In You, O LORD, I put my trust; let me never be ashamed; deliver me in Your righteousness.  Bow down Your ear to me, deliver me speedily; be my rock of refuge, a fortress of defense to save me; for You are my rock and my fortress; therefore, for Your name's sake, lead me and guide me. Psalm 31: 1-3, NKJV. Today we look to You, dear Father, hoping to hear a Word that will give hope to our hearts; in the name of Jesus our Savior we pray; Amen. We live in a now generation.  "I want my money,...

Truly God is good to Israel, to such as are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. Psalm 73: 1-3, NRSV. Gracious God, please keep our feet from slipping, by speaking to us through Your Word; in the name of Jesus we pray. Amen. As we continue to look at the "hard sayings" in the Book of Psalms, our study today, takes us to Psalm 73. How many of us would admit to anyone, even...

Why, O LORD, do ou stand far off?  Why do ou hide ourself in times of trouble? Psalm 10: 1, NIV. Heavenly Father, even when it seems that You are far from us, please teach us, from Your Word, that You are always near.  In the name of Jesus we pray.  Amen. Today, we continue looking at some of the hard questions asked by the psalmist.  These are some of the questions that some of us think about, but do not dare to ask.  This psalm is considered a part of Psalm 9; that is, Psalms 9 and 10, constitute one psalm...

I lie down among lions that greedily devour human prey; their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongues sharp swords. Psalm 57: 4, NRSV. Dear Lord, it is bad enough when we are trampled upon, oppressed, and fought against; but when we are torn apart by teeth, and pierced asunder by the tongue, it can seem unbearable; so at this hour Lord, teach us how to survive.  We ask this in the name of Jesus; Amen. Almost all of us, have heard the saying, "Stick and stone may break my bones; but words can never hurt me!"  Some of us may...

Be gracious to me, O God, for people trample on me; all day long foes oppress me; my enemies trample on me all day long, for many fight against me.  O Most High, when I am afraid, I put my trust in ou.  In God whose word I praise, in God I trust; I am not afraid; what can flesh do to me?  Psalm 56: 1-4, NRSV.  Heavenly Parent, as we enter the study of Your Word today, please help us to remember that when the help of humans fail; Jesus never fails!  In His name we pray.  Amen. For the...

How long, O LORD, Will You forget me forever?  How long will You hide Your face from me?  How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my soul daily?  How long will My enemy be exalted over me? Consider and hear me, O LORD my God; enlighten my eyes lest I sleep the sleep of death; lest my enemy say, "I have prevailed against him;" Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.  But I have trusted in Your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.  I will sing to the LORD, because He...

"And now, LORD, What do I wait for?  My hope is in You.  Deliver me from all my transgressions; do not make me the reproach of the foolish.  I was mute, I did not open my mouth, because it was You who did it.  Remove Your plague from me; I am consumed by the blow of Your hand.  When with rebukes You correct man for iniquity, You make his beauty melt away like a moth; surely every man is vapor.  Selah  Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry; do not be silent at my tears; for...

A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones. Proverbs 17: 22, NKJV. Gracious God, we need a word from You as we continue in the study of this topic.  Help us we pray, for Christ's sake. Amen. Today we continue with our study on the positive effects of a "merry heart." I am sure that many of us have heard of the positive effects of laughter. The effects are so visible, that studies have been conducted on the "how," and "why," laughter is good for us.  Let me share with you some of the excerpts from...

A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones. Proverbs 17: 22, NKJV. Dear God, please teach us Your joy, that we might be blessed; for Christ's sake; Amen. It is interesting to note that joy is a part of the fruit of the Spirit, and a merry heart is a by-product of joy.  The Lord, in the place of mourning, gives us "the oil of joy; and the garment of praise, for the spirit of heaviness" (Isaiah 61: 3).  Joy oftentimes precedes praise; and when we are sad, and we begin to praise, heaviness, will eventually depart from...

And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height.  And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and you shall make on it a molding of gold all around.  You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four corners; two rings shall be on one side, and two rings on the other side.  And you shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay...