Morningview Baptist Church

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Psalm for Prayer and Praise: Psalm 16 (ESV)

1 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.

2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”

3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.

4 The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.

5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.

6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.

8 I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.

10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.

11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Scripture Memory for the Week: Psalm 16:11

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy;at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Praying through the Psalms

Day 1 ~ God’s Goodness In His People

Read: Psalm 16:1-4

Consider:

For Adults: This Psalm is a celebration of God’s goodness (v.2) mediated to the believer through His people (v.3), His providence (v.5-6), His counsel (v.7), His promise (v.9-10), and His presence (v.11). As you meditate upon this Psalm this week, consider how God provides blessing to you in each of these ways. Start today by considering your relationships with those in your church family. Are you delighting in them today or is your heart tempted to find comfort with those who are running after “other gods?”

Older Children: In these verses, the psalmist delights in God by delighting in God’s People. He contrasts the “faithful” in the land of Israel with the “unfaithful” in the land of Israel. Do you think that there are both “faithful” and “unfaithful” in churches today? How are they different from one another?

Younger Children: Do you like to give gifts to your friends, siblings, or parents? How does it make you feel when they like your gift and tell you that they like it? Did you know that God is the source of all the things in our lives that are truly good? How should that make us feel toward God?

Family Application: Talk together about how God’s goodness is showered upon us in all the ways listed above. Talk about how you can follow God in being His blessing to those around you in need.

Pray: Thank God today for how He showers His children with His goodness and pray that He would open your eyes to see His glory in the blessing that He has bestowed upon you. Pray that God would help you to seek Him for your joy and to guard your heart from the temptation to seek false joy in running after “other gods.”

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’s Goodness in His Providence

Read: Psalm 16:5-9

Consider:

For Adults: In these verses, we see how God’s goodness is mediated to the believer through both God’s providence and His counsel. Knowing that his life is entrusted to the care and providence of God, how is the believer comforted even in times of struggle and sorrow? How do you think it can help in these times to both consider the inheritance God has for His people and to recount His word to oneself, even in the quiet moments of the night?

Older Children: Look at verse 6 again. What is an “inheritance?” In these verses, the psalmist imagines the promise that God has given Israel. What is the future inheritance that the New Testament makes clear that God is preparing for all of His people?

Younger Children: Have you ever had a teacher who taught you about exciting and wonderful things? Did you know that God’s word is like a teacher to us? How does God show us His goodness through His word as our teacher?

Family Application: Talk together about how the Christians can be comforted by thinking of how we not only hold Him in His sovereign goodness in the present, but also prepares for Him and joyful rest in the future. Talk together about how Jesus purchased this inheritance for His people and how sinners become His children by trusting Him in repentance and faith.

Pray: Praise God for how He sovereignly holds His children in His tender care and for the beautiful inheritance that He has prepared for all of them through the purchase of Jesus’ blood. Pray that God would help you to trust Jesus more today and to look to Him for your joy and peace.

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 ~ God’s Goodness in His Presence

Read: Psalm 16:10-11

Consider:

For Adults: In these verses we see the psalmist celebrate God’s goodness mediated to the belief in His promise and His presence. These verses are quoted by both Peter and Paul in the New Testament in reference to the resurrection of Christ, through them, we understand these verses to point us to the promise of a bodily resurrection of all believers, among whom Christ stands alive as the “first fruits” of what God has yet to come as a part of the great inheritance prepared for His people. Are you seeking to know the joy of His presence today? Seek Him for “fullness of joy” and experience a foretaste of the inexpressible joy that is even yet to come!

Older Children: What is the “Path of Life” that God makes known to His people? Read Matthew 7:14, Prov. 15:24 & 10:17 for help. What does God provide for those who walk this path? Can you stay on it in your own strength? Consider Phil. 2:12-13 as you answer.

Younger Children: Have you ever been lost in a big store where you couldn’t see your parents ? How do think being alone and “abandoned” would feel? Look in these verses again. Does God ever abandon his children, even after they die?

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 His promise to never abandon or forsake His people and praise Him for the joy that He promises to all those who walk in convent faithfulness to Him in the “Path of Life.” Thank Him, Christ, our great covenant-keeper and pray that He would strengthen you for more faithful obedience in the days ahead and pray that thesein He would grant you an ever more full experience of His joy!

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/o/j/ojordsbi.htm

Printable Version

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

Printable Version

Psalm for Prayer and Praise: Psalm 2 (ESV)

1 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?

2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,

3 “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.

5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying,

6 “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.”

7 I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.

8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.

