Morningview Baptist Church

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Psalm for Prayer and Praise: Psalm 118 (ESV)

1 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!

2 Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”

3 Let the house of Aaron say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”

4 Let those who fear the Lord say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”

5 Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.

6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?

7 The Lord is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.

8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.

9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.

10 All nations surrounded me; in the name of the Lord I cut them off!

11 They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side; in the name of the Lord I cut them off!

12 They surrounded me like bees; they went out like a fire among thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them off!

13 I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me.

14 The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.

15 Glad songs of salvation are in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord does valiantly,

16 the right hand of the Lord exalts, the right hand of the Lord does valiantly!”

17 I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.

18 The Lord has disciplined me severely, but he has not given me over to death.

19 Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.

20 This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it.

21 I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation.

22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

23 This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.

24 This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

25 Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success!

26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord.

27 The Lord is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar!

28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you.

29 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!

Scripture Memory for the Week: Psalm 118:22-24

The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Praying through the Psalms

Day 1

Read: Psalm 118:1-9

Consider:

For Adults: This Psalm is believed by scholars to have been composed as a song of celebration on the occasion of either a great deliverance or perhaps the dedication of the new temple. In shifting back and forth from language that speaks to the corporate assembly and an account of personal deliverance, it seems to imply that the “I” in the psalm is not just a personal testimony, but also the collective testimony of the people of God. The theme of God’s steadfast love is sure and everlasting to his people as a whole and to each individual saint. is clear from beginning to end. While the message is basic to the Christian life, its profound application should be part of the daily thought of the Christian, “The Lord is on My side, I will not fear, What can man do to me?” Are you trusting the Lord by faithfully following His commands today? Trust His unchanging love and obey His commands knowing that they are always and only and expression of His love for His people.

Discussion for children: Read verses 8 and 9 again. Why do you think that is better to depend upon God than to depend upon people, even if those people are very powerful (like a prince or or King)? What are some of the ways that we show that we are depending upon God? Does someone who is depending upon God pray often? What do you think?

Pray: Thank the Lord today for being a sure refuge for all those who trust in Him. Pray that God would help you to trust Him more and to identify areas of your life where you may be placing your hope in someone or something other than Him. Pray that God would help you to be a living example of faithful loving obedience to Him in all things to all those around you.

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 118:19-24

Consider:

For Adults: In these verses of the Psalm, we find the psalmist shifting from the narrative of personal deliverance to ceremonial language related to procession into the temple to sacrifice and worship. It is in this section that we find the theme of the stone rejected by the builders becoming the the chief cornerstone. In the immediate context, the “rejected stone” is a proverb communicating how God had chosen Israel, a seemingly unworthy candidate, as recipient of His Kingdom. In the larger context, however, the apostles tell us (Matt. 21:42, Acts 4:11, 1 Peter 2:7) that the great cornerstone, rejected by men, is actually Christ himself. The proper response of the believer to God’s work in Christ is laid before us here. It is to be “Marvelous in our eyes.”

Discussion for children: Do you know what a cornerstone is? It is the most important stone that was laid in a building. It was the stone that all the others were measured off of. In these verses the “cornerstone” actually points us to Jesus. What do think it means for Jesus to be the cornerstone of a person’s life. How does it change the way we obey our parents? How would it affect the way we act towards our friends at school and our teachers? How does having Jesus as your cornerstone affect the way you treat your brothers and sisters?

Pray: Thank God today for sending Jesus, the perfect representation of the Father in human flesh. Pray that God would help you to look to Jesus more and more faithfully as the cornerstone for your life. Pray that God would help you to think often and deeply on Him and that your heart would more and more frequently be set upon worshiping and imitating Him in your thinking and living.

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 118:25-29

Consider:

For Adults: As in yesterday’s passage, so too should these words quickly draw our minds to Christ. The opening verses of today’s section were proclaimed to Christ by the crowds upon His entry into Jerusalem just days before His crucifixion(John 12:13). In the immediate context of the Psalm, the declaration “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” reminds the worshiper of the covenant; that it is only the name of the LORD that is truly worthy of trust (v.8-9) and it is only the Lord who truly saves (v.14), thus it is only in His name that one comes into the temple. When applied to Christ, however, as the one who comes in the name of Lord, we are reminded that is is only Christ who has walked in perfect obedience to the Law of God and in perfect faith and trust in Him. It is only Christ who has earned the blessing of God and it is only in Him and through Him that the “gates of righteousness” (v.19) are opened for the people of God. As we consider the baby Jesus this holiday season, let us be quick to remember that the babe in the manger is also the Christ of the cross and the one who opens the gates of heaven for all those who trust in Him in repentance and faith.

Discussion for children: Read verse 27 again. What do you think that it means that God has made His light to shine upon us? As you think of how we use candles and lights at Christmas time, how can they remind us of how God rescues His people from darkness? What do you think it means to be spiritually “in darkness?” How do you think that God’s word is like “light?” How do you think Jesus is like “Light” for us?

Pray: Praise God for sending Jesus to be the sacrifice and propitiation for His people. Thank God for the perfect righteousness that He imparts to the saints that they might be granted access to the gates of heaven. Pray that the righteousness of Christ, the heavenly possession of all those who hope and trust in Him, would work itself out today in your daily living and in your family. Pray the light of Christ would be evident in your interactions with others this week and that His mercy and grace would shine through you as evidence of His goodness and glory.

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/j/o/joyworld.htm

Printable Version

Psalm for Prayer and Praise: Psalm 132 (ESV)

1 Remember, O Lord, in David’s favor, all the hardships he endured,

2 how he swore to the Lord and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,

3 “I will not enter my house or get into my bed,

4 I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids,

5 until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One Jacob.”

6 Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar.

7 “Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool!”

8 Arise, O Lord, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might.

9 Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let your saints shout for joy.

10 For the sake of your servant David, do not turn away the face of your anointed one.

11 The Lord swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back: “One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne.

12 If your sons keep my covenant and my testimonies that I shall teach them, their sons also forever shall sit on your throne.”

13 For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his dwelling place:

14 “This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.

15 I will abundantly bless her provisions; I will satisfy her poor with bread.

16 Her priests I will clothe with salvation, and her saints will shout for joy.

17 There I will make a horn to sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.

18 His enemies I will clothe with shame, but on him his crown will shine.”

Scripture Memory for the Week: Psalm 132:13-14

“For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his dwelling place: This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.”

