Psalm 79 – What is the most frequently used word in your prayers?

by Peter Roxburgh

Psalm 79 (NIV)

This is a very interesting prayer. The words ‘your’ or ‘you’ are used 20 times in these 13 verses. On average, how many times do you think you use the words ‘Your’ or ‘You’ when you pray?

I know I am challenged because the words most used in my prayers are ‘I’, ‘me’ and ‘my’.

It’s going to be a whole paradigm shift to pray with such a change in emphasis, to try and see things from God’s perspective.

“O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple, they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble.” (v1).

When praying for our town, our church, our family, our finances, do we pray from our perspective or God's?

“God, we really need the money so please provide.” Or “God, we really need a miracle with regards to our church building.” “God, we really need you to change Bournemouth.”

WE really need stuff? WE, we, me, me! This is how I normally pray. But Asaph would pray differently. Even in the most dire of situations, Asaph prays with looking at things from God's perspective, not his.

You see, God isn’t really on our side. He is on His side. God does everything for the glory of His name. And in verse 9, Asaph appeals to that:

“Help us, God our Saviour, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake.” (vs9)

I am challenged to put more ‘you’ and ‘yours’ into my prayers and I hope you will too. Our prayers might look a little more like this:

“God, you have promised to provide for your children. You have said that you know our needs before we ask. You are the God that owns it all and you call us to be good stewards of money. For your glory, we ask that you would provide, just as you have promised."

“God, you are jealous for the souls of men. You sent your only son to die for the people of Bournemouth. You are the King of kings, you are the God who changes even the hardest of hearts. God, come and change this city, for name’s sake and the extension of your Kingdom.”

God is jealous for His glory and jealous for His Name. When praying, appeal to this jealousy. It really is all about Him, not us. See and pray from His perspective.

Challenge for this week (and the rest of your life): Try reducing the number of I, me, my's in your prayers and instead using more 'you' and 'yours'.

Psalm 78: The Psalm Israel would rather you didn't read.

By Andy Flood
Psalm 78 (NIV) 

First of all please read the the Psalm because it makes for some pretty uncomfortable reading. It's an instructive psalm, a warning to all believers not just the original audience.

God is after one thing, your heart. Your motives matter, your attitude matters. Make all the sacrifices you want, you cannot manipulate God and you cannot fool Him.

Israel grumbled all the way through the desert and it cost a generation a view of the fulfilment of God’s promise.

If we are to avoid Israel's failings, then we mustn't let our love grow cold for God. We need to kindle the fire inside us, and guard our hearts against the wrong motives that can so easily creep in: selfishness, pride and guilt.

My prayer for us is that the account given of us at the end of time is not that of Ephesus:

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lamp-stands. I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 

(Revelation 2:1-4 NIV)


Lord thank you that you're interested in our motives, not just an outward expression of religion. You love and long for our hearts response to you.
Lord, keep the fire within us burning bright, keep us passionate for you. Always.
Amen.

Psalm 77: What to do when there are no answers to life's difficult questions.

by Peter Roxburgh

Psalm 77 (NIV)

He has promised to provide, so why hasn't Mr. Right showed up? He is a healer, so why am I still ill? He says he knows our needs before we ask, so why didn't I get that job that I so desperately need? He promised to make the barren woman conceive so why are we unable to? He said that people will know His disciples by us loving one another but I have been mistreated by friends, family and church. He says that we rest in the shadow of his wings, so why did she have to die so young?

Sometimes what life brings and what we read in Scripture and all the Scriptures that people can so glibly quote at us can seem very different. Though we may not vocalise it like Asaph, I am sure we can all identify with him when he says:

"Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favour again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time?" (v5-7) Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in his anger withheld his compassion? (v9)

I feel burdened even as I write this because I know that these are real issues that close friends and family have and continue to struggle with. I do not write this lightly like it is some miracle cure.

Asaph, like many of us, doesn't get an answer to his questions. Here on earth we may never know the answers to the difficult questions. As hard as it may be, all we can do is look behind us and allow ourselves to see God walking beside us through difficult times we have had in the past and to see Him walking beside those in Scripture through their tragedies.

Asaph chooses to "remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.... I will meditate on your mighty deeds." (v11) 

He then goes on to describe how awesome God is. It is He that makes the earth shake, the thunder and lightning. (v17-18)It is He that lead the Israelites through the sea on dry land (v19). It is He that lead His people like a flock (v20). 

Asaph remembers that if God is mighty enough to make the earth shake and the thunder roar and the lightning strike, then He is mighty enough to do as He chooses. And in the past He chose to lead His people like a flock. He will continue to do the same.

Friends, we may never get the answers to the difficult questions of life. But God would have us not look for answers, but rather would have us look to Him. What else can we do? What else is better for us to do? We aren't going to figure it out ourselves. Getting angry isn't going to give us answers. Getting impatient and trying to solve things in our own way will only make things worse. Harbouring bitterness will only eat away at us. Turning away from Him is only going to have us walking into darkness.

The only thing we can do, and the best thing we can do is to make the choice that Asaph made - to remember all that God has done for you in the past, and to meditate on all his mighty deeds. 

Choose. Remember. Meditate.

Psalm 76: God of justice

By Chantalle Wookey

Psalm 76 (NIV)

“But you, you are to be feared!
Who can stand before you
when once your anger is roused?
From the heavens you uttered judgment;
the earth feared and was still,
when God arose to establish judgment,
to save all the humble of the earth.” 

(Psalm 76:7-9)

I know that many Christians struggle with passages like this. They can’t understand how God can judge people, especially how people can experience eternal death.

When I was thinking about the whole issue of judgment I was reminded of a very difficult period in my life and the life of my family. When I was 14 years old we spent quite some time at court seeking justice against a terrible wrong in the form of an assault on my sister. I remember very deep feelings of anger and pain over the terrible injustice of ever having to watch my sister walk such a terrible road. I remember very well the agony of waiting for a decision by the jury. I also remember my confusing feelings of relief/sadness/anger/sorrow when the judge told the jury to come back, a guilty verdict was read and the penalty for the crime was given.

