Psalm 53: How to pray through difficult times - part 2

by Peter Roxburgh


Psalm 53 (NIV)

It was mid afternoon when I went sailing on my own. I was 12 but had been sailing a few times before so was fairly confident. I wasn't trying to cross the Atlantic but just sailing around some inlets on the Welsh coast.

As often happens in Wales, the weather suddenly turned. I found myself surrounded by thick sea mist and an eerie darkness. The wind had dropped and so had the temperature. To make matters worse, my rudder had stopped responding too.

No wind, no sight of shore, no rudder and deepening darkness - a sailors nightmare. With all these enemies camped around me and no way to overcome them, I started to panic.

Sometimes life can feel like that.

David definitely knew about being surrounded by enemies with seemingly no way out or ability to overcome them.

Although David spends most of this psalm describing his enemies, the word that really stood out for me was the word 'when'.

In verse 6 he writes "WHEN God restores his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad." When! Not, 'if'. But a definite 'when.'

As with my little sailing incident, that 'when' can seem a very long time. Sometimes that 'when' is more like a 'WHEN???!!!!'

After what seemed like many 'WHEN??!!'s and many hours, my rescue came and I was restored back to the safety of the shore and the warmth of hot chocolate and a lit fire.

No matter how surrounded you may feel or how stuck in the thick mist and darkness of life, Gods rescue is surely coming.

The challenge is to change our prayers from the demanding and despairing "When!!??" to the affirming and hope-filled "WHEN God rescues me (and I KNOW He will), I will rejoice and be glad."

Even though we may be surrounded by the mist and darkness of life, simply by affirming and reminding ourselves of the truth of Gods coming rescue we will find our spirits lifted and souls strengthened.

Psalm 52: Sticks and stones

By Chantalle Wookey

Psalm 52 (NIV)

Growing up, I vividly remember many conversations with my parents over the playground chant, ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me’. From a young age I came to the conclusion that this was nonsense. That when people said mean things it really did hurt.

Words are powerful. Words can tear down or build up. Encouraging words can change the outlook of a day. But lies hurt. Deception hurts. Sin is evil. That includes verbal sin. The evil tongue and malicious words are hugely condemned in this psalm. Many of us may never see the kind of physical destruction we read about in the Old Testament – it is just not a part of our daily lives. However, destruction by the tongue often is. It is something we will probably receive from others and will have to examine ourselves on.

Despite this as 'good Christian people' it feels totally culturally taboo to wish ill on others. So as I have looked at the Psalm I have struggled with its challenge - v5 God will break you down forever; he will snatch and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. Eek!

As I have dwelled on this it has seemed more obvious to me. There is a good way to live and a bad way to live. Yes, you can get ahead using deceit, treachery and lies. (I’m sure we’ve all been the recipients or perpetrators of this, no one teaches their kids to lie yet as a teacher I haven’t met many that don’t). The truth of this Psalm is that in the end, these things will provide no refuge. So, as David says, it is better to live a life of trust in God’s steadfast love.

This Psalm is meant to teach us something. Words of evil against us should bring us to a point of trust in the love of God for us. Trust in God should be our response to harmful words.

Trusting in God makes us as an olive tree, well rooted, standing the test of time. Verse 8 tells us David trusts in the steadfast love of God "forever and ever."

But there is more. David TRUSTS in the love of God but he also THANKS and WAITS on God. He is not reactionary. I know I have not enjoyed waiting out many difficult situations this year. One of which being a colleague with a fiery temper, fearing the consequences of retaliation. Slander behind the back, things whispered that simply aren't true. I’m sure you too have experienced periods of painful waiting. The question is in situations where words hurt what should we do?

TRUST God

THANK God

WAIT on God

God is Sovereign, He is just and He'll bring about the end that most glorifies Him.

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." I have partly changed my mind. Words do hurt but this saying hints at a greater truth. It is an annoyingly pithy saying that I still don’t like, but the truth is we have a God, our Father who loves us and His love and justice endure despite the evil of others... forever and ever.

Psalm 51: Learning Authentic God-Worship

By Andi Norton

Psalm 51 (The Message)


16-17 Going through the motions doesn't please you,
      a flawless performance is nothing to you.
   I learned God-worship
      when my pride was shattered.
   Heart-shattered lives ready for love
      don't for a moment escape God's notice.

Notice the words here above, I learnt God-Worship when my pride was shattered.

Those two words 'God-Worship' conjure a picture of authentic worship, a worship that is true to the core, worship that we would describe as 'red hot'.

There are times when I am leading worship, I find myself looking out at the congregation and feel discouraged because it can feel that although the music is pumping, the lyrics are edifying, I have Chantalle spinning on one side, Shirley-Ann dancing on the other - but the congregation can seem static.

I can come away thinking where did I go wrong, the problem here was that I wasn't giving my attention to God, actually what I had done was just gone through the motions.

The focus for our worship and praise needs to come out of a pride-less heart, a heart that's been shattered by the grace of God. David in this psalm has just spent a time rebelling against God in his relationship with Bathsheba, and after the death of his son is confronted about his sin from a friend. Convicted, He repents.

If we think back to what God has saved us from, from a life of complete hopelessness and the life now we have in Him, it brings our focus into place.

These words encourage us into a place of Authentic Worship (7-15)

Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God,
      and I'll sing anthems to your life-giving ways.
   Unbutton my lips, dear God;
      I'll let loose with your praise.
Worship out of a place of rescuing is awesome, I love seeing new comers in church who have been recently saved, how red hot they are, how abandoned they are.

The reality is this type of worship spurs others on.

We must make sure our focus is right; remind ourselves before we enter His gate where He has save us from.

Let us be Red Hot worshippers who encourage others into worship, through our own. Amen.

Psalm 50: Need more meat!

By Sean Theunissen

Psalm 50 (NIV)


"The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to the one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God." v 23

Israel had a privileged position, they were the first installment of renewed mankind, but with great privilege comes great responsibility. God was starting to detest Israel's so called sacrifices.

It wasn't that God hated all animal sacrifices, it's just that that He could see straight in to the heart of each 'worshipper'.

Israel's sacrifices were being used to try and bribe God as if God was somehow hungry and needed more meat before He got up and did what they wanted. This may be how my body works but not God. God had to remind them that, "Every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills...if I were hungry I would not tell you”.

He wants a sacrifice of thanksgiving; it was the only type of sacrifice in which the worshipper would eat some of the animal. The function was to eat a meal with your family and the needy with God as the host, a prelude to the Lord's Supper. It's about being welcomed in to His presence, fully dependent on Him and dealing justly with others. This type of worship engages the heart.

God doesn't want lip service. Worship, which glorifies God, is that which says, “I love you Lord with all my heart, soul and mind, and I choose to love and deal kindly with those around me.”

