Week 9: Psalm 103-112

Have any of you ever grown impatient with God?  Anybody ever wonder why His timing isn’t quite aligning with yours?  Anyone ever wanted an answer, a solution, a deliverance? Yeah, me too.  And it all crept up on me a few days ago…

I was getting around to go for a walk.  Doesn’t that sound lovely?  A nice little walk on a summer’s morning.  I had been looking forward to spending some time alone with the Lord, praying for some specific people and issues.

I was in such a pleasant mood.

But it was one of those mornings that getting around was taking much longer than I wanted.  Instead of getting out the door, I found myself caught up in the details – from corralling the kids, to making sure they were fed, trying to find my headphones, making sure the husband knew what was happening, still looking for headphones, looking for clean socks, trying to get found headphones to work… my mood changed.

My walk finally happened, I did actually pray for those specific people and needs.  But my earlier frustrations stirred up some negative emotions during my prayer time.  I found myself being really open and transparent before the Lord.  I found myself realizing that I was hurt by His lack of response to some specific requests.  I told Him how I didn’t understand why He wasn’t answering.

Like many of you, I feel as if I’m in a holding pattern right now.  I’ve been praying for and looking for solutions in a couple different areas.  I can think of every reason why my prayer should be answered in a much more timely fashion – every reason.  I have asked and pleaded with the Lord.  Yet nothing.

At one point on my walk I sat down beside a pond.  I asked God to please speak to me, give me some sort of word about anything.  And as I sat and listened, heart wide open, I looked out on the water.  Right in front of me were the water rings from a fish that had disappeared.  Looking across the pond there were several.  What I heard God speak to my heart was this:

“As you cannot see what goes on below the surface of this water, neither can you see right now how I am moving.  But I am moving.”

He reminded me that He has been faithful in the past, He will be faithful again.  I am so short-sighted.  God sees eternity, I see today.  God holds the whole of time, I look at a clock.  He’s not afraid of my questions, He’s not upset that I bring Him my confessions and confusion.  Just as I want to hear my own child’s heart, so does my heavenly Father want to hear mine.  

I’m so thankful.  Let’s take a look at Week 9.

Psalm 103-112

This week we’re going to mix it up and take a different look at these chapters.  I hope you’ll dive in and look at these scriptures.

1. The meaning and message of the Psalms are incredible.  There is theology, prophecy, prayers and history.  I love this quote from Martin Luther:  

“(Psalms) might well be called a little Bible.  In it is comprehended most beautifully and briefly everything that is in the entire Bible.”

The disciples, apostles and Jesus Himself understood life and ministry in light of the Psalms. There are so many references to the Psalms in the New Testament.  I’ve listed a few of them below, but it is by no means exhaustive.  I encourage you to look them up.  Most Bibles will list the cross-reference, so you can see where they are taken from in the Psalms.  Looking up each of these showed me how much Jesus valued this book and gave me a deeper understanding of its importance in the scope of Biblical history.

  • Matthew 13:34-35; 21:16, 42; 23:39
  • Mark 12:35-37
  • John 2:17; 15:25; 19:24, 28, 36
  • Acts 2:22-35; 4:11; 13:32-38
  • Romans 15:3
  • 1 Corinthians 15:25-27
  • Ephesians 4:7-10
  • Hebrews 2:6-8
  • 1 Peter 2:7

This week we read a passage in Psalm 110:1 that is later quoted by Jesus, Peter and the writer of the book of Hebrews (Mark 12:35-37; Acts 2:34-35; Hebrews 1:13).  This passage has incredible theological meaning, indicating the deity of Jesus and His position beside God the Father.  Take some time this week to research the depth of God’s inspired Word.

2.  Psalm 103 is an amazing and humbling passage of God’s character and power.   This is one of my favorite Psalms.  Spend some time here.  Write down all it says about what God does or what He has done.  For example:

Verses 3-4:  He forgives.  He heals me.  He redeems me.  He crowns me with love and compassion.  

Then go back through your list and re-read it, maybe out loud to Him.  Put it in the first-person.  You forgive.  You heal me.  You redeem me.  You crown me with love and compassion.  Meditate on God’s incredible provision and love.  

3.  Praising Him changes everything.  I was talking with a good friend this week about this.  There is something that happens to our soul when we take an extended time to praise Him.  This may be through reading a praise passage back to Him.  Or continuing in your praise journal.  Or maybe finding a pair of headphones that work and listening to some great music that lifts Him up.  The challenge this week is to get alone and spend time praising Him.

We’re in our last month ladies!  Let’s continue strong and stay connected to Him through His incredible Word.

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