The sorrow was the most confusing of all the feelings I had (and I would have felt guilty admitting it at the time as I would have wondered if it was a betrayal, like taking the wrong side). Now I am older though, I think I understand it a little more. I didn’t feel sorry for justice that was brought, as this was right and necessary, more that it even had to be brought. Sorrow that this terrible thing had ever happened but also here was a person who had done terrible wrong and needed to be judged but yet was so lost. I really didn’t expect to feel this way at all prior to the case and believe me at the time it was a very fleeting feeling. I left the court despite this knowing that although this wrong could never be righted, justice had been served.

Looking back on this experience God has used it to give me a small revelation of the character of God. God is who He is. He’s perfect, holy and just. Because of who He is, He cannot stand sin. The real question is not, “How can a loving God allow people to experience eternity away from him?” The real question is, “How can a perfect, just God allow us to spend eternity with him?” God is just, but He’s also merciful. He didn’t want us to die, and therefore, He sent Jesus to save us! He wants everyone to be saved from death, if we only allow Him to save us. The sorrow He must feel for all who are lost, no matter how far from Him they are, is mind-blowing.

It is amazing to realise that no matter the injustice we face on this earth, God has ultimate justice in His hands so we can be free to live for Him. I know that even if we hadn’t seen justice brought on that day in court that God does have justice in his hands and I can leave any injustice I have suffered in the court of the King.

I have been challenged this week to spend time thanking God for His mercy and praising Him for being a just God. There are consequences to sin, and we shouldn’t forget this even though we are saved. Fearing God in a healthy way is a good thing, it keeps us from sinning.

God I pray you reveal sin in our lives, so that we can confess it and surrender our hearts completely to you. God, change us from the inside out, make us who you created us to be, people who love mercy and hate sin as much as you do.

Psalm 75: A call for order

By Andi Norton

Psalm 75 (The Message) 

You say, "I'm calling this meeting to order,
I'm ready to set things right.
When the earth goes topsy-turvy
And nobody knows which end is up,
I nail it all down,
I put everything in place again.
I say to the smart alecks, 'That's enough,'
to the bullies, 'Not so fast.'" (vs 2-4)


School. We all remember it well I'm sure, and all of us will have mixed feelings about it. However we relate to it, the one thing we will all share I'm sure is a fear of being sent to go see the Head Teacher.

Although I had a fear of the Head throughout my school life (probably from being outside her office door one too many times), the thing that amazed me about her was how she managed to call for order whenever in an assembly or class. Suddenly what was a tidal wave of mayhem and noise, with two words from her mouth, 'Thank You' she brought things to order (to how they should be, calm and controlled), with children sitting neatly in their rows silent with arms crossed and backs straight.

This psalm show's us of a God whose in complete control, He holds the very stars in His hands, He holds the waves back stopping them from flooding us all. He controls photosynthesis and produces the very air we breath.

OUR GOD IS IN CONTROL 

Jesus promises that us He will bring things back to how they were in the beginning. Man walked with God and because of what Jesus has done for us through His obedience to death we have had our topsy turvy lives brought back to order, and we can have union with God once more.

If that's not enough He will abolish all injustice, all pain, 'take out the bullies', 'silence the smart aleck', put wrong to right. He will bring order once more, and so I think our response needs to be one like vs 1 in this Psalm.

1 We thank you, God, we thank you— your Name is our favorite word;
your mighty works are all we talk about.

Remind us constantly God whenever we feel like life is spiraling out of control, or we feel down hearted, that You have promised to bring things to order. Help us to be heavenly focused and to live our lives out in the promise of what's to come.

Psalm 74: Would you drag God's name out of the mud?

By Sean Theunissen


Psalm 74 (NIV) 


Mark and remember, God, all the enemy taunts, each idiot desecration. Don't throw your lambs to the wolves, after all we've been through, don't forget us.

Remember your promises, the city is in darkness, the countryside violent. Don't leave the victims to rot in the street, make them a choir that sings your praises. 

(vs 18-21, The Message)


This psalm is a lament after the temple has been smashed to pieces while God's people were worshipping Him in it. God's people were confused, offended that anyone would stand up to the God of all creation and desecrate His dwelling place, but even more offensive than that is that God doesn't seemed to be moved by it.

I don't know why God allows His name to be dragged through the mud and it seems so often in our generation. In the West it's not so much an attack on a church building, burning it to the ground, but it's more subtle, it's ridicule in the media, it's celebrities, humanists doing and speaking despicable things and the only come back is everyone laughing with them.

This psalm challenges me about my reaction to events and situations that belittle God. I often get angry at the TV and give some stupid outburst with the audience being my wife. Whereas Asaph goes to God and asked Him what's going on. He recalls God's past wonders, the deliverance from Egypt, sustaining His people through the wilderness and just the grandeur and power of God in creation.

God wants us to act, He wants us burning with a passion for His renown, His fame, His name to be lifted to the highest place and our first step is prayer, petition, questioning God, asking Him why. Instead of just shouting at a newspaper, or even shouting at the perpetrator, it's asking God what are you going to do Lord, and then Lord what do you want me to do, what's going to glorify You.

Lord, I can be so lazy, so passive, even when your name is dragged through the mud. Father I need your Holy Spirit to make me burn with a sustainable passion. I want to glorify you, I'm in it for the long run.

Psalm 73: Should have gone to specsavers

By Priscilla

Psalm 73 (NIV)


The recent Specsavers ad campaign is one of the funniest of British television right now. Their story lines usually involve some hapless visually-challenged individual doing the wrong thing like the farmer shearing his collie instead of his sheep or the father cheering for the wrong boy instead of his son on sports day.

The psalmist’s lament in the first part of this psalm (vs 4-11) is like a man before he’s gone to specsavers. He’s viewing everything around him with a flawed perception. It gives him a wrong understanding of what is good and what is bad. He knows people around him are wicked and yet envies their prosperity. He is not moved by the grief of their sinfulness but is instead overcome by greed.