He wants our time, our money, our relationships to orbit around Him, a sacrifice which says, “Thank you for all this stuff you give me, it’s all yours Lord, I hold tight to You alone.” What our lips say or sing are important and relevant but only in light of our heart position.

If we want things to stop becoming our trust then we need to start giving these things to Him. I find the times when I'm most fully engaged in worship is when I've had to sacrifice something or make a decision that lifts Him high and bows my heart low.

Let's bring more fragrant offerings.

Father, show me the areas of my life I'm not letting you in to and then help me to offer these things to you. Let my lips say what my life and heart are already reflecting.

Psalm 49: Finally! An investment with good returns

By Priscilla

Psalm 49 (NIV)

If you’ve ever read an account by someone who has had to face their mortality, the underlying conclusion is usually one of changed priorities. You will often read statements like, “I don’t care about how money I earn, it’s only my family that matters,” or “A career, promotion, bigger house, bigger car seem so irrelevant when you’ve been told you’ve got six months to live.”

Whatever rocky journey those survivors have come through, they have emerged with a profound revelation that life is fragile and NOTHING material that we strive for in this earth we can take with us to the life beyond.

That is exactly what this wise psalmist is writing about. (vs 17)

I read an awful statistic once that said by 9am every day the average western, urban consumer has consciously or subconsciously absorbed 250 brands or segments of advertising! That is lot of aspirational, out-of-reach products that are streaming their way into our brains.

And is it only the shock of a near-death experience that re-wires the coding in our brains to think – ‘Hang on! I might have got my priorities mixed up somewhere?’

That is definitely not to say working hard or owning nice things is bad but look at it as if your house, car or job were a trust fund from God. If He were to ask you to give either or all of those things up, would you turn away with your heart full of sorrow or would you gladly give it up and say, ‘What’s next, Lord? Where do you want me to go?’

However, if it is God’s will for you to have that great job/car/house/family/talent – how are you using it to glory of God? Are you using it to invest into God’s Kingdom, thereby laying up for yourselves ‘treasures in heaven’? (Matt 6:19-20)

Like the psalmist says, there is no price we can ever pay to escape death (vs 8) and as Hebrews 9:27 says, ‘It is appointed for man to die once.’

Death is inevitable, but how we invest our time on earth is up to us.
We can live it to please ourselves or we can live it to bring praise to Jesus.
After all, God is eternal. He will live forever.
An investment into His bank will always pay fantastic dividends and will never lead us into a recession.
Let’s seek His Kingdom always and live our lives fully to the glory of God! Amen.

Psalm 48: Tell the story of God

By Andy Flood

Psalm 48 (MSG)

A very wise man once said: "Mission exists where worship does not."

In this awesome God-song of a Psalm, it praises God for all the wonderful things He is. I especially love verse 10 (The Message) Your name, God, evokes a train of Hallelujahs wherever It is spoken, near and far; your arms are heaped with goodness-in-action. (Psalm 48:10 MSG)

We have so much to praise God for and this psalm puts amazing words in the mouth of the worshiper.

At the very end we're exhorted to tell the next generation the story of God. Our forever God who guides us till the end of time. This is a challenge for us to tell the story of God to the world around us too.

Father, thank you we have so much to praise you for. Thank you for your word that helps us praise you and gives us the words to say. Help us tell Your story to the world around us. So that worship will exist in every corner of the globe.

Psalm 47 - What does Biblical praise look like?

By Peter Roxburgh
Psalm 47 (NIV)


We wait, huddled together with some of the other townsfolk. Even the children know not to make much noise. The elders just walk around muttering prayers under their breath. Everyone too nervous to cook and too sick with worry to eat.

Without saying a word, we know what the other is thinking. We try desperately not to think about what would happen if the battle is lost. But we all know.

If this battle is lost we will become the property of another man, probably other men. Our children will be taken away from us to work as servants, being beaten constantly. Our husbands will most likely be killed or at least have their eyes taken out. We will be taken away from the place we call home, unlikely to see or speak to our closest friends. And we will spend the rest of our lives doing labour-intensive, back-breaking work in the scorching heat under the leering eyes and groping hands of our captors.

Every so often I hear someone crying and I know that those dark thoughts of the impending reality are eating away at them.

After days spent like this, during which everyone ages considerably, a lone figure is spotted riding back with news.

I prepare myself for the worst, barely holding in the tears; trying desperately to remain strong for my children. More cries go up as more of the townsfolk give in to the thoughts of slavery, separation and a life of hell.

And then suddenly I hear a cry that sounds different. A cry of joy! VICTORY! In that moment, my life is literally returned to me! The dark cloud vanishes and I breathe as if I have never known fresh air in my lungs. Every one is up on their feet, dancing, hugging, crying with joy, laughing, singing. VICTORY! The enemy has been defeated!

Tonight we celebrate. Along with the other women I get a fire going. Chickens, lambs and goats are all slaughtered ready for the feast. The musicians bring out their instruments as the children dance round them laughing and giggling, each taking their turn pretending to be our victorious king defeating the enemy.

Suddenly there is commotion at the gate of the town. I drop what I am doing and along with everyone else, I rush towards the gate. The king has returned! The victorious king, our saviour has returned!

In a loud voice we cheer, clap and shout "How awesome is the Lord Most High, the great King over all the earth! He subdued the nations under us, people under our feet." 
I join the crowd pushing to get to the King. I notice that he has suffered at the hands of the enemy and he has been scarred. Because he suffered I will sleep safely with my husband tonight, my children breathing gently next to me. I push closer, just wanting to kiss his feet, my thankfulness overflowing in tears.

From behind me, flowers shower the king. Someone offers him freshly baked bread, another a bowl of lamb stew. No expense is spared, nothing is held back. Our king could ask for anything and he would have it. We owe this man our lives, our homes, our dignity, our freedom. Everything.

As the trumpets play a jubilant song, the shouts of joy keep getting louder as the king ascends each step to his throne. The roar of joy and triumph that rises as the king sits on his throne literally shakes the whole town.

Everywhere I look I see people dancing with wild abandon, hugging those that they haven't spoken to for a long time, smiling, sharing food and celebrating with people regardless of background, social standing, nationality or age. And everyone can't help but "sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises."

Late into the night the celebrating and song continues;

"For God is the King of all the earth.
God reigns over the nations.
God is seated on his holy throne.
The kings of the earth belong to God;
He is greatly exalted."
I have every reason to praise him, to celebrate his victory, our freedom and inheritance. I may not be the most graceful dancer, or have the best voice but no-one is going to stop me joining in by dancing and singing in praise to my King, our victorious Saviour.

Psalm 46: Be careful! Watch out for the conga eels

By Chantalle Wookey

Psalm 46 (NIV) 

Not all of you will know that I am an identical twin. Biologically we are identical but in so many ways our likeness stops there, this was particularly evident in our attitudes towards danger and adventure as children. My sister was very fearful as a child.

I will never forget the day my grandparents took our older cousins and us to a beautiful river near Dartmoor. It was a brilliantly hot and sunny day. As kids do, my cousins and myself made a mad dash for the water, desperate to get wet and play. My sister, however, because of her nerves was slower to join us. As she approached us we were already in the middle of the stream.

My cousins seeing her nerves decided it would be terribly funny to tease her (as only male cousins can) and to taunt her, "Be careful! Watch out for the conga eels!" By this time my sister was ankle deep in the river. On hearing this she totally freaked out and jumped up onto a rock in the middle of the river with the water lapping at her toes. She was so full of fear and she screamed for so long that a very large crowd gathered, she was inconsolable and would not be quiet for long enough to even listen to the voice of my grandfather telling her all was well. Eventually a man on the river rescued her in a dingy (Yes, my cousins were in trouble).

My sister experienced the river on that hot day and found safety on a rock in the river but she missed out on the fullness of fun of the river, the refreshment on a dry, hot day, she missed the adventure because she listened to the lies of foolish men, she was full of fear and was transfixed on the turmoil she perceived all around her.

We will in our lives experience turmoil and even more so as we hurtle towards the end of this age and Jesus returns (as well as a huge encouragement this psalm is an insight into that day).

I believe God is calling to us asking, “How deep are we in the River of Living Water? How deep do we allow the Holy Spirit in our lives?"

As believers in Christ, we are already in the River but how deep are we? Ankle-deep? Knee-deep? Waist-deep? Or out of our depth? How deep do we want to go?

As we go deeper still, we will find that we have to swim and let go of the firm ground even if that means facing things that scare us. In the River of living water, we have to let go of self and let the Spirit takes us to where He wants.

How much control do we actually have in our lives? Surely it is far better to let the Holy Spirit have control, to really swim in the river whose streams make glad the city of God.

Do we allow circumstance to rob us of all God has for us or do we choose instead to be still and know that he is God? To stop screaming and listen to the voice of the one who has authority of our lives? In the midst of difficulties we face in life, no matter what they look like; the command to be still does not come from a lack of troubles. It comes from a steady trust and recognition of God's presence with us.

Although we will definitely face troubles in our lives and more so as we head towards the end of the age we can be encouraged that the river of God does bring healing and Jesus is right there in his dingy reassuring us. We can be certain that we are safe, even when waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging because the Lord of hosts is with us, he is our refuge and he is our victory.

Psalm 45: Wedding Preparation

By Andi Norton

Psalm 45 (NIV) 

(Please, Can I encourage you to read the whole psalm. It is so amazing) 

Weddings, we've all been to our fair share, some good ones, but the occasional one will be fantastic.

Dressed with the wonderful bridesmaid dresses, flowers, grooms tie all colour- coordinated, add to that a brilliant word shared by the minister, fantastic speeches mixing humour with wit and then of course the magical kiss and first dance.

I think the best part of any wedding is when on the odd occasion a friend of the bride and groom writes a song just for them, we were blessed at our wedding with one of these.

In the psalms we can see just that, and it was customary that whenever a new king was enthroned his song was sung - and it was titled, 'The wedding song of the Sons of Korah.’

We can see the words of a great poet in motion as the psalm kicks off, but this time there seems to be a change. As the psalmist describes a victorious king clothed in majesty and splendour, truth and humility, who pierces the heart of his enemies. We are then brought to focus on this king to be special. For this King will have nations fall at His feet, this King's throne will last for ever and ever, it will NEVER END!

It describes a King who will reign for ever, our King Jesus echoing the words of Isaiah 9:7

Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and
upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

This song sings of a great truth to come. That Jesus will return to the earth and with His people march and take up His throne, it fulfill everything Jesus said he will do.

He said He would die that he would rise again and then when He ascended that He will return.

When Jesus comes a second time He is coming for His bride - for a great wedding - now this is going to be the ULTIMATE WEDDING!

And we can see in this song there is a direction to us the bride (the daughter in the song), a direction which we need to listen to and pay careful attention to (vs10)

As like any wedding day it is the role of the bride to be beautiful, hours will be spent on choosing the right dress that flatters, hours spent on hair and make-up to look radiant and beautiful for her future husband, as she leaves her father's house to start a new union with her husband.

The same is expected of us from our future marriage with the King of kings.....

Forget your people and your father’s house.

11 Let the king be enthralled by your beauty;
   honour him, for He is your Lord.

13 All glorious is the princess within her chamber;
her gown is interwoven with gold.
14 In embroidered garments she is led to the king;

The reality is Jesus is returning for a spotless Bride, and very often we can look at our lives and not see a very purified, spotless life, we can often see as Priscilla described so well a murky fish tank of a life.

The good news is though that we have been purified and sanctified by Christ, that was the point of His first coming.

“Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless

Ephesians 5:25-32 (NIV)

And He is coming again for His bride for the ULTIMATE WEDDING DAY! Hallelujah!

So in the mean time, rejoice, celebrate, look to what's to come, prepare yourself, groom yourself, there is a great work to be done to prepare for a wedding, and so we must get ready, but never loose focus that he has accomplished all of it already, all we need to do is stand firm and get ready for the Great and terrible day. (Joel 2)

Lord, Thank You that you gave yourself up for the church, to purify her to prepare us for your Victorious return.
Lord, you describe that day as Great and Terrible. Great for us your bride but terrible for so many who don't know you. Lord, help us to radiate your love to those who don't know you. To stand firm and prepare ourselves for that day.

Psalm 44: Are you sleeping?

By Sean Theunissen


Psalm 44 (NIV) 

23 Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep?
Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.
24 Why do you hide your face
and forget our misery and oppression?

If someone had prayed with the similar tone and content as the second half of psalm 44 in a prayer meeting, it would have been unsettling. The first half, great, the second AWKWARD!

To say to God: 'Get up, God! Are you going to sleep all day?' to me seems irreverent when you consider who you're speaking to - God of heaven and earth who can crush whole kingdoms like a tortilla chip. If however the God of the entire universe calls you His children and calls Himself a perfect Father, then it changes things a whole lot. The tone and content are still quite bold but it's a prayer backed with promises and it reflects a very open and honest relationship.

The writer here is at a loss to understand why God has seemingly stopped going before Israel in battle. The Israelites have started to 'retreat before the enemy...and have been scattered among the nations'.

There are so many people that I know who have gone through massive hardship, some of them even recently. These aren't people who have turned their back on God, or have allowed sin to take root, and yet they have found themselves in situations, which are difficult to understand.

I have not had to endure hardship like some of my friends but I do know that those who have come through are stronger and more mature in their faith than before. God isn't a slot machine and He also doesn't sleep. He is a perfect Father who wants to see His children fruitful and pruning is a big part of the process.