Praying through the Psalms

Day 1 – The Labors of Saints Gone Before

Read: Psalm 132:1-5

Consider:

For Adults: As the title indicates (“A Psalm of Ascents”), this is a psalm that worshipers would have sung on the way to worship in Jerusalem at the temple or, during the Babylonian captivity, as a a reminder of God’s promise to one day restore the nation. It begins in this section by recalling the passion that King David had to see God worshiped in His chosen Holy city and progresses into the prayers of contemporary worshipers and concludes with a recounting of God’s covenant with David and God’s promise to restore His entire people through an heir of David’s line. As you read through this psalm, you should quickly see the three divisions of Past (1-5), Present(6-10) and Future(11-18). As you read today’s verses, consider the Godly example of David to the nation. Despite the fact that David’s character was deeply flawed, His love for God and passion to see God worshiped defined a nation. Though David’s labors are not meritorious, they are none-the-less precious in God’s sight and a pleasing remembrance to him, just as are the sufferings and persecutions of all saints (Matt 5:11-12). Are you struggling today? Commit your trials to the Lord and, like Jesus, resolve to obey and honor God in them. He will never leave His people and His perfect plans just are always and only for their good and His glory!

Older & Younger children: In this Psalm, the singers remember how King David was faithful to honor God by bringing the Ark of Covenant to Jerusalem and for his passion to see God honored. Why do you think it is helpful for us to remember how God has used saints in the Bible and in Christian history? What are some of your favorite stories of how God used people? What lessons can we learn from them?

Pray: As you pray today, thank God for how He has used people in the past to accomplish His eternal plans. Thank God for how He has given His people strength to endure great hardships and adversities and how He used the labors of the Saints down through history to bring the gospel to you and your family. Pray that God would give you strength and courage to follow him and walk in the footsteps of Jesus this week.

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 – The Prayers of Saints in Worship

Read: Psalm 132:6-10

Consider:

For Adults: In these verses, we find the people of God remembering how God arranged for the Ark to come to Jerusalem where it would it rest as the representation of God’s presence among His people in His capital city. “Ephrathah”in these verses is the district of Judah in which were towns of Bethlehem and “Jaar,” the place where the Ark resided (known as Kiriath-jearim in I Sam. 7:2) until David brought it Jerusalem. In recalling the establishing of the Ark in Jerusalem and in their prayers (for Priest to be clothed in Righteousness and saints to shouts with Joy) the psalmist points us toward the idea of Restoration. Just as the proper place for the Ark was in God’s chosen Holy City, so it fitting and right that God’s presence be felt among His people (v.8) and that His people would be characterized by righteousness and joy. As we consider the coming of Jesus, God-incarnate and the great heir of David, we are quick to recognize “Joy” as one of His blessings, but often slower to recognize that the restoration that Christ brings is that His saints, now all made priests, are clothed in Righteousness. It is the miraculously endowed gift to all those who look to Jesus, the heir of David, in humble repentance and faith. It is their pardon in the court of Heaven and its growing presence through their sanctification that is the visible evidence of their new standing in grace. Righteousness and Joy are the blessings of this great Covenant-keeping God for all those who look to Christ. Are they yours today?

Older & Younger children: The saints in the Psalms prayed that God would bless them because of God’s promise to King David. How powerful do you think God’s promises are and how long do you think that His promises last?

Pray: Praise and Thank God for how He is always faithful to keep His promises. Thank Him for how He sent Jesus as the perfect heir of King David and for how God is, even today, advancing His Kingdom through the work of Jesus and for how one day Jesus will return to rule the earth.

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 ~ The Promise of Blessing and Restoration

Read: Psalm 132:11-18

Consider:

For Adults: In the last half of our psalm we find a restatement of the covenant that God made with David (II Sam. 7:4-16) and within it, an understanding that with the reestablishment of the line of David, blessing flows to the whole of God’s people. Understanding Jesus as the heir of David, we see that these promises (which are the answers to the prayers in v.6-10) are fulfilled in part today as we see the Gospel advance among the nations and God call people to Himself, clothing them with salvation and joy (v.16), but we also see the psalmist point us toward the second coming of Christ when Jesus’s crown “Shines” and all the enemies of God’s people are brought into subjection under him (i.e. v. 18, “clothed with shame”). As we celebrate the incarnation, it is also fitting for us always remember that the story of the incarnate Christ is only begun. The Christ of the manger returns one day to be known as Christ on the throne! May we worship Him as such and bear the news of the coming kingdom eagerly and always.

Older & Younger children: Why do think it is so important that the writers of the Bible gave us the genealogy of Jesus? Why do you think that it was so important to them to make sure we know that Jesus was in the family line of King David?

Pray: Praise God today for how Christmas is only the beginning of the story of Jesus and how God has promised to send Jesus back to earth one day as the great King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Pray that God’s spirit would encourage your heart in this very truth and that God would help you to live in eager exception of the return of Jesus. Pray that the hope of Jesus’s return would help to strengthen you to be faithful to follow King Jesus today.

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/g/o/goodcmen.htm

Printable Version

Psalm for Prayer and Praise: Psalm 116 (ESV)

1 I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy.

2 Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.

3 The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish.

4 Then I called on the name of the LORD: “O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!”

5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;
 our God is merciful.

6 The LORD preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me.

7 Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.

8 For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears,
 my feet from stumbling;

9 I will walk before the LORD
 in the land of the living.

10 I believed, even when I spoke,
 “I am greatly afflicted”;

11 I said in my alarm,
 “All mankind are liars.”

12 What shall I render to the LORD
 for all his benefits to me?

13 I will lift up the cup of salvation
 and call on the name of the LORD,

14 I will pay my vows to the LORD
 in the presence of all his people.

15 Precious in the sight of the LORD
 is the death of his saints.

16 O LORD, I am your servant;
 I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.
 You have loosed my bonds.

17 I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD.

18 I will pay my vows to the LORD
 in the presence of all his people,

19 in the courts of the house of the LORD,
 in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!

Scripture Memory for the Week: Psalm 116:15

Precious in the sight of the LORD
 is the death of his saints.

Praying through the Psalms

Day 1 ~

Read: Psalm 116:1-7

Consider:

For Adults: This psalm is a public declaration of thanksgiving for God’s merciful deliverance to an individual saint. As you read through this psalm, consider all the descriptions of the peril that the psalmist has been delivered from. Can you think of a time when you were praying to God for deliverance from similar things? Note that the psalmist brings public praise for a personal deliverance. As you walk with God this week, consider all the ways in which He has delivered you and/or the things in which you are praying for His current help. If you haven’t already, resolve to bring your burdens or your praises into the company of Christian friends in order that God would be glorified in your life as He proves His own faithfulness through your own trials and triumphs.

Older children: Read verse 1 again. What reason does the psalmist give for his love of God? Can you think of a time when God answered your prayers? How should we respond to God’s merciful answering of our prayers?

Younger children: Do you think that God only hears the prayers of people who pray with big words and lots of Bible verses? Read verse 6 again. Do you think that God hears simple prayers from simple people?

Family Application: Discuss how God works in our lives for the sake of His love for us but also to show forth His glory. Consider some of the ways God has blessed your family and how you can glorify Him by telling others of how He has been merciful to you.

Pray: Praise God for how He hears that prayers of His people and for how He delivers them according to His mercy, steadfast love, and wisdom. Bring Him any burdens that you are bearing today and ask Him to give you grace and patience to wait upon His answer to your need.