9 You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.

11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Scripture Memory for the Week: Psalm 2:10-11

Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

Praying through the Psalms

Day 1 ~ An Earthy Turmoil

Read: Psalm 2:1-3

Consider:

For Adults: This psalm fits into a category known as the “Royal Psalms” in that it explores the covenant that God made with David (and his heir) and understands the fate of the whole of God’s people as being connected to the Lord’ s “Anointed.” In these verses we see an uprising of vassal kings against the earthly Davidic King, but in the bigger picture, we also see the world powers arrayed against Christ, the son of David. As you consider this psalm this week, consider the vanity of revolting against Christ and pray that God would give you a settled peace in face of sinful men and a compassionate heart for those you know are bound up in hopeless sinful rebellion.

Older children: The “Anointed” that this psalm talks about is the King that God placed on the Throne of Israel who was to rule in God’s place as His representative. What rulers has God put in place in your life? How does God expect you to act toward them?

Younger children: Can you ever think of a time when you disobeyed your parents on purpose? Why do you think children sometime choose not to obey? Why do you think people choose to not obey God?

Family Application: Talk together about the terrible vanity of living in rebellion against God and His Anointed One, Christ Jesus. Speak about how God’s sovereignty should give Christians a settled peace in the face of persecution and how they should pity their persecutors.

Pray: Praise God today for His sovereign reign over all the universe and for how He can never be threatened by any earthly power. Ask God to help you discover the seeds of rebellion in your own heart and thank God for sending Jesus to conquer the power of sin and how He will one day return to finally and fully end all rebellion of sinful man.

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 ~ A Heavenly Perspective

Read: Psalm 2:4-9

Consider:

For Adults: In today’s verses we see that in contrast to the turmoil on earth, God sits ever triumphantly on the throne of Heaven. In verse 7 we see the voice of the psalmist shift to that of the King who receives the promises of the Davidic covenant and thus comforts himself in the knowledge that the purposes of God can never be thwarted by man and that God will ultimately bring all earthly powers into subjection under the rule of the heir of David. Consider how the coming of the nations under subjection to the rule of Christ is actually for their benefit (Rom. 1:5) and how Jesus is accomplishing this even now through the proclamation of the gospel.

Older children: Read verse 7 -9 again. In these verses, we hear the Israelite King begin repeating the promise that God made to him (see 2 Samuel 7:14), calling him God’s own Son. Did you know that this promise is ultimately to Jesus and, through Jesus, to all of God’s people? How do you think that God is, even today, working to give Jesus the nations as His inheritance?

Younger children: Read verse 4 again. Why do you think all the Kings rebelling against God causes God to laugh? Think about things that make you afraid? Do these things scare God? Can anything scare God? Why?

Family Application: Talk together today about how the things that scare us, worry us or saddened us all look different from God’s Heavenly perspective. Talk about remembering how things look to God can give us hope and encouragement when we are discouraged.

Pray: Praise God for how He is working out His eternal plan to bring all the world under the rule of Jesus even when it doesn’t seem like it us. Pray that God would help you to be more faithful to be a part of carrying His gospel of peace to all that nations and pray that God would empower all those serving Him in that mission.

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 Way of the Wise

Read: Psalm 2:10-12

Consider:

For Adults: In these final verses, we see psalmist return to his voice as preacher, and we read his final admonition to the earthly powers of verses 2 and 3. How do you think these verses contain both LAW and GOSPEL? Consider how your hope in the Gospel should lead you to a reverent keeping of the law of God.

Older children: In the ancient world, a servant would often show submission to a master by kissing his hand or even his feet. According to these verses, what will happen to those who do not submit to “The Son” who is Jesus? What decision does the wise man make concerning King Jesus?

Younger children: What does it mean to serve God with fear? Ask your parents how that is like the word “reverence” and talk about ways you can “reverence” God in your family.

Family Application: Talk together about how Jesus is a refuge for all who come to Him in repentance and faith and how obedience and reverence should mark the lives of all believers.

Pray: Praise God today for how He is refuge and a fountain of grace and mercy for all those who come to Him. Pray that He would help you to trust Him more 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://nethymnal.org/htm/a/c/acoogak.htm

Printable Version

Psalm for Prayer and Praise: Psalm 146 (ESV)

1 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul!

2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

3 Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.

4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.

5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God,

6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever;

7 who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry.  The Lord sets the prisoners free;

8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.  The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous.

9 The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

10 The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations.  Praise the Lord!

Scripture Memory for the Week: Psalm 146:3-5

Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.  When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.  Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God

Praying through the Psalms

Day 1 ~

Read: Psalm 146:1-4

Consider:

For Adults: This psalm both begins and ends with “Praise the Lord!” which is the one-word-sentence in Hebrew, “Hallelu-yah.” The psalmist calls all who hear to worship the one true Sovereign God as the sure hope for those who are suffering or oppressed. As you meditate upon this psalm this week, examine your heart to see if there are things other than Christ from which you are looking for security. Consider verse 3 and resolve to make the LORD your only hope.