Interestingly the first half of the psalm is one of thanksgiving and speaks of a mature relationship with God. "I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory, but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame." (Vs 6&7) It's so often in the storm that we realise what is important and who is really trustworthy.

We are allowed to be honest with God, this isn't petulance, it’s an open relationship between a child and his dad. When my children stand at my bedside asking me when I'm going to get up, I don't say, "Treat me with respect," I say, "It's not time yet!"

Lord, help me to see you for who you are, sovereign and powerful, but also perfect Father. Lord, help me to seek you in every trial, to ask you why, rather than turn my back on you and walk away. Lord, I know it's better to be broken by You than from You. Thank you that I'm your child and you work all things together for my good.

Psalm 43: Battle for a clear mind

By Priscilla

Psalm 43 (NIV) 


When we were growing up, my dad once got us a tropical fish tank. It brought us a lot of amusement – from trips to the grotty fish market to staying up well into the night waiting for a fat guppy to give birth. It was mildly entertaining – by and large.

This fish tank had a filter that kept the water fresh and clean. Occasionally the filter would stop working and literally overnight the water would get so murky we wouldn’t be able to see the fish anymore.

On the odd days I am moping about the house feeling gloomy for whatever reason – my mind feels like that dirty fish tank whose filter has just gone kaput.

And believe me, the last thing I ‘feel’ like doing is picking up my Bible and singing praises to God! However when I ‘choose’ to finally read my Bible – each verse hits the spot like a soothing balm and speaks right into my situation.

Like the Psalmist who has been feeling incredibly oppressed and downcast laments and then cries out in verses 2-4:


Why have you rejected me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?
Send me your light and your faithful care, 
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.
Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the lyre,
O God, my God.

The truth in God’s word is the Light that this Psalmist is asking for. It is only truth from God that is powerful enough to shine through the murky depths of a gloomy soul.

When the water in our old fish tank got cloudy, one of us would have to remove the filter, unscrew its various components and wash and rinse the bits inside really well. THAT was not a job we liked doing! There were these awful black, smelly bits and other unmentionables that would appear and we would have to rinse and rinse it through till the original colour of the sponge inside the filter emerged. It was a vile job. But once the filter was cleaned out and put back, the water would return to being bright, clean and sparkly again.

Sometimes, the filter in our minds can get cloudy – prognosis of an illness is not great, work is stressful and over-demanding of us, we don’t feel we are good enough to do anything or any other thoughts if let loose can take us to some very dark places.

But when we clean the filter of our mind under the ever-running tap of God’s word (reading it, studying it, meditating on it) our minds are transformed to be bright, clean and sparkly again. Getting rid of stuff that has clogged up our minds can be a pretty gross job – but we will be all the better for it - trust God!

His word in Romans 12:2 says, Our lives will be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

If His Word says it – then it’s true. Let's believe it.

Psalm 42: Have a Word With Yourself

By Andy Flood

Psalm 42 (NIV)


Desperate. David is absolutely desperate, he needs to meet with God.

He remembers all the times he's been in God's presence, and how he'd lead people there too. People are even asking David, "where is your God?"
Is God absent? Has God forgotten David?
Or does David just need to have a word with himself? Remind himself of the truth of God, His promises and His eternal, everlasting faithfulness.

Sometimes our emotions can get the better of us. They can make our circumstances seem overwhelming, they can whisper in our ear, "Where is your God now?" it's easy to be fooled by emotions.

Sometimes they can be allowed to guide our lives. We tell ourselves, "Well, that's just how I feel," as a sweeping statement that can bear no challenge!

Although emotions are a gift from God, allowing us to feel the world around us, to experience the wonderful and the dreadful. They are not meant to guide our lives. By allowing emotions to guide your life, what you’re really saying is, you trust your emotions more than you trust God.

Perhaps it's time to have a word with yourself?
Remind yourself of the truth of God and His promises.

"By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me"
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? (Romans 8: 31-35 ESV)

It is only in God’s light that we can see light, only His truth can set us free. I don't believe we should be dead inside, emotionless. But we must take charge of our emotions, they must submit to Truth.

Psalm 41: How to pray through difficult times

By Peter Roxburgh

Psalm 41 (NIV)


This psalm is a great lesson in how to pray through difficult times.


In this Psalm, we find David sick and his enemies circling like vultures waiting for him to die. Not the nicest place to be!


1. Promises - The first thing David does is remind himself of God’s promises.

a. The Lord delivers (v1)
b. The Lord protects (v2)
c. The Lord preserves (v2)
d. The Lord sustains (v3)
e. The Lord restores (v3) 

When we pray, this has got to be our starting point. Reminding ourselves of God’s promises stirs faith. More importantly, it gets our focus OFF our problems and onto our faithful, promise-keeping God.


2. Petition - David then asks for God’s mercy. He wants to be healed. In his petition he acknowledges that he has sinned against God. (v4)

God loves to be merciful. And if that is what we need then let us not be shy to ask, or slow to repent. It is only arrogance that prevents us from accepting our weakness and asking for divine intervention.

3. Problem - He then goes on to explain to God what the problem is. (v5-9)

It is not that God was too busy to notice. Should your child come to you and say,"Please give me ibuprofen," I think you might be keen to hear from the child what the problem is and why they want ibuprofen. It would be an unconcerned father that just dishes out the medicine like candy.

God is very much interested in what is troubling you. And He isn't fooled by prayers where the mouth speaks one thing while the heart cries another. So be completely honest and tell Him. It is a sign of a good Father-child relationship.


4. Petition - Having explained the problem, once again David repeats his petition for God’s mercy (v10).

It is almost as if David concludes with, "So as I was saying... I really need you to do this for me, please."


5. Praise - Even as he lies on his sick bed staring up the vultures circling, David is still able to recognise God’s goodness

a. I know that you are pleased with me (v11)
b. My enemy does not triumph over me (v11)
c. You uphold me (v12)
d. You set me in your presence forever (v12)
e. Praise be to the Lord (v13)

David finishes by once again focusing on God and His current and ongoing goodness towards David.


It is essential that we end our times in praise and thanksgiving for all the wonderful things that God has done and is doing for us. This is particularly vital through the trying times. The praise of a broken heart is the sweetest of all songs.


The next time you face a really trying time (or at any time!), use this psalm as a framework for when you come before God.


Remind yourself of His promises, tell him what you want, tell Him your problems, ask again for help and then praise Him for His goodness. You will be amazed at how your spirit will be lifted and you will find yourself strengthened - and that's even before God answers!

Psalm 40: Honest Worship

By Chantalle Wookey

Psalm 40 (NIV)

So often I find myself jumping into the notion that true worship must be festive, upbeat and just plain happy. Certainly this can be the prevalent notion in so much of our corporate worship. The reasons for this are obvious; Jesus has triumphed over sin, suffering, and death – victory is ours through him, we have so much to rejoice about, so much to celebrate. God has put righteousness in our hearts and, he has saved us and he is faithful (v10).