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 116:8-14

Consider:

For Adults: As you read these verses, consider the response of the psalmist to God’s deliverance. The main things we see here that arise as a proper response in the psalmist’s soul are twofold. The first, found in verse 9, is a general promise to persevere on in life and the second, found in verses 13 & 14, is the promise to be faithful in participation in public worship. These two items are especially important because the experience of great trials often tempts us to give up and sometimes even to pull away from the gathering of the church in public worship. Are you tempted to do either of these? Remember that God is faithful! Draw near to Him and He will draw to you!

Older children: Look at verses 8 again. What three things did God deliver the psalmist from? Have ever been overcome with sorrow (tears) or confusion (stumbling)? Did you know that these are things that you should pray about for God’s help? Can you think of times when you did pray about them and you found God’s wisdom or peace through His word or maybe through the help of your parents or another Christian?

Younger children: Look at what the psalmist says in verse 11 about other people. The Psalmist said this when he was very upset and needing help. Have you ever been so upset you said things to others that might have been true, but were unkind and hurtful? Does being upset make it OK to say those things?

Family Application: Talk together about how God invites us to bring all of our troubles before him, not just the biggest and the scariest things. Talk about some things that have happened in your family recently that might be good things to pray about together.

Pray: Praise and thank God again for how he hears the prayers of his people and for how he delivers us even from sorrows and confusion through the comfort of His spirit and the wisdom of His word.

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 116:15-19

Consider:

For Adults: Tucked into this psalm is, perhaps, one of the most quoted verses of the Bible, verse 15. Given all the emphasis previous to it of deliverance from death, the placement of this verse here reminds us that sometimes the death of our flesh actually IS God’s deliverance. It is here that new testament saint is blessed to see clearly where the Old Testament saint could not. For God’s people, the great deliverance to which all other temporal answers to prayer point us is the deliverance of our souls from the eternal death due to us for sake of our sin. As you read these verses and think of all of the reasons for which God is worthy of our worship, think of Christ and of how He has paid the price for the sins of His people, once and for all.

Older children: In verse 18 we see that the psalmist is responding to God’s mercy by offering God the worship as he would have in his time. Look in verse 19 to see where he was offering God his worship. Why do you think it important to worship God with other Christians in public?

Younger children: Have you ever known of a Christian’s family member who has died and whom God has taken to heaven? Why do you think the Bible says that their soul going to God is precious to Him? What sort of things do you think that God has waiting on His saints when they arrive at heaven to be with Jesus?

Family Application: Talk together about how God calls His Children home to Him through death and why this is precious in God’s eyes. Consider how Jesus felt about Lazarus’ death and talk about how important it is to remember Jesus’ s work on the cross and the promise of eternal life when we find ourselves missing the company of Christian friends and family members who have died and gone to dwell with Jesus in Heaven.

Pray: Thank God for how He provides for His children eternal life and blessings for them with Himself in glory that are beyond imagination. Pray that God would you give you strength to trust Him in true faith and that, following Him, you would remain faithful to Him until the day He calls all believers to join Him in Glory.

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/ofthefat.htm

Printable Version

Psalm for Prayer and Praise: Psalm 115 (ESV)

1 Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!

2 Why should the nations say,
 “Where is their God?”

3 Our God is in the heavens;
 he does all that he pleases.

4 Their idols are silver and gold,
 the work of human hands.

5 They have mouths, but do not speak;
 eyes, but do not see.

6 They have ears, but do not hear;
 noses, but do not smell.

7 They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk;
 and they do not make a sound in their throat.

8 Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.

9 O Israel, trust in the LORD!
 He is their help and their shield.

10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD!  He is their help and their shield.

11 You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield.

12 The LORD has remembered us; he will bless us;
 he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron;

13 he will bless those who fear the LORD, both the small and the great.

14 May the LORD give you increase,
 you and your children!

15 May you be blessed by the LORD,
 who made heaven and earth!

16 The heavens are the LORD’s heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of man.

17 The dead do not praise the LORD, nor do any who go down into silence.

18 But we will bless the LORD
 from this time forth and forevermore.
 Praise the LORD!

Scripture Memory for the Week: Psalm 115:1

1 Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!

Praying through the Psalms

Day 1 ~

Read: Psalm 115:1-8

Consider:

For Adults: In these verses of praise and adoration, we find an immediate and sharp contrast between God’s praiseworthiness and the worthlessness of the false gods of the Gentile nations. On one hand, the Psalmist presents to us the one True God who dwells above the reach of man (“In the Heavens”) exercising unencumbered freedom and on the other he shows us the earthbound, immobile, inanimate and impotent idols that are fashioned and worshiped among the nations. We see here that God is worthy of worship not only for the sake of who He is but also for the sake of who He is not. As you read these verses, think of the predominate idols of our time and how all of their promises to help and fulfill are actually false and hollow, leading only to hopelessness. Consider God’s steadfastness and faithfulness in contrast. Are you tempted to make man made things into the objects of your joy and hope? Reject them and look to Christ and delight in His faithfulness and steadfast love. You won’t be disappointed!

Older children: Look at verse 1 again. What are two reasons listed here for which God’s name is to be honored? How has God shown Himself to be these things in your family’s life? How can you give God’s name glory for those things?

Younger children: Do you remember the answer to the question: “Where is God?” The answer is: “God is Everywhere!” (Catechism Question 10 & Psalm 139:7-12) When the Gentiles ask this question in verse two, they are actually saying it as an insult to God’s people, trying to make them think that God is actually nowhere. Why is it so good to know that God is not just in one place (like an idol), but instead that He is everywhere all at the same time?

Family Application: Discuss the ways in which people are tempted to trust in idols today and what happens to people who put their hope in anyone other than the one True God.

Pray: Thank God together for His faithfulness and steadfast love. Thank God that those who trust in Him have true hope based upon trust in God of true power. Pray that God’s name would be exalted where it is not known by your families. Trust in Him and your witness in every place that God sends you.

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 115:9-13

Consider:

For Adults: As you read these verses, you should immediately pick up on the formula by which God’s people are identified both times: 1) as Israel 2) as the House of Aaron and 3) as those who “Fear the Lord.” We see here that those whom God “remembers” in order to bless are 1) His special chosen people (the name Israel), 2) those whom He brings near to Himself (Aaron, representing the priestly line), and 3) those who reverence Him (i.e. fear Him). Given that all are called to fear the Lord, and that God has actually called all His saints to be a Kingdom of Priests (Rev. 1:6 & 5:10), we see that these are all the same people. To Fear the Lord is to take part in God’s holy Israel and to know the blessing of His presence. Are you reverencing Him today? His blessing is for those who do.

Older children: Have you ever been forgotten? Perhaps someone made a promise to you and didn’t keep it or maybe someone forgot to call your name when rewards or prizes were given out? Why do people sometimes feel that God has forgotten them? Look at these verses again. Does God ever really forget about His people? Why is it important for Christians to remember this when they have trials and struggles?

