’s blessing. Even though we feel surrounded by opposition, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). Deliverance, which Jesus accomplished at Calvary, belongs to God.

O Lord God, arise and deliver us. Deliver us from conflict and misunderstandings And continue to bless Your people.

Jesus taught us to love our enemies and pray for them (Matthew 5:44). In the midst of the mockers of our hostile society, we have God’s promised blessing that results from His gracious deliverance.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, be with us as the sure defense of Your Church. Defend us against our enemies, preserve us from the persecutions of the wicked, and when our last hour has come, deliver us from all evil, both of body and soul, and receive us into Your everlasting kingdom. Amen.
Martin Luther (1483-1546)

Peace within Hostility (Psalm 3, Part 1)

Through Jesus Christ God extends deliverance and blessing to all who believe on His name. May we place our confidence in God’s personal deliverance.

Surrounded (verses 1-2)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%203:1-2&version=NIV

We live in a hostile society. Contemporary Political Correctness seems to tolerate any perspective except that of following Jesus Christ. Our society subjects Christ-followers to verbal and psychological abuse and mockery, telling us that God will not deliver us. But we know better. We must not allow our society to distract us from following Christ.

O Lord, it seems that we have many foes rising against us. But thank You that You can and will deliver us. Please keep the society around us from distracting us from following Christ.

Shielded (verses 3-4)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%203:3-4&version=NIV

May we place ourselves under the protection of God’s shield—Jesus Christ. Even in our despondency, God gives us reason for hope. Within our hostile environment we can maintain our dignity because God protects us. His glory is greater than human powers. When we feel abandoned by those around us, we can draw comfort from the assurance that God hears and answers our prayers.

Thank You, Lord, for Your shield of protection around us. Thank You that You are our glory and that You lift up our heads. Thank You that when we call out to You, You do answer us.

http://mp3skull.com/mp3/byron_cage_psalm_3.html