Psalm 150: Praise Him!

by Peter Roxburgh

Psalm 150 (NIV)

Praise the Lord; Praise God; Praise Him (vs1)

Praise Him; Praise Him (vs2, 3, 4, 5)

Praise the Lord; Praise the Lord (vs 6)

Do you get a feeling the Psalmist was making a point?

As we have blogged through the Psalms, we've covered so many different topics, opened up about personal situations and struggles, we've been challenged and encouraged in so many different ways and heard lots of stories. We've learnt about God's character, our characters, how to respond in different situations and so on.

One thing that is clear is that regardless of life's troubles, circumstances, our imperfect understanding of God, our own limitations and everything that we go through, one thing is true - God is worthy and deserving of our praise.

May we be a people who continue to live out a lifestyle of praise.

Psalm 149: Worshipping warriors

by Chantalle Wookey

Psalm 149 (NIV)

I was so excited to realise that this is the Psalm I end my blogging journey with, as I love it! It is a challenge and an encouragement for us to seek something new from God.

We are encouraged to sing a new song to our maker and King, to abandon ourselves in dance as we praise His name, to experience Him afresh and not be satisfied with what God has done in our lives in the past.

I love music, I love to study what makes it up and it is a wonderful gift to us that never ceases to amaze me. Every unique combination of its elements (pitch, rhythm, tempo, etc.) contains a world of exciting possibilities. There are effectively an infinite number of combinations to form inexhaustible possibilities of musical sound.

When we are encouraged to "Sing to the Lord and new song” I am struck that in each of us God has put a unique sound that can be offered in praise of his name. Your song and my song are new songs in all of history!

Your new song must be sung. It must be heard. Your voice, your life, they matter. They tell a story no one else gets to tell and sharing it is a way to bring God glory that only you can bring.

Verse 5 says, “Let the saints rejoice in this honour and sing for joy on their beds.” It struck me that the training for what God has for us needs to happen in the depths of our hearts when we are unseen. It is here that our unique songs are formed and matured. When we are left with God, alone, at the end of the day, being abandoned to God in midst of whatever life brings he is fashioning the sound we are called to make. Whatever season we are in God uses it to prepare us for the warfare that is to come by taking us lower so God is rightfully higher.

Humbled, having sought God in the secret place and with his praise firmly on our lips we are the called to action as warriors, not just worshipers. “Let the praises of God be in their mouths, and a sharp sword in their hands.” (v6)

We are at war. Jesus told us that the enemy seeks to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). Paul tells us to equip ourselves with the armor of God, to resist the enemy and to stand firm (Ephesians 3:16).

We are called to praise and fight, to fight our spiritual enemy with the word of God and the power of faith in God. To shine a light that is sharing the rescue plan of God on spoils of the spiritual war that rage all over this earth, marriages destroyed, children rebelling, people addicted to all kinds of destructive things. There are people dying at the hands of the enemy all around us, people being destroyed by his lies, and we have the means to rescue them. We so desperately need to be worshipping warriors. Warriors full of unique songs of praise to God, ready for action.

One day Jesus is going to return on a white horse. This time He is not coming as a baby in a manger. He is coming as the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is coming in might and power and He is bringing the army of heaven with Him. We fight for the side that is going to win in the end! Now that is worth singing about (Rev 19:11).

Being a warrior of worship involves the high praises of God being in our mouths, the two-edged sword of his word readily available in our hands and action, movement into God’s promises, into all that he has for us. Action to see a hurting world changed by the power of the spirit and to usher in the return of the King

Spend time with God. Don't be satisfied with past experiences of him. Expect God to do something new in your life, God delights in you and he is doing more in you than you even realize. We have everything we need to accept this challenge, the promises of God’s Word, the presence of the Holy Spirit and the reality of our ultimate salvation and victory over the enemy through Jesus.

Sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord the unique sound he has given you to sing through all you do with a life abandoned to him! Experience him in a fresh way, consciously join the battle and do not be satisfied with anything less than an adventure that will culminate in the most epic event history has ever seen, the return of King Jesus.

Psalm 148: Giver of Life

by Andi Norton

Psalm 148 (NIV)

Take a quick look at this:

It's a brilliant film, but imagine it, a world where all creation (the trees, the rocks, the creatures of the deep, the sun, moon, bright shining stars, the weather, the Wolf and the lamb, all in unison singing one song).

Crazy right?
Well not really!

God says all of heaven and earth is to praise Him.
In today's psalm it describes all of creation, not just the living creations and mankind, but the weather, the planets all that came from His hands everything we see is to praise Him.

He is the giver and the sustainer of life, by His hands all things were made to bring Him glory.

We have understood through meditating on these words that our very purpose is to do just this, bring glory to Him through fulfilling what He created us for, to bring Him great pleasure through a life of abandonment to Him. This is our act of worship.

As we awake on a beautiful morning like these we have been having this past week, we can hear creations songs, whether the bird song of the morning (or the seagull call in our case), the silent waves tossing, the air breathing between the branches of the trees, all of creation is singing it's song.

All of creation is singing aloud longing for His return, this is my longing too. All of creation one day will be very much like this illustration we see in the famous 'Roger Rabbit' Movie (maybe less cheesy) but it describes that creation will be united in one song, "the wolf will romp with the lamb" is one of many illustrations picture in this chapter, (Isaiah 11).

But until that day, we continue in our Love song to Him, we continue to become further abandoned to Him, we long to go deeper into Him, all through our life of worship, but the question is why?

Verses 13-14 sum it perfectly:

Let them praise the name of God—
it's the only Name worth praising.
His radiance exceeds anything in earth and sky;
he's built a monument—his very own people!


Simply it's our purpose, and in coming into that purpose we find complete wholeness, complete satisfaction, a greater longing for more, hope, sustainment.

Lord, I thank you that you chose me, you created and moulded me, You called me, I long to know You more. Lord as i abandon myself to You in a life of Worship would You let me meet with heaven and all creations song, and see You glorified.