Younger children: Have you ever played with a toy shield? What does a real shield do and why would soldiers need them? How is God a shield to His people? How do you think God has been a shield to your family?

Family Application: Talk together about how God is a faithful God who fulfills His plans and purposes down through the ages. Talk about how God used saints who lived before you to carry the gospel down through the ages and across the world so that your family could hear it. Consider how God may be working His eternal purposes to expand His kingdom even in your family today.

Pray: Thank God today for how He blesses mankind with children. Pray that God would help you to be faithful to point to Him as you have part in raising or influencing the children that God has placed in your life. Pray finally that God would continue to enlarge His people’s hearts toward children in general and that your family and church would be more and more welcoming of all children, especially orphans (James 1:27).

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 115:14-18

Consider:

For Adults: A quick glance at these verses almost always draws the reader’s attention to verse 17′s declaration of the inability of the dead to offer praise to God. As in other places where this idea is used in the psalms (see Psalm 6 & 88), this is not a negation of the promise of eternal life to the saints but rather, it is most likely a reference to the death of wicked who, in verse 8 of this same psalm are said to become like their own lifeless idols, impotent and mute. Further, the emphasis here is actually on stewardship of the gift of life. God gives life to His people, sets them in their appointed place and gives His blessings to them that they might enjoy Him and accordingly offer back thankful worship. Are you fulfilling God’s purpose for your life today by enjoying and worshiping Him?

Older children: Read verse 16 again. What do you think it means that God has given earth to mankind? How is it like what God told Adam about filling and subduing the Earth back in the Garden of Eden? How can we and should we honor God in this?

Younger children: In verse 14 we read that God gives the blessing “Increase” to those who fear Him and to their children. Did you know that there are many blessings that flow to children when their parents “fear the Lord.” Can you name some of the special blessings of having a Christian home with your parents?

Family Application: Talk together about how God’s purpose for blessing His people to make them joyful worshipers. Talk about how we enjoy God through both knowing who He is and receiving His gifts.

Pray: Consider all the ways in which God has poured forth His blessing into your life both materially and spiritually. Thank Him specifically for these things and praise Him for His steadfast love and faithfulness to all of His people in all generations.

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.redmountainchurch.org/rmm/alb/rmmsheetmusic/jesuspreciousblood_sheet.pdf

Printable Version

Psalm for Prayer and Praise: Psalm 127 (NSV)

1 Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.  Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.

2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.

3 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.

4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
 are the children of one’s youth.

5 Blessed is the man
 who fills his quiver with them!  He shall not be put to shame
 when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

Scripture Memory for the Week: Psalm 127:1

Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.  Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.

Praying through the Psalms

Day 1 ~

Read: Psalm 127:1-2

Consider:

For Adults: In the familiar words of this psalm, we find the pattern for God-honoring diligence. Just as he does in Ecclesiastes, so also here does Solomon clearly demonstrate to us that to undertake any enterprise apart from the Lord is a foolish vanity. Though it is right for us to read here that we must have a total dependance upon the Lord, so often we overlook the fact that those trusting in the Lord here are not passive. They are doing hard and important work (building cities, protecting communities, producing crops). As you consider these verses, think about what God has called you to do in your home, in family, and in vocation. The Scripture commends hard work that looks with a trusting eye to God to establish it’s fruitfulness. Are you working in all of these areas biblically? If so, trust God for results and receive His gift of “sleep” (v2)!

Older children: Have you ever been so excited or even worried about something that you could not sleep? Many people actually have trouble sleeping because of anxiety (or worries) about what will happen in the future. What do you think it means in verse 2 when it says that God gives “sleep” to His people?

Younger children: Do you remember the story that Jesus told about the man who built his house on the sand? (Matt. 7:24-27) What happened to the house of this man who built unwisely? What does this psalm tell us about people who try to build things or make plans apart from God?

Family Application: Discuss together what the Bible tells us about work and what the Bible tells us about trusting in God. Are there ways that you can be faithful workers in your family?

Pray: Praise God together for His faithfulness and unending provision for His people. Ask God to help you to be faithful and to work hard at the things that He has given you to do. Pray that He would help you to do all of your work in faithfulness, always trusting Him to use your obedience to bring about the results that He desires.

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 127:1-3

Consider:

For Adults: As you read the first three verses of this psalm together, it is helpful to note that this is one psalm and not two. What this means is that verses 1-2 are directly related to verses 3-5. Thus, just as we understand v.1-2 to speak to us strongly about how we are to go about our vocations as diligent workers who honor and trust in the Lord in all things, so to we must understand that calling to have and raise children is a sacred responsibility that we must undertake in exactly the same way. The children that God gives a family are the “heritage” over which God gives a mother and father a most sacred and precious stewardship. Has God called you to be a father or a mother? Thank Him! . . . but resolve to honor Him for such blessings with a diligent stewardship, working hard to raise them in the nurture, admonish and fear of the Lord, all the while trusting the Lord to build the “house” according to His glorious design.

Older children: Do you know what a “heritage” is? A “heritage” is a special thing that is given to us that reminds us of who we are, where we come from and what our purpose is. Read verse 3 again. When God sends children to a family, what does it tell us about who we (people) are? What does it tell us about where we come from? What do you think it tell us about our purpose?

Younger children: Did you know that the Bible says that children are God’s special gift to parents? Why do you think that God sent you as His gift to your family? What are some special ways that you can show your family members God’s love and be a blessing to them?

Family Application: Talk together about how God is a faithful God who fulfills His plans and purposes down the ages. Talk about how God used saints who lived before you to carry the gospel down through the ages and across the world so that your family could hear it. Consider how God may be working his eternal purposes to expand His kingdom even in your family today.

Pray: Thank God today for how He blesses mankind with children. Pray that God would help you to be faithful to point to Him as you have part in raising or influencing the children that God has placed in your life. Pray finally that God would continue to enlarge his people’s hearts toward children in general and that your family and church would be more and more welcoming of all children, especially orphans (James 1:27).

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 127:3-5

Consider:

For Adults: In these famous verses, we see children as God’s gift (v.3) to parents, as God’s method for enlarging the impact of His faithful ones (v.4) and as the joy of the aging saint (v.5). As you consider God’s purposes across the generations, consider how you would like to see God continue His purpose in you through your own children. If God has blessed you with children, are you parenting in such a way as to train up your children to be sharp tools in the hand of great master builder and straight arrows in God’s armory? Consider the heritage of Godliness that delights the elder at the gate in verse 5 and resolve to be a faithful example to all the children that God has brought into your life.

Older children: Read verse 4 again. What things can a warrior with a bow and arrow accomplish that a warrior with only a sword cannot? What sort of things do you think God wants to use your parents to do for His glory? How do you think God may want to use you to expand or continue some of the things that He is using your parents to do today?

