Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 119:25-56

Strengthened in the Inner Man We made a good start in 119a in walking in the way of the blessed man. We considered the importance of the word of God to living holy lives, growing strong in faith, ‘in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ’ (2 Pet 3:18). However,…

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Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 119:1-24

Practical Lessons for the Blessed Man As we come to the psalm itself, I want to follow the division given by A.G.Clarke, and consider the psalm over three days.  He notes that “the twenty-two sections seem to fall into three groups of seven, followed by the last section as a kind of appendix”.  Aleph –…

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Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 119 Overview

The Magnificence and Grace of God’s Word With some trepidation we come to the longest chapter in our Bibles, but I am thankful for the help given by A.G.Clarke in ‘Analytical Studies in the Psalms’. We all know that the psalm is an alphabetic acrostic, and for many of us, we have no doubt become…

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Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 118

What can man do unto me? Having reached the pinnacle and seen much of the glories of the LORD, and known His saving power, these psalms of Hallel conclude by looking forward, fully trusting in the LORD and His redemptive work. The psalmist, which many take to be David (see Ezra 3:10,11) understands there will…

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Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 117

The Pinnacle of Praise No doubt you have climbed to the top of a mountain at some point, and you’ll have noticed there is not much at the peak. However, it’s not the peak itself that captures your attention, but panoramic views stretching miles in all directions. At times like this there is little to…

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Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 116

What shall I render unto the LORD? This question is the very personal response of the heart of the saint to the LORD’s redemptive blessing in their lives. It is not asked out of duty, but out of love, and this opening declaration sets the tone for the whole psalm. ‘I love the LORD, because…

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Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 115b

Trust in the LORD These words repeated thrice at the beginning of the final section of the psalm (v9-11), must have been a great boon of strength for the Lord Jesus as He made His way from the upper room and out to Gethsemane. The reason given, and also repeated thrice, is that ‘He is their…

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Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 115a

Why should the nations say, ‘Where is now their God?’ In some manuscripts, this psalm is written as part of the preceding. Psalm 114 looked backed to Egypt; to the mighty works that were done by the LORD as His presence brought the people out; and it warned the earth to tremble at the prospect…

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Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 114

What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? We concluded psalm 113 with the thought of the LORD’s humility ‘to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth’ (v6), and to lift ‘the needy out of the dunghill’ (v7). In this psalm we are given the specific example of how the…

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Amazing Acts # 4

An Amazing Occurrence – Part 2 – the power and person of the Holy Spirit “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:” Matthew 3:11 We’ll…

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Psalms for Troubled Times – Psalm 113

Who is like unto the LORD our God? This psalm divides neatly into two sections: the glory of the LORD (v1-5) and the grace of the LORD (v6-9). The two key words found in verses 5 and 6 respectively identify the theme of each half of the psalm: ‘high’ and ‘humble’. High The first thing…

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