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Psalm 47; Psalm 48; Psalm 49; Psalm 84; Psalm 85; Psalm 87<\/strong><\/span> Psalm 47 is an awesome Psalm!\u00a0 I can almost hear and feel music and a drum beat as I read this Psalm today!\u00a0 This Psalm was used in later Jewish synagogue liturgies for Rosh Hashanah, the New Year Festival.\u00a0 This Psalm has also been used by the Christian church in the Celebration of Jesus\u2019 ascension, in particular with emphases on verse 5 \u2013 \u201cGod has ascended with a mighty shout. The LORD has ascended with trumpets blaring.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Do you hear and feel the music as you read this Psalm?\u00a0 Verse 1 sets the stage so very well for verse 2 in the image below \u2013 \u201cCome, everyone, and clap your hands for joy! Shout to God with joyful praise!\u201d<\/em><\/span> Psalm 48 is a celebratory Psalm of Mount Zion in Jerusalem, as verse 8 reads:\u00a0 \u201cWe had heard of the city\u2019s glory, but now we have seen it ourselves- the city of the LORD Almighty. It is the city of our God; he will make it safe forever.\u201d<\/em><\/span> I like verse 10 a lot in this Psalm: \u201cAs your name deserves, O God, you will be praised to the ends of the earth.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 I have had the good fortune to travel many places on this planet, and I will admit that it always encourages me to no end when I see God being praised and worshiped in other cultures.\u00a0 I always try to visit churches wherever I travel on Sundays, and I love seeing how different cultures worship God.\u00a0 One of the most memorable experiences was in the Dominican Republic in a very impoverished community.\u00a0 I honestly don\u2019t know that I have ever seen a congregation worship God so wholeheartedly than I did that day in the DR.\u00a0 It was beautiful.\u00a0 The other thing I am reminded of when traveling is that when we are in relationship with Jesus, God is always with us no matter where we go.\u00a0 When we\u2019re 35,000 feet above the ground in an airplane, God is with us.\u00a0 When we\u2019re in the middle of nowhere that has no church \u2013 God is with us.\u00a0 So, no matter where we go, if God is with us, we have the opportunity to praise God\u2019s name to the ends of the earth!\u00a0 Even if you\u2019re traveling to some far off locale where no one else around you would praise God, will you?<\/span> Psalm 49 verses 1-3 are a fantastic teaching that the Word of God, the Bible, is for everyone, no matter what our lots in life may be \u2013 \u201cListen to this, all you people! Pay attention, everyone in the world! High and low, rich and poor\u2013listen! For my words are wise, and my thoughts are filled with insight.\u201d <\/em>Are you listening today?\u00a0 Are you paying attention to the wise words and insights of the Bible?\u00a0 Are you truly studying the Bible and then applying the Bible\u2019s teachings to your life?\u00a0 Then, verse 15 in this Psalm is beautiful: \u201cBut as for me, God will redeem my life.\u00a0 He will snatch me from the power of death.\u201d\u00a0 <\/em>How about for you?\u00a0 Will God redeem your life?\u00a0 Like the parable of the lost sheep that we read about in <\/span>Luke 15:3-7<\/span>, has Jesus saved you from being snatched from the power of death?<\/span> Today in Psalm 84:5 we read: \u201cBlessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.\u201d<\/em> Where does your strength come from? God? Or your own will-power? Why might it be a good idea to rely on God for your strength rather than yourself? Have you set your heart on a pilgrimage? Is the pilgrimage toward God? Do you think this will be a life-long pilgrimage? Later in this Psalm, verse 10, we read: \u201cBetter is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.\u201d<\/em> This is a song many of us have probably sung before at church. What does this verse mean to you? What does one day in God\u2019s courts look like for you? Why would one day in God\u2019s courts be better than one thousand days elsewhere? Do you look forward to spending an eternity in God\u2019s courts? Is your heart on a pilgrimage to God\u2019s courts?<\/span> Psalm 85 is awesome today!\u00a0 So many great verses\u2026. I love verse 8 \u2013 \u201cI listen carefully to what God the LORD is saying, for he speaks peace to his people, his faithful ones. But let them not return to their foolish ways.\u201d <\/em>\u00a0 I like that thought \u2013 God speaks peace to his people.\u00a0 Are we listening carefully to what God is saying?\u00a0 Are we receiving his peace into our hearts?\u00a0 \u00a0And so importantly \u2013 are we not returning to our foolish ways?\u00a0 Verse 6 reminds me of the Jeremy Camp tune \u201cRevive Me\u201d, which is an amazing tune \u2013 \u201cWon\u2019t you revive us again, so your people can rejoice in you?\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 \u00a0Do you need God to revive you?\u00a0 Will you pray for revival?<\/span> Psalm 87 is a celebration of Jerusalem as the City of God, as we read in verse 3 \u2013 \u201cO city of God, what glorious things are said of you!\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 As we continue to read through the One Year Bible this year it is amazing to reflect upon how much focus there is on Jerusalem as the city of God.\u00a0 Truly, so many of the Psalms glorify Jerusalem, often as a foreshadowing of the Heavenly City of God.\u00a0 Indeed, as this verse suggests, many glorious things are said of Jerusalem in the Bible!<\/span> Worship Video:<\/strong> Today\u2019s readings remind me of the terrific CeCe Winans song, \u201cBelieve For It:\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n \n
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