Younger children: Have you ever seen or shot a bow and arrow? What sort of great things do you think a skilled hunter or shooter can do with a good bow and a good arrow? What sort of great things do you think that you’ll do for God if you listen to your parents as you grow up?

Family Application: Talk together about how God’s plan to save sinners and build a church for Himself started before the world was made and continues across all generations. Consider the ways in which God desires to use your family to continue His work and witness through the ages.

Pray: Thank and praise God for how He wonderfully gives children to Christian homes as an expression of His blessing and as part of His ongoing evangelism of the lost through the ages. Pray that God would help you to be a faithful witness to the Gospel and that He would grow your family according to his merciful plans and designs.

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/n/b/nbtblood.htm

Printable Version

Psalm for Prayer and Praise: Psalm 105:1—11,43-45 (ESV)

1 Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!

2 Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!

3 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!

4 Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!

5 Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,

6 O offspring of Abraham, his servant, children of Jacob, his chosen ones!

7 He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth.

8 He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,

9 the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac,

10 which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant,

11 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance.”

43 So he brought his people out with joy, his chosen ones with singing.

44 And he gave them the lands of the nations, and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples’ toil,

45 that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws.   Praise the Lord!

Scripture Memory for the Week: Psalm 105:2-3

Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!

Praying through the Psalms

Day 1 ~

Read: Psalm 105:1-6

Consider:

For Adults: In this Psalm, we find the inspired writer rejoicing in how God moved in history to keep His promises to His people. In our focal sections for family worship this week, we read the preamble and the concluding verses outlining God’s praise-worthiness and His faithfulness to His covenant people. As you read today’s verses, consider how the psalmist roots his call to heart-felt rejoicing in the worshiper’s intimate knowledge of God’s saving acts. As you meet God this week in worship, Bible study and prayer, consider all that He has done through Christ to open the way for you know to Him. Consider all the things that God has done in order to open the way for you to Himself, and worship Him as the saving God that He is.

Older children: The writer of this Psalm calls us to worship God in a very specific way. Look in verses 2 and 5 again. What do these verses tell us we should think about and sing about in worship? How do you think learning about God and His word helps us to be better worshipers?

Younger children: The Bible tells us that when we praise God, we are supposed to talk about the great things that God has done (v2). Can you name two great things that the Bible tells us that God has done? What are some great things that God has done for you?

Family Application: Talk together about how we worship God based upon who He is and what He has done, not just upon how we feel. Talk about what God has done for your family and spend time counting your blessings together.

Pray: Thank and praise God for how He has always been faithful to save His people and how He saves them from their sins through Jesus. Pray that God would help you to know Him more this week and pray that God would impress His greatness upon your hearts so that you would all know the joy of worshiping Him in Spirit and Truth.

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 105:7-11

Consider:

For Adults: In these verses of the Psalm, we see a distinct emphasis upon the fact that God has acted in history to uphold His covenant promise to His covenant people. As we consider these verses and how God moved to deliver His people from famine and then, eventually, Egyptian slavery, we see a partial fulfillment of God’s promise to lead His people to a place of prosperity and rest. Despite this, however, we know from Israel’s history that although the nation eventually reached a golden age under King Solomon, the promise for complete rest remained a future Messianic Hope. As you read these verses, consider the final home and hope that God holds in store for His people. Are you looking to that day trusting in His character? If not, consider how faithful God has proven Himself to be and comfort yourself in the hope that He holds out for all His people in Christ.

Older children: Look in our verses today and name the people there that God identifies in His covenant. How many generations do you see there? What do you think that tells us about God’s purposes and his promises? Did any of these men see a complete fulfillment of God’s covenant while he was alive on the earth? Why do you think it is important to trust God and wait patiently upon Him when we don’t understand God’s plans in the present?

Younger children: Have you ever made a promise? Has anyone ever made a promise to you? Do you always keep your promises? How do we feel when someone doesn’t keep a promise that that they made to us? What does the Bible say about the way that God keeps promises? Does God ever break a promise?

Family Application: Talk together about how God is a faithful God who fulfills His plans and purposes down the ages. Talk about how God used saints who lived before you to carry the gospel down through the ages and across the world so that your family could hear it. Consider how God may be working His eternal purposes to expand His kingdom even in your family today.

Pray: Thank God for His great faithfulness and for how He always keeps and preserves His covenant people. Pray that God would help you to believe in His promise today and to place your hope and faith completely in Jesus for all of your needs.

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 105:43-45

Consider:

For Adults: In these concluding verses of this Psalm, we see not only a strong affirmation of how God delivers and blesses His chosen people, but also a bit of God’s purpose in doing so. We see here that God delivers His people not just to show His power, but to win their hearts, grant them joy and motivate them to follow Him in faithful loving obedience. When we consider how and why God saved His people in the Old Testament in comparison to the New Testament passages like Ephesians Chapter 2, we see quickly that God’s purposes remain the same in His people through all ages and generations. God saves sinners to make them joy-filled life-worshipers. Do you know His joy today? Consider all that He has done for you and all that waits in store for those who follow and trust Him.

Older children: Read verse 44 again. Did you notice that God took the land and it’s resources from one people and gave it to another people (His people)? Why do you think He did this then and why do you think that God “gives” to some and “takes away” from others today in His sovereign providence? What does Romans 8:28 tell us about why God does all that He does?

Younger children: Did you know that God has made all people for one main reason? What is that reason? (hint: Catechism Question #3) In Verse 45, what reason does it give us for why God saved His people and brought them into the land? How does that glorify God?

Family Application: Talk together about how God saves sinners in order to make them joy-filled followers of Jesus. Consider all that God has done in order to make a way to Him through the Cross of Jesus and talk about how God’s promise is for all who repent of sin and turn to Christ in faith and trust.

Pray: Thank and praise God for how He so faithfully watches over the souls of all of those who come to Him for salvation. Pray that God would put a song in your heart today and this week as you consider His great love for you and His great faithfulness.

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/g/ogohiap.htm

Printable Version

Psalm for Prayer and Praise: Psalm 97

1 The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!

2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

3 Fire goes before him and burns up his adversaries all around.

4 His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles.

5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.

6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.

7 All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; worship him, all you gods!

8 Zion hears and is glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments, O Lord.

9 For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.

10 O you who love the Lord, hate evil!  He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

11 Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.

12 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!

Scripture Memory for the Week: Psalm 97:10-11

O you who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.  Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.

Praying through the Psalms

Day 1 ~ Read: Psalm 97:1-5

Consider:

For Adults: In this psalm, we find a celebration of God’s kingship and power over the universe. As you read today, notice the jaw-dropping imagery that the Psalmist implores. Harkening back to God’s covering of Mt. Sinai with His presence as “thick darkness,” we see God wielding frightful power, causing even the great mountains to literally “melt” as wax before His approach. It is in this “dreadful” God that the Psalmist tells us to rejoice. How does the Christian heart do this? It is done by understanding verse 2. The Christian heart rejoices at the display of God’s power, because it knows the character of the Almighty. He is just. He is true. He is all together righteous. As you consider the greatness of God’s power today and this week, rejoice that His sovereign might is never capricious, but is rather directed wholly toward righteousness and thus fully engaged in keeping His promises to His people through all eternity.

