LHC Midday Word

Sunday, 26 December 2021

PSALM Sixty Seven

For the director of music.

With stringed instruments.

A psalm. A song.

May God be gracious to us and bless us

and make his face shine on us –

so that your ways may be known on earth,

your salvation among all nations.

May the peoples praise you, God;

may all the peoples praise you.

May the nations be glad and sing for joy,

for you rule the peoples with equity

and guide the nations of the earth.

May the peoples praise you, God;

may all the peoples praise you.

The land yields its harvest;

God, our God, blesses us.

May God bless us still,

so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.

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Word by Word Meditations

by Fred Ursell

Psalm 67 : “glad” (v.4)

Is praying just wishful thinking? There are 6 phrases starting with the ‘wish’ word “may” (for this or that) to happen in these 7 verses alone. It can look and sound like cloud cuckoo land. One of those prayerful wishes says “may the nations be glad and sing for joy” (v.4). For those who genuinely open themselves to the Lord the norm is not sadness but overflowing gladness.

Notice two things:

1] to “sing for joy” is what a glad heart does;

[2] those who feel the joy of the Lord within them wish all “the nations” of the world to have it as well. If we’re glad we’re saved, we’ll spread glad tidings!

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READING

Psalm Sixty Seven

Read by David Suchet

STUDY - LINKS

How Should You Read the Psalms?

- John Piper -

https://youtu.be/enxKd2YKgjI

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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

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Psalms part 1

-Study by David Pawson-

https://youtu.be/qB3QV713xm0

Psalms Part 2

-Study by David Pawson-

https://youtu.be/hQJNMgIHVKwSONGS

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Psalm 67

Ian White

Saturday, 25 December 2021

PSALM Sixty Six

For the director of music.

A song. A psalm.

Shout for joy to God, all the earth!

Sing the glory of his name;

make his praise glorious.

Say to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds!

So great is your power

that your enemies cringe before you.

All the earth bows down to you;

they sing praise to you,

they sing the praises of your name.’

Come and see what God has done,

his awesome deeds for mankind!

He turned the sea into dry land,

they passed through the waters on foot –

come, let us rejoice in him.

He rules for ever by his power,

his eyes watch the nations –

let not the rebellious rise up against him.

Praise our God, all peoples,

let the sound of his praise be heard;

he has preserved our lives

and kept our feet from slipping.

For you, God, tested us;

you refined us like silver.

You brought us into prison

and laid burdens on our backs.

You let people ride over our heads;

we went through fire and water,

but you brought us to a place of abundance.

I will come to your temple with burnt offerings

and fulfil my vows to you –

vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke

when I was in trouble.

I will sacrifice fat animals to you

and an offering of rams;

I will offer bulls and goats.

Come and hear, all you who fear God;

let me tell you what he has done for me.

I cried out to him with my mouth;

his praise was on my tongue.

If I had cherished sin in my heart,

the Lord would not have listened;

but God has surely listened

and has heard my prayer.

Praise be to God,

who has not rejected my prayer

or withheld his love from me!

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Word by Word Meditations

by Fred Ursell

Psalm 66 : “glorious!” (v.2)

To be “tested” or “refined” (v.10) is not enjoyable. We don’t choose such experiences. The Psalmist writes about being in “prison” and having “burden on our backs” (v.11), of passing “through fire and water” (v.12). Not nice!

Are you feeling confined, shut in? Or weighed down with many problems? Or drowning in money worries? Or being scorched by stress? No? Really? Lucky you, then! But - if the answer is ‘Yes’, know it won’t last! Why on earth not? “God brought us to a place of abundance” (v.12). So “shout … sing … make his praise glorious … say … awesome!” (vv.1-3).

Happy Christmas!

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READING

Psalm Sixty Six

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

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SONGS

Psalm 66

Ian White

Shout to the Lord

Hillsong

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Friday, 24 December 2021

PSALM Sixty Five

For the director of music.

A psalm of David. A song.

Praise awaits you, our God, in Zion;

to you our vows will be fulfilled.

You who answer prayer,

to you all people will come.

When we were overwhelmed by sins,

you forgave our transgressions.

Blessed are those you choose

and bring near to live in your courts!

We are filled with the good things of your house,

of your holy temple.

You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,

God our Saviour,

the hope of all the ends of the earth

and of the farthest seas,

who formed the mountains by your power,

having armed yourself with strength,

who stilled the roaring of the seas,

the roaring of their waves,

and the turmoil of the nations.

The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;

where morning dawns, where evening fades,

you call forth songs of joy.

You care for the land and water it;

you enrich it abundantly.

The streams of God are filled with water

to provide the people with corn,

for so you have ordained it.

You drench its furrows and level its ridges;

you soften it with showers and bless its crops.

You crown the year with your bounty,

and your carts overflow with abundance.

The grasslands of the wilderness overflow;

the hills are clothed with gladness.

The meadows are covered with flocks

and the valleys are mantled with corn;

they shout for joy and sing.

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Word by Word Meditations

by Fred Ursell

Psalm 65 : “turmoil” (v.7)

David lives nigh on 3000 years ago, but in practice mankind continues to be ‘man’ without the ‘kind’. He wrote about “the turmoil of the nations” (v.7) as he saw it then. Do we observe any significant improvement after 3 millenia? Precious little.

The gospel has impacted large numbers profoundly, but the overwhelming majority everywhere resist the message of salvation. David prays “O God our Saviour, the hope of all the ends of the earth … you call forth songs of joy” (vv.5 & 8). In the song it says ‘I cannot tell how he will win the nations’ –

but he will. Then the turmoil will be over! Period!

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READING

Psalm Sixty Five

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

-=-=-=-

SONGS

Psalm 65

Ian White

Psalm 65:11

You Crown The Year

Hillsong Worship

Psalm 65:8

Psalm 65

Praise awaits you

(by Sons of Korah)

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Thursday, 23 December 2021

PSALM Sixty Four

For the director of music.

A psalm of David.

Hear me, my God, as I voice my complaint;

protect my life from the threat of the enemy.

Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked,

from the plots of evildoers.

They sharpen their tongues like swords

and aim cruel words like deadly arrows.

They shoot from ambush at the innocent;

they shoot suddenly, without fear.

They encourage each other in evil plans,

they talk about hiding their snares;

they say, ‘Who will see it?’

They plot injustice and say,

‘We have devised a perfect plan!’

Surely the human mind and heart are cunning.

But God will shoot them with his arrows;

they will suddenly be struck down.

He will turn their own tongues against them

and bring them to ruin;

all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.

All people will fear;

they will proclaim the works of God

and ponder what he has done.

The righteous will rejoice in the Lord

and take refuge in him;

all the upright in heart will glory in him!

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Word by Word Meditations

by Fred Ursell

Psalm 64 : “upright” (v.10)

When David begins “hear … O God … my complaint” (v.1), the impression isn’t good. Is this going to be a tedious moan from a disgruntled individual? Fortunately not.

David wasn’t like that. But godly men, especially leaders, have enemies who pose a “threat” (v.1), who “aim their words like deadly arrows” (v.3) and “plot injustice” (v.6).

The world isn’t all sweetness and light, and neither was any Christian church or organisation ever free of nastiness. David is persuaded that good will triumph, and ends “let the righteous rejoice in the LORD … let all the upright in heart praise him!” Amen???

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READING

Psalm Sixty Four

Read by David Suchet