Morningview Family Worship Week of July 18, 2010
Psalm for Prayer and Praise: Psalm 9 (ESV)
1 I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
3 When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish before your presence.
4 For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.
5 You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish; you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6 The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins; their cities you rooted out; the very memory of them has perished.
7 But the LORD sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice,
8 and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness.
9 The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.
11 Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds!
12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
13 Be gracious to me, O LORD! See my affliction from those who hate me, O you who lift me up from the gates of death,
14 that I may recount all your praises, that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your salvation.
15 The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.
16 The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.
17 The wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God.
18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.
19 Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail; let the nations be judged before you!
20 Put them in fear, O LORD! Let the nations know that they are but men!
Scripture Memory for the Week: Psalm 9:9-10
The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.
Praying through the Psalms
Day 1 ~
Read: Psalm 9:1-8
Consider:
For Adults: This psalm is a celebration of how God executes His justice against the wicked and specifically those who oppress His people. As you read today’s verses, notice the great contrast between the fate of God’s enemies and the eternal majestic existence of God. How should this strengthen your heart to worship God “wholeheartedly” as the psalmist declares in verse 1?
Older Children: Look at the fate of the “enemies” in these verses. What do you think makes people “enemies” of God? What does the scripture promise for them?
Younger Children: Have you ever seen someone do something wrong and not get caught or get in trouble for it? How would it make you feel if what they did was against you? Since God knows everything, do you think that God ever ignores sin? What does every sin deserve?
Family Application: Talk together about How God’s justice is not only a reason that we must turn to Jesus for forgiveness, but it is also a reality in which saints can rest, rejoice, and even worship.
Pray: Thank God today for how He is infinitely worthy of our praise because of His holiness and His perfect just rule of the whole world. Confess to Him any struggles that you may be having in trusting Him this week and pray that He would help you rest in the knowledge of His goodness and worship Him wholeheartedly in the days to come.
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 ~
Read: Psalm 9:9-14
Consider:
For Adults: In these verses of the Psalm, we learn that the enemies mentioned earlier are not just adversaries, but they are oppressors and, most likely, even murderers. Given the encouragements here, it is probable that God’s people are struggling to remember that God is still sovereign even when their afflictions lead them to believe that He is distant and unconcerned. Do you need to be reminded of God’s sovereign goodness this week? Remember what He has done (v.11) and call out to Him! (v.13-14)
Older Children: Read verses 13 and 14 again. What does the psalmist expect to do after God saves him from his enemies? What does this suggest to us about why God is a God who saves all those who trust in Him?
Younger Children: Do you remember the last time that you cried really hard? How did you feel? Did you know that the Bible teaches that God always hears the cries of His people when they are hurt? (v.12) How does that make you feel?
Family Application: Talk together about how God is a stronghold for all of those who trust in Him. Talk together about how trusting in God involves believing in His goodness and justice even when we do understand how He could be working for good in our present circumstances.
Pray: Praise God for how He truly is a stronghold for all of those who trust in Him and for how He never turns away anyone who comes to Him in repentance and faith. Pray that God would help you to have greater faith in Him even when your circumstances don’t make sense to you. Thank Him for how He sends trials to His people not to harm them, but to teach them how to be more like Jesus.
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 ~
Read: Psalm 9:15-20
Consider:
For Adults: In these final verses, we see the concluding warning to the afflicters, oppressors, and the enemies of God’s people and emphatic declaration that the injustices of this present age will soon be vanquished in the final triumph of God’s perfect justice and judgment. How is the curse of sin afflicting you this week through nature, through others and even within your own soul? As you read these verses be encouraged that the triumph of God is already on its way! Trust Him until it is complete!
Older Children: Read verses 15 and 16 again. What does God cause to happen to the wicked people who are planning evil in these verses? What does this teach us about how God deals with those who plan evil both today and in eternity?
Younger Children: Do you think there will be anyone needy or hungry in Heaven? What are some of the other effects of sin that God will wipe away in Heaven?
Family Application: Talk together about how God makes Himself known not only in mercy, but also in judgment. Talk about how God made Himself known in Jesus and how we are to spread this “gospel” of God’s free grace to those who do not know Him.
Pray: Praise God for how He will one day set all things right that are wrong. Thank Him for how He offers free grace and pardon through Jesus to all who would come to Him and pray that He would help you to be more faithful to tell other about His justice and free grace.
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://nethymnal.org/htm/t/o/togodbe.htm