It is like as Christians some times, we might look at the lifestyle of those around us who are not Christian – and their apparent loose lifestyle might cause us to secretly envy it. Like multiple sexual relationships before marriage, or dating non-Christians or viewing pornography. Doing any of the above, breaks God’s laws and His heart.

Being a Christian however means we get given God-tinted glasses to view the world as He sees it. This revelation once understood will keep us from ‘slippery ground that cast us down to ruin’. (vs 18) Some times we forget and remove our glasses.

When the psalmist sees through spiritual eyes that apparent prosperity of the wicked does not bring happiness but is despised by God as mere fantasies, he is freed from the oppression.

Let’s go to God’s specsavers today. A visit there will enhance our eyes to reiterate the psalmist’s prayer and view life and people in terms of eternity.

Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever. 

(vs 23-26)

Psalm 72: This Concludes the Prayers of David (David's dying words)

By Andy Flood

Psalm 72 (NIV)


Although it says this is a Psalm of Solomon, Solomon is purely recording the final prayer of his father. And what a prayer! Praying for the future king (no pressure, Solomon) - quite an intimidating job description.

Of course the future king is not only Solomon, the prayer is pointing to the Greater King, Jesus, whose kingdom has no end.

Recently God has been stirring my heart and challenging me about becoming too attached to the things of this world, and Sunday morning at Citygate saw the culmination of that, as I was preparing for worship, God just grabbed my attention, calling me to look heavenward. It tied in so well with Guy's message Easy Church Vs Easy Company. A call to stop cruising along in neutral and remember that life is about building His Kingdom not creating a cosy church.

So what am I going to do about it? Go on, ask yourself too.

I guess I need to start praying, praying for change, real change.

A change in perspective. I read somewhere that the people most effective in THIS world have fixed their gaze on the world to come.

Father, do it in me. Give me a heavenly perspective, not to have my head in the clouds but to change the world around me. I need You, it certainly cannot be done in my strength.
Help me to extend Your kingdom and be part of the answer to David's prayer.

Psalm 71 - How to make your big problems become smaller. Much smaller.

By Peter Roxburgh

Psalm 71 (NIV)

David is yet again being accused, under threat of harm and death (v 10 &13). He is in a place where he feels that God is far from him (v12)

We may never be under threat of death but there will be many times when we feel that God is far from us.

It is at times when we feel as if the fog of life has rolled in, when we have nothing but trouble, nothing but bad news, nothing but difficulties that we can come to this Psalm and be challenged to respond in the way David did. He did three key things:

1. He had hope:
As for me, I will always have hope...(v14)

No matter how much life seems to go against us, no matter what else we lose, we must never lose hope. We are never ever in a situation that is beyond hope. Why? Because we are never in a situation that is beyond or bigger than God. And so long as our God is there, whether we can see Him or not, we can have hope.

2. He praised God even more!
I will praise you more and more. (v14)

Wow! I was seriously challenged by that. Despite the fact that he is in such a dire situation - people still out to kill him, he says he will praise God even more! What a challenge! If I was in David's position I would say, "I will complain more and more about how unfair life is and why God isn't doing more for me and oh I don't deserve all these troubles...."and so on.

But David makes the decision to praise God EVEN MORE! Will we do that? Will we praise God even more than usual the next time we go through a difficult season? The praise of a broken and tired heart is the sweetest song of all.

3. He praised God publicly
my mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your saving acts all day long. (v15)

Another HUGE challenge! Aren't we so quick to complain to friends about life, about how we are struggling and how busy our lives are and how crappy our jobs are and how much pressure we are under and so on.

Sure, there is a place for that (and that place is NOT Facebook), but the challenge to us from this Psalm, is that even in the midst of that, do we ever talk about how amazing God has been to us in the past. Do we say, "You know, I am having a really rough time, but it reminds me of a similar time a couple of months ago, and God really provided for us miraculously, or he really gave me the strength that I needed just at the time I felt I was going to break." (You can do this on Facebook if you want).

Folks, difficult times are a great opportunity to grow in hope, in private and in public praise.

I don't mean we put on a lots of fake tan and Joel Osteen teeth. But I do think we should be challenged to big-up our God, not big-up our problems. The more we talk about our problems, the more they will weigh down on us. The more we talk and sing about how amazing our God is, the lighter our burdens will be.

Do you want big problems or light burdens? If the latter, then keep hoping and keep praising - privately and publicly. This promise is true:

Though you have made me see troubles,
many and bitter,
You will restore my life again;
from the depths of the earth
You will again bring me up. (v20)

Hope. Praise. Rest.

Psalm 70: If you don’t ask…

By Chantalle Wookey

Psalm 70 (NIV)

As a child at school I was often told that patience is a virtue. I am not always that patient – I have learnt to wait for things as I have grown up but as a rule I like to act quickly. I have always been terrible with buying gifts for people. I struggle to wait to give a birthday gift; I want people to know what I have got them (I love birthdays they are so exciting). My sister and myself always used to tell each other what we had bought for our birthday for each other (we are twins) and then acted surprised in front of my parents on our birthday itself.

Is it ever appropriate to ask God to hurry up? Or is this just impatience?

David made such a request of God, “Hasten, O God, to save me; come quickly, LORD, to help me.

On our honeymoon in Greece Aaron and myself were involved in a serious motorbike accident. A car pulled out from the side of the road straight into our moving bike.

In a foreign hospital, serious injuries, incorrect and dangerous medication, police threatening jail because of taking a bribe from the other driver (to mention only a few of the problems) we found ourselves in terrible need of help. I will never forget the relief of finally being able to have access to a phone to contact people who could help us (the hospital would not allow us to make calls so there was no contact with these people for some days).

Once we could make a call a wonderful local Greek lady met us and helped us to sort out some of the issues and among other things to eventually flee the country and the trouble being untruthfully inflicted on us.

I really hope in this case no one would criticise us for being impatient, that we did the right thing to call for help as quickly as possible because our situation was urgent.

