Today’s passage: Psalm 97

Helpful thoughts:

• When we look at nature, it is clear we have no control over it, and it all belongs to God.  The extent of God’s power is beyond our comprehension, but the reality of His power and authority can be clearly understood.
• ^“For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” – Romans 1:19-20
• Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.  Therefore, those who love Him will learn to hate evil (Verses 2, 10).

Questions to consider:

1. Why does it make so much sense for those who are called, “Righteous ones” to be glad/to rejoice in the Lord?  Where does our righteousness come from? (2 Corinthians 5:21)  If it were not for God’s grace to us through Christ, where would we stand in the context of this psalm?
2. What realities about God, about our standing in Christ, concerning our future, and the eternal purpose with which we can live our lives give us joy and gladness?  What can you praise God for today?  What truths can cheer your heart and/or help you endure hardships today?
3. What does the beginning of verse 1 say?  Does that look like present tense or future or past?  Is it a “hope so” or an absolute certainty?  Why does that matter?  What are the implications of God’s present sovereignty?  How can this comfort our hearts?

Today’s passage: Psalm 96

Helpful thoughts:

• The “People of God” was never intended to be limited to the Hebrew people, nor any other race or ethnicity today. (Romans 4:16-18, Galatians 3:7, Revelation 7:9-10)
• Every other god that this world has ever worshiped is a figment of imagination.  There is only one true God.
• This psalm is a magnificent call to global evangelism!  Every soul on the face of the earth (Including everyone in your home town) will stand before our holy God and needs to hear the gospel message.

Questions to consider:

1. There have been many debates concerning missions and enculturation.  Should missions be stopped in order to “preserve cultures” around the world?  Does culture shape our worship or does our worship shape our culture?  If our country’s culture becomes more and more “post-Christian” will it be wrong to evangelize here too?
2. Who gets to decide whether missions and evangelism is a good idea?  If the entire world says to stop preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, what are Christians to do?  Whom do we obey?
3. Are you obeying?  Who can you be praying for to be saved?  How can you engage in relationships and/or ministries that present opportunities to share Christ?  How are you participating in the mission of the church?  Be encouraged to take the next step of growth!

Today’s passage: Psalm 95

Helpful thoughts:

• The greatness of God is a reality which elicits joy in the hearts of His people.  The simple truth of who God is, and that He has made us His people, is enough to bring about an emotional response.
• If you are in Christ, the one who spoke the universe into existence and has decreed the beginning from the end has placed you under His utterly perfect care!
  • If you are NOT in Christ, be saved today!
• Today, if someone hears good counsel and chooses against it, we might call him “hard-headed.”  The psalmist calls this a hardness of heart in verse 8.
  • By God’s grace, He gives to His children a “heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26).  May we remain humble and be learning and growing as the children of God.

Questions to consider:

1. How does this psalm remind us who God is and who we are?  How does this proper perspective help us to view our purpose correctly?
2. Why is it so important to be continually reminded of these truths?  What did the Jews do at Meribah and Massah (Exodus 17:1-7)?  What temptations and worries arise in our hearts when we forget who God is and who we are?
3. If Israel had been mindful of who they were and who their God was, how might their request for water have sounded in Exodus 17?  How do our prayers sound, our interests shift, our concerns fluctuate when we are resting and trusting in Jesus?

Today’s passage: Psalm 94

Helpful thoughts:

• It is important for Christians to remember, vengeance is not ours to enforce or ensure.
  • Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” – Romans 12:19
• It is also important for Christians to remember, the reason we do not await vengeance for our own wickedness is because Jesus stood in our place and took our judgment.
  • For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. – Romans 3:23-24
• There are many who will offer to fix your problems (Or all of society’s problems).  Only ONE truly can (Verse 17).

Questions to consider:

1. What are the things that concern you the most right now?  In the culture?  In your home?  To whom have you turned for “solutions?”  Whom are you seeking to be your rock of refuge?
2. What does entrusting judgment to God free us up to do as Christians?  What has He commanded us to do in this world, for their benefit?
3. How do we balance a desire to see the lost come to Christ and a desire to see sin judged?  In the end, how will both realities be entirely appropriate and resound to the glory of God?

Today’s passage: Psalm 93

Helpful thoughts:

• When the world around us (Or our hearts within us) look like chaos, God is still entirely in control.  His victory is not a comeback.  He is never the underdog, no matter what things look like.
• Verses 3 and 4 have been interpreted in different ways, but primarily in these two:
  • When we consider the vastness, power and peril of the seas, we would certainly be overwhelmed, yet God is still more powerful and indeed sovereign over the seas.
  • The floods of waters represent people who oppose the psalmist and/or the people of God.  When we are under duress, we can remember that God is mightier than any who would oppose us.
• Everything that God says is true.  We can count on every word of God eternally.  This is one of so very many aspects of the Lord which set Him apart from all of us. (Verse 5)

Questions to consider:

1. How does our time in the Word of God give us the right perspective (The right pair of glasses) through which to see the world?  What events are causing the world to fear these days?  Why don’t you need to be afraid?
2. What posture does our standing in Christ allow us to have toward others in the midst of their fears?  How can we use that standing in love for God’s glory and their good?
3. How does this psalm also give us a right expectation for God’s answers to prayer in our lives?  We can often want God to make the wind and waves stop so that life will be “easy”.  How does God give us grace to be at peace and rest in our hearts even when the “seas” rage all around us?