Older children: What exactly is a foundation? What do you think would happen if someone built a house without first building the foundation? Would the house be very sturdy? In these verses we see a description of God’s authority and His power to conquer and subdue all that would oppose Him. Why do you think it is important for us to know that “Righteousness and Justice” are the foundation of God’s throne/authority to subdue all that would stand against Him?

Younger children: Have you ever seen the way a candle melts away as the fire burns down the wick? Can imagine how powerful God is since His power can make the greatest and tallest mountains melt down to nothing just like a candle? How does knowing about God’ s power help us to trust Him?

Family Application: Talk about how important is for us to remember God’s holy and perfect character as we read about His great acts of power in the Bible. Consider together how important it is for us to know and trust God’s character at times when we don’t understand all of His actions.

Pray: Praise God today for His eternal and sovereign nature. Thank Him for how He exercises all of His mighty and sovereign power in justice and righteousness. Thank Him again for how He sent Jesus to die for the sins of His people, so that God’s justice could be satisfied. Thank Jesus today for how He has secured the favor and blessing of God for all those who come to Him in repentance and faith.

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 97:6-9

Consider:

For Adults: As our psalm continues, we see the Psalmist shift from His emphasis on God’s character and power to an application of that reality. God’s power and character do not make Him worthy of the worship of His people, He is worthy of the worship of all creation which stands as a faithful witness to the futility of hoping or trusting in any lesser “god.” The “gods” we see here, while potentially referring to angels (i.e. translating it as “divine ones), are more likely idols, those false gods of human imagination. The message for us is clear. Idols are infinitely worthless in comparison to God’s character and must themselves, metaphorically speaking, bow before the one true God who alone exercises dreadful power and authority. Are you tempted today to put your trust in an idol of your own making? Remember that power that stands ready in the hand of God to perform all of His righteousness, including the keeping of all of His promises to His people. Throw off your idols for the worthless pretenders that they are and trust Christ today.

Older children: Why do you think God’s people in the Old Testament period where constantly tempted to put their hope and trust in false gods and idols? What are some false gods and idols that people put their hope in today? How can you tell when you may be trusting a false god over the true God?

Younger children: Read verse six again together. How do you think that the heavens proclaim God’s righteousness and God’s glory? What do the skies tell us about God’s power and greatness?

Family Application: Talk together about how people today, even believers, are tempted to trust in idols when they forget to meditate upon God’s character and power. Consider how gathering together in worship with God’s people every week and singing His praises help us to remember these things and to continue to trust Him and reject idols.

Pray: Thank God for how He is infinitely worthy of our worship and trust. Ask Him to give you wisdom as you follow Him this week and to reveal to you any ways in which you may be tempted to trust in something other than Him for your hope, joy and security. Thank Him for sending Jesus as savior for all who have sinned by trusting in idols and pray that God would help you to follow Jesus in faithful loving obedience this week.

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 97:10-12

Consider:

For Adults: The final application that the Psalmist makes for us is the necessity of hating evil. If we are to rejoice in a God who is altogether just and righteous, then it logically follows that we must hate all that stands in opposition to His person and character, that being “evil.” It is here that so many Christians stumble while growing in grace, for while the regenerate heart sees and loves the beauty of Christ, the sinful nature continues to beckon, offering tangible, but short lived and empty pleasures. The victory in struggle comes for the believers in looking to Christ, trusting His character to save and deliver, while also looking to the justice of God which will not rest until such time as all rebellious evil doers are judged. Are you struggling today? Look to Christ.

Older children: Read verse 11 again. What are some of the blessings that God promises to those who trust Christ for righteousness?

Younger children: What do you think it means to “hate evil.” What are some specific evil things that we should hate today?

Family Application: Talk together about how important it is for God’s people to not only grow in love of the truth, but also to grow in the putting off of wickedness and love of evil things. Talk about some the evil things that believers should “hate” today.

Pray: Thank and Praise God for how He faithfully watches over His people and how He exercised His power on the cross to save His people from the power of sin and death. Thank Jesus for his righteousness and pray that God would help you to grow in Christ-likeness this week in both the things you love and the things that you hate.

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/t/othedeep.htm

Printable Version

Psalm for Prayer and Praise: Psalm 90

1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.

2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

3 You return man to dust and say, “Return, O children of man!”

4 For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.

5 You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning:

6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.

7 For we are brought to an end by your anger; by your wrath we are dismayed.

8 You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.

9 For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh.

10 The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.

11 Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you?

12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

13 Return, O Lord! How long?  Have pity on your servants!

14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil.

16 Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.

17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!

Scripture Memory for the Week: Psalm 90:1-2

Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

Praying through the Psalms

Day 1 ~ Read: Psalm 90:1-6

Consider:

For Adults: In this great psalm of Moses, we find a “community lament.” As one reads through the psalm, it is very helpful to consider the most likely setting of its composition, the long period of the wilderness wanderings found in the book of Deuteronomy. Here we find Moses struggling with a people who have brought affliction upon themselves due to their lack of the fear of the Lord (v.15,11). To correct this, Moses leads us first in considering the Eternal and Sovereign nature of God in contrast to the frail and short-lived man. As you read these verses today, consider your view of God. When was the last time you found yourself awestruck in meditating upon God’s Eternal Grandeur? As A.W. Tozer is famously quoted, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” What does your view of God say about you?

Older children: Read verse 3 again. What other story in the Bible could “returning to dust” be referring to? What does this tell us about God’s authority over all human lives, both believers and unbelievers? When we think about those that we have loved and that are with us in life no longer, how do you think God’s authority over life and death comforts us?

Younger children: Do you know who made you and why you were made? (clue: Catechism questions 1 and 2). Read verse 2 again with your parents. Was God made or did He exist eternally with no beginning? How does this make you feel about God?

Family Application: Talk together about how important it is to learn how to think biblically about God. Consider together what happens when people try to define God based upon their own imaginations and how that would be the opposite of the biblical idea of “The Fear of the Lord.”

Pray: Praise God today for His eternal and sovereign nature. Thank Him for how He truly is a rock and a sure refuge for all those who trust in Him. Pray that He would help you to think rightly about Him and to grow in wisdom, faithfulness and humility as you grow in your knowledge of Him.

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 90:7-11

Consider:

For Adults: One of the keys to understanding this psalm is recognizing the rhetorical question that Moses asks in verse 11. In this lament psalm, Moses is struggling with the implied answer to his question; it seemed to him that no one was really considering the true terrors of God’s wrath that awaited those who would not live in accordance with “the fear” of God. Just as is often true in our day, due to an unfaithful majority, an entire community suffered under God’s discipline. The faithful suffered along with the unfaithful. Given how profoundly a deep reverence for God should effect the everyday choices of the believer, how do you think Christian families and churches are either helped or hurt by it’s presence and absence?

Older children: Do you remember what happened to the Israelites when they would not follow God in faith into the promised land when they first arrived there? As you read through today’s verses, you can see how Moses felt while living under the period of national discipline that followed. Why do you think God’ s people are always happiest when living in obedience to Him?

Younger children: Does God know all things? (hint: Catechism question 12) Read verse 8 again with your parents. What do you think “secret sins” are? As sinners, all people are tempted to cover and hide their sins when they should not. Do you think that God knows about any secret sins that you have? What do you think He wants you to do about them?

Family Application: Talk together about how important it is to live our lives out of a deep reverence for God in what the Bible calls “The Fear of the Lord.” Consider the ways in which living a life of faithful loving obedience to Jesus brings blessings.

Pray: Thank God for the lessons that He teaches us through the history of His dealings with mankind. Pray that He would help you to learn Godly wisdom as you read and study His word together and pray that God would help you to live in a reverent and joyful “Fear of the Lord.”

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 90:12-17

Consider:

For Adults: Here we find the application of Moses’s sermon to us. In the face of discipline and/or affliction, the saint is always to pray and to do so purposefully. Notice in verse 12 that Moses doesn’t begin his supplication by asking for the affliction to be removed. He begins instead by asking God that His discipline would accomplish it’s end in the hearts of His people, that they would, therefore, humble themselves before God (“teach us to number our days”) and gain “a heart of wisdom.” Only after the sin is addressed, does Moses progress to asking God’s blessing upon the people. Are there struggles in your life today that need your earnest prayer? Hear the call of Moses to wisdom and humility. Consider how God may be leading you into greater Christ-likeness through your current struggles, and earnestly pray that God’s refining work would have full sway in your soul even as you pray for His deliverance.

Older children: Look at the blessing that Moses prays for in verse 17. Besides praying for God’s favor, why do you think that Moses also prays that God would bless His people’s work? Did you know that the Bible actually commends “work” as a good thing? What are some sinful attitudes that we are sometimes tempted to have about the work that God gives us to do?

Younger children: What do you think “wisdom” is? Did you know that “wisdom” and “knowledge” are different things and that sometimes people who are very small can still be foolish or “unwise?” Why do you think God wants us to be wise and not foolish? Where does the Bible say that wisdom comes from? (hint: read Proverbs 1:7 & 9:10).

Family Application: Talk together about how important it is grow in wisdom and humility by applying God’s truths to our daily lives. Consider some lessons that God may be teaching your family right now through the challenges that you face together.

Pray: Thank and Praise God for how He leads His people into wisdom, humility and Christ-likeness by His truth and His providence. Pray that God would have your family to grow together in wisdom and to recognize God’s guiding and instructing hand in the day to day details of your own family life.

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/c/o/m/comeyspn.htm

Printable Version

Psalm for Prayer and Praise: Psalm 81:1-16 (ESV)

1 Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob!

2 Raise a song; sound the tambourine, the sweet lyre with the harp.

3 Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our feast day.

4 For it is a statute for Israel, a rule of the God of Jacob.

5 He made it a decree in Joseph when he went out over the land of Egypt. I hear a language I had not known:

6 “I relieved your shoulder of the burden; your hands were freed from the basket.

7 In distress you called, and I delivered you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah

8 Hear, O my people, while I admonish you!  O Israel, if you would but listen to me!

9 There shall be no strange god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god.

10 I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.  Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

11 “But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me.

12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.

13 Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!

14 I would soon subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes.

15 Those who hate the Lord would cringe toward him, and their fate would last forever.

16 But he would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Scripture Memory for the Week: Psalm 81:9-10

Let there be no strange god among you; Nor shall you worship any foreign god. I, the LORD, am your God, Who brought you up from the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide and I will fill it. ”

Praying through the Psalms

Day 1 ~ Read: Psalm 81:1-3

Consider:

For Adults: In this psalm we find the poet calling the people to remember their Covenant God and return to faithfulness to Him. Though the theme of Psalm 81 is a sobering one, it is important for us to note that the psalmist begins with a call to joyful worship and celebration. Despite a sad history of hard heartedness and chastening, the promise of divine blessing (vs.10,16) is a powerful motivation for joy. As you come before the Lord in prayer, Bible study and song this week, think all the blessings that He holds for you in Christ today and in the Kingdom to come. Worship Him for his promise!

Older children: What kind of music do you think the Psalmist has in mind in these verses? Do you think it more about the style of music or the hearts of the ones making the music? If this is the music God commands, do you think that there is music that is sinful? If so, what do you think makes it sinful and displeasing to God?

Younger children: Do you have a favorite musical instrument? Why do you think people like to play instruments by themselves or along with singing? Read our verse for today again and see if you can name all the instruments listed here. Do you think God likes it when we make music to Him?

Family Application: Talk together about how God calls His people to joyful worship and how that joyfulness in the heart evidences itself in how we worship God. Talk about how important it is for God’s people to make diligent efforts to remind themselves of God’s goodness and blessing in order that they might feel the joy that is rightfully theirs according to His promises.

Pray: Praise God today for how He has spoken to us in His word in which He has revealed His many precious and great promises to all those who turn from sin and trust Christ in obedience and faith. Pray that God would cheer your hearts as you remember His promises and actively trust Him this week.

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 81:4-10

Consider:

For Adults: In these verses the Psalmist recounts how God heard and responded to Israel’s cry for release from their Egyptian bondage. It was in the context of this very deliverance into which God spoke from Mt. Sinai giving the Ten Commandments which are referenced in verses 9 & 10. Note promised blessing here for faithfulness, “Open your mouth and I will fill it.” Coupled with the context of the miraculous deliverance from Egypt, we see that there is no need too great that His omnipotent power & grace cannot meet (even exceed) in overflowing abundance for those who truly own Him as their God.

Older children: Read verse 9 again. Do you think that people always listened to God when He spoke to them through His prophets? What are blessings of listening to God’s word and obeying Him? What are the consequences of ignoring God’s word? How do Christians hear and respond to God’s word?

Younger children: Have you ever seen pictures of baby birds in their nests waiting to be fed? What do they look like and what do they do with their mouths when their mother comes? Did you know that God promises to meet the needs of all those who make Him their God? What do you think is the most important need that we have?

Family Application: Talk about how hearing and obeying God’s word is essential to the Christian life and a key evidence of the true presence of Christ in the life of the believer.

Pray: Thank God for how He promises to meet every true need of all those who own Him as their God through faith in Christ. Thank God for how He offers free pardon and salvation in Jesus for all who repent and believe and pray that He would help you to trust Him more and more and to demonstrate that trust in faithful loving obedience to Him.