In the same way God longs we make a call to him, to give us help that He has promised, to all who love Him because he loves us and he wants to intervene in our lives. We should never hesitate to cry out to God, “But as for me, I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; LORD, do not delay.

As Aaron and myself touched down in Gatwick airport we were filled with praise because although we would continue to battle the difficulty of our injuries for sometime God had provided, on our call, help. He had saved us and brought us home.

God longs to hear His children calling out to Him. He is especially pleased to hear them not only calling out for help, but also as we seek him that we would Praise him because he has saved us, not just from a bad situation but he has rescued us and brought us into eternal relationship with him.

“But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who long for your saving help always say, “The LORD is great!”

Psalm 69: In every high and stormy gale

By Priscilla

Psalm 69 (NIV)


Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.
I sink in the miry depths,
where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
the floods engulf me.
I am worn out calling for help;
my throat is parched. (Vs 1-3)


In the last few days I’ve found myself in a situation like the one mentioned above when it just seems like one bit of bad news after the next and the next and the next. It is almost relentless in volley and ferociousness.

The only thing I can cling on to in times likes these is God’s word. I thank God for it. There are countless verses to hold on to, to help us through difficult times. He has said, He will never leave not forsake us (Matt 28:20). He is capable to providing peace and comfort in the worst of situations in life. And has a proven track record for it.

He will hold you through the slimy pit of despair and set your feet on a rock. (Psalm 40:2)

Trusting God in difficult times forces us to seek His guidance. It takes faith and courage to trust Him through uncharted waters.

I find this verse particularly comforting during times of trial:


but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
(Isaiah 40:31)


Peter did a couple of great posts last month on praying through difficult times.
He’s put in them some great tools for prayer in tough situations.

Another thing I found that gives me great strength are verses that I had memorised in Sunday School, probably for the shallow motivation of a prize, come back to my mind at just the right time to bring me tremendous comfort.


Focusing our mind away from the problems and difficulties at hand is very hard. They can be so consuming, so stressful, so depressing but the Bible says in Romans 10:17 that faith comes from hearing the word of God. Our hope gets strengthened by the word of God. Hope comes from reading His great promises. He will NEVER fail us.


Lord, we pray that in the midst of calamity and difficulty, we will turn to you for our source of comfort and peace. Knowing that you would help us ride the storm and set our feet on firm ground gives us great assurance. We trust in your plan for our lives, God and believe that you work all things together for our good. Amen.

Psalm 68: Summon your power!

By Sean Theunissen

Psalm 68 (NIV)

Summon your power, God; show us your strength, our God, as you have done before...Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth, sing praise to the Lord, to him who rides across the highest heavens, the ancient heavens, who thunders with mighty voice. Proclaim the power of God, whose majesty is over Israel, whose power is in the heavens. You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God! v 28, 32-35


There is nothing that stirs my faith more than remembering times in my life where God has stepped in when I've desperately needed Him, or when I get a small glimpse of God's plan and how pieces just seem to fit in place, or just thinking of all the incredible things he's given me over the years. It always gives me hope for the next big thing, the next climb, the next challenge God has given to us corporately as a church or personally.


In this psalm David reminisces and retells of God's incredible saving hand throughout Israel's history and finishes with the quote above. I can just imagine the passion with which he is singing this, or probably shouting this!


This psalm has challenged me to reminisce. I so often pray for God to change a situation and then when he does I find myself just moving on with life. These times are huge testimonies for us to bookmark and go back and remember especially during tough times, so that our view of God remains huge and our passion doesn't die.


Father thank you for being so heavily involved in every aspect of my life. Lord help me to never forget but rather to remember and to use these testimonies to fuel my prayer and praise.

Psalm 67: What will worship in heaven be like?

By Priscilla

Psalm 67 (NIV)


I was once on a local train in Mumbai, minding my own business, looking out of the window, when I noticed this girl sitting opposite me who had got on a couple of stops earlier. I looked at her face and I just knew in my heart she was a Christian. There was just something that connected. We got chatting later and there was such joy and delight when I found out that I was right. She was visiting the city for a few months and was looking for a church to go to and hadn’t been able to find one. By the time we reached our final destination, we had become firm friends and she came back home with me for a cup of tea that day. I love God moments like that where He, in His grace, connects you with His people from around the world in the oddest of situations.

As a Christian it doesn’t matter where in the world you find yourself but if you locate a group of fellow believers, you’ve just introduced yourself to family.

This verse reminds us of God’s international family.

May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.
May the nations be glad and sing for joy.
At Citygate, we are represented by about 30 different nationalities and cultures. We might find conversation hard with someone from another country, particularly if English is not their first language, but when we worship we are unified together in our love and adoration for Jesus. We may be miles from home but when we sing, we lift our voices out to the God and bring glory to His name (Ps 86:9)

This is a mere foretaste of heaven, of glory divine.

I don’t know whether heavenly worship is led by a 5-piece band or a 13-piece stringed Indian orchestra, but I do know what it says in Revelation 7:9-10:

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.

And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”

Let’s get ready to sing songs in many languages, in different styles and cultures. It enhances our worship to God, it welcomes the foreigner and brings unity in the church. Let’s warm up for heaven.

Psalm 66: Take a look at God's Wonders

By Andy Flood

Psalm 66 (NIV) 

Something about our coastline here in Bournemouth gives me goosebumps.

Whenever I need perspective on stuff I will head down to the beach and take it all in. There's just something about the place that feels special to me and my relationship with God. I find it easier to hear God, easier to feel His presence, I guess it's because there's no distractions, just utter beauty.

We all need reminding of God's wonders, whether it's a walk down to the beach to marvel at the wonder of creation, or like in the Psalm, marvelling at the wonder of Passover and God's rescue plan for the Hebrews in Egypt.

But the greatest wonder of all, is the greater Passover, the greatest rescue plan in history:

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behaviour. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— (Colossians 1:21, 22 NIV)

We have a reason to praise God at all times, This is a an awesome Psalm giving great perspective. God's word gives the greatest perspective and contains His greatest wonders. Let's never be distant from it.

