Sovereign Grace Ministries just held their ‘08 worship conference, the theme of which was the Psalms. Below is a link to audio files of the general sessions. I’ve not listened yet, but have heard most of the speakers before and they are always very good.
This is the message from Job Michael Card mentions in the previous message.
I just finished listening to this message by Michael Card on laments in Scripture. It fits so perfectly with our Psalm study. I hope you will be encouraged by it as you listen and pray over its contents.
It used to be that the men would go and study in the synagogues and come home and teach their wives and children–a woman didn’t get to read the Scriptures for herself during the week. Then on Sundays (for the Christians) she would listen during the meeting and could ask her husband questions at home. A woman could pray, and was expected to, but she couldn’t have what we now call a quiet time which includes Bible study. She certainly would not lead a Bible study like this. She would meditate on the Scriptures she had hidden in her heart during meetings and family worship times.
I am thankful that we as women have access to God’s word, but in some ways I think we are at a disadvantage when it comes to respecting and honoring our husbands. I want my husband to lead me and teach me, but because I have been immersed in God’s word since I was a small girl he sometimes feels that he has nothing he can teach me, and I am tempted to try to teach him instead. . .because many of us work at home taking care of our families, we often have more time to study than our husbands do and that can make us feel spiritually superior to them.
I am not saying that we should stop reading and studying our Bibles–I am so thankful I can read it, and have it available for teaching my children during the day when my husband is at work. Proverbs makes it pretty clear that wives play a role alongside their husbands in the teaching of their children. But it is so important for us to remember that a spiritual woman is not one who spends her day reading the Bible and praying to the neglect of her husband and children, and who then lords her spirituality over her husband. I confess to being tempted by this throughout my marriage, and it is sin. God is not pleased with my arrogance. A spiritual woman obeys the word as she loves her husband and children, is self-controlled, pure, a worker in her home, kind, submissive to her own husband, is modest, has a gentle and quiet spirit, respects her husband, raises her children with faith, love and holiness, is faithful to do good works, is diligent instead of lazy, speaks only well of her husband and is trustworthy, can guard her tongue, is hospitable and helps those in affliction. . .
Psalm 86:11 asks the Lord, “Teach me Your way, O Lord, that I may walk in Your truth; UNITE my heart to FEAR Your name.” My prayer for us is that our time of Bible study and meditation on truth will renew our minds so that we can serve our families the way God intends for us to. In this way we will defeat Satan’s intentions for our family, and this is spiritual indeed! Proverbs says the virtuous woman is one who fears the Lord and her description in chapter 31 is of a hard working, loving wife who honors her husband in all her words and actions, doing him good all the days of her life, caring for the needs of her family and the poor, teaching with wisdom and kindness–she supports her husband, with no thought for herself or her own glory, so he can succeed in the role God has given him as an elder in the land.
Father, unite my heart to fear You so that I will obey Your command to respect, honor and submit to my husband. Make me the helper he needs so he can devote himself to the calling you’ve placed on his life. Thank you that it is spiritual to serve in my home and in my church family and that when I do this I give no opportunity to Satan for slander. Please keep me from being deceived by Satan’s lies. Help me to believe Your word and obey and love You with all my heart, soul, mind and strength.
How lovely is Your presence. Thank You that my heart is a temple of the Holy Spirit. My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God! You care even for the small birds–You give them homes and know when they fall to the ground. You make me go from strength to strength when I seek You with all my heart. One day spent with You is better than 1000 elsewhere. Thank You for saving me. (From Psalm 84.)
I sometimes chide myself for using God’s name repeatedly in my prayers, but this psalm refers to the Lord’s names over and over. This is a sincere prayer to God and is not using God’s name in vain. If nothing else, it is a constant reminder of who I am talking to when I say Father, Lord, God, etc. throughout my prayers. It would be good to meditate on and use more of God’s names when I pray.
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Lord, make Your footsteps our pathway that we may walk in the way of wisdom. Let Your righteousness bear fruit in our hearts. We do fear You, but increase our fear and reverence for You. Help us to hate our sin, and keep us from foolishness. Your words are peaceable. Help us to listen and obey. Your mercy, the covering of our sin, and the turning away of your anger leads us to rejoice in You! Our hearts are revived when we remember Your goodness to us which we have not deserved. Cause us to go and sin no more so that You may be glorified in our hearts, our home, our church, and our land. (From Psalm 85.)
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Psalm 86 is respectful yet very personal, indicating a close relationship with the Lord. The requests are humble, from a servant requesting mercy and help from his master, yet bold, knowing for sure that God will answer.
David is in anguish and cries to the Lord all day long. He asks God to put joy in his heart. He lifts up his soul to God instead of staying focused on his distress.
He prays in confident faith. There is no doublemindedness here. He is not confident in his own merit as if he deserved to be heard. His confidence in in God as the all-powerful and Sovereign God who is good, merciful, forgiving, able to strengthen and save.