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 81:11-16

Consider:

For Adults: In these verses we see the sad story of the rebellious house of Israel laid forth. Because of their stubborn hearts and refusal to submit themselves to God, they missed the blessings that God would have lavished upon them as a nation. In choosing to ignore God’s command and to follow their own reasonings, they worked their own ruin. Can you see how the Christian’s struggle with sin follows the same course? If God has not even spared His own Son in order to win His people, how can desires for them be anything but blessing beyond human imagination! Can God’ s commands, therefore, though oft chaffing against the sinful nature, be anything but expressions of God’s desires for the absolute best for His people? Trust and obey Him today. Submit to His ways and lean not on your own understanding!

Older children: Read verse 15 again and think about what will happen at the end of time when God judges the whole world. When that day comes, will people still be able to reject God’s will and disobey Him? Will anyone, on that day, not bow to Jesus and call him Lord? (Phil. 2:10). Is it better to wait and submit to God then or to submit to God now? Why?

Younger children: What is greatest gift that God could give to His people? (Romans 8:32) If God loves His people that much, then do you think His commands for them in the Bible are there to make them happy or to make them sad?

Family Application: Talk together about how important it is to set our hope in God and to demonstrate this by obeying Him and remembering His word and the goodness of who He is. Talk about specific ways your family can demonstrate that you are hoping in God.

Pray: Thank God for how much He loves sinners and how His heart always desires their repentance. Praise Him for making a way for sinners to be saved from their own hard-heartedness through Jesus and pray that He would help you to see what a wonderful savior Jesus is. Pray that God would help you and your family to joyfully submit to His and to experience His blessings as you follow Him together in faithful loving obedience.

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/s/o/c/socitarr.htm

Printable Version

Psalm for Prayer and Praise: Psalm 78:1-8 (ESV)

1 Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth!

2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old,

3 things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us.

4 We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.

5 He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children,

6 that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn,
 and arise and tell them to their children,

7 so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;

8 and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.

Scripture Memory for the Week: Psalm 78:5-7

He established a testimony in Jacob
 and appointed a law in Israel,

which he commanded our fathers
 to teach to their children,

that the next generation might know them,
 the children yet unborn,

and arise and tell them to their children,
 so that they should set their hope in God

and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;

Praying through the Psalms

Day 1 ~

Read: Psalm 78:1-3

Consider:

For Adults: For this week, we’ll only be directly considering the preamble to this majestic psalm, but herein, we do find a summary of the psalm’s main point. Each generation must be told of God’s great works and must be called to personally and corporately embrace Him as their own God. While this psalm invests a great deal of time describing how God has dealt with unbelief within ethnic Israel, we see from the beginning that He has preserved a testimony to Himself through a stream of faithful “fathers” who have passed His truth from one generation to the next (v.3).

Older Children: Read verse 2 again. Did you know that Jesus quoted this verse to describe His own method to teaching and discipleship? (Matt. 13:35) The idea behind the words “parable” and “dark sayings” (or alternately translated “riddle”) is one of ancient and deep knowledge that requires wisdom and understanding and perhaps even study to unlock. Did you know that many of the truths that God gives us in His word require us to think hard in order to understand them? This is why God gives to children parents, and to the church, pastors and teachers. Are you honoring your parents and teachers as God’s gift to you this week?

Younger Children: Have you ever told someone a really important secret and whispered it right into their ear? Why did you whisper it into their ear and not their elbow or their knee? The reason is that when when we think things are really important we turn ears towards the sound so that we don’t miss any of it. How does the Bible say we are to think about the things our parents teach us about God? Why should we pay special attention to them?

Family Application: Talk together about how God has preserved a witness to Himself through generations of faithful parents and teachers and through children who grew up to become faithful parents and teachers. Talk about what you can do today to be a part of preserving God’s word and truth for people 100 years from now.

Pray: Praise God today for how He has preserved His word and truth through faithful saints who have obeyed His commandments to pass it down through all the generations of human history. Pray that God would help you you to be faithful to do as well for the sake of all those who will come after us and for the sake of God’s great glory.

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 78:4-5

Consider:

For Adults: When one considers the broad category of sin, all sins can be divided into the subgroups of either sins of “commission” (things we do that we should not) or sins of “omission” (things that we are required to do, but we do not). While the first category, being active by definition, tends to get our attention quickly, the second category, because of it’s passive nature, conversely, tends to often escape our attention and leave us undisturbed. In these verses the psalm seeks to “shake us” by describing a sin of omission (failure to teach God’s truth to our children) in active terms (hiding) in order to underscore major implications of failure to obey God in this area of our lives. Are you or have you been “hiding” the truth of God from your children or grandchildren by not actively seeking to teach and discuss it with them? If so, repent today and actively embrace your calling to pass God’s testimonies on to the next generation.

Older Children: When the psalms talk about God’s glorious deeds and His wonders, they always refer to the ways in which God has shown His power and how He has used His power to judge sin and to save His people. Look at verses 5 & 6 again. What is it that God’s chosen people are commanded to do? How do you think God wants His people do that today?

Younger Children: Have you ever played hide and seek? Have you ever hidden a special toy to make treasure a hunt then maybe forgot where you put it and lost it? What kinds of things are good to hide and what are some things that would not be good to hide? Should we hide God’s word from others who may need to hear it?

Family Application: Talk together about how God’s word and truth is not something that we should be lazy about telling to others. Talk about ways in which you and your family can spread the testimony of God’s glory and grace to those that you know.

Pray: Praise God again for how He moved in the heart of others to preserve his word so that it could come all the way from the mouths of the prophets and apostles down through the ages to you. Pray that you would not sin against Him by hiding it from all those that He brings into your life.

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 78:6-8

Consider:

For Adults: In these final verses of the preamble of Psalm 78, we see the point of application to the whole process of learning and passing God’s truth and word down from generation to generation. The purpose is that those who hear might personally set their hope in God and their hearts might turn to Him in genuine faith and not be like countless unbelievers before who responded by hard-hearted rebellion. Notice that paired with unbelief here is a forgetting of the works of God. Consider this week how you can refresh your soul by thinking upon God’s mighty works on your behalf, most specifically, the redemption that Christ won for His people on the cross. Consider the positive effect that it can have upon your family and children to actively remember God’s works together and worship Him today by keeping His commands from a thankful heart.

Older Children: Read verse 7 again. Why do you think that people set their hope in God 1) don’t forget His works and 2) keep His commandments?

Younger Children: Have you ever been stubborn and rebellious? Most people have at one time or another. Why does this not please God?

Family Application: Talk together about how important it is to set our hope in God and to demonstrate this by obeying Him and remembering His word and the goodness of who He is. Talk about specific ways your family can demonstrate that you are hoping in God.

Pray: Thank God for how He is worthy of our trust and is the only true Hope of the world. Pray that He would strengthen your faith this week and give you power to obey His commandments from thankful hearts as you recount His truth together.

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