Daily Meditations

Psalm145:2 Eternal praise! What a brilliant statement and one for us to take on board. Do we want to be men and women of faith like David? Well, one way to start is to ensure that we praise the Lord our God every day. There are so many ways we can do this, by reading and studying His Word and being amazed at who He is and what He has done. By giving thanks for our daily food and necessities. By witnessing to others about Him. By playing songs and hymns that extol Him and by making music in our heart to Him. By praying and simply thanking Him for all He is and all He has done. By standing still for a moment and looking with awe-filled eyes at His creation or listening to the music of the birds, the trees, the ocean waves or the buzzing of insects and recognising that every bit of creation reveals His character and provision for us. By joining with others who love Him and acknowledging together His sovereignty and authority. By humbling ourselves so that we are completely dependent on Hi...

Psalm 145:1 Praise eternal This is the last of the Psalms that is ascribed to David and in that sense, we might feel a little bit sad. We have had the company of this great man and accompanied him through all His trials and moments of despair as well as sharing in his successes and identifying with his songs of praise. And that is what Psalm 145 is, it is described in my Bible as a “magnificent hymn to the Lord, the Great King, for his mighty acts and His benevolent virtues.” So, we will encounter the virtues of the Lord over the next few studies, His greatness, goodness, trustworthiness and righteousness. I’m looking forward to this, aren’t you?   V1        When we exalt someone (or even something) we elevate that person above others, we grant them a position of importance and authority over us. We proclaim that they are greater than us and we are lesser than them and that they are worthy of our obeisance. I suppose this is played out on ear...

Psalm 144:15 We are blessed! We use the Word “blessed” a lot in conversation; “Have a blessed day”, “God bless you”, even unbelievers describe themselves as “blessed.” The Hebrew word for “blessed” describes the happiness that comes from being favoured by the Lord God, so, maybe a good translation of “blessed” is “favoured.” We often use the term in the context of wealth or health, but it goes much further, when God blesses His people they have an inner quality, a spiritual state of joy-filled contentment that cannot be shaken by the trials of this world. David uses this word corporately of his people, Israel. The Lord has provided for them in remarkable ways; Psalm 33:12 says,  “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance.”  The Psalm goes on to demonstrate that the Lord oversees all peoples and all events on earth! Best of all,  “His eyes are on those who fear Him, whose hope is in His unfailing love.”  Do we count ourselves...

Psalm 144:14 The way we should be It’s interesting to list and note the blessings from God that David records in this Psalm, it reveals his sense of priorities and also his expectations so far as the Lord is concerned: - ·        Sons will be like well-nurtured plants ·        Daughters will be like palace pillars ·        Barns will be filled with every kind of provision ·        Sheep will increase by thousands ·        Oxen will draw heavy loads (this can read “our chieftains will be firmly established”) ·        The land will be at peace and warfare will cease.    David paints a rather idyllic picture doesn’t he? However, isn’t this the picture that we would all like to engage ourselves in? Our children developing into mature and    capable adults. Our prosperity growing and peace in ou...

Psalm 144:13 Those who obey the Lord will be blessed David is still thinking about the threat of his enemies and especially those he regards as  “Foreigners whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful.”  In other words, infiltrators and impostors. He ponders what it would be like to live in a land that is free from tensions and assaults by the enemies. David knows that this land of Israel belongs to the Lord and if God is with the people and is freely worshipped, then the land and its inhabitants will prosper. Listen carefully to these words given by the Lord to Moses and promising blessings if the Israelites obey their God; - “If you fully obey the   Lord   your God and carefully follow all his commands   I give you today, the   Lord   your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.    All these blessings will come on you   and accompany you if you obey the   Lord  your God: You will be blessed ...

Psalm 144:12 What are our sons and daughters like? Those of us who are gardeners will be aware that to nurture a healthy plant takes some effort, you don’t just shove it in the ground and go away and hope for the best, if a plant is valued then we will need to know the soil type that it is being planted in, what size hole needs to be made for the roots, when and how it needs feeding and watering, its position in relation to the sun and also, to other plants. We need to know how to care for its growth, when to prune and when to support any tendrils, and the right time, if relevant, to harvest its fruit or to cut its blooms. Gardening is a full-on job and can be immensely rewarding and also frustrating. Raising children is just the same, a concept that David fully understood! The way our sons present themselves in their youth is a direct reflection of the way they have been raised and nurtured.  In the same way our daughters reflect their family upbringing and the qualities of their ...