Psalm 147: He thunders and whispers

by Sean Theunissen

Psalm 147 (NIV)

I'm so glad to be finishing my last psalm blog with this one, it's incredible. It describes the wonders of God, switching from universality (the big stuff) to particularity (the small, seemingly insignificant us). 

Here's the particular:

• He gathers the outcast
• Heals the heartbroken, bandages their wounds
• Puts the fallen on their feet again and pushes the wicked into the ditch
• He's not impressed with horsepower and mans' muscles
• Those who fear God get God's attention
• Jerusalem, he makes your city secure, blesses your children, keeps peace at your borders
• Puts the best on your table
• Launches his promises earthward
• He hand picked us for relationship

Here's the universal:

• Counts the stars, assigns each a name
• He is great with limitless strength, we'll never comprehend
• Fills the sky with clouds, preparing rain for the earth
• Then turns the mountains green with grass
• Feeding cattle and crows
• He spreads snow like a white fleece, frost like ashes, hail like birdseed
• Who can survive his winter, yet he breaths on it and it melts.

A lot of people only believe God is capable of the first lot of actions: He meets us on a human level; sympathises with our weakness; He's a friend; a confidant, but possibly lacks power to really change a situation, maybe He's not in full control against the powers of evil all around us.

Others only believe Him to be a powerful force, stronger and bigger than anyone can comprehend, creator of all things, but aloof from the micro. Angry at times and striking out randomly against His creation.

Here we get a reminder of the fulness of our God: He reveals and conceals, invites and hides, confounds and confides, He thunders and whispers, terrifies and befriends, God of the smallest detail and the grandest design, called in to being the tree He later hung on.

We have the ultimate God, he used His power to save us and now gently sanctifies us, making us ready for an eternity in his pure and holy presence. 

Lord thank you for showing yourself through these psalms, I've so enjoyed getting to know You or be reminded of your awesome attributes. Be glorified and honoured as we offer our lives in praise to You.

Psalm 146: A Grand Hallelujah

by Priscilla

Psalm 146 (NIV) 


I don’t know about you, but I have recently, more than ever, been reading our newspapers in utter despair! Despair over laws that are being pushed through, despair for ridiculous policies that are being implemented and then over in my home country - India – despair over the relentless waves of corruption that are destroying the country from within!

Reading the news is not a great way to start the day for sure.

How pleased I am then to read a Psalm like 146 that reminds us it is seriously not worth our time or effort to put our “trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save,” (vs 3) because when they die, that’s the end of the line for them. Their plans come to nothing from that day on (vs 4).

How much better it is then to put our hope in God who:

1. Is all powerful (He is the maker of heaven and earth, the sea and everything in it – vs 6)
   
2. Is our protector (He upholds the cause of the oppressed – vs 7)
   
3. Is our provider (Gives food to the hungry – vs 7)
4. Is our deliverer (sets the prisoners free – vs 7)
5. Is our healer (gives sight to the blind – vs 8)
6. Is our encourager (Lifts up those who are bowed down – vs 8)
7. Looks out for those on the fringe (The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow – vs 9)
8. Loves righteousness and hates wickedness (vs 8/9) 

Someone recently tweeted a quote by Rick Warrren, that said: "If God was small enough for you to completely understand Him, He wouldn’t be big enough for you to completely trust Him."

I definitely want to be subject of this King who I can trust! It is such a joy to read His newspaper (The Bible) everyday – where His words are like a soothing balm to the soul, they bring joy and vigour for the day!

There is a reason this Psalm is called The Grand Hallelujah because after reading all that God does for us – what can we not do but shout out a big, grand Hallelujah to our all-powerful, wonder-working King!

Psalm 145: There are no boundaries to His greatness

by Andy Flood

Psalm 145 (MSG)

God is magnificent; he can never be praised enough. There are no boundaries to His greatness. (Psalm 145:3 MSG)

What a statement!

As you read this psalm there's only one conclusion you can come to. Our God is AMAZING! You can't read it and think what a great psalmist, what a great songwriter, the psalm does its job and points you to the One who inspired it, who breathed it out.

I just love those moments in God's presence when you wish you could shout louder and bow lower. Those moments when His presence is so tangible you can feel Him actively humbling you, shaping you, making you more like Himself.

I long for those encounters, I can't wait to meet Him next and be moulded a little more.

I love the song 'Cielo' by Phil Wickham the song describes our entry into heaven, and worshipping God forever, the song captures a heart yearning for God, a heart that says I just want to shout louder and bow lower. Not to earn greater acceptance from God, but a heart response to all that God is.

My prayer is that we will continue to go deeper in God, that our encounters with Him will change us, and that we will follow hard after Him.

DO IT LORD!

Psalm 144: The best thing to do during a time of difficulty is.....

by Peter Roxburgh

Psalm 144 (NIV) 

I had the privilege of going to boarding school at the age of 11. As you can imagine, a boy who had a strong Bombay accent, spoke through his rather large nose and wore second-hand clothes got teased quite a bit. To be fair, I think only about one per cent of a boarding school population doesn't get teased.

Being teased about my accent doesn't come anywhere close to the persecution, hatred and pressures that David faced and describes in this Psalm.

I don't remember asking God to 'send forth lightning to scatter my enemies' or 'shoot arrows at them to rout them' (v6).

One thing that David and I did do the same though is found in verse 9. Well, the first half of verse 9 because, as you can imagine, I didn't have a 10-stringed lyre with me.

l sing a new song to you, O God; on the 10-stringed lyre I will make music to you. 

I used to go to deep into the woods by my dormitory, take my Bible and spend time just worshipping and talking to God. Those were very precious times for me. I learnt to turn to God for help as my sisters lived elsewhere and I wasn't anywhere near my parents. But most of my time was spent just singing to God in my own words. Thinking about those times brings back emotion because they were times of such intimacy. I've said it numerous times in these posts, and I say it again, the praise of a broken heart is the sweetest song of all.