Psalm 65: Getting lost

By Tom Bettinson
Psalm 65 (NIV)

Being overwhelmed is a feeling I associate with fear. Something that happens when I lose control over a situation - sometimes panic, get frustrated, feel isolated.

Google defines the word "overwhelmed" as something that has been "buried or drowned beneath a huge mass". I can relate to this.

I was seven or eight years old, out shopping with my Mum in my local town centre. I had been pestering her all day for a new pack of Pokemon cards (the hype had just swept the entire school) and threw a strop when she persisted in not letting me have any. I turned on my heel and dashed away from her while she was queuing at the checkout, weaving in and out of shoppers. My rebellion made me feel free. I wasn't going to get new Pokemon cards, but I was free from the one who stopped me from getting my own way, and that was good enough for me. Upon exiting the shop, I realised I had no plan. With people barging past me, I looked left and right and realised I was lost. I rushed back into the shop in search of Mum, but she wasn't there. Then the panic set in. I can't find my way home. Where's Mum? Where should I go? I'm stupid. Why did I run away? - I was drowning in a mass of fear.

v.3
"When we were overwhelmed by sins,
you forgave our transgressions."
It was only after reading through the Psalm three times that I noticed the prominence of this verse. Jesus transforms us from sinful to sinless, despite being OVERWHELMED by sin. And the beauty of Jesus' message is that we are STILL forgiven. This verse doesn't just apply to David.

We have a God who chooses us (v.4), answers us (v.5) and cares for us (v.9).

David paints a beautiful picture of God's creation and His provision. I think verse 5 sums it up brilliantly:
"You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds, God our Saviour". 
Thank you God our Saviour, the one who forgives us and loves us so dearly. Thanks for blessing us, caring for us and providing for us. Please open our eyes to truly appreciate the ways in which you fulfil your promises. Amen.
P.S. For those of you that want to know, here's the end of my little anecdote: I bumped into a family friend who took me to the help desk section of shopping centre and got a shout out for my Mum on the tannoy system. Embarrassing ending to a true story.

Psalm 64 : Incisive Bluntness?

By Dave Priest

Psalm 64 (NIV)

I’ve recently been watching 24: Season 7 with Karen and in the series the president of the United States is a very forthright person who accepts no nonsense. When her husband is shot and in a critical condition she tells the doctor to, “tell it like it is” because she appreciates bluntness. She doesn’t want to be shielded from the truth just because it’s her husband and the truth might hurt; she wants to know what is really going on.

David, in this Psalm is very blunt, once when speaking to God, and then later when speaking about Him. There are two things we can learn from David here:

God wants us to be frank with Him and tell Him how we are actually feeling about things
v1: Hear me, my God, as I voice my complaint

God already knows what is going on in our lives and in our often muddled heads and He wants us to be real with Him. He wants to have a relationship with us and for us to talk to Him about everything. Often we can think that we couldn’t possibly complain to God, but just read through the Psalms and other parts of scripture and we see people in very difficult situations crying out to God asking why He hasn’t done something already! These complaints don’t diminish God, don’t question His sovereignty or authority, they just question why God hasn’t used His authority before now. David still addresses God as ‘my God’ and we need to take care, whilst being frank with God and telling Him how we are feeling, not to allow ourselves to doubt His sovereignty.

We must be frank with others about the consequences of sin v7-8: But God will shoot them with His arrows; they will suddenly be struck down 

How often do we really tell people the consequences of their sin? Anyone reading this Psalm would be under no illusion of the severity of the sin of those who plotted against David. Can the same be said of people we know? Do they honestly know the eternal consequences of what they are doing or will they be surprised when they stand before a holy God? Sometimes the truth can hurt, but ultimately, not knowing the truth will hurt infinitely more. God has put people in our spheres of influence and it is our responsibility to warn them of the consequences of what they do. A loving father would always tell his child of the danger of touching a hot stove, how much do we really love our friends if we aren’t prepared to be blunt with them about the sin in their lives?


Real relationships require honesty and bluntness. Let’s think about how real we are with God (after all, He knows it all anyway!) and how real we are with our friends. Sometimes we need to just tell it like it is.

Psalm 63: God, I can't get enough of you!

By Helen Southey

Psalm 63 (MSG)

I'm not really a morning person. Until I've had at least two cups of tea, I don't function...don't even try holding a conversation with me!

David says he is earnestly seeking God (some translations mean 'early' in the morning), while I'm desperately making my way to the kettle and the toaster, David's hunger and thirst is only for his God. He remembers his times in the sanctuary, his place of worship, with each breath he is singing praises! I do know the mornings I start with some good worship and prayer, singing loudly in my kitchen kick off much better.

Probably one of the reasons I don’t like mornings is because I don't sleep well at night. We all have sleepless nights whether it is from stress, worry, illness or little ones trying to sneak into bed. In the early hours, desperate for rest I'll try and pass the time playing silly games on my phone, or raiding the freezer for ice-cream! David's night was divided into three watches, being aware of this, he probably had many a sleepless night. He, unlike a lot of us, once again turns his thoughts towards God and reflects on His steadfastness and takes comfort in the shadow of the Almighty's wings. How quickly I seemed to have forgotten long nights spent in a hospital bed, when all I had was the comfort of a heavenly Father, reminding me of His nearness and plans for my life. They were precious times.

Are we hungry and thirsting after God? Are we seeking him day and night? Only God can satisfy our deepest longings, only He can fulfill our every need.

His love is everything.

Father, may my hunger and thirst be for you alone, may I sing your praises day and night.

Psalm 62: Defence or Attack

By Jim Salway

Psalm 62 (NIV)

Ps 62:3 How long will you assault a man? Would all of you throw him down - this leaning wall, this tottering fence?(NIV)

Fences are very flimsy. They mark a boundary, but they don’t provide protection. I like this picture of how strong we are as men and women – that is, not very strong at all! Easily pushed over.