Older children: How do you think we are tempted to put our trust in things and people (even leaders) other than God? What do these verses tell us about trusting in heroes or leaders over God?

Younger children: Have you ever been given a toy that broke right after you started to play with it? How did (or how would) that make you feel? Were you disappointed? Did you know that sometimes we are tempted to trust in our leaders or other people to save us rather than God? Does the Bible say (v.3) that we should do this?

Family Application: Talk together about all of the things that people put their hope in other than Jesus? Talk about why we are tempted to hope and trust in things that we see or things that may bring temporary joy and how important it is to remember the truth of who God is whenever we find ourselves doing so.

Pray: Praise God today for His sovereign reign over all the universe and for how only He is a sure hope of salvation. Pray that He would help you to not trust in things that are temporary and passing away.

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 146:5-7

Consider:

For Adults: This section of the psalm frames the great contrast between placing vain hope in earthly powers (as described in verses 3 & 4) and placing one’s trust in the living God. As one reads these remaining verses of this psalm, the excellencies of God’s character are unfolded to him and thus the reasons for trusting in Him are made clear. As you meditate on this psalm this week, let the character of God again lead you to worship Him and rest in Him as your sure hope and comfort.

Older children: Why do you think that governments of cities, states, and nations almost always have a police force? How are police supposed to uphold justice and why is that so important? How does God “uphold justice for the oppressed?”

Younger children: Did you know that “blessed” means something like “happy,” “joyful” and “content?” How does trusting in God make people “blessed?”

Family Application: Talk together about the attributes and acts of God that we see here that prove God is worthy of our trust. Consider how each of God’s attributes here both show His glory and comfort for His people.

Pray: Use your time of prayer today as an occasion to worship God specifically for the attributes we see in these verses. Consider giving each member of the family a different attribute to praise and thank God for as you pray together.

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 146:8-9

Consider:

For Adults: In these concluding verses, the psalmist crescendos his litany of God’s excellencies as upholder of justice, healer of the blind, and liberator of the captive. Why do you think a proper understanding of the cross is so important to help us love and celebrate God’s justice rather than to flee from it in fear and terror? Why must the work of the cross be applied even (and especially) here when we read that God loves “the righteous?”

Older children: These verses say that God set prisoners free. Can you remember a new testament story where God did this (literally)? What “prison” does the Bible say that all mankind is bound to because of Adam’s sin? How does God set prisoner’s free in this way? How did Jesus set prisoners free (as he promised)?

Younger children: Have you ever heard the stories of how Jesus healed the blind and returned their sight? Did you know that God is full of compassion and that He loves to help those who call out to Him in their need? Can you think of something that you should pray about this week for God’s help?

Family Application: Talk together about how God is both a glorious savior to the righteous and yet a terrible enemy to the wicked. Talk together about the cross, the gospel and how God invites His enemies to become His children.

Pray: Praise God today for how He reigns, bringing both salvation to all the needy who call upon Him and terrible retribution upon all those who delight in evil and injustice. Pray that God would magnify His own praise in your heart and that you would more faithfully and boldly speak the gospel to all those held prisoner under the power of sin.

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/g/f/gfathers.htm

Printable Version

Psalm for Prayer and Praise: Psalm 139 (ESV)

1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me!

2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.

3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.

4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.

5 You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.

7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?

8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,”

12 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.

19 Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me!

20 They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain!

21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?

22 I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!

24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

Scripture Memory for the Week: Psalm 139:13-14

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

Praying through the Psalms

Day 1 ~ The Wonderful knowledge of God

Read: Psalm 139:1-6

Consider:

For Adults: This Psalm is all about God’s omniscience (His knowledge of all things) and what that means for His children. As you consider today’s verses, notice how God’ s knowledge not only encompasses where you are in geography(space), it also encompasses where you are in chronology (time). Consider verse 6 and meditate on all the reasons that this should cause the Christian to rejoice.

Older Children: Have you ever wondered if God knows your thoughts? Read verse 4 and then verse 2. What does the Bible teach us about how deeply God knows us?

Younger Children: Have you ever had your Mom or Dad tuck in your covers nice and tight on a cold night so that your bed felt especially nice? Read verse 5 again with your parents. How is God’s care of His people like being tucked into your bed?

Family Application: Talk together today about how God is intimately acquainted with the small details of our lives and how even in the smallest things, He cares for His people. How should this change the way we feel, think and act?

Pray: Talk together thanking God for His wonderful knowledge of our lives and His tender care. Pray together that God would help us to honor Him in the little things we do, the things we say and even the things that we think.

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 Inescapable Knowledge of God

Read: Psalm 139:7-16

Consider:

For Adults: In these verses we find the famous affirmation of the creator’s touch and tender forming of children even while still in the womb. Consider how this relates to God’s knowledge and think about how God’s knowledge not only pursues us wherever we go, but it actively forms us. Just as God shapes our bodies, scripture also affirms that God shapes our destinies (v.16). Consider the trials you face today in light of this. Is there any trial in your life that God has not designed for your ultimate joy in Him?