A few years later, I was having a difficult time again at school and my roommate knew full well of it. A number of mornings, he would come back from his shower to find me laughing. He wasn't a Christian and obviously thought I was having a proper psychological breakdown. But it was simply just the joy of coming before God in praise and worship.

Unfortunately it seems that as we get older we foolishly think we can handle things ourselves. In recent years, I have often chosen to find escape from the pressures of the world in TV or computer games. We all have our own little escapes, which aren't necessarily wrong, but the best we can do is turn to God with a new song.

With a family and lots of commitments it is a whole lot more difficult to find time to just worship than when I was 11 at boarding school. But it is also therefore so much more important to steal time away to worship. A little tip for the very busy - I often find that the times when I can be at home and worship without being interrupted are when I am washing up or cleaning the bathrooms. But nothing beats a nice long walk or an early morning on my knees, or indeed meeting to pray and worship with friends on a Friday morning.

Through times of difficulty (and I am not referring to washing up or cleaning bathrooms!) singing songs of praise and worship may be one of the hardest things to do, but I am sure most of us can testify that it is the best thing to do.

Psalm 143: Modelling a prayer relationship with God

by Chantalle Wookey

Psalm 143 (NIV)

This is an amazing Psalm that is a model of how to go to God in prayer, especially in tough times. It is so obvious in this Psalm that David is God’s friend and God is David’s friend. It is an amazing illustration of what we can expect from God in our relationship with him – Friendship. This Psalm shows so clearly that when we do go to God in prayer we’re not shooting blindly into the emptiness of heaven but we can talk directly and clearly with God as a friend knowing what we can expect in return. This is how David models this prayer relationship:

• Take to time to go to God – Hear my prayer, O Lord (V1)
  
• Tell Him exactly how you feel and the circumstance you are in. He is the best friend you could ever have and it is ok to be honest with him. (V3-4)
  
• Remember with Him in a conversation all that He has done (V5)
  
• Worship Him in whatever the circumstance – I lift my hands to You in prayer. I thirst for You as parched land thirsts for rain (v9).
  
• Update God on the circumstance, if things are better – tell him, if things are worse – tell him (v7)
  
• Trust God (v8)
  
• Ask God what to do and for his direction in your life (v10)
  
• Be teachable and know that he is God–Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God (v10).
  
• Have the right motive – Our desire for God to act should always be because we want him to be glorified in and through our lives. (V11) 

Remember today that you are a friend of God. If you aren’t then you can be. Just Ask. Then begin to talk with Him in the way that is outlined so beautifully by David in this Psalm.

Psalm 142: Get your priorities right

by Andi Norton

Psalm 142 (NIV)

David certainly was a man who had his priorities right. He would turn to God in every circumstance of his life - whether to rejoice, seek comfort in his sadness, cry for help in his desperation or simply to give thanks. He would always acknowledge that nothing is possible without God.

Far too many times, I find myself sifting through an array of people, possibilities and practicalities before I get to the crucial point that I need to acknowledge God in my difficulties. Now I’m not saying it's not good to share our troubles with each other as it is important to share burdens with one another, but if we fail to acknowledge God as our greatest resolve, we may find that the problem will just reoccur or be unresolved.

David was in some horrific situations, but he was a man who had perspective too. He was a man who immersed himself in the presence of the King (yes even in a dark and dingy, cold cave). He would meet with the Father and have an open conversation, pouring out, with full honesty his irritation, desperation and pleas.

I think the reason David was such a 'F.R.O.G' man (a man who Fully Relied On God) was because he had felt the failings of this world.

Look and see, there is no one at my right hand;
no one is concerned for me.
I have no refuge;
no one cares for my life.
I cry to you, Lord;
I say, “You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living. (v4-5)

We all too have felt many failings in this world I'm sure, but we know the truth of who our God is:

He is good and is one who cares for us, He doesn't wish for us to suffer with anxiety, fear or uncertainty, He is a God with a plan and purpose for us, and we can take heart that he wishes no harm to come to us (Jeremiah 29:11).

It's good news, but if we fail to acknowledge it (which i know i do when i become fearful and worry) we will seek comfort, reassurance and resolve in all the wrong places.

Philippians 4 states:

The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

This should be our first point of call in any difficulty (whether a technical issue on a Sunday morning, or a greater issue like a financial anxiety, bereavement, or dysfunctional relationship).

If we stop and prioritise our action, we will find that we may only need to make one, and that is to seek, seek, seek God, and He will help with managing any other actions that may need to follow.

Lord would you help me to make my first response to always be to turn to You.

Psalm 141 Are you teachable?

by Sean Theunissen

Psalm 141 (NIV)

'Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips! Do not let my heart incline to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in the company with men who work iniquity, and let me not eat of their delicacies!

Let a righteous man strike me - it is a kindness; let him rebuke me - it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it.'

This psalm for me characterises a life of worship. Here the psalmist pretty much says to God: "Here's my life. Shape it, break it, use it to bring glory to you. Let my life, my prayers and actions be like incense before you."

What distinguishes this prayer from some that I've prayed is that there is a genuine openess for God to work on his life. I don't know about you but whenever I've been rebuked or corrected, every bit of selfish pride that was lurking below the surface, that I didn't even know was there, suddenly springs to life. It lashes out, it tries to defend itself by recalling past successes, by bringing to mind all the 'good' I've done.

In order to be completely available and useful to God, we must be broken, and not broken after fighting for our pride, but offer up our allegiance willingly to the only true and living God, for His plans and purposes.

This is true worship. Everything else; all the corporate singing; dancing; bowing down; lifting hands; playing music; serving God's people...it all needs to stem from a life that's had it's own pride and honour smashed.    

Unfortunately it's not a one off event, but a regular breaking down of self in order to glorify Him.

God I constantly need you to rid me of the hard clay that seems to form in my life, so inflexible and immovable. God keep me malleable and soft, shape me for your purposes. Help me to live a life that is a pleasing aroma to you.

Psalm 140: Why it's good to be cavemen?

by Priscilla

Psalm 140 (NIV)

Imagine the scene: It’s a dark and misty night. A black, snarling creature is relentlessly pursuing you through dark woods. You can almost feel his evil breath on your back as you run as fast you can, tripping over twigs and roots. And then it begins to thunder as rain starts pelting down fast. You are still running but ever so often the beast catches a glimpse of you in the lightening flashes. Now, even your meagre cover of darkness has been blown. And just as you think your heart can take it no more and feels like it will burst open through your chest, you spot a small cave by the side. In you run, crouch, sit still and barely breathe. Seconds that seem like forever pass and suddenly you hear the rapid crunch of broken sticks and leaves as beast hurtles past the cave. You can breathe again. For the rest of this torrid night, you are now safe. When dawn breaks and mists lift - the world will be different place.

David had many experiences similar to this - where he was pursued like “a partridge in the mountains” (I Sam 26:20) by Saul and his heavily armed men. And while on the run, David and his men would find shelter in a cave and stay there till the trouble had passed.

Psalm 140 is David’s cry to God from one of his cave escapes.

Some times God is gracious to provide us with a cave sanctuary for us to hide when everything seems to go kaput at the same time.

In this cave we can catch our breath – cry out to God for help as David does in this Psalm.

Vs 1:
Rescue me, Lord, from evildoers;
    protect me from the violent,

Vs 4:

Keep me safe, Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
    protect me from the violent,

A cave of refuge is also a place to plan your next move in safety knowing your surety in God.

A cave experience can be one as mundane as a crazy day at home where by 6pm, all you need to do is retreat for 15 mins into a quiet place, cry out to God for help and with a deep breath plan what you are going to do next in the midst of the chaos.

Or a cave experience could be more challenging where perhaps you desire to make some key life decisions but are being pursued relentlessly by the business of life coming at you from all sides. Eagerly look for the cave opportunity that God provides – a quiet weekend away perhaps to seek Him and His calling. Cherish that time away. You never know how that could affect your life.

David’s cave experiences were the making of Him. I pray that ours would be just that. 

Psalm 139: An open book

by Andy Flood

Psalm 139 (NIV)

What a wonderful song of the depths of the knowledge that God has of us!
He know us inside out, He has been there the whole time, watching us and delighting in us as only a Father can.

He knows everything, He sees everything, He is everywhere. He is never lacking in wisdom, never lacking in knowledge and never lacking in power.
We cannot hide from Him, even though from the beginning we have tried, I mean even Adam and Eve thought they could hide behind a tree!

Why is it then, that when we feel the prick of our conscience and the conviction of sin. We try and run away?
Do we really believe that God is standing over us with a stick, just waiting to give us a good hiding?

David has realised here that running is not an option. He knows the best option is be an open book with God. He says:

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139: 23, 24 NIV)

It's of no benefit, whatsoever, to let un-repented sin stew in our hearts, festering while we work out a way to polish a turd, in an attempt to make it presentable to God
Surely, how we all long to be is, to keep a short account with our saviour, calling out to him to search our hearts and where we fall short. Looking to Him for our restoration, and to lead us the way everlasting.

Lord we need your Spirit to do a work in us, soften our hearts, tenderise them, make them wholly yours. Make us sensitive to sin that could so easily fester in our souls. Our desire is to be an open book with you, always keeping a short account with you.
You're amazing that You know us so intimately, THANK YOU.

Psalm 138: Have I fallen too far for God to use me?

by Peter Roxburgh

Psalm 138 (NIV)

The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. (vs 8)

I look back at my life and there are many things that I wish I could change. I see years wasted drifting aimlessly making endless mistakes. The danger, which I often have to fight, is falling down a spiral of regret, unable and unwilling to let Hope pull me out.

I often think that I have wasted too much time, made too many mistakes, disqualified myself, not got the right personality or the best character, not strong enough or driven enough, not ambitious enough, not perfect enough to do what God has called me to.

And that is exactly where the enemy wants me. Focussed on my failures, my weaknesses when actually I can also see the incredible change that God has worked in me over the last few years. Sure it has been slow change but there has definitely been change - I don't think my wife would have put up with me for so long if I was still the same as when we got married.

I need to keep reminding myself that 'He who began a good work in me is faithful to complete it'.(Phil 1:6) I just have to be humble enough to accept the need to change. I remember I went through a season of going forward for prayer every Sunday at the end of church regardless of what the ministry was for. It was just me fighting the pride of "what will people think of me?" and instead humbling myself and desperate enough to ask God to come and change me.

I declare today that The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me (v8), and the same can be true for you no matter how far you have fallen, what you have done and where you think you are. You and I just need to be humble enough for God to change us (rarely a pain-free process) and then accept the truth that God can use us.

God is bigger than your weaknesses, your failures, your past, your wasted years. As long as you are willing to humble yourself to change and be used by Him, He will fulfil His purpose for you.

This song 'Second Chance' by Rend Collective Experiment is a powerful song. If you haven't heard it before take a few minutes to listen and revel in the truth. I particularly love the last verse:

"Fragments of brokenness
Salvaged by the art of grace
You craft life from our mistakes

Black skies of my regrets
Outshone by this kindness
New life dawns over my soul"

Psalm 137: No longer a slave to sin

by Chantalle Wookey

Psalm 137 (NIV)

Oh my! ... Was my thought when I first realised I would be writing a blog on Psalm 137 because I had no idea what to say about it. All that kept coming into my mind was the well-known song!

Then I realised this psalm is a song, it almost definitely did not originally sound like the Boney M version but never the less was a song from those in exile. How can they sing when they are in captivity away from the Promised Land and Jerusalem - without a proper place to worship? The call to dash their captive little ones against the rocks seems a bit hard to swallow but I guess it helps express the strength of feeling they had with regards to their circumstances.

I guess the real purpose of this Psalm is not to forget a very difficult time in their history and to celebrate all that God had brought them through.

We in the same way should have sadness for sin and captivity that was in our lives before we were saved and indeed any sin that creeps into our lives even though we are saved in the same way as the Israelites had sadness for being captives in a foreign land. It is good for us to remember that we were once captive, that Christ has set us free and to keep walking in the spirit, where there is liberty.

Today, take some time to remember that you are no longer a slave to sin but transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2). Because of Jesus’ finished work we are no longer captives but transformed. Remember where God has brought you from today and seek his continual freedom by choosing to partner with the Holy Spirit in living a life that is full of adventure and promise in his transforming power. 

Psalm 136: God of Love?

by Andi Norton

Psalm 136 (NIV)

I've been extremely blessed this term to be invited to deliver a number of question and answer sessions related to all things related to the Christian faith throughout secondary schools in our conurbation and in every session this question is asked:

"If God is a God of love, then why does He allow (cause) bad things to happen?"

Now this is a complex question that needs to be approached sensitively and covering several factors, but the one thing is clear from this psalm is God IS a God of love and His love endures forever.

The psalmist lists an in-depth list of all God has created to show His love for His children.

4 to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
5 who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.
6 who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.
7 who made the great lights —
His love endures forever.
8 the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.
9 the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever.
I love science and have greatly enjoyed looking into the sustainable factors needed for human life to exist. For example gravity could be positioned at anywhere in the expanse of space, but it happens to be just where it is so that You and I can exist. For more about this watch this

But what about this question that is so frequently asked? What about the second part of this Psalm? It talks of how God saved His people from their enemies, and yes He did strike down those who stood against Him with disasters and plagues but all because He loves His people.


10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt
His love endures forever.
11 and brought Israel out from among them
His love endures forever.
12 with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;
His love endures forever.

13 to him who divided the Red Sea asunder
His love endures forever.
14 and brought Israel through the midst of it,
His love endures forever.
15 but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;
His love endures forever.

The reality is God has the power to destroy us all, all He has to do is move gravity an inch and we would cease to be, but He chooses not too because He loves us, He longs for us to choose a relationship with Him.

In all that God does, although we sometimes (even us Christians) can not comprehend it "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28) and that His love endures forever

I often reflect on why did I have to go through such suffering under the addiction of drugs and a broken home when I grew up, but God allowed it and now uses it so that I can lead others to His wonderful love through a heart of empathy.

I can truly say our God is 100 per cent a God of love.

Thank You Lord for the love you display throughout your creation, through Jesus, and even in the things which seem so negative, but on deeper thought are actions which even display your purpose and plans for us, this is great love.

Psalm 135: Living God or useless idol

by Sean Theunissen

Psalm 135 (NIV)

"The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; they have ears, but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them become like them, so do those who trust them!" (vs 15-18)

This psalm was used by Israel to renew their faith and gratitude to God. There is an obvious comparison between the Living God and the dead idols of the Gentile nations around Israel.

Our culture is like a factory of idols and yet we're so often oblivious to them being around us. Love, money, success, power, glory, religion, in fact anything we hope in that is not God, and even anything we are more troubled; anxious or apprehensive about, rather than the honour of God.

But rather than focusing our full attention on the idols themselves, the psalmist 'bigs up' God throughout the psalm: 'For He has chosen Jacob for himself', 'For the Lord is great, He does what he pleases in heaven and earth', 'He struck down the firstborn of Egypt', 'His name endures forever'.

Our God chose us before He made us, he breathed all creation in to being, he redeemed us from death and we will reign with him forever. In light of this incredible God, these other idols look pathetic.

We need to constantly look up in order to rid ourselves of the rubbish that we've grown attached to below.

Col 3:1-5

'Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.'

God it is so easy to lose our sight of you in this culture we live in. Help us to let go and hold on to you, to constantly seek after You and in so doing bring honour to You.

Psalm 134: Why should we pray?

by Priscilla

Psalm 134 (NIV)

Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord
who minister by night in the house of the Lord. (vs 1)


Growing up, I went to lot of church camps. They were great days and were often a highlight of my year. And why wouldn’t they be – four days of great teaching, excellent worship, living together as a community, hanging out with my friends, bonfire night – it was great. There were normally five or six buses that took people back home after the camp and each bus would be filled with the roaring sound of campers singing, laughing and generally making a joyful noise unto God.

This psalm was a bit like that. We have been blogging through ‘The songs of the Ascents’ – as the Psalms from 120 to 134 were called.
The songs of the Ascents were sung as people made the journey from their villages and tribes towards Jerusalem for various Jewish festivals and most importantly to worship Yahweh at the Temple.

Psalm 134 was usually sung as people were leaving to go back home. (Bit like my fellow campers back home). As the Jews would leave very, very early in the morning they would see the priests and singers continuing their worship of God through the night. And this song was to encourage them and pray God’s blessing over His faithful servants.

King David loved the presence of God – in his life, in his kingdom and over his city. He arranged that Temple choirs would praise the Lord day and night throughout the year, every year in the Temple (1 Chron 9:33, Ps 113:3).
Not surprisingly King David’s reign was one where Israel saw most peace and prosperity in the land.

24-7 prayer and worship is powerful. Currently in Bournemouth, the churches have got together to pray for the town this week. We can see God breakthrough powerfully, we can see revival, we can see salvation, we can see healing, we can experience God’s blessing – when we pray.

If you are able to, why not book a one-hour slot this week to pray for this town to watch God unfold His magnificent and gracious plan for this town and nation.

Psalm 133: Watch your mouth!

by Andy Flood

Psalm 133 (NIV) 

We all know the bitterness of separation, whether its a broken relationship or a loss in the family. Separation brings an anguish and pain that seems to last longer than most.

The same is true with us, the Church, theres nothing satan wants more than a divided church. Full of bitterness and disillusionment because of the pain of separation.

This Psalm rings so true.  

How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity! (Psalm 133:1 NIV)

Its so easy to find differences between us. So easy to criticise. We are called to more than this. We are called to be encouragers to build each other up not tear them down.  Just as Paul tells James - With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. (James 3:9, 10 NIV)

So let's look to what unites us, a love for Christ and our worship of Him and get away from this cynicism and defensiveness that could drive a wedge between us. Always looking to encourage one another.

Just watch your mouth!

Psalm 132: 'Snooze you lose' is a Biblical principle. True story.

by Peter Roxburgh

Psalm 132 (NIV)

I had a job interview today and one of the questions was "How did you motivate yourself to overcome an obstacle?" I won't bore your with my answer because it wasn't particularly exciting, and it did not contain any of the following: 

"I will not enter my house or go to my bed, I will allow no sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids." (v 3-4).

Not quite sure what the reaction of those interviewing me would have been had I said the above.

David wasn't applying for a job when he said that. Instead he was desperate to build the Temple for God, desperate to have the dwelling presence of God. (v5)

I was challenged by those words - how desperate am I for God's dwelling and presence? I know I have a long way to go before I can be anywhere near as desperate as David.

I know rather than say 'I will not enter my house or go to my bed' I am more like "I will stay in my bed, I will allow my eyelids to stay shut just those few more minutes, I will attempt to maximize the slumber of my eyes, rather than chase after the presence of God".

A fool I am. I drift back to sleep and drift away from God; one morning at a time until finally I wake to the alarm bells of life.

Why do I so easily forget that nothing is sweeter than His presence? Nothing is more rewarding than time with Him. Nothing nourishes more than to feed on His word. Nothing strengthens like the Spirit. Nothing awakens more than the refreshing waters of His mercies that are new every morning.

I want to be desperate for You, my God. Help me to overcome the obstacle of my own laziness and the lies that anything is more important or more satisfying than your presence. If I can't find time for you, help me make time, not excuses. 

Psalm 131: Where do we find our peace?

by Chantalle Wookey

Psalm 131 (NIV)

I know that there are times that I get so busy with activities, worries and debates in my mind about issues that I am far from peaceful.  

Sometimes my response to this can be to try to get everything in place around me as I think that this should help to attain peace in my soul.  I attempt to quiet my restless heart with what I do, the things I own or even with people around me who I love and am loved by in this world, so that I will be satisfied.

Although these things no doubt do bring a measure of comfort, the temptation is to create false peace by trying so hard to control things I really do not have any control over anyway.

We need to be content and humble in the presence of the Lord. To learn to sit at the feet of Jesus where we can and should submit our worries and joys, our successes and our failures to our true King through prayer.

We need a deep reliance and trust in God, even if to our temporary view he seems, at times, to let the world spin out of control.

Even in times of being weaned, we must know that our heavenly father has greater things for us, his children. God does not wean us to burden us, but to free us.  True peace is found in the trust and firm hope that even in middle of chaos and anxiety, when the Lord feels far away, He is still there, and nothing will separate you from His care.

Psalm 130: A life of service

by Andi Norton

Psalm 130 (NIV)

3 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

Last week I encouraged us to think back to all God has done in transforming us from a hopeless, bound, people to the new creation we are through Jesus.
Today's psalm has a similar reflection, in verse 3 it states if God was to keep a record of sin, we'd all fall short.
But (oh how we love this word 'But') there is forgiveness!
Forgiveness is something we all have and something we all are thankful for I'm sure (and let me state the word 'thankful' doesn't even cut it), but there are times when we can take it for granted, and there are many who do not even comprehend it.

But the psalmist says we've received this pardon so that we can 'with reverence', serve Him.

God desires a people who will serve Him, who will be ambassadors of His message (2 Corinthians 5:20), but in order to do this we must remind ourselves a fresh of this extremely awesome gift He has given us. We need a revelation of it. For when we receive revelation, we become passionate, full of joy, and the joy of the Lord is our strength. It fuels us and we become a fire, we become a light that radiates God, and this task becomes so natural.

It's out of this heart of thanksgiving, we wish to lay our lives down in humble service to our God, it's not out of duty but out of complete reverence for who He is and what He's done.

He first loved us, and my cry in response is I too love Him, I want to give my all to His purposes, His plans for my life, and serve Him wholeheartedly in this short expanse of time He's given us in this mortal flesh, and my prayer is the same for You, because this is our calling.

We know what it's like to put our hope in other things and it has only brought hopelessness, hunger and desperation, But this forgiveness has given us the contrary.

And so you and I:

5 wait for the Lord, our whole being waits,
and in His word We put our hope.

And we do so trusting Him, serving Him, whole heartedly until His return.

Lord would you help us to do as these words say:

Romans 12
1 So then, my friends, because of God's great mercy to us I appeal to you: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer.2 Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God—what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect.

Psalm 129: How long do I have to wait?

How long do I have to wait, Lord?

by Sean Theunissen

Psalm 129 (NIV)

"Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me." (vs 1)

We're often impatient as people, we live for the moment, we want an answer straight away, we want something to change in our lives so as to relieve pressure, or worry, or even pain and heartache. We often conclude that when change doesn't come or an answer is not given, that somehow we've failed or worse yet, God has.

My parents lost their business when I was very young, which meant bankruptcy, losing our family home and from then on money has always been difficult to come by. Amazingly, Rachel's upbringing is very similar and it's obviously meant that we've not been able to buy a property and there are many things in life we've had to forfeit having. Now before you think I'm after a sympathy vote, I'm really not!

This psalm makes me realise that though there is a constant battle in getting through the month financially, and wondering what the future holds, the enemy has never prevailed over me in this situation. God has worked on my heart, he has provided every single time and through experience I've learnt, or am still learning not to put my trust in wealth.

Some of my friends have far worse situations they are facing, and the psalm is very explicit in the abuse that Israel was having to take from their enemies. Some of my friends have had years, even decades of ill health and pain, but guess what, the enemy has not prevailed over them, their trust is in God. What a slap in the face to Satan!

Not getting an answer straight away, or seeing a change to a situation straight away is not failure. If your trust is turned to God, then it's prevailing.