How do you or I react to that? Do we feel the need to justify and defend ourselves? How about, especially, when despite our best intentions, our motives or actions are misunderstood and spoken against? Do we try and explain, even though sometimes it only seems to make things worse?

We are just fences, we really can’t defend ourselves. Surely the answer is to look to our rock, our salvation, our fortress. At times like that we need to try and stop being fortresses ourselves, and run to our true fortress (read the Psalm!). He is the one will take care of our reputation – and the only reputation that really matters is the one we have with Him.

But we really do want to be well thought of, especially when we are misunderstood. That’s the problem with this sinful world, that everything we do is tainted with sin, to a greater or lesser degree – that’s why misunderstandings happen. We aren’t pure – remember Paul in 1 Corinthians 4:4 saying, “My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent.” (NIV). 
So what’s the answer? Remember Jesus, who was led like a lamb to the slaughter, who did not open his mouth (Isaiah 53:7 NIV). If anyone had the right to defend himself, surely Jesus did. He did not argue against ludicrous claims, false charges, accusations that were based on distortions of what really happened.

Sure, we challenge falsehood, but sometimes the best defence is not attack but silence, to hide in God and let Him be our defender.

Psalms 61: When I grow up, I want to be...

By Pete Doyle

Psalm 61 (NIV)

When I was younger, I never really knew what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have more than likely given different answers at different stages of my youth.

However, this wasn’t the case for my good friend, Scotty. From about the age of 12, Scotty talked about his dream, his one ambition, that one day he would be the presenter of………wait for it………..

Match of the Day!!

The proceeding years Scotty set out on this ambition to become the next Gary Lineker!

Getting the late X3 bus every Saturday morning to Bournemouth hospital to volunteer on bedside radio wasn’t the glamorous lifestyle scotty expected, neither was sacrificing nights out to stand in the rain and write up reports of Salisbury FC v Poole Town, but, bit by bit, Scotty persevered towards his a life in football media, but he persevered, focused and driven

In this psalm David has an ambition that is fueled by his passion.

‘I long to dwell in your tent forever, and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. For you, God, have heard my vows.”
David knows where he has come from: He has been through trials and god has helped him and has been his refuge through these times.

He knows where he wants to be: “I long to dwell” David want to be fully restored and living a life full of joyous worship.

He know how to get there: Through David’s “Vows” he is pledging his future to god in faith, only by faith can he achieve this.

I think we all have the same ambition as David, we long to get close to God through worship and focus on a future where our worship is better then ever.

Are we setting goals for our worship life?

How are we doing in this?

Can we aspire to do more?

Scotty, set himself a goal for his career, and has since worked for BBC, ITV, Portsmouth FC and now works in Russia presenting the breakfast sports bulletins. If he didn’t have a goal, who knows where he’d be! 

When you grow up, what do you want to be?

Lord, my prayer is that you would guide my worship, help me to evaluate where I am now, and help me aspire to growth in the area of my worship. Also…… thanks for getting me this far on my journey!

Psalm 60: Lose you car keys, again?

By Dave Ashley

Psalm 60 (NIV)

If I was to give everyone in the church one tip to improve their prayer life it would be this - lose your car keys.
Seriously, how many people have you seen invoking the Holy Spirit along with all the heavenly hosts  because they've misplaced their keys or wallet before they need to rush out of the door. It does make for an interesting litmus to show what exactly we're expecting from God.
Perhaps more worrying though is people who want to chalk every bad experience in their life to a, "spiritual attack."
This is by no means to cheapen the fact that we have an enemy and we are in a battle, but going into intense spiritual warfare because you've hit three red lights in a row or attempting to cast the spirit of darkness out of the traffic jam impeding your progress is not as cute as it sounds, its worrying that people would actually think this way.
Compare this with how David responds in the psalms. Here is an extremely literal enemy that is coming against Israel and yet David's transaction, his whole dialogue is with God, is as if he doesn't even see the enemy as the issue.
David doesn't seem to be asking God to save him from the nasty people calling him names and burning his crops - he's imploring God himself to move.
Our circumstances are all under God's control, he doesn't drop the ball or lose concentration. It's not about taking a fatalistic approach where what will be will be - God will just let whatever happen - but instead living in such a trusting reliance on God that rather than fretting over circumstances around us like beating at bush fires, we get on our knees before the Father and implore Him to move. Our victory is in Him - not in our ability to problem solve or fire-fight on our own.

Guest blogging

Today starts a week of guest blogs from other members of the Citygate Worship team. We look forward to some excellent contributions and insights to help us as we work through the book of Psalms together.

Psalm 59: Why God laughs when you are under attack.

by Peter Roxburgh

Psalm 59 (NIV)

Surprise, surprise, David's enemies are still out for his blood. In this case, Saul has sent men to stalk David's house in order to kill him.

As I think most of us would do, David asks God to protect and deliver him!

"Deliver me from my enemies of my God; protect me from those who rise up against me; Deliver me from those who work evil, and save me from bloodthirsty men." (v 1-2)

Most of us wont come under such severe attack, but many Christians around the world still do. We may come under attack from colleagues or even friends because of our faith. Recently very close family members who lead churches, have come under severe mental and emotional attack and have been threatened with physical attack from certain individuals within their churches!
David laments his predicament (v3-7) and then comes the big 'BUT'.


"But you laugh at them, Lord; you scoff at all those nations." (v8)

David, in fear of his life, looks up to God for help and sees God laughing! But this is a good thing because David sees God laughing at his enemies. And this gives David great reassurance!

You will see it in the movies - Hero is completely surrounded by the enemy. The main villain, with gun pointed at Hero, starts giving some unnecessary speech about how he has won and how he is going to see Hero 'in hell'. Hero just laughs. Why? Because Hero knows he's about to unleash a can of whoopass and go home with the pretty girl.

God laughs because He knows that our enemies can not do anything other than what God allows them to do. Their threats are empty because they can only move as much as God lets them move. In fact, they are only able to breathe to utter those threats simply because God allows them to do so! Isn't that reassuring?