Older Children: Is there any place on earth that a Christian can be taken that is apart from God’s presence(v.7-12)? Is there any day or time in a Christian’s life when God is not working out His plan for them? How should this bring comfort to believers?

Younger Children: Have you ever seen what mothers look like and how their bodies are different the months before their baby is born? What does the Bible teach us that God is doing inside the mother? Why do you think babies (and people) are so precious to God? Why should they be precious to us?

Family Application: Talk together about how God’s knowledge isn’t passive, but how it is active and how God works to not only shape our bodies, but to shape our lives according to His good will. Read Romans 8:26-30 together.

Pray: Thank God for how He has made man in His own image and for how He tenderly cares for His people and shapes their lives for His glory and their greatest joy in Him. Pray that God would have you to rest in this wonderful knowledge and that He would increase your love for 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 ~ The Sanctifying Knowledge of God

Read: Psalm 139:17-24

Consider:

For Adults: In these final verses, we see the psalmist 1) delighting in God’ s omniscience, 2) declaring His loyalty to God’s decreed purposes and 3) inviting God’s further examination into his own life. Given that between our perspective and the perspective of the psalmist, the Cross stands high declaring the satisfaction of God’s justice and His free offer of mercy to sinners, how should you articulate your loyalty to God’s purpose and character today?

Older Children: Read verses 19 and 20 again. What types of things are the enemies of God doing in these verse? If they do not turn to Jesus in repentance and faith, what will happen to these people when Jesus finally returns to the earth as Judge? How should Christians pray for these people and show them pity even while hating their unrighteousness?

Younger Children: If a person loves God and loves God’s goodness, how should they feel about Satan and sin and unrighteousness? Since we know that Jesus died to save sinners from being prisoners to the power of sin and Satan, how should we pray for them today?

Family Application: Talk together about how God’s justice is fully satisfied in the cross of Jesus for all those who come to Him in repentance and faith. Talk about how we should pray for and pity those who make themselves God’s enemies by their unrepentant sinfulness.

Pray: Pray verses 23 and 24 together, asking God to give you hearts that hate sinfulness, but love mercy. Pray that God would restrain evil all over the world and that he would compel sinners to turn from their rebellion and to trust and follow Jesus.

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/a/m/a/amazing_grace.htm

Printable Version

Psalm for Prayer and Praise: Psalm 138 (ESV)

1 I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise;

2 I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.

3 On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased.

4 All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord, for they have heard the words of your mouth,

5 and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord.

6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.

7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me.

8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Scripture Memory for the Week: Psalm 138:6

For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,but the haughty he knows from afar.

Praying through the Psalms

Day 1 ~ The Lord, who answers prayer

Read: Psalm 138:1-3

Consider:

For Adults: This Psalm of thankfulness may have been one of the regular temple “Thank-Offerings” and as such has a clear emphasis on the “public” nature of the praise being offered. The Hebrew word translated“gods” here could refer to either angels, princes/rulers, or even idols. As you consider this call to bold thankfulness, consider the public testimony of your words this week. Do/will those around you know of the God you worship and thank for your blessings?

Older Children: Why is it a good thing that God has exalted “above all things” His name and His word? How do you think He does this? (v.2)

Younger Children: Have you ever called someone who didn’t hear you or would not answer you? How did it make you feel? How does it make you feel to know that God answers prayers and is always listening to the prayers of His people? (v.3)

Family Application: Talk together today about how God answers the prayers of His people and how the fact that our God is a real and “Living” God should lead us to worship Him in our words and actions.

Pray: Talk together about all of the specific needs that your family has today and assign different family members to pray out loud about each of the needs. Thank God that He hears and answers the prayers of His people and ask Him to grant your family greater faith as you learn to wait upon His answers.

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 Lord, who regards the lowly

Read: Psalm 138:4-6

Consider:

For Adults: In these verses of this week’s psalm, we see another strong scriptural call to humility based upon the character and greatness of God. While the term “lowly” is in one sense a contrast to the “Kings” who worship in verse 4, it is also a counter point to the “haughty” also mentioned in verse 6. Thus, we see the Royal Psalmist (King David) knows that in comparison to God, all members of mankind are only properly related to God when they understand and embrace their “lowliness.” Consider how you relate to others and to God this week in light of this fact, and resolve, by faith, to cultivate a God-pleasing “lowliness” in your character.

Older Children: After reading today’s verses, read Philippians 2:9-11 to your family. What does verse 4 mean in light of these verses in Philippians?

Younger Children: Have you ever felt that adults and older children ignored you because of how small you are? What do our verses today say about how God thinks of small or “lowly” people? How did Jesus feel about children?