Today’s passage: Psalm 92

Helpful thoughts:

• This psalm was written for the day of worship!
  • To think that there could be anything better or more fitting for the Lord’s Day than to sing praises, to declare His love, and to worship God…well…verse 6 describes that thinking.
• One of the purposes of the Lord’s Day is to refocus and correct our thinking about the world around us (Verses 7-9, Psalm 73:16-17).  When we see the Lord rightly, we will then see the world rightly.  We need regular recalibration.
• The tree that flourishes is the tree planted in the house of the Lord (Verse 13).

Questions to consider:

1. What is the Lord’s Day for our church?  When do we gather to worship Him?  Why is it right to worship Him?
2. How is someone “planted” and continually nourished “in the household of God?”  What does that look like today?  How could this analogy work together with that of the “body” from 1 Corinthians 12:14-27?
3. Though the New Testament never commands Christians to observe the Sabbath, we do enter into Sabbath rest and enjoy it every day…how? (Hebrews 4:1-13)  Who has provided our righteousness in full and provides us true rest?

Today’s passage: Psalm 91

Helpful thoughts:

• If you have chosen to live under the protection of God, you have chosen well.  He is Almighty!
• In commentary to this psalm, Charles Spurgeon wrote this: “When you walk with a friend in certain positions of the sun, your friend’s shadow falls on you, but you cannot expect to have the shadow of your friend unless you are near him.”
• No child of God suffers or dies by chance or bad luck.  God has a purpose for all things, and for those whom He has called, it is always for their good (Romans 8:28-30).

Questions to consider:

1. How many bad things can you find in this psalm that could cause us fear or distress?  How many of them are more powerful than Almighty God?
2. If someone were to reference this psalm to say that Christians never get sick or should never use medicines of any kind, what would be a good response? (1 Timothy 5:23)  If Christians don’t ever get sick, why do Christians get sick?  And why did Timothy get sick and need medicinal treatment for his “frequent ailments?”  What must this psalm mean when it speaks of God’s control over all these hardships?
3. What does it look like for a person to hold fast to God in love?  Beyond any emotional feeling, what actions result from this love?  What actions resulted from God’s love for you?

Today’s passage: Psalm 90

Helpful thoughts:

• This psalm was written by Moses!  Only one psalm is credited to him.
  • These truths were still true when the whole of the 150 psalms were compiled, and they are still true today.  “From everlasting to everlasting” God is God!
• Seeing our existence in relation to who God is (Holy, eternal, our Creator) gives us a better perspective and understanding concerning our sin…and His gracious plan for our rescue in Christ.
• By God’s grace we learn to see even the negative consequences of our sin in this life as a way to draw our attention to see God and rejoice in His favor.

Questions to consider:

1. Why is it good for us to “number our days?”  How does wisdom come from knowing who we are and how long we have on this earth compared to the eternal glory of God?  What is our purpose here?
2. If this life is short and life with God is everlasting, what would it be wise to ensure we prioritize in our days here?  What is our Creator God worthy of (Romans 12:1-2)?
3. What does verse 17 acknowledge we need?  In what ways have you seen God’s favor on your life?  What can you thank Him for today?

Today’s passage: Psalm 89

Helpful thoughts:

• This psalm could be divided into three parts:
  • Verses 1-37 recount the promises of God, His covenant with David and Israel.
  • Verses 38-45 give the perception of the psalmist at the time of his writing.  All was not well.  It seemed God had forgotten His covenant.
  • Verses 46-59 are utilized to make the request from the Lord to remember His people and take away their reproach.
• God is faithful and will fulfill His covenant with David and Israel.  A King will reign who has descended from David, forever. (Matthew 1:1-17)
• The “firstborn” (Verse 27) is a term of prominence.  Being the firstborn in a family meant special honor and double inheritance.  Being chosen as “firstborn” was a term used in special circumstances by God.
  • Israel was the “firstborn” among the nations. (Exodus 4:22)
  • David was the “firstborn” among the kings of the earth. (Vs. 27)
  • Jesus is the “firstborn” among all creation. (Colossians 1:15)

Questions to consider:

1. What is the challenge of verse 39?  Had God truly renounced the covenant and defiled the crown?  How do verses 30-37 help us answer this?  Who had sinned and what was God going to do about it?
2. Had we been with the psalmist when he wrote this appeal to God, how might we better understand where he was coming from?  In the midst of their trouble, why would it make sense to ask God these questions and appeal to His character and promises?
3. How does going to and knowing the promises of God in the Scripture help us to persevere during hardships?  How is all of this going to end? (Revelation 21:1-5)  Why is it always right to take our concerns directly to God, especially when we might feel like He isn’t doing what we expect Him to do?

Today’s passage: Psalm 88

Helpful thoughts:

• This psalm of lament does not have a happy ending in sight, though there certainly is one in store (2 Corinthians 5:6-8).
• Throughout the Old Testament, we see many in Israel turn to false gods for answers.  This writer continues to pray to the one true God through the adversity and feelings of hopelessness.  Though he was physically sick, he had been spiritually (Therefore eternally) healed.
• He writes from the perspective of the living (Physically).  Verse 5, 10 and 11 speak of our actions and relationship with God and others while still physically alive.

Questions to consider:

1. What is the psalmists view of God’s sovereignty?  Is there anything in his life he has not attributed to God’s will?
2. On what basis does the psalmist make his appeal?  What does he hope to regain if he should be given good health?  What does he hope to do in service to the Lord?
3. In what ways can our afflictions give us a platform to do the very thing we would hope to do without them?  This psalmist want to declare God’s glory and steadfast love…what did we just read him doing?  How can God use our faithfulness in the midst of suffering for our good, for the good of others, and for His glory?