In seeing God laugh at his enemies, Davids tone in the psalm changes entirely. From lamenting for the first seven verses, he now says, "..you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely. God will go before me and will let me gloat over those who slander me." (v 9 - 10).

Then he goes on to ask God to be gentle on his enemies! He realises that the 11-year-old school bully is matched up against The Hulk.

David then says, "In the morning I will sing of your love." (v 16) i.e. "Phew! I'm not going to get killed tonight." And finally David reiterates, that this Laughing God is "my fortress, my God on whom I can rely." (v 17)

Today if you are under attack, or should you come under attack in the future, come back to this psalm, look to God and see Him laughing. He laughs at your attackers because He knows that they are utterly under His sovereign control, they only breathe because He lets them, and that at any moment He can unleash a most giant can of whoopass.

Psalm 58: Wookey Springs

By Chantalle Wookey
Psalm 58 (NIV)


Today I am painting my kitchen. Correction – I am re-painting my kitchen. Some of you know that when Aaron and myself moved to Bournemouth almost five years ago we bought a house that was in a terrible state. The only option was to completely gut it, live in a building site and work endlessly on it till it was renovated (it's almost finished). This was a grueling task that involved living in a complete mess in the smallest room of our house and many nights coming home from work, then working on the house till the very early hours of the morning.

Eventually we made some progress. Slowly our house started looking less like a building site and more like a home. A particularly wonderful day for me was when Aaron and his dad installed the kitchen, having been cooking on a camping stove for six months you can imagine how excited I was! I set to painting with renewed excitement for our project.

However, after only a few weeks of the installation we encountered a problem. One of the walls in the kitchen was damp. We had specialists out to look at it. The man we paid to diagnose it insisted it was rising damp and was going to charge us a bucket load more money to fix it. We had no money left so we decided we had no option but to wait a little while to fix it.

A few days later while digging the garden we realised the soil was warm, this was very odd, it was not a particularly warm day. So we dug some more and found water! We knew it was from the hot water pipe but we just could not get to the problem. Eventually we realised the only way to fix the problem was to install a new hot water pipe in the kitchen and re-route the water. This involved ripping up a load of the work we had done including flooring and walls.

Our walls were fine they just couldn’t cope with the volume of hot water escaping into the soil from our house! The specialist had not told us the truth or had not done the investigation he said he did. As you can imagine we were furious. This escaping water has become known as ‘Wookey Springs’. We were gutted, ripped off by an untruthful specialist and now having to rip up all of our hard work. Injustice hung heavy in our house.

As I have been painting the kitchen today I have found myself thinking back to those times. I was taken back to feelings of annoyance over the injustice of that situation. All that work, money paid out falsely, hard work destroyed and STILL having to re-do work today.

In Psalm 58 David writes about the injustice in society. He sees the corruption of those in charge (v2) and laments their wickedness (3-5). He then goes on to ask God to allot out His judgment on these unrighteous (6-9).

On this earth there will be injustice. Things will go wrong. But this Psalm assures me God will judge. This Passion week I am reminded again that although sometimes the immediate injustices we see around us make no sense that Jesus will be victorious in the end. He has already WON but He is returning to bring about the justice of God. In it all we can pray for God’s will to be done and submit to his Sovereignty, even if we don’t understand why things happen as he really does know best. Living this way keeps our hearts soft so we can focus on advancing the Kingdom of God.

The hope from this Psalm is that God does bless the righteous.

As I am painting the walls from the destruction ‘Wookey Springs’ caused God is showing me how we are so like my kitchen. In our lives things will go wrong, these things can be very painful especially when the things that go wrong are so precious to us. The destruction in my kitchen happened, it was a painful experience but it revealed water that was flowing incorrectly and causing so many problems and potential problems. Because this was revealed it could be removed and a new water source could be installed. God will use times of pain and injustice to mould us so he can truly flow through us and then he will be our justice. The new pipe in the kitchen now feeds our home with the blessing of hot water that will refresh me as I take a much needed bath later to once again remove the paint from my hair, despite painful times the big picture is that I am truly blessed!

Psalm 57: What sort of tea bag are you?

By Andi Norton

Psalm 57 (MSG)


I find myself in a pride of lions
who are wild for a taste of human flesh;
Their teeth are lances and arrows,
their tongues are sharp daggers.

Imagine you're fleeing for your life, away from a mad man bent over in pride and jealousy, and the only place you have to take refuge is in the cold isolation of a cave.

I'm so thankful the closest I've come to this is hiding from some boys off the local estate in the town where I grew up, who wanted to steal my bike. I hid in the local woods near my house for 20 minutes and it seemed like a lifetime. I remember how sorry for myself I felt, how afraid I was.

Then I remembered that God is my saviour, my protector and I prayed.

Suddenly all my fear dissolved, my anxiety faded and I was confidently able to ride home thinking about it no more.

We are so blessed to live in a country where we are free to be Christians (to a point), unlike countries like China or Egypt, where Christians have to flee for their life and hide away.

What amazes me about so many stories I hear from Christians living in these countries is their perseverance and focus to carry on, to continue spreading the gospel regardless of persecution. And when locked up in prison or worse, they turn in an instance to God in prayer and worship, to speak aloud the truth of His word.

The point is they've got a heavenly perspective, they know their God, they know and live out the words of Philippians 4:4-13, as does David in this Psalm.


I'm ready, God, so ready,
ready from head to toe,
Ready to sing, ready to raise a tune:
"Wake up, soul!
Wake up, harp! wake up, lute!
Wake up, you sleepyhead sun!"


9-10 I'm thanking you, God, out loud in the streets,
singing your praises in town and country.
The deeper your love, the higher it goes;
every cloud is a flag to your faithfulness.


11 Soar high in the skies, O God!
Cover the whole earth with your glory!


A quick question: What sort of tea bag are you?
When put into hot water (difficulty), what do you see seep out?
Are you anxious, fearful, or full of faith, rejoicing and turning to God in worship?