Psalm 128: Looking for happily ever after?

by Priscilla

Psalm 128 (NIV)

A friend once mentioned to me how their child was in the minority in her class, because she was one of few whose parents were still together and happily married.

These are unhappy times in our nation when we see Satan striking at the very heart of what holds Society together – the Family.

No matter what the government does to assuage the lie that broken families are alright – like: a) not needing a father’s name on a birth certificate and b) making it easier to get a quick divorce – the truth lies in the stories of people who have grown up in divorced homes. A person’s experience never lies.

In the midst of that, this Psalm is one of hope for family as God intended it!

Vs 1-4
Blessed are all who fear the Lord,
who walk in obedience to him.
You will eat the fruit of your labour;
blessings and prosperity will be yours.
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
Yes, this will be the blessing
for the man who fears the Lord.

A friend tweeted a quote from Tim Keller today, which said, “No marriage I know more than a few weeks old could be described as a fairy tale come true.”

The truth is that marriage is hard work. It certainly is no fairy tale. Yet if both parties ‘walk in obedience to God’, (vs 1) we stand fighting chance to have a happily ever after.

Let’s pray today for our marriages, for our children’s marriages or if we are single – for our future marriages – that God would always reign at the centre of them and that we can claim the peace and prosperity that has been offered to us in this Psalm.

Psalm 127: Working Hard or Hardly Working

by Andy Flood

Psalm 127 (NIV)

Unless the Lord builds the house,

the builders labor in vain. (Psalm 127:1 NIV)

We're on a grand adventure as a church, this building project is part of it but moreover reaching the lost and broken in the areas we live in.  The building is just a vehicle to carry the church to greater works of service to our town.

This Psalm shows us that without the Lord all our work will be for nothing. And by nothing I mean nothing, zero, zilch.

And the same goes for our meetings, if the Lord doesn't meet with us and change us to be more like Him. Then its a waste of time even being there.

Thankfully we know that God is more interested and passionate about His church than we could ever be. Jesus said:  I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. (Matthew 16:18 NIV)

He is our King and we are His people and He is building His church. He wants ALL of you not 10 per cent but all of you. Because the Lord IS building His house, we get to work hard, to serve the church and its purposes in the full knowledge that our work is not in vain and better yet we are part of extending His kingdom and seeing it come here. 

Psalm 126: Happy face Sunday

by Peter Roxburgh

Psalm 126 (NIV)

When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion,
we were like men who dreamed.
Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy. (v1-3)
Hudson learnt how to change DVDs at a very early age. Sadly for him, his parents are not so good at remembering where the remotes last were. So there are numerous times when Hudson has put his chosen DVD in and then has to spend the next few minutes looking for the TV and DVD remote controls. 

Every time he finds them though he has a massive smile on his face and comes running to me or Priscilla with the remote in his hand shouting "FIND IT! I FIND IT!"

It is at times like that we understand why Jesus wanted us to be more like little children. I am aware that as I have grown up (no smart comments required), I have lost much of the simple joys of life. 

But I would be more worried if stopped finding joy in what God has done for me or my family. In this Psalm the Israelites are remembering how God brought the captives back. They remember all the things that God has done for them and their natural response is JOY!

Someone once commented that some Christians look so miserable that they must've been baptised in lemon juice! I find it strange that so many look so grimaced during times of worship. I know we're 'concentrating', but worship songs help us remember the amazing things God has done for us - "ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven ...oh He saved us." 

The challenge is that we can get so blasé about the songs that we sing and the rituals that we go through that we lose out on the joy in worship. If you want to know whether you have become blasé and are just going through ritual, the next time you are in a worship setting, ask your face if it is the face of someone who has been ransomed, healed, restored and forgiven. 

My challenge to myself and to us is that we be more like a little child at church. This week, if it helps you think about the words we sing, don't sing. Just listen to the words, meditate on what God has done, and allow your heart, face, hands, feet and body to respond in JOY!

Fellow worshippers, if we cannot be joyful in our worship, when we sing songs about the most amazing things that have and will ever happen to us, then where and when else will we find joy?

The Lord has done great things for us! Let us respond in joy. And remember joy is always visible and infectious! 

Psalm 125: Safe in His arms

by Chantalle Wookey

Psalm 125 (NIV)

God, I know you are like the mountains, that you surround us, protect us, and inspire us.

I pray that you make us like mountains, that you cause us to become strong, enduring, and unshakable.

Be my mountain today Lord. Make me a mountain today Lord.

This has been very much my prayer this week as I have gone back to face a really difficult situation that I have been very shaken by for a long time.

The amazing truth is that the reason Mount Zion cannot be shaken is because another hill was. Years after this psalm was written, on a Friday, on a hill called Golgotha, Jesus Christ died for us.

He bore the wrath we deserved. He suffered in our place, making atonement for our sins. It is because of this amazing act of love that God really can and will "surround his people both now and forevermore”.

In whatever we face in this life nothing can ever shake the truth that Jesus conquered our sin in His death. Then He conquered death by His resurrection. And it’s because of this that we can go about our days under the Lord‘s invincible protection. It is only in this kind of supernatural protection that we are really secure. This is a protection that is there for us no matter what. The tomb is empty, Jesus reigns, and we cannot be moved.

The key to continued peace when evil seems to abound is to trust God, to lean on his promises, to allow the Holy Spirit to keep fueling our faith.  Our God is faithful and unshakable, there seems no better reason to keep on running to him.

Psalm 124: Where'd you be?

by Andi Norton

Psalm 124 (NIV) 


If the Lord had not been on our side...... (vs 1)

Todays Psalm opens with a great statement, what if the Lord had not been on our side.

Imagine it: Where would you be, if God didn't step into your situation? If He refused your desperate cry and ultimately left you to the clutches of death?

I've been teaching Year 6 students these past two weeks about what is our identity in. This has been a great time of reflection for me also as I share my testimony of what I once was like and how God radically transformed me.

