Morningview Baptist Church

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Psalm for Prayer and Praise: Psalm 89 (ESV)

1 I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.

2 For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever; in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.”

3 You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant:

4 ‘I will establish your offspring forever, and build your throne for all generations.’ ” Selah

5 Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!

6 For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord,

7 a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him?

8 O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O Lord, with your faithfulness all around you?

9 You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.

10 You crushed Rahab like a carcass; you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.

11 The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours; the world and all that is in it, you have founded them.

12 The north and the south, you have created them; Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.

13 You have a mighty arm; strong is your hand, high your right hand.

14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.

15 Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,

16 who exult in your name all the day and in your righteousness are exalted.

Scripture Memory for the Week: Psalm 89:14

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.

Praying through the Psalms

Day 1 ~Jesus, The Eternal King

Read: Psalm 89:1-4

Consider:

For Adults: This is a Psalm which, in its whole form, is a lament, but also a celebration of the Davidic Kingship and God’s promise to shepherd His people through the Davidic covenant (2 Sam. 7:8-16). Recognizing that this Psalm points us to Christ as the receiver of the Eternal Throne, how does it give you confidence and comfort?

Older children: What does the Bible mean when it speaks of the heir of King David’s throne? Why do you think Jesus had to be born in Bethlehem?

Younger children: What are some of the things that God made your mouth to do? How can you use your mouth to serve and glorify God?

Family Application: Talk together about how God’s people have been looking forward to Jesus’ coming and His final reign upon the earth. Talk about how the certainty of God’s promise gives His people hope, strength, and joy.

Pray: Thank and praise God for His steadfast love and how all of creation points to His wonderful faithfulness and unchanging character. Thank God for sending Jesus at just the right time to make atonement for sinners and to purchase a people to share His joy with Him for all eternity.

Meditate: Write this week’s memory verses on a white board in your home and/or on index cards that each family member can carry with them during the week.

Day 2 ~ God, Our Fearsome Sovereign

Read: Psalm 89:5-10

Consider:

For Adults: In verse 10, the word “Rahab” is not a reference to a person, but most likely a literary reference to a mythical creature that symbolized the “Forces of Chaos”(see Job 9:13, 26:2 & Isa. 51:9) How does it comfort you to see God depicted here as the one who utterly destroys the “forces of Chaos?” Think of how God exercises fearsome power over his enemies and consider how that should inform and inspire your praise today.

Older children: Did you know that in the Bible, “heavenly beings” and “holy ones” usually mean the angels? What do you think it means that the angels fear God? How do you think that we should “fear” God?

Younger children: (v.9) Can you imagine what it must feel like for sailors to be on the sea when terrible waves are crashing down on their boat? Do you remember what happened when Jesus’ disciples were scared of the wind and waves? Who has power to command waves to stop? Can you think of something that would scare you? Who has the power to defeat every scary thing you ever thought of?

Family Application: Talk together about how God is “feared” in heaven and how we should love Him more because of how He uses His “fearsomeness” as the great King and defender of His people.

Pray: Praise God for His mighty power today and recount together that God is incomparably greater than the greatest things that our minds can comprehend. Thank Him for how He wields His power for the good of His people and for establishing His good and sovereign rule over the universe.

Meditate: See if anyone in the family can quote this week’s memory verse. Make new note cards of any of the cards from day 1 that may have been lost.

Day 3 ~ Righteousness, Justice and Love

Read: Psalm 89:11-16

Consider:

For Adults: The “Festal Shout” in verse 15 was an element of worship for the Jewish community. Note how this verse identifies the “blessed” as those who know God and are His worshipers. What does is mean that we not only exult in His name but ARE exalted in His righteousness. How do these verses point us to Christ?

Older children: What is righteousness? What is justice? Why do God’s righteousness and justice go together? How do they go together with God’s love and faithfulness? Does this tell us anything about Jesus?

Younger children: What does it mean when you own a toy? What can you do with it? Who owns the whole earth? What does that mean for people who live on earth?

Family Application: Talk together about how God’s righteousness, justice, and love come together at the cross of Jesus. Talk about how God owns us all as creator and yet redeems us as children through Jesus. Consider using this time again to talk to your children about how Jesus is our hope and how the Bible calls all men to trust Him in repentance and faith.

Pray: Praise God today that He has made a way for people to draw near to Himself through Jesus. Thank God for how Jesus satisfies the righteousness requirement of God’s law on behalf of all those who trust in Him. Thank God for how Jesus brings His people into the joy of God the Father and pray that more would come to know Him through you and your family.

Meditate: See again if anyone in the family can quote this week’s memory verse. Talk about any ways that this verse has encouraged or taught you this week.

Hymn of the Week

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/f/o/ofor1000.htm