These past weeks have been a real trial to my family and me as we walked through some difficulties together. But it's only when we come together in prayer and worship and catch that heavenly perspective that all those concerns sink away.

In those moments I want to reach for my guitar and say wake up soul, and press into God my provider, my strength.

Thank You Lord that you are for us, that any trials and troubles we face are momentary in the great scheme of your glorious plan. Thank you for your spirit that comforts and protects and the Hope we have through Jesus. Amen.

Psalm 56: Why we suffer trials?

By Sean Theunissen

Psalm 56 (ESV)


"You've kept track of my every toss and turn through the sleepless nights,
 Each tear entered in your ledger, each ache written in your book." v 8 (The Message) 


Here we see how God fathers us to maturity. David is once again in despair being beaten up almost everyday, feeling despondent and yet you can see God working behind the scenes making all things work to together for His good. But the image isn't of a God standing with arms folded from a distance thinking, 'That will do you good.' Rather He's close by, He remembers every tear, every anxious moment, every sleepless night.

Gradually through the psalm we see how these situations have made David turn to God, rather than away from him. Our trust in times like this has to go to that which doesn't fail, that is stronger, more reliable, more trustworthy.


"I'm proud to praise God; fearless now, I trust in God.
What can mere mortals do?" vs 10-11


David then finishes with thanksgiving.

"I will render thank offerings to you. For you have delivered my soul from death,
yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life." vs 13 (ESV)


From a worldly point of view this response is illogical, saying thank you to the God who has allowed us to bear trial after trial, pain and suffering and yet rather than walk away from God, we actually grow closer in love and thanksgiving towards Him.

What the world doesn't know is what we're actually made for. We're made to bring glory to Him, every breath, every word, every response to hurting words, every thought, every reaction to pain, sickness, suffering. Everything is in order to glorify Him. But He's not standing aloof throwing trials and pain at us to test whether we pass. Sometimes He does test us as in the case of Job, but actually He really just wants us to be satisfied in one thing, Himself. That is where He is truly glorified, when we are most satisfied in Him.


Lord, thank you for caring so much that you're willing to develop in me a trust for You, the only one who can truly satisfy,'what can mere mortals do?'. Help me to learn from the situations you allow me to face. God help those who are really going through it at the moment, let them really feel you close.

Psalm 55: What to do when friends cause you pain

By Priscilla

Psalm 55 (NIV) 

I am a sucker for good thrillers. I like films in which we are left to guess the identity of the murderer or spy till the very last scene. Where we are left shocked and open-mouthed at the revelation of the baddie. Where we can’t believe that the hero’s close friend is the one that sold him on. “NOOOOOO,” I usually want to shout at the screen.

David is reeling in a similar fashion, in this Psalm. While for me it was a two-hour mild indulgent – for David it is his close friend who wants to pursue him with an army and kill him. When David finds this out, he can’t believe it in a scene reminiscent of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, “Et tu, Brutus?”

David’s lament is mired in far more anguish:

“It's you! We grew up together! You! My best friend! Those long hours of leisure as we walkedarm in arm, God a third party to our conversation.” (vs 13, MSG)

He refers to betrayal again in Psalm 41:9

“Even my close friend,
someone I trusted,
one who shared my bread,
has turned against me.”

This Passion Week, let’s also remember the bitter betrayal that Jesus received at the hands of Judas - one of His closest friends. If Jesus had a cell phone then, Judas would have been on his speed dial or most-frequently dialled numbers. Judas was THAT close to Jesus and yet he allowed greed and love for money to take firm root in his heart and using a brotherly affection betrayed Jesus to his enemies. (Matthew 26 & 27)

We can often respond to betrayal by harbouring bitterness, by trying to exact revenge, speaking ill of them and possibly even closing our hearts to any form of relationship with them.

But how did David and Jesus respond to a painful betrayal?
They both cried out to God in distress and God protected their honour and integrity.

David calls out to God to save him and He does (vs 18,19).
The man who betrays David then later kills himself. God’s justice works itself out.

Jesus allows Judas to betray him so that the scriptures could be fulfilled. Jesus took on Judas’ bitter betrayal along with everyone’s sins on earth and once and for all dealt with them on cross.
Judas, filled with remorse for what he had done, hanged himself.

Let’s today mediate on the verse that David concludes with this Psalm with and allow our response to back-stabbing, slander and betrayal be the same as David’s and Jesus’.

Cast your cares on the LORD
and he will sustain you;
he will never let
the righteous be shaken. (vs 22) 

Psalm 54: Hello.....is there anybody out there?

By Andy Flood
Psalm 54 (NIV)


Ever felt like you're praying to the ceiling? Like God is too busy to talk?
Well you're in good company; this is exactly how David is feeling here.
It can sometimes feel as though your talking to your self.

Recently I've been chatting with Ben (my son) about how God speaks, (Ben wants to meet God, face to face, even shouting at the ceiling, "COME DOWN, GOD!!!") So I explain that God speaks primarily through the Bible and then often He speaks directly to us. I shared with him about the first time I heard God's voice.

I remember it like it was yesterday:

We were on a family holiday in Rome, I was 10. We had just visited the colosseum and two young girls approached in a very odd manner, flapping a newspaper and blowing kisses. 'How weird’, we all thought and carried on with our day. It wasn't until about an hour later, when my dad went to pay for something that he realised his pocket had been picked! This sent me in to a bit of a spin, I was gutted, how could someone do this to us.

I prayed, and God replied. A scripture reference from Thessalonians dropped in to my head (I must admit I didn't even know the book existed before)

This what God chose to say to me:

God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you (2 Thessalonians 1:6 NIV)

God revealed himself to me that day, as a God of Justice but moreover, as I look back, as a God of love. He chose to speak to a boy who was upset because he had lost some money, God cares, God is there and God answers every prayer. Usually as father answers his child, either, ‘Yes’, ‘No’ or ‘Later’.

David’s response see to God’s answer is praise. And so is mine. I'll never forget the day God first spoke to me personally, a treasure that can never be lost.