The reality for me is if the Lord had not been on my side, I would have most likely be hopelessly lost, no future ahead of me and potentially dead when 10 years ago in that hopelessness I jumped in front of a car....Woah!


If God hadn't been there for Moses?
if the Lord had not been on our side
when people attacked us,
They would have swallowed us alive
when their anger flared against us;
The flood would have engulfed us,
the torrent would have swept over us,
The raging waters
would have swept us away (vs 2-5)

The good news though, is God heard my cry, He intervened and stepped down and grabbed me out of the pit I was in.


Praise be to the Lord,
who has not let us be torn by their teeth.
We have escaped like a bird
from the fowler’s snare;
the snare has been broken,
and we have escaped. (vs 6,7)

We are so blessed to have a God who always responds to our cry, who always watches over us, who has a plan for each one of us, and those plans are to prosper us, to give us hope and a future.

Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. (vs 8)

Why not take time to think of all He has done from you, and thank Him that He is a God who always hears and answers?

Psalm 123: Daddy, daddy, daddy

by Sean Theunissen

Psalm 123 (NIV)

"So our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he has mercy upon us." 

If you've got kids you'll know how impatient they can be and how demanding and unrelenting they are. I find this most often when you've said, 'you can have it a bit later'.

First of all hope is born, 'dad has said it's going to happen so it's going to happen'.

Next comes the persistence and relentlessness for me to fulfill the promise, 'dad, you said I can have it, can I have it now?'

A child's attitude is so often what God requires of us. Jesus referred to it in terms of how we are to enter the kingdom of heaven. Kids have a simple, uncomplicated view on life, a faith without doubt, not yet tainted by rejection and unfulfilled promises.

We so easily forget that God has promised many things and yet instead of persisting in asking for the fulfillment of what our perfect, all powerful Father has promised, we somehow lose interest or determine to gain it on our own, or lose hope in it altogether.

Our God calls us to be persistent and bold in our prayers, like little kids who just can't wait any longer and so go to the one who is able to fulfill their requests.

Lord, I know I am not persistent enough in asking you to step in and change a situation. God raise us up to be men and women who will stand in the gap and petition heaven for your cause and will. God come and do what you promised.

Psalm 122: How to prepare for a feast

by Priscilla

Psalm 122 (NIV)

I love being invited to people’s homes because it usually involves good company, lots of laughter and food! Nom nom! In our Indian culture visiting someone involves avoiding food all day – because you know there will be massive meal laid out involving a variety of dishes. In our English culture, people are just as generous with elaborate meals involving numerous courses.

Whatever it is – going to someone’s for a meal is a good occasion. We all look forward to it.

Similarly the psalmist here reminds us with great rejoicing of the invitation we have to go the house of the Lord (vs 1) where a big feast awaits us.

Sunday are like that. What a privilege it is in this country to be able to freely and openly walk into our place of worship and feast at a smorgasbord of Truth.
To sing corporately in the Spirit, to be comforted, be ministered to, get prayed for, be challenged and spurred on – I don’t know about you – but Sunday mornings are a highlight in my week.

However to truly enjoy an evening out with friends I have to get sorted beforehand – I need to make sure I have a baby-sitter organised, an outfit ironed and ready, make sure our child requiring the baby-sitter is fed, bathed and asleep before we leave etc… If I do not plan these things in, I will definitely not be having an enjoyable evening.

How much do we prepare ourselves mentally before a Sunday morning? I know clearly the mornings when I have prepared my heart and mind for God to speak to me are far, far better than the Sundays I have been running ragged trying to get to church on time.

This psalm is called the song of ascents and was used by pilgrims travelling together to Jerusalem for one of the religious feasts. (Ex 23:14-19). When preparing themselves for the festivals, the Israelites undertook many rituals to ensure they were purified to take part in the festivities.

Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

We no longer need to perform rituals or sacrifice animals before we can enter church because of what Jesus has done for us on the cross. Let’s not take the throne of Grace for granted but give God the honour by getting ready in our hearts and preparing for Him our offering of worship.

Psalm 121: He who keeps you will not slumber

by Andy Flood

Psalm 121 (ESV)

In this famous psalm, the psalmist kicks it off with a question, 

"I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?" (Psalm 121:1 ESV) 

It's a question we need to ask ourselves, and a question that has come up time and time again throughout this blog.

It's a question of faith and trust, when things go wrong, are looking to the hills (the world around us) or do you find your help in the Lord.

The Psalm exhorts us to look to God, and paints a wonderful picture of our God. A God who watches over us by day and by night, and will protect is from evil.

A phrase I heard many years ago and still sticks in my heart, (mainly because this guy faced great danger on a regular basis): "Safety is not found in the absence of danger it is found in the presence of God."

This is the heart of this Psalm, it doesn't mean we will never face danger or evil, Jesus faced the greatest evil, and many christians face persecution daily. It means we find our security and safety in the presence of God, because He who keeps you will not slumber.

Psalm 120 · · · — — — · · ·

by Peter Roxburgh

Psalm 120 (NIV)

I call on the Lord in my distress and He answers me. (v1)

This is both a testimony and a promise.

At Engine Room last week everyone wrote on flipcharts on the wall one thing that they wanted to give thanks God for. We then read what other people had written. A number of them were one-line testimonies of how God had answered a call for help.

Priscilla and I testify to how just three weeks after being made redundant, God had provided me with a new job. Just recently we have had some major expenses with birthdays, anniversary, travel, parents’ visit, broken car etc. And when we most need it, a bonus comes through and we find out that Priscilla is owed a month’s salary from when she was pregnant with Hudson!

Sometimes the answer isn't so quick. Sometimes the distress is only answered in heaven, such us with long-term illnesses. But it is always answered.

We can all testify to God answering our call and we can all rest assured that He will always answer our call. He may not do so in the timescales we want, or in the way that we want but He will all always answer.

If you are crying out to God today, rest assured that He has heard and He will answer. You know you can testify to Him doing so in the past. He hasn’t changed. You will once again be able to testify to the fact that He is a God who always responds to an SOS.