Family Application: Consider together how one day, every knee will bow to Jesus and every tongue will confess His glory and Lordship. Talk about the blessedness of living in light of this fact today and talk about how you can honor God in acts of worship and humility this week.

Pray: Thank God for how He regards “lowly” sinners like us and how He calls us to become His sons and daughters by faith in Christ. Pray that God would help you to cultivate a humble and worshipful spirit and an atmosphere of humility and deference in your home.

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 Lord, who protects his children

Read: Psalm 138:7-8

Consider:

For Adults: Just as verse 4 looks to God’s faithfulness to the psalmist in the past, so these verses assert the psalmist’s faith that God is acting to preserve him according to God’s own divine plan even in the present. Often our circumstances challenge our assumption of God’s watch-care over us, but yet the scripture (and our experience) affirms that God is always working for His glory and the good of His people in all things and often in ways beyond our understanding. Consider today what God’s greatest good is for you (hint – see Philippians 1:21) and consider how your circumstances today may be working toward that end.

Older Children: After reading today’s verses, Read Philippians 1:3-6. What does this teach about the way God works in our lives? Does God ever leave His children to fend for themselves? What are some things that you know God has planned for you that He is working out in your life according to His word?

Younger Children: Have you ever felt that your room was so messy you could never clean it up? How would it make you feel better to have your Mom or Dad there with you to help you clean it up? Did you know that God helps His people through every trouble? How should this make us feel?

Family Application: Talk together about how God often works in way that we can never understand, but how he also works for His glory and the good of His people.

Pray: Thank God today for how tenderly He cares for His children, and ask Him, together, to strengthen your faith in Him and His divine plan for 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/c/o/comethou.htm

Printable Version

Psalm for Prayer and Praise: Psalm 119:137-152 (NASB)

137 Righteous are You, O LORD, And upright are Your judgments.

138 You have commanded Your testimonies in righteousness And exceeding faithfulness.

139 My zeal has consumed me, Because my adversaries have forgotten Your words.

140 Your word is very pure, Therefore Your servant loves it.

141 I am small and despised, Yet I do not forget Your precepts.

142 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your law is truth.

143 Trouble and anguish have come upon me, Yet Your commandments are my delight.

144 Your testimonies are righteous forever; Give me understanding that I may live.

145 I cried with all my heart; answer me, O LORD! I will observe Your statutes.

146 I cried to You; save me And I shall keep Your testimonies.

147 I rise before dawn and cry for help; I wait for Your words.

148 My eyes anticipate the night watches, That I may meditate on Your word.

149 Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness; Revive me, O LORD, according to Your ordinances.

150 Those who follow after wickedness draw near; They are far from Your law.

151 You are near, O LORD, And all Your commandments are truth.

152 Of old I have known from Your testimonies That You have founded them forever.

Scripture Memory for the Week: Psalm 119:151

You are near, O LORD, And all Your commandments are truth.

Praying through the Psalms

Day 1 ~ The Word and Its Author

Read: Psalm 119:137-140

Consider:

For Adults: Read these verses today and consider how God’s word and His character are tied together. What can we learn about God’s word when we consider it in light of His character and nature?

Older Children: Look at verse 140 again and read it together with Psalm 12:6. What does it mean that God’s word is “Pure.”

Younger Children: Can you think of a person that you know that always tells you the truth? How is God like that? What does “Who God is” say about “What God says?” (v.137)

Family Application: Talk together about some of the attributes of God like His eternality, His omniscience, and omnipotence. After talking about each of His attributes, consider how each one is borne out in some way in His word.

Pray: Thank God for the wonder of who He is and how He has communicated the glory of His person and nature to us in His word. Thank Him that His word is secured by His person and for how we can rest surely upon all His promises as resting in 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 ~ The Word, That We May Live

Read: Psalm 119:141-144

Consider:

For Adults: Notice how the writer of the psalm portrays himself as “small,” “despised” and as one with trouble and anguish. How does he comfort himself in these moments? How could memorized scripture help you is such moments?

Older Children: Look at verse 144 again. What is the “understanding” that God’s word can give you that makes you to “live?”

Younger Children: Do you ever wish that you were bigger or taller? Did you know that everyone feels “small” or “little” sometimes? (v.141) How does it make you feel to know that God is greater and “bigger” than anything or anyone who might want to harm us? Isn’t it good to serve such a “Big” God?

Family Application: Consider together how the word of God as “Truth,” “Righteousness,” and the “delight of soul” were the hope of the psalmist. Consider how God’s word can help your family this week and consider how it leads us ultimately to Christ, that in understanding the Gospel, we can live.

Pray: Thank God for how His word is an anchor to our souls in times of trial and how it leads us to Jesus. Pray that you would delight in His word this week and that it would do it’s healing work in your soul as you read and memorize it together.