However, I am refreshed by this psalm. It reveals to me again that sentiments of sadness and feelings of discouragement do indeed have a place in worship. Thank goodness my heart cries because I know both you and I have experienced days when all is darkness (For troubles without number surround me and my troubles have overtaken me and I cannot see – v12)


If we do not worship in the valleys, we will not be praying at all times. I know for sure that I have had to learn a prayer of worship when I have very definitely been down in the valleys at various times in my life. When all is not well it is not a time to dwell on the difficulty alone but to find a prayer and a cry of worship right in the middle of that situation.


“Yet I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer” (v17)


This is a psalm ending on an unresolved note (O my God do not delay). God wants us to call to him and to ask Him to intervene in our lives, for in these moments of despondency and uncertainty God is still worthy of our worship. “Hope that is seen is not hope, who hopes for what he already has?” says Paul in Romans 8:24, our prayer of hope must strive to be the loudest of the voices that would seek to rise from our hearts even when we find ourselves in a less than festive season of life. Our honest voice before God can be our prayer as well as our struggle; it can be our worship as well as our pain. On the mountain top or in the valley we can declare, “You have set my feet upon a rock”.


God would you help us to be truly real and present with you in our worship, to allow the feelings of our heart to engage with the feelings of yours. God show us how to bring the whole of our lives, whatever the circumstance to you as an act of worship because we love you and you love us.

Psalm 39: Aliens with Hope

By Andi Norton

Psalm 39 (NIV)

It can be hard sometimes to keep things suppressed, whether a frustration, a negative word or just a plain annoyance at something.

But nothing is worse than being in the place you just can't see how an end.

In the early stages of our daughter, Lilla, being born and the endless nights of crying which this year have turned into footsteps down the hall to our bedroom where we are woken up by either a heavily breathing face peering into ours in the darkness or worse a full-load mount on our faces as a child leans in for some comfort. You get to a point where you can't take it any more. The big princess eyes and smiles have worn off and the suppressed frustration of yet another night’s sleep broken results in a telling off and a march back down the hall with your little 'princess' as you tell her it's time to sleep in her own bed.

This is a reality for us right now, it can feel that we call out to God night after night that our daughter will sleep, but night after night she doesn't and you come to the point when you cry, "How much longer God?"

I then am reminded of these words from psalms:

"What am I doing in the meantime, Lord?
Hoping, that's what I'm doing—hoping
The truth is this is quite minor really, and there has been many times when I've pursued God to give me an answer or provide for a need, guide me, and ALWAYS He does, maybe not when I'd like it, but He does.

God provided me with a job the week after returning from my honeymoon, He soon later provided us with free accommodation.

When we had Daniel (my son) He yet again provided financially for us to be able to move to a bigger flat.

Countless times God has provided finically for us when we've truly needed it, whether it was an unexpected tax rebate, or an anonymous envelope through the door, God has always come on through.

He heard my cry on the dark road when I eventually physically couldn't take it any longer and saved me from an eternal regret.

The reality is God will never let us go beyond what we can with stand - It's in His word - and it's a promise!

You'll save me from a rebel life,
save me from the contempt of dunces.
I'll say no more, I'll shut my mouth,
since you, Lord, are behind all this.
Our God is faithful!

If there's one thing we can learn from this passage is that we live in a world that is not God's full plan for us, we are aliens to this world, but we are the light to which those who are aimlessly walking through it can catch a glimpse of this Hope God brings that is in us.

The trial we face is momentary to the life that is promised to us - an eternity in face-to-face contact with the Everlasting Father, the one who cares, who does listen and will in His right time answer.

The question to ask God in these times is what do you want to teach me God, use this to mould me shape me, prepare me for when I see you face to face.

I hope that through these challenges God has done just that, shaped me, and built a character of faith, hope and security and reliance in Him.

But He's also a God who cares so we can cry out to Him, but never loose hope remember no mater what the trial, it's momentary. You are an alien to this world and greater things are yet to come.

Lord, use the trials to teach me God, use them to mould me, to shape me, to prepare me for when I see you face to face.
Remind us of the truth of you're words, the promises you have sealed over our lives, to never loose hope, so that we can be lights in the darkness that surrounds us.

Psalm 38: It's My Brain's Fault

By Sean Theunissen

Psalm 38 (NIV)

'My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear.' Ps 38:4

This lament is quite brutal in its description and incredibly honest. It seems that it was used to be sung during the memorial offering where people would come to consecrate themselves before God.

Throughout these psalms one thing that has stood out above the rest is David's sensitivity of spirit. I mean that in a good way, not that he took things the wrong way or couldn't handle constructive criticism, but rather that he hated sin and was so aware of it in his life. He was aware of how it spread and how it had the capability of numbing the soul to its deadliness. He was unable to tolerate it.

Here is an incredible example of it.

'My wounds fester and are loathsome
because of my sinful folly.
I am bowed down and brought very low;
all day long I go about mourning.'

Being honest I often find that when I'm guilty before God, my gut reaction is to scrape around for some excuse, or find something else or someone else to take at least some of the blame.

My son Tom is a good example of this. One day when Rachel picked him up from school his teacher told her that Tom had bitten someone that day. Now don't worry it wasn't vampire style angry biting, it was more puppy dog messing around biting. Nevertheless he shouldn't have done it.

Amazingly when we sat him down to talk to him about it to try and understand what the reason was for doing it, he blamed his brain. Apparently he didn't want to do it but as his brain told him to do it!

David is such a mentor in loving his Father in heaven and prizing that relationship above all things including pride that often stops us from even confessing the sin that He's already seen.

Lord, I pray you'd help me to be more open with You, not to put sin to one side as if it doesn't really matter. Lord I want to hate all sin the way you do. Thank you for the blood of Jesus that takes it so far away from me and allows me to start all over again.

Psalm 37: 20 Reasons Not to Give a Bribe

By Priscilla
Psalm 37 (NIV)


Friends in my home country in India often lament about the corruptness of public officials they come in contact with. Whether it is getting a house or vehicle registered, voter’s card, moving furniture from one state to another – there seems to always be some official or paper pusher who wants their palm greased. And in the determination not to succumb to the pressure of giving a bribe – the work is delayed, a file goes ‘missing’, the only person available to sign the final document is, err…away and will be back in ‘two weeks’. This and lots of other excuses routinely cropped. And everyday as they wait patiently at reception, hoping that surely their file will be signed today. They watch as other people stroll in, get their paperwork signed and walk out smiling. It’s tempting when they know that they are only a few hundred rupees away from sauntering out of that office - registration signed and completed.

