Seeking God (Psalm 43, Part 2)

A Promise of Praise (verses 3-4)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2043:3-4&version=NIV

         May we seek God and praise His faithfulness. The best moments of our lives occur when we have quiet, undisturbed, intimate fellowship with our eternal God in Christ. When God fills us with joy may we pour it out to Him in praise.

Guiding God, we seek Your guidance. We seek Your truth in Your Word. Send us Your light and Your faithful care, let them lead us to You. Then we will go to You, God, our joy and our delight. We will praise You, O God our God.

Seeking God (Psalm 43, Part 1)

When we feel we are living in a godless nation, may we seek God for our delivery.

A Prayer for Justice (verses 1-2)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2043:1-2&version=NIV

Often those we trust betray us and take advantage of us. May we discover our ultimate justice in the Word of God: God’s “truth” expresses His covenantal fidelity.

Just God, we live for You in a tough and thankless society. We ask for justice. Vindicate us as we plead our case against our unjust society. Rescue us from those who are deceitful and wicked. Thank You that You are our stronghold.

http://genevanpsalter.com/attachments/GenPs043_vocal_homoph_BoP84.MP3

Thirsting for God (Psalm 42, Part 2)

The Depths: Remembering God (42:6-11)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%2042:6-11&version=NIV

When the depths of the turmoil in which we live overwhelm us; may we remember times when we joyfully came into God’s presence in the company of the faithful. May our songs of praise for the blessings we have received cheer our gloom. With God as our Savior we have hope.

God of our lives, help us to recall special times with You. In our despair and loneliness, and we come to You. We praise You in freedom and joy. You are our hope.

Jesu, the very thought of thee

      With sweetness fills my breast;

But sweeter far thy face to see,

      And in thy presence rest.

Bernard of Clairvaus (1090-1153)

Thirsting for God (Psalm 42, Part 1)

When we experience spiritual dryness may we thirst for God. Christ is the fountain that refreshes and transforms us.

The Drought: Longing to Meet God (42:1-5).

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%2042:1-5&version=NIV

When we feel emotionally parched and thirsty, may we long to meet God. He will totally satisfy us. Christ is the fount from which flows our refreshing. Having  placed our hope in God through Christ we can praise God for His salvation.

Living God, we long to be in Your presence. In our drought when You seem so far away, help us to recall good times we have had with You. Longingly we put our hope in You, for You are our Savior and our God.

http://www.geneva.edu/object/newsong_psalm42

Waiting for God (Psalm 41, Part 3)

Meditating (verses 10-12)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%2041:10-12&version=NIV

When we meditate on God, we cry, “have mercy on me, LORD.” Then we can stand in the strength of His mercy as we relate to the needy around us. If God gave us His Son, because of His love, will He not give us all we need? God helps those who cannot help ourselves.

Have mercy on us, Lord; raise us up. Thank You for the assurance that You are pleased with us. Uphold us, Lord, and set us in Your presence forever.

Praising (verse 13)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%2041:13&version=NIV

When we praise God we call others to the awareness of God’s character and love. May we thus share God’s blessing.

Praise be to the Lord our God from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.

O Love divine, that stooped to share

Our sharpest pang, our bitterest tear,

On Thee we cast each earthborn care;

We smile at pain while Thou art near.

Charlotte Elliott (1789-1891)

http://www.geneva.edu/object/newsong_pop2_psalm41C

Waiting for God (Psalm 41, Part 2)

Praying (verses 4-6)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%2041:7-9&version=NIV

Prayer is our only source of help. When sin diseases our souls, impairing our inner health, we may call on God, for He is compassionate. We base our prayer for healing and restoration on God’s promises. May we cast ourselves on God’s faithfulness, even though those around us may prove unfaithful.

Merciful God, have mercy on us, for we have sinned against You. We come to You in prayer and cast ourselves on Your faithfulness.

Eating (verses 7-9)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%2041:4-6&version=NIV

Eating together is one of our most intimate activities. At meals we set aside our hostility. If we are truly committed to serving the needy, we need to spend time with them. What better way than to share meals with them?

Loving God, heal our spirits and our bodies. Thank You for giving us our daily bread. Help us to share our bread with the poor and needy around us.

http://www.geneva.edu/object/newsong_pop2_psalm41B

Waiting for God (Psalm 41, Part1)

As God’s children who wait for Him receive grace, may we develop an attitude of waiting for God.

Listening (verses 1-3)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps%2041:1-3&version=NIV

Our regard for the weak serves as the basis for our deliverance. May we listen to and get to know the weak in order to serve them. May we follow our Lord Jesus Christ, who though he was rich, for our sakes became poor.