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 Word, Eternal Truth

Read: Psalm 119:145-152

Consider:

For Adults: As you read this subset of Psalm 119, notice that it takes the form of a prayer for deliverance. What is the hope in which the psalmist rests that we see articulated in verses 149, 151, and 152? What is your hope when things look impossible for you today and where is your trust? Consider the generations who have gone before and found God’s word to be well tried (ESV v.140) and completely true. Remind yourself today of the sure foundation that God has laid for us in His eternal word and resolved to know it better that it would be a rock to your soul in times of trial as it has been to so many who have gone before.

Older Children: Read verse 150 again. In this verse, what is the only description of the “wicked” who are pursuing the psalmist? What does this suggest to you about the fundamental nature of wickedness?

Younger Children: How old is God’s word? Do you think that it is older than Moses or Noah? Ask your parents to read John 1:1. Are you surprised? Since God’s word has lasted so long and it comes from God, how long do you think it will last in the future? (v.152)

Family Application: Talk together about how God’s word is eternal and a sure foundation for our souls. Consider how it strengthens the believer to memorize God’s word and how God’s word ministers to the Christian’s soul in every hardship and circumstance.

Pray: Thank God for how His word is a an anchor for our souls and though Heaven and Earth should pass away, His word stands firm and unshakable. Ask God to help you build your life on His word and to likewise build your family on His word. Thank Him for revealing His truth to sinners in His word and thank Him most of all for sending Jesus, the word incarnate, to win salvation for all who would repent and believe according to His word.

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/h/chofound.htm

Printable Version

Psalm for Prayer and Praise: Psalm 119:25-40 (NASB)

25 My soul cleaves to the dust; Revive me according to Your word.

26 I have told of my ways, and You have answered me; Teach me Your statutes.

27 Make me understand the way of Your precepts, So I will meditate on Your wonders.

28 My soul weeps because of grief; Strengthen me according to Your word.

29 Remove the false way from me, And graciously grant me Your law.

30 I have chosen the faithful way; I have placed Your ordinances before me.

31 I cling to Your testimonies; O LORD, do not put me to shame!

32 I shall run the way of Your commandments, For You will enlarge my heart.

33 Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes, And I shall observe it to the end.

34 Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law And keep it with all my heart.

35 Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, For I delight in it.

36 Incline my heart to Your testimonies And not to dishonest gain.

37 Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity, And revive me in Your ways.

38 Establish Your word to Your servant, As that which produces reverence for You.

39 Turn away my reproach which I dread, For Your ordinances are good.

40 Behold, I long for Your precepts; Revive me through Your righteousness.

Scripture Memory for the Week: Psalm 119:37

Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity, And revive me in Your ways.

Praying through the Psalms

Day 1 ~ The Ministries of the Word of God

Read: Psalm 119:25-32

Consider:

For Adults: In this psalm, we find the psalmist distressed and struggling to hold onto the promises and truth of God’s word. Notice how the psalmist answers his struggles by praying for God to minister to him by His word. What ministries do you see the Word preforming in these verses? Do you need these ministries this week?

Older Children: Look at verse 9 and read it again. What do you think the “false way” could be? Have you had to have help removing a “false way” from your own heart? Who and what has God given us to help with removing “false ways” from our hearts?

Younger Children: Have you ever been scared and grabbed onto your Mom or Dad really hard? Why do you think that you held close to them rather than something else like a stuffed animal or another toy? What did the psalmist “grab onto” for his security? Why?

Family Application: Talk together about all of the ways that God ministers to us by His Word (i.e. correction, strengthening, refreshing) and consider together which of those ministries your family stands in need of this week.

Pray: Thank God for how He works so powerfully through His written word and praise Him for his mercy in sending it for us. Pray that God would help you to draw near to Him through His word this week and that it would perform its ministry in your home 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 ~ Help for Understanding

Read: Psalm 119:33-36

Consider:

For Adults: It is interesting to note that in verse 35 the psalmist prays for God’s help to make him walk in His paths even though he says that he delights in it. Do you ever find yourself struggling to make the righteous choice that you know will bring you joy and delight? How do you think the power of indwelling sin affects your choices and how do you think that reality should affect your prayer life?

Older children: Read today’s verses then read 1 Corinthians 2:14. Why do you think that the psalmist prays what he does in verses 33 and 34. Why do you think that you should be praying this way?

Younger Children: Have you ever been somewhere with your parents where they made you hold their hands and kept you walking close to them, even though you wanted to go somewhere else? Why do you think your parents did this? Does God do that to us sometime too? (v.35)

Family Application: Talk together about how the Word of God is spiritual and how it can’t be truly or fully understood without the special work of God’s Spirit upon the heart. Talk about why it is important to approach the word of God with prayer and humility.