But this psalm is one of amazing hope to those of us who find ourselves surrounded by people who look like they are batting one six after another and never get out despite all their LBWs.

Psalm 37 clearly promises that if we follow God wholeheartedly then:

• We will dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture (vs 3) 
• God will give us the desires of our heart (vs 4) 
• Our righteousness reward will shine like the dawn (vs 6) 
• Our vindication like the noonday sun (vs 6) 
• We will inherit the land (vs 9, 11, 29, 34) 
• We will enjoy peace and prosperity (vs 11) 
• In famine, we will enjoy plenty (vs 18) 
• Though we may stumble, we won’t fall. God will uphold us (vs 24) 
• We will not be forsaken, nor will our children go hungry (vs 25) 
• Their children will be a blessing (vs 26) 
• God will not forsake those who are faithful (vs 28) 
• God will not leave us to the power of the wicked (vs 33) 
• God will be our stronghold in times of trouble (vs 39) 
• God will deliver us from the wicked (vs 40) 

I’m not quite sure what half of the above mean, i.e. our righteousness reward will shine like the dawn (vs 6) but it sounds pretty awesome! More so everything else.


As for the wicked, this psalm tell us that:

• Like the grass, they will wither and die (vs 2) 
• Those who are evil will be destroyed (vs 9 & 28) 
• Their swords will pierce their own hearts (vs 15) 
• They will go up in smoke (vs 20) 
• Their children will perish (vs 28) 
• There is no future for the wicked (vs 38) 

When we read it together like that – it’s a sure motivation to run as far away from doing evil as possible.

Let’s run instead towards our Holy God. By staying close to Him and allowing our lives to be moulded by His Word, let us persevere in doing what is right. It may take longer to get our paperwork sorted but in doing that we know that we are pleasing God and building into the earthly and eternal rewards that He has promised.

Psalm 36: High Contrast

By Andy Flood
Psalm 36 (ESV)


Have you ever mucked about with the contrast on your telly? Well if you're like me, then you definitely have, and you'll know that when you turn down the contrast all you're left with is a grey picture, totally unwatchable, not enjoyable, rubbish.


God doesn't suffer with this problem; when you observe the difference between the self-flattering, insensitive hearts of those who hate God and God Himself. There's nothing but contrast. God stands out, in brilliant light, the King of Glory shows human hearts for what they are at the very core. Black and rotten.


God is holy, and only those who are holy and righteous may have relationship with Him. As enemies of God, we had no case to have a relationship with Him, but He reached down, He rescued, He delivered, and only He can make us righteous.


Now we, who believe, are in eternal relationship with Him. "For with you (God) is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light." (Psalm 36:9 ESV)

In this relationship He holds us steady, He is the anchor our sure foundation.

Thank God for His steadfast love that never fails!

So when we see this contrast between a life with God and a life without Him, we can praise Him, but we mustn't stop there. What we have is too special to keep to ourselves. We need to share it, by showing His steadfast love to those who don't yet know Him, and commit to being high contrast to the surrounding world.

Psalm 35: Get Angry and Pray for Destruction!

By Peter Roxburgh


Psalm 35 (NIV)

"May they be like chaff before the wind, 
with the angel of the Lord driving them away; 
may their path be dark and slippery, 
with the angel of the Lord pursuing them." (vs 6)

I think it is safe to say that David is in a bad mood and possibly even a little angry. 

Wait! What? The 'man-after-God's-heart' David is angry? Even hateful? Surely not! 

What do we do with Psalms like this?

Well, we could:

a. Ignore it - skip over all of it except vs 9 "then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and delight in His salvation" - also ignoring the fact that this is what David will do once God answers his prayers for his enemies to fall into a pit to their destruction!

b. Make it Messianic - vs 11 "ruthless witnesses come forward..." ignoring the rest of the verse which can't be true of Jesus "they ask me of things that I do not know."

c. Spiritualise it - by saying "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood." (Eph 6:12)

d. Take it for what it is - a man who is being falsely accused and hounded for no reason and is now calling for God's help in dealing with his enemies and is openly expressing his feelings to God. 

It is right to take it for what it is because that is how the original readers would have taken it and also because there will be times in all our lives, particularly as we live for God's glory, that we will be able to clearly identify with David (if we haven't already experienced this). 

Just this week I have had two emails from my parents about the persecution of Christians in their stream of churches in India. They are being harassed, taken to the police station for questioning, kept overnight, accused of forcing conversions, even though they have done nothing other than to meet as Christians. 

We've learnt earlier that God is very much capable of hating people (Psalm 11) and he is capable of extreme anger against people (Psalm 18) that mess with His children or the vulnerable. 

If your child was being attacked and she cries out to you for help, would you stand back and say to her 'No, my child, you can not ask me to beat them up. I am nothing but love and in fact, you should love them also.' If we wouldn't do that, why do we so often think that is what God says to us? 

vs 27 helps us understand this Psalm and God's heart 

"The Lord be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant."

God delights in your well-being.  And if that means He has to "brandish spear and javelin" against those who pursue you (v3), then He will.  And we need not be ashamed to ask that He do so, because when we see our attackers turn to ruin (v4) then God will remind us "I am your salvation." (v3) and we will tell of God's righteousness and sing of His praise all day long (v28). 

The next time you are being falsely accused, hounded, sneered at even though you have been nothing but kind, don't just sit back with a defeatest attitude that 'God might be trying to teach me something'. No! Instead, feel free to GET ANGRY and call down ruin and destruction on your attackers.  And then rest in the knowledge that your Father in Heaven will respond for He is your salvation. 

Psalm 34: We are called to an everlasting preoccupation with God!

By Chantalle Wookey

Psalm 34 (NIV)

A.W. Tozer said “We are called to an everlasting preoccupation with God!”

Worshipping God is not just important, it should be our preoccupation. Yet instead of this preoccupation we so often carry our fears, agendas and other trappings of life as a focus with us to the places we go and the people we meet. We can even carry this focus to church on Sunday. As human beings it seems that we worry about everything.

So often we can find ourselves dwelling on our fears, agendas and the stress that surrounds the business of life. There is however, a huge shift available to us that comes as we engage in worship, confess our fears and ask God to remove them, ask the God who loves us to fills us with confidence and faith. It is then as we come into concious contact with God, our creator that we are filled with a holy fear and reverence. God’s response to us is with the gift of life without fear. In Psalm 34 David recognises the great gift he had received in the privilege of fearing God.

On Sunday I shared a picture God gave me of a rocket ship that was taking off into orbit. The rocket takes off in stages, separating and shedding portions of the ship at each stage. I was drawn to thoughts of 1 Corinthians 14 where we are encouraged to sing (worship) with our Spirit but also our mind, and how God wants all of us, heart, soul, strength, and mind set on pushing into the Praise of him, leaving behind those things that hold us back and going on up to the next level in the persuit of him.

