LHC Midday Word

Friday, 3 December 2021

PSALM Forty Four

For the director of music.

Of the Sons of Korah.

A maskil.

We have heard it with our ears, O God;

our ancestors have told us

what you did in their days,

in days long ago.

With your hand you drove out the nations

and planted our ancestors;

you crushed the peoples

and made our ancestors flourish.

It was not by their sword that they won the land,

nor did their arm bring them victory;

it was your right hand, your arm,

and the light of your face, for you loved them.

You are my King and my God,

who decrees victories for Jacob.

Through you we push back our enemies;

through your name we trample our foes.

I put no trust in my bow,

my sword does not bring me victory;

but you give us victory over our enemies,

you put our adversaries to shame.

In God we make our boast all day long,

and we will praise your name for ever.

But now you have rejected and humbled us;

you no longer go out with our armies.

You made us retreat before the enemy,

and our adversaries have plundered us.

You gave us up to be devoured like sheep

and have scattered us among the nations.

You sold your people for a pittance,

gaining nothing from their sale.

You have made us a reproach to our neighbours,

the scorn and derision of those around us.

You have made us a byword among the nations;

the peoples shake their heads at us.

I live in disgrace all day long,

and my face is covered with shame

at the taunts of those who reproach and revile me,

because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.

All this came upon us,

though we had not forgotten you;

we had not been false to your covenant.

Our hearts had not turned back;

our feet had not strayed from your path.

But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals;

you covered us over with deep darkness.

If we had forgotten the name of our God

or spread out our hands to a foreign god,

would not God have discovered it,

since he knows the secrets of the heart?

Yet for your sake we face death all day long;

we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.

Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep?

Rouse yourself! Do not reject us for ever.

Why do you hide your face

and forget our misery and oppression?

We are brought down to the dust;

our bodies cling to the ground.

Rise up and help us;

rescue us because of your unfailing love.

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Word by Word Meditations

by Fred Ursell

Psalm 44 : “victories” (v.4)

Over the past two days we’ve seen how inner conflict is faced and defeated through trust in the Lord. This psalm starts with a recollection of past triumphs gained by the preceding generations: “we have heard … our fathers have told us what you did in their days … long ago … not by their sword … it was your right hand” (vv.1-3).

Second-hand information isn’t enough. One has got to say in one’s own ex-perience, “you are my King … who decrees [i.e. commands] victories” (v.4). Note the plural – his help isn’t just a one-off.

Believers are designed to be routine over-comers (see Revelation 2 & 3). U2!

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READING

Psalm Forty Four

Read by David Suchet

STUDY - LINKS

How Should You Read the Psalms?

- John Piper -

https://youtu.be/enxKd2YKgjI

-=-=-=-

Prayer in the Psalms:

Discovering How to Pray

Timothy Keller

https://youtu.be/QgwzuFG5LCk

Psalms - Overviews

(The Bible Project)

https://youtu.be/j9phNEaPrv8

The Book of Psalms

(The Bible Project)

https://youtu.be/dpny22k_7uk

-=-=-=-

Psalms part 1

-Study by David Pawson-

https://youtu.be/qB3QV713xm0

Psalms Part 2

-Study by David Pawson-

https://youtu.be/hQJNMgIHVKwSONGS

SONG

Psalm 44

Like Our Ancestors -

Jason Silver

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Thursday, 2 December 2021

PSALM Forty Three

Vindicate me, my God,

and plead my cause

against an unfaithful nation.

Rescue me from those who are

deceitful and wicked.

You are God my stronghold.

Why have you rejected me?

Why must I go about mourning,

oppressed by the enemy?

Send me your light and your faithful care,

let them lead me;

let them bring me to your holy mountain,

to the place where you dwell.

Then I will go to the altar of God,

to God, my joy and my delight.

I will praise you with the lyre,

O God, my God.

Why, my soul, are you downcast?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

for I will yet praise him,

my Saviour and my God.

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Word by Word Meditations

by Fred Ursell

Psalm 43 : “disturbed” (v.5)

Still greatly unsettled, the Psalmist battles on with his emotions thoroughly churned up and his heart “disturbed” (v.5). Not all such psychological turmoil is resolved swiftly.

It can be difficult to gain the upper hand over our inner conflicts. What we should learn is that persistence pays off! This time the battle is shorter – it lasts just 5 rather than 11 verses. And stronger too!

Compare his earlier prayer, where “joy” (42 v.4) was a mere memory, to the resolve here, “then will I go to the altar of my God, my joy and my delight” (v.4). “Fight the good fight” (1 Timothy 1 v.18), and “fight” to win! You will!

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READING

Psalm Forty Three

Read by David Suchet

STUDY - LINKS

How Should You Read the Psalms?

- John Piper -

https://youtu.be/enxKd2YKgjI

-=-=-=-

Prayer in the Psalms:

Discovering How to Pray

Timothy Keller

https://youtu.be/QgwzuFG5LCk

Psalms - Overviews

(The Bible Project)

https://youtu.be/j9phNEaPrv8

The Book of Psalms

(The Bible Project)

-=-=-=-

Psalms part 1

-Study by David Pawson-

https://youtu.be/qB3QV713xm0

Psalms Part 2

-Study by David Pawson-

https://youtu.be/hQJNMgIHVKwSONGS

SONG

Psalm 42, Psalm 43

Ian White

-=-=-

https://youtu.be/4fHVN7BfOvI

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Wednesday, 1 December 2021

PSALM Forty Two

Psalms - Overview

(The Bible Project)

For the director of music.

A maskil of the Sons of Korah.

As the deer pants for streams of water,

so my soul pants for you, my God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

When can I go and meet with God?

My tears have been my food

day and night,

while people say to me all day long,

‘Where is your God?’

These things I remember

as I pour out my soul:

how I used to go to the house of God

under the protection of the Mighty One

with shouts of joy and praise

among the festive throng.

Why, my soul, are you downcast?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

for I will yet praise him,

my Saviour and my God.

My soul is downcast within me;

therefore I will remember you

from the land of the Jordan,

the heights of Hermon – from Mount Mizar.

Deep calls to deep

in the roar of your waterfalls;

all your waves and breakers

have swept over me.

By day the Lord directs his love,

at night his song is with me –

a prayer to the God of my life.

I say to God my Rock,

‘Why have you forgotten me?

Why must I go about mourning,

oppressed by the enemy?’

My bones suffer mortal agony

as my foes taunt me,

saying to me all day long,

‘Where is your God?’

Why, my soul, are you downcast?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

for I will yet praise him,

my Saviour and my God.

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Word by Word Meditations

by Fred Ursell

Psalm 42 : “downcast” (vv.5 & 11)

Do you ever ask yourself questions? The Psalmist did. He was struggling emotionally (“downcast” vv.5 & 11), despite a good spiritual CV – “I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shout of joy” (v.4).

Now he feels “forgotten” (v.9). Why, and who by? The thing that seems to rankle and get to him most is the sneering query of others ‘where is your God?’ (vv.3 & 10).

We need to impose faith on any recurring negative feelings. We can answer our own questions positively, “I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God” (vv.5 & 11). So - answer back!

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READING

Psalm Forty Two

Read by David Suchet