Pray: Praise God for not only sending His word, but for also sending His Spirit to open the minds of sinful human beings and to teach us the Word of God. Pray that His Spirit would be active in your minds this week as you look into God’s word and that He would give you the strength to apply and obey what we read in God’s 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 ~ God’s Reviving Righteousness

Read: Psalm 119:37-40

Consider:

For Adults: Look closely at verses 39 and 40. The “reproach” in question is most like that which is justly due to acts of unrighteousness. How does God’s righteousness save His children from such reproach? Are you trusting Christ’s righteousness available to you through the cross today? How does this righteousness revive us?

Older Children: Read verse 38 again. What is reverence for God? How do you think God’s word produces “reverence” for God in our hearts?

Younger Children: Do your parents let you watch ANYTHING on TV or do they only let you watch what they say is O.K? Why do you think parent do this? Do you know that we can become like what we watch? Read our memory verse again. What sort of things do you think that God wants us to watch, think about, and be like?

Family Application: Talk together about what fruit reading God’s word together is producing in your home. Talk about how you are growing in reverence for God and in trusting in Christ for your needs and your joy.

Pray: Thank God again for sending us His word to show us the Gospel and for sending Jesus to earn righteousness that revives dead sinners. Thank God that all the reproach of His people was laid on Jesus at the cross and worship Him for providing us a way to share in his everlasting glory and joy.

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/b/t/btmvison.htm

Printable Version

Psalm for Prayer and Praise: Psalm 119:9-24 (NASB)

9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word.

10 With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let me wander from Your commandments.

11 Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.

12 Blessed are You, O LORD; Teach me Your statutes.

13 With my lips I have told of All the ordinances of Your mouth.

14 I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, As much as in all riches.

15 I will meditate on Your precepts And regard Your ways.

16 I shall delight in Your statutes; I shall not forget Your word.

17 Deal bountifully with Your servant, That I may live and keep Your word.

18 Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law.

19 I am a stranger in the earth; Do not hide Your commandments from me.

20 My soul is crushed with longing After Your ordinances at all times.

21 You rebuke the arrogant, the cursed, Who wander from Your commandments.

22 Take away reproach and contempt from me, For I observe Your testimonies.

23 Even though princes sit and talk against me, Your servant meditates on Your statutes.

24 Your testimonies also are my delight; They are my counselors.

Scripture Memory for the Week: Psalm 119:18

Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law.

Praying through the Psalms

Day 1 ~ The Word of God, our Guide

Read: Psalm 119:9-16

Consider:

For Adults: This psalm is one of the greatest celebrations of the Word of God found within pages of scripture. As you read these verses over the next few weeks, consider the Psalmist’s disposition to the word and how Christ says that His sheep hear his voice. Do you hear His voice as you read scripture? Compare the reaction of your heart to that of the Psalmist and ask God to open His word to you in a supernatural way in the days ahead.

Older children: How does sin affect our relationship with others? How does sin affect our relationship with God. What tool has God given you to fight against the sins that tempt you? (hint – v.11)

Younger children: How do you know right from wrong? How do your parents know right from wrong? How does the Bible help us to “keep our way pure?”

Family Application: Talk together about how God’s giving of His word to us is an act of incredible mercy. Consider the fact that God’s justice does not require it but rather that it is an act of His love toward sinners. Talk about ways in which you can cherish God’s word in your home this week.

Pray: Thank God for sending us His word which tells us of His law and of Christ and the Gospel. Confess any apathy that you may have felt towards His word of late and pray that God would make His word come alive in your hearts as you read it in the coming days.

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 Illuminated Word

Read: Psalm 119:17-20

Consider:

For Adults: Consider again how the Psalmist feels towards God’s word in verses 19 and 20. How do you think that God’s word might lead us to feel as “strangers” on the earth and how does it affect the desires and yearnings of God’s people?

Older children: Why do you think our church pastors always pray before they begin their sermons? How do you think it might help you to begin your Bible reading with prayer every day? (v.18)

Younger children: Have you ever needed help when you were trying to find something you couldn’t see? Have you ever had to have your parents show you something that was actually not hidden? Who has to help us if we are going to “see” and understand everything in God’s word? (v.18)

Family Application: Consider together how sin affects man’s ability to understand the things of God and talk together about why it is so important that the Holy Spirit work in our hearts and minds as we read, study, and meditate upon God’s word.

Pray: Praise God today that He has not left His children as blind sinners with no guide, but instead gives them His word and His spirit to illuminate it to them. Pray together that God would illuminate His word in your family’s hearts as you read it together and individually this week, and that He would show forth His glory and majesty there to you all.

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 Word of God, Our Delight

Read: Psalm 119:21-24

Consider:

For Adults: In these verses we are introduced to the reality that delighting in and following God’s word can cause believers to be estranged from others and often the subject of social reproach. Note the Psalmist’s response listed in these verses is an affirmation of His delight in God’s word and a prayerful dependence upon God. Is prayer and meditation upon God’s word your first reaction to conflict? If not, consider why.