So often our fears and concerns and indeed just trying to live everyday life can cause us to want to flee and hide in a cave like David, these things can hold us back from the pursuit of God. In this Psalm David had lost all that was secure to Him on this earth, except God. If you really think about it he had really lost nothing at all!

God was with him in the cave there in the dark and David as he began to speak the words of this Psalm. Why don’t you repeat the words below 2-3 times and then just let it work on your spirit but also your mind:

1 I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its boast in the LORD;
let the humble hear and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
and let us exalt his name together!

4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.

8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
These are incredible words, coming from a man who was fleeing and sitting in the dark.

I challenge you today to lift up His name, right there in the middle of whatever is going on and see what God does, see where he takes you. God is with us but more than that he wants us to shed off the things that bind us in order to propel us on up to higher places for the Praise of his name.

Psalm 33: I love it when a plan comes together

By Andi Norton

Psalm 33 (MSG)


I love to stop and take a day out every so often to be creative - write a song, record it, maybe even make a video. I get engrossed for hours and then stand back and admire something that I'm truly happy with, as it's turned out just how I planned it in my head.

Often Nikki will produce great pieces of art or wonderful clothes for our children or the ultimate cake and she will be pleased to see that it brings great satisfaction to those it was designed for (my tummy in the case of cake).

In the same way God takes pleasure in His creation when it fulfills what it was designed for and in the opening verses of Psalm 33, we can see that we were designed for worship, to praise our Creator, to show Him gratitude for all He's done for us.

Good people, cheer God! Right-living people sound best when praising.
Use guitars to reinforce your Hallelujahs!
Play his praise on a grand piano!
Invent your own new song to him;
give him a trumpet fanfare.
It's a great encouragement of where we are as a church in our worship at the moment. As I read these words I can see our times of worship together - Sunday mornings, Friday prayer and Gatherings. A people longing to come to their Creator and praise Him, and God loves it when we do it.

I love the film Toy story in which Buzz Light year is struggling with his identify, being Andy's toy, and Woody is trying to tell him he's not a real space ranger but an action figure designed to bring pleasure to his owner Andy.

Buzz is completed unsatisfied until he comes to the understanding that he was created to make a child ecstatically happy.

It's the same with us, we were designed to bring pleasure to our Creator through worship:

Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all the people of the world revere him.
For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.


I love it when a plan comes together, and so does God, when we get completely lost in wonder of all our Creator has done for us, when we depend completely on Him as everything we need.

Lord , thank you for life, a purpose in You
We say we depend on You;
You are everything we need.
our hearts brim with joy
since we've taken for our own Your holy name.
Love us, God, with all you've got—
that's what we depend on.
Receive our worship that it may bring you great pleasure.

Psalm 32: He holds nothing against you

By Sean Theunissen

Psalm 32 (MSG)


'God holds nothing against you and you're holding nothing back from Him. When I kept it all inside, my bones turned to powder, my words became day-long groans. The pressure never let up; all the juices of my life dried up. Then I let it all out; I said, "I'll make a clean breast of my failures to God." Suddenly the pressure was gone, my guilt dissolved, my sin disappeared.' The Message


I broke a lot of windows when I was a kid. I used to play tennis in the back garden and there is a moment after you've hit the ball that you realise it's not going to hit the wall, but it is going to hit the window. Desperately you shout at the ball to stop but not once did it listen!

You know you're going to be found out soon but for some reason you just can't bring yourself to say anything. Your dad's in a good mood, but you know that it's all going to change in a while once you've been found out.

Our heavenly Dad is different. Not only does He know everything we've ever done wrong and will do wrong - and believe me, breaking a window is a drop in the ocean of mistakes I've made - but He loves us all the same.

There's that wonderful moment when all is out in the open and the punishment and telling off is over, forgiveness is granted and the slate is wiped clean that you feel like a ton of bricks have been lifted off of you.

David reminds me of those moments where I've just not wanted to come before God with my sin, thinking that maybe if I just give it a few days He won't be so disappointed with me. We forget that He sees everything, and through perfectly pure eyes, but He also sees Jesus blood completely covering us and declares us righteous.

When we keep it all inside, our conscience is weakened. When we fail to repent and keep a short account with God, we're actually in our hearts deciding that the blood Jesus shed was not enough to cover this sin, that somehow His sacrifice was not enough for this one and that we can deal with it ourselves. We'll dry up and decay as David puts it. Let's make sure that it's our sin that dissolves rather than our hearts.

Father, thank you for your Son Jesus through whom I am found righteous, through whom the price for my sin is paid. Thank you for looking at me with your x-ray eyes and still loving me. Lord, help me to keep a short account with you. I don't want my heart to decay and my conscience to be numb but rather I want my life to be consumed for nothing but you.

Psalm 31: Thank God it's no longer Friday

By Priscilla

Psalm 31 (NIV)


Ever had one of those weeks when it gets to Thursday and you think surely this week can’t get any worse and then along comes Friday - and there’s yet ANOTHER crisis/death/illness staring at you in your face.

And your cry, like David’s is, ‘How much more, Lord? I can’t take this anymore.’ (vs 9-13)

It almost feels like being holed up in a cardboard box and relentlessly pounded and battered with one shock after the other.

In those times of intense suffering and weakness, it can feel much easier to slide into a void of depression, loneliness and anxiety. But in this psalm we read a famous phrase that is used here first, before we hear it from Jesus on that first Good Friday – ‘Into your hands, I commit my spirit.’ (vs 5).

Jesus had just been through the worst possible traumatic experience of His life. Firstly a close friend betrayed Him, then in the face of clear and present danger – He was deserted by all His friends. He faced a court trial on his OWN, a room that was filled with jeering enemies. And not one person came forward to say – ‘Yes, Jesus healed me’, ‘Yes, Jesus delivered me’. Of all the multitudes He healed, fed, restored – not one came to help Him in His time of need. He was then sentenced to death through what has been citied as one of the world’s most horrific methods of execution – crucifixion. And after the horrific beating, when He finally hung there on the cross – stripped of all His strength and dignity and in the final face of death, He said to the Father, ‘Into Your hands, I commit my spirit.’

Jesus had just had one of those weeks too.

And then came Sunday! And what a Sunday that was!

Psalm 31:2 says, ‘Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.’

See, God DOES come to our rescue. Like in the previous psalm (30), from where the song takes this line, ‘There may be pain the night, but joy comes with the morning.’

There is always light at the end of the tunnel. Jesus went through Black Friday to get to Bright Sunday.

That is the beauty of the gospel – there is ALWAYS hope for those who remain faithful to Him. Because He remains faithful to us despite every sling of mud life throws to our face.

23 Love the LORD, all his faithful people!
The LORD preserves those who are true to him,
but the proud he pays back in full.
24 Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the LORD.