Mighty God, give us regard for the weak; may we make time for the needy around us. Help us to truly listen to them. Protect and preserve the weak and needy. Sustain the sick and restore the ill.

http://www.geneva.edu/object/newsong_pop2_psalm41A

Endurance as the Foundation of Salvation (Psalm 40, Part 3)

Looking Around: God’s Salvation (verses 12-15)  

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2040:12-15&version=NIV

As we look around we see lives that consist of struggles. May God give us His perspective on society around us, and fill us with His love.

God our salvation, troubles without number surround us; our sins have overtaken us, and we cannot see. Lord, make haste to help us. Be pleased to save us.

Looking Forward: God’s Greatness (verses 16-17)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2040:16-17&version=NIV

Looking forward may we rejoice in God’s greatness. When we admit our need, God begins to meet it. May we publicly proclaim God’s deliverance.

Great God, as we seek You, fill us with joy and gladness. Although we are poor and needy; You, Lord, are our help and our deliverer; You are our God.

Thank you, Father, for hearing our cry, and not turning your back on our deepest needs. Thank you for being dependable and able. Help us to know how much you care. Help us to see all that you have done for us in Jesus Christ, who has become the theme of our new song. Give us grace to sing it well, in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

David Allen Hubbard (1928-1996)

Endurance as the Foundation of Salvation (Psalm 40, Part 2)

Looking Inward: Personal Commitment (verses 6-8)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2040:6-8&version=NIV

Looking inward we find that God requires a personal commitment rather than an external ritual. Jesus offered himself voluntarily to his Father, to remove our curse. May we desire to do God’s will with His law written in our hearts.

God our Father, we offer ourselves to You. We desire to do Your will; Your love is within our hearts.

Looking Outward: God’s Perfection (verses 9-11)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2040:9-11&version=NIV

Looking outward we see ignorance of God all around. In response to our great salvation, may we proclaim the good news of God’s perfection.

Righteous God, help us to speak of Your faithfulness and Your saving help. Do not withhold Your mercy from us. May Your love and faithfulness always protect us.

Endurance as the Foundation of Salvation (Psalm 40, Part 1)

May the gospel of Christ give us the hope we need to not only endure but to sing this song of confidence to our Savior.

Looking Backward: Promised Salvation (verses 1-3)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2040:1-3&version=NIV

Looking backward we can recall when God delivered us. Christ, the everlasting rock of divine faithfulness, forgave our sins and saved us from the muck of this world. We now sing a hymn of praise to our God.

As we wait patiently for You, Lord our God, You hear our cries. Thank You for lifting us out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire. Thank You for setting our feet on Christ the Rock. We sing a hymn of praise to You our God. May many see and fear You and put their trust in You.

Looking Upward: God’s Protection (verses 4-5)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2040:4-5&version=NIV

May our past experiences of God’s grace cause us to look up and trust His protection for our present and future. May the false gods of materialism not lead us astray.

Protecting God, we make You our trust. Many are the wonders You have done. None can compare with You. Help us to tell of Your deeds, though they are too many to declare.

http://www.geneva.edu/object/newsong_live_psalm40

A Transitory Life of Speaking and Silence (Psalm 39, Part 3)

In Humility, Speak (verses 10-13)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2039:7-9&version=NIV

In humility may we acknowledge our total trust in God our Savior. Our frailty and God’s discipline hedge us in; He will sustain and protect us. Even though we are sinners and suffer adversities, we still belong to the covenant community.

Sovereign God, remove this scourge from us. Hear our prayer, Lord, listen to our cry for help; be not deaf to our weeping. We acknowledge our fear and total trust in You. In humility we speak to You.

I once was an outcast stranger on earth,

A sinner by choice, and an alien by birth;

But I’ve been adopted, my name’s written down,

An heir to a mansion, a robe, and a crown.

Harriet E. Buell (1834-1910)

A Transitory Life of Silence and Speaking (Psalm 39, Part 2)

In Perplexity, Speak (verses 4-6)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2039:4-6&version=NIV

We accumulate status and wealth, but we still have no control after death. May we leave our future with God. We have been made in the image of God, but sin has marred that image.  Let us turn and speak to Christ and find in him our new selves.

Loving God, let us know how fleeting our lives are. In vain we rush about, heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will finally be. In perplexity we speak to You, Lord. Help us to find our new selves in Your Son, Jesus Christ. 

In Submission, Be Silent (verses 7-9)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2039:7-9&version=NIV

All our questions are not answered, yet what we know about God far outweighs what we do not know about our problems. May we submit to God who gives meaning to our transitory lives. May God forgive our sins and give us reconciliation and healing.

Lord God, in silence we submit to You. We place our hope in You. Save us from our sins; forgive us. Help us to keep silent, for You are the One who does this.