Older children: Will following God’s word always make other people think well of you? What should you do with others who think that you are actually being foolish when you choose to follow God’s word? What did the Psalmist do when others spoke unfavorably about his commitment to God’s word? (v.23&24)

Younger children: Do you think that there is anyone smarter than God? What do you think the Bible says about this? When people choose to ignore God’s commands and His word they are being “arrogant” (v.21) What do you think this means?

Family Application: Talk together about how a love for God’s word is one of the defining marks of the true child of God and how those who reject God’s word are subject to His rebuke and curse. Talk again about how Jesus’ voice is heard in His testimony throughout all of the scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, and how this is the primary place where believers hear His voice speaking to them and leading them today.

Pray: Thank God again today for sending His word as a testimony of Himself to us and for how His word leads believers in the path of life. Pray today for anyone that you know who has rejected God’s word and chosen their own wisdom for their life over His. Pray that He would soften their hearts and open their eyes to Jesus through scripture and that they would come to know God’s mercy instead of His curse.

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/l/e/leadonok.htm

Printable Version

Psalm for Prayer and Praise: Psalm 111 (ESV)

1 I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.

2 Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them.

3 Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever.

4 He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful.

5 He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.

6 He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the inheritance of the nations.

7 The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy;

8 they are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.

9 He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever.  Holy and awesome is his name!

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!

Scripture Memory for the Week: Psalm 111:10

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!

Praying through the Psalms

Day 1 ~ The Public Praise of God’s People

Read: Psalm 111:1-3

Consider:

For Adults: Notice the presence of the “community” of the people of God in these verses. What do you see God’s people doing here and with whom are they practicing their acts of worship and devotion? What do you think this suggests about the notion in our culture of “private faith?” What does this suggest about the church in your life?

Older Children: Look again at verse 1. Where did the Psalmist offer his thanks and praise to God? Who was he with? What does this mean for God’s people today?

Younger Children: Can you think of some of your favorite Bible stories? Which ones would you like to have seen in person? How did God show His power in that story? Is God still that powerful today? (v.3)

Family Application: Talk together today about how God calls His people to worship Him not only privately, but also in public with other believers. Talk about your involvement in the local church and benefits you receive from studying (v.2) God’s wonders together.

Pray: Thank God today for His great power that He has shown and how He uses it to save His people from their every enemy. Thank Him today for your church and ask Him to show you how you can be more faithful to glorify Him in the worship and fellowship of your local church.

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 Steadfast Promises of God

Read: Psalm 111:4-8

Consider:

For Adults: Consider how God has sustained your life and provided for all your needs from the day of your birth until now. Consider the ways in which God has already shown His power in your life. How do these mercies compare with what God has in store for His people in the future in their eternal “Inheritance?”

Older children: What are the “Wondrous Works” in verse 4 that God has done for His people? What wondrous works has God done for you?

Younger children: Has anyone ever told you something that wasn’t true or promised to do something that they didn’t do? How did it make you feel? Does God ever say anything that isn’t true. Does He ever break a promise? (v.7-8) How should this make us feel about God?

Family Application: Talk about God’s mercies to His people in the Bible and His blessings to your family this week. Further, talk about the “Inheritance” that God has prepared for all who trust Christ in repentance and faith and consider the unimaginable joy that God has for His people in the future. Are you trusting Him today?

Pray: Thank God for how His word is completely true and how all of His promises are sure. Pray today that God would help you to trust in Christ more and trusting Him , to look with joy to the great eternal inheritance that God has in store for His people.

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 Fear of the Lord

Read: Psalm 111:9-10

Consider:

For Adults: Consider what a gracious friend God is to His people and yet what a terrible enemy the scripture reveals Him to be towards the wicked. Read verse 9 again and consider why God’s sending of redemption means that His name is “Holy and Awesome.” Are you reverencing Him today for all of who He is?

Older children: What does it mean when we say someone is wise? Can someone be truly wise without knowing or reverencing the one true God? Can anyone be truly wise without the “Fear of the Lord?”

Younger children: How do you feel when you see the mighty lions and tigers at the zoo when they are in their cages? How would you feel about them if you were in the cage with them? How is that like or not like how we should “fear” God?

Family Application: Talk together about what it means for a family to “Fear God” and the ways in which your family can work to show Him the reverence due to His person. Consider how you can reverence Him in prayer, in song, in worship and in daily life together.

Pray: Thank God today that He sent Jesus to redeem poor sinners from the just punishment that would otherwise be theirs at His own hand. Praise Him for how Holy and Awesome His character truly is and pray that He would open your eyes to more of His glory. Pray that you would reverence Him more this week in your heart, decisions, actions and habits.

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/m/a/marching.htm