Let’s not lose hope in the face of trial but preserve with godliness and look to God to keep going and not give up. 

Psalm 30: There may be pain in the night....

By Andy Flood

Psalm 30 (NIV)

It takes faith to believe that joy could come with the morning. A trust in God that surpasses circumstance. Without faith the verse would be more like "there may be pain in the night, but anxiety is sure to follow in the morning" (I've had plenty of those mornings!)

Faith requires us to guard our hearts against the lies of the enemy, that would whisper in our ear: 'You'll never see the light at the end of the tunnel' 'God has abandoned you' 'do really think God has called you to do this?'

How easy would it be, short term, to give up and let the enemy beat us down.

No we must garrison our souls, it takes courage and faith to pursue God.

Take a moment now to listen to this, and worship God through it.

Father help us to keep guarding out hearts and keep our eyes set firmly on you.

Psalm 29: God, the dangerous

The God of glory thunders, the LORD thunders over the mighty waters

By Peter Roxburgh
Psalm 29 (NIV)


A couple of weeks ago as our worship time in cell group, we were asked to write or draw a characteristic of God. A couple of us drew a sunrise, some talked about God's faithfulness, some about how he gives purpose and direction. None of us, and I suspect the same would be true in your cell groups, drew a violent storm.

And yet that is exactly the picture that David is drawing for us in this Psalm (v 3-9)

In some of the past Psalms I have written about and in numerous other readings in Scripture, I am increasingly seeing God as being entirely different from our comfortable Western perception.

We know the verse that says 'For no-one can see my face and live' (Exodus 33:20) and yet we can be so blasé in asking God to show us His glory and His power, not truly grasping what we are asking for.

We ask God to speak to us and yet here we are told, 'The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forest bare' (v9). I suspect none of us have experienced the kind of violence that would strip a forest bare. And I suspect none of want to. And yet we so happily say, 'Oh Lord, come speak to me.’

Friends, God is not safe. If we truly saw God in His glory we wouldn't whip out our mobile phones to film the 'glory cloud' and post it on YouTube. Seriously! No, our only response, our ONLY response would be to fall on our knees and cry with Isaiah 'WOE IS ME! I AM RUINED' (Isaiah 6:5)

There have been times of worship where I have been on my knees, trying to dig myself through the floor or foolishly hiding myself under pillows, cowering in the corner in total fear of God. And yet sadly, if I'm honest, on a day-to-day basis, I still only have a distant and peripheral understanding of the awesome, violent power of God. But I want to have an increasing heart understanding of God the Dangerous, because if the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, then to not fear God is foolishness.

If you have never experienced God the Dangerous, God the Violent Storm then it is entirely Biblical that you do. Pray that you do as an individual but also corporately on Sunday mornings or in your small groups.

If you have experienced God the Dangerous, then continue to ask Him to reveal His power to you. A risky prayer, but a healthy one. For when you understand Him as a violent Storm, then you will find peace in the midst of any storm (v11).

God is your safety, but He is by no means safe.

Psalm 28: Stop the world, I want to get off

By Chantalle Wookey
Psalm 28 (NIV) 

Today I definitely had ‘one of those days’! I have found myself saying, “Stop the world, I want to get off.” I have found myself feeling like this at various times in my life, but particularly over the last year whilst facing some very challenging situations in my work.

I know that we all have times like this were it just feels like life is flying past and the commotion of the day, week, year is just a little too much.

This year I found myself just past the milestone of a New Year and despite the many, many blessing in my life I found a small part of my New Year prayer containing the uttering “please God, make it better than last year”!

Life can be chaotic and noisy. Life can be downright hard.

I often need to bind the thoughts that go around my head. Distraction can come easily from the busyness that surrounds me, the thoughts from my own mind, and the arrows of the enemy. Thoughts that are so easily effected by people that in person speak cordially with me but I know harbor malice in their hearts (v3)

Psalm 28:6-7 says, Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

Psalm 28 helps me to understand that when the noise is so loud that I cannot think, I can turn my heart to God in prayer, he is listening. When arrows seem to fly at me like a thick black cloud I can hide in the shelter of my Saviour, the only sure refuge in times of trouble. And when I feel weary and ready to give up thinking the world might overcome me, I can fall like a little child into the arms of God, my refuge, my shepherd - he will carry me (28:9).

Calm your heart amidst the turmoil of this world, sing thanks to him and trust in God. His arms are wide, wide open.

Psalm 27: An invitation requires action

By Andi Norton

Psalm 27 (NIV)


Our lives are consumed with invitations – weddings, a social gathering or birthday parties. You only have to log in to Facebook to be bombarded with new event invites to FarmVille, Gangster groups. Ah well, it's nice to be popular.

The point is, our lives are consumed with a variety of choices of how best we spend our time, and we find ourselves pulled in hundreds of directions.

I don't know about you, but when I see the large list of events I have coming in from my job, and social things through Facebook I'm faced with a choice - do I decline as life is so busy? Or do I accept? And if I accept then I have a further choice of what do I have to sacrifice, to free up this time?

Recently I’ve had to face a tough choice to turn down additional work that has been given to me, which could be useful financially, but the reality is I’ve been neglecting my responsibilities as a husband and father and there's a need to come back to the basics.

It has been my desire for a long time to have more time with my family and my wife, Nikki had said to me several times that she wanted me around more - to spend time with me. But the desire wasn't enough, action was needed too, and when taken, a joy came in knowing that I could spend more time with the one I love being with the most.

The reason I'm telling you this is to ask you, how often do we all find ourselves in these situations? Not just with our loved ones but, more vitally, with God?

We know that our one-to-one time with God is important however; we also know the truth that time spent with God leaves us refreshed, strengthened and equipped, as He whispers words of encouragement and promises over our life.

David knew what it meant to spend time with God and I love David's desire in these famous words:

One thing I ask from the LORD,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the LORD
I know that this is probably all of our desire and one day we will have the full joy of these words, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord 'Face to Face' WOW.

But the reality is there is a door with no lock and the door is always open for us to walk on in. Up to a table with two chairs, on one side is a warm welcoming God longing for you to come and meet with Him. Like a child awaiting Christmas He longs for you to come and take your seat, to prioritise our time, seek Him out, and know the truth of His words that He will speak over our lives in that time together.

The question isn't do you have the desire? As I'm sure you do. The question is will you act out on the desire you have and seek Him out, pursue Him, grab every opportunity to spend time with Him, for the door is unlocked.

I know I have the freedom to come to God whenever I want and if that's not amazing enough, He promises to always be there. When I give him my priority I'm able to accomplish any multitude of mountains I may face, as he strengthens me in His presence with the Hope I have in Him.

Lord, help us to stop and look at our lives daily to prioritise what's important, to act upon the desire you've set in our heart and to seek You out.