Monthly Archives: December 2023

PSALM 103

Devotion,

1 Praise the LORD, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the LORD, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
15 The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children —
18 with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.
19 The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Praise the LORD, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
21 Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the LORD, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the LORD, my soul.

Psalm 103

Bless the Lord, my soul, O bless the Lord!

Everything within me, bless His name:

Don’t forget the good He does for you;

Every day His kindness is the same.

All my sins forgiven, O what bliss!

All my sickness gone, O praise his name!

Better still, His mercy ransoms me,

Rescues me from all my sin and shame.

Guarded by His love and mercy too,

Fills my mouth with all that’s good for me;

Like the eagle, nourished by His hand,

Every day He keeps me young and free.

In the desert showed His mighty deeds

To His people; Moses learned His ways;

Justice gives to all who suffer wrong,

Slow to anger, full of love and grace.

Full of mercy to the guilty ones,

Never bears a grudge or angry stays ;

Does not punish us as we deserve,

Keeps forgiving, loving us always.

High as heaven above, so great His love

And mercy flow to those who fear His name,

Far as east from west our sins removed

Clearing us from all our guilt and shame.

Like a father, gentle in His love,

Well He knows our frame, that we are dust:

Just like grass we flourish, briefly bloom,

Blows the wind, we’re gone like morning mist.

But His loving kindness never ends,

Everlasting mercy, come what may;

Blessing on our children and on theirs

When we fear His name and we obey.

From His throne in heaven our God rules

Over all creation, great and small;

Praise Him, mighty angels, bending low,

Waiting to obey His every call.

Bless the Lord, yes, bless Him, all you hosts

Of burning ones who serve Him night and day;

Everything with breath, extol His name;

I will bless and praise His name alway.

PSALM 100

Devotion, ,

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Shout for joy before the Lord, O earth!

Come before Him gladly singing praise;

Do His bidding, He who gave us birth,

We, His sheep

We, His people

Safely in His verdant pastures graze.

Enter through His gates with gratitude,

Go into His courts with heartfelt praise,

Bless Him, let this be your attitude,

He is good,

He is faithful,

Thank Him, bless His holy name always.

PSALM 92

Devotion,

1 It is good to praise the LORD
and make music to your name, O Most High,
2 proclaiming your love in the morning
and your faithfulness at night,
3 to the music of the ten-stringed lyre
and the melody of the harp.
4 For you make me glad by your deeds, LORD;
I sing for joy at what your hands have done.
5 How great are your works, LORD,
how profound your thoughts!
6 Senseless people do not know,
fools do not understand,
7 that though the wicked spring up like grass
and all evildoers flourish,
they will be destroyed forever.
8 But you, LORD, are forever exalted.
9 For surely your enemies, LORD,
surely your enemies will perish;
all evildoers will be scattered.
10 You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox;
fine oils have been poured on me.
11 My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries;
my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes.
12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
13 planted in the house of the LORD,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They will still bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,
15 proclaiming, “The LORD is upright;
he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him. ”

Psalm 92

It is good to praise Jehovah

Every day, to thank the Lord,

“For your kindness, Lord, I thank you,

Ev’ry morning raise my voice;

And when evening comes, I praise you,

In your faithfulness rejoice.”

Sing His praises to the music

Of the harp and lute and lyre;

“Lord, I revel in your goodness;

You have done so much for me.

Joy springs up when I remember

How you’ve cared so patiently.”

“How amazing are your works, Lord,

Deep your thoughts, unfath’mable;

None can comprehend your wisdom —

Wicked men don’t understand

That, though now they grow and flourish’

Justice, truth, comes from your hand.

But our God will rule forever

In the heav’ns, exalted high;

While His foes, all evil-doers,

Will be scattered far and wide.

You have made me strong as oxen;

Blessings on my head abide.

I have heard you speak the end of

All my foes — they’ll be destroyed,

But the godly shall, like cedars,

Tall and strong in Lebanon,

Planted in the Lord’s own garden,

He Himself takes care of them.

Even when they’re grey and aging,

They’ll bear fruit, they’ll still be green:

Through their lives the Lord is honoured,

Shows to all His faithful care.

He’s my rock, and He’s my shelter;

I find only goodness there.

PSALM 91

Christian Life, ,

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
  you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation. ”

Psalm 91

There’s a place of rest and shelter

‘Neath God’s shadow, near His heart.

I declare, “You are my refuge,

Place of safety, my protection,

Covered there, from harm apart.”

He will save from the devourer,

Keep you from the fowler’s snare,

Fatal plagues will never touch you,

Safely in your dwelling keep you

‘Neath His wings, abiding there.

For His word is your protector,

All His promises are true:

Light and darkness hold no terror;

Plagues of night, nor day’s disaster,

These will never trouble you.

Though a thousand fall around me,

Evil will not touch my life;

Yes, though sinful men are dying,

Punished for their wicked living,

God will keep me from the strife.

For Jehovah is my refuge!

God above all gods, my Fear;

Covered by His holy presence,

Sheltered safe beneath His shadow,

How can any plague come near?

Yes, He gives His angels orders

To protect you where you go:

With their hands they hold you steady

Lest you trip on rocks, and stumble,

For Jehovah loves you so!

What if lion or serpent meet you?

You need never be afraid;

He will give you power to trample

On them, they will never hurt you;

List’ to what the Lord has said.

“‘Cause he loves me, I will rescue

Just because he trusts in me;

When he calls me, I will answer,

When in trouble, I will help him;

Long life is his destiny.”

PSALM 84

Devotion,

How lovely is your dwelling place,
LORD Almighty!
2 My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.
3 Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
LORD Almighty, my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
6 As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.
8 Hear my prayer, LORD God Almighty;
listen to me, God of Jacob.
9 Look on our shield, O God;
look with favor on your anointed one.
10 Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
the LORD bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.
12 LORD Almighty,
blessed is the one who trusts in you.

Psalm 84

How lovely is your temple, Lord of hosts;

You welcome sparrows, swallows build their nest

Among your altars, there they raise their young:

‘Tis in your presence, Lord, I long to rest.

My King, my God, what pleasure in the hearts

Of those who make your temple their abode;

They sing your praises, strong and full of joy;

They follow in the footsteps of their God.

For them the Vale of Weeping holds no fear;

Their tears collect like pools of summer rain

To bless and bring refreshment on their way,

Your constant favour shining through their pain.

They grow in strength as each to Zion goes

To meet his God, to seek Him at His place:

O God, Jehovah, hear me as I pray,

Show me your mercy, your abundant grace.

I’d rather spend a single day with you,

A humble doorman in your temple be

Than live a thousand days with evil men

In pomp and wealth and godless luxury.

O God, you are our light, protector too;

Supplies of grace flow freely from your hand:

To those who choose to follow in your way

No good will you withhold, just as you planned.

What blessing comes to those, O Lord of hosts,

What joy abounds to all who trust in you:

You freely give your choicest gifts to them

And mercy follows mercy all life through.