David doesn’t assume that he knows everything about God. Instead, he asks God to teach him His ways so he can obey. He asks the Lord to unite his heart to fear His name. Perhaps he sees a double-minded lack of faith in his heart and says a similar thing to “I believe, but help my unbelief.” He knows that even his faith comes from God.
His heart is full of thanksgiving and praise and a desire to glorify God’s name.
I had said I was going to spend some time focusing on ‘The Living God.” I’ve been slowly working my way through the following Scriptures and post them here in case you’d like to do the same. Last week I didn’t do so well with any personal study time–we only did family stuff. But I am trying to get back into this week. I am going to try to finish week seven and finish going through this list, this week, and then start week eight next Monday.
Psalm 42:2; 84:2
1 Timothy 3:15
Job 23:3
Isaiah 26:9; 37:4, 17; 64:1
Deuteronomy 5:26
Joshua 3:10
1 Samuel 17:26
2 Kings 19:4
Jeremiah 10:10 (the whole chapter is amazing); 23:36
Daniel 6:20, 26
Hosea 1:10
Matthew 16:16; 22:32; 26:63
Mark 12:27
Luke 20:38; 24:5
John 4:10; 6:51, 57, 69; 7:38
Acts 14:15
Romans 9:26; 14:9
2 Corinthians 3:3; 6:16
1 Thessalonians 1:9
1 Timothy 4:10; 6:17
Hebrews 3:12; 9:14; 10:31; 12:22
1 Peter 2:4
Revelation 7:2
The Lord helped me up this morning so I could have some quiet time with Him and to do my study in Psalm. This lesson that I am in has become my favorite and the Lord has caused me to seek and search in so many ways. I get excited each time I open the book and given an assignment! In this lesson we were asked to read Psalm 88 again and this time each verse was written out and we were to read the verse, then in the middle column we would read or write cross references that corresponded to the psalmists words, and in the third column we were to write a prayer to God incorporating the truths from the middle column. I have done this for 3 days now and let me tell you, it has been amazing! I sat here this morning looking at each column and how I can apply this to my daily life. I thought….”Situation, Truths, and Prayer”! That would be something I could say to myself each time I find myself in a situation. As I was sitting there I said S.T.P. Ok, here I go again with pictures of things. 
I remember as a teenager when S.T.P. was a big thing they used to advertise for you to use for you car. I couldn’t really remember what all it was to do but I looked it up and it said….. It is scientifically treated petroleum, oil treatment that helped automobiles motor oil resist thinning at high temperatures and pressures. 
I just smiled when I read this because my mind was saying ….. “hmmmmmm, S.T.P. Spiritually Treated, Persons. That is us as God’s children, and when the situations that we may be in begin to heat up and the pressure is getting too much, we have a savior who has given us what we need to run properly, His spirit that He poured out to us and filled us. Nothing I can go buy, He bought it for me by His blood, and it never runs out. I just have to allow the spirit to work in me.
Have a wonderful week!
Love,Tammy
I am just now starting week seven. How are you all doing? Is there something special God has been doing in your life during this study that you’d like to share?
This morning I woke up with the intention of having my quiet time. I had just sat down with my Bible and notebook when Sarah woke up crying because she’d wet her bed. In the past I would have been annoyed that I had to get up and take care of a needy child when I was supposed to be studying and praying. . .this is something the Lord has been working on in me, and I was so blessed by His grace this morning to serve my daughter with joy.
Then Laura came wanting breakfast. It wasn’t quite breakfast time and I really wanted to at least read the passage, so I pulled Laura onto my lap and we read Psalm 84 together. It is a beautiful psalm, full of praise and longing for the Living God. The sermon at church yesterday referred to God as the Living God (I Timothy 3:15), so it was neat to have that reinforced this morning. I think I will do a search for all the places the Bible refers to God as “the living God”. After we read, we prayed together and Laura asked God to “please help us.”
I only got to read, but it was a special time with God and Laura.
This morning I was back in my Psalm study and was reading chapter 88. When I got through reading it, I thought “Goodness this man was really down and feeling low!” I was wondering where his trust was in the Lord? I read it over several times and before long I was reminded of times in my life where I must of sounded the same to my Father. I would cry out to Him like I was reminding Him of what was going on, like He didn’t know, and ask Him why or what are you doing?? Are you there or where are you? God wants me to go to Him and tell him how I am feeling and cry out to him in times I am troubled but in Psalm 77 I am reminded how Asaph cried out to the Lord in distress, but then he began to meditate and acknowledge God for who His was and what He could do, his outlook on things began to change, he says “But I will remember the works of the Lord;surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all your work, and talk of Your deeds. Your way , O God is in the sanctuary; who is so great a God as our God?” He continues on meditating on what the Lord has done! I find when I do the same, everything else, although it is still there or going on, it takes on a whole new look, My Master, my savior, my creator, My God, is in complete control!
Lilly,
I appreciate you sharing your thoughts about wrath and repentance (see my comment under yours). I just finished week six as well.
The Kidner commentary says that it was Israel’s/Asaph’s objective to see all the earth bow to the Most High. I think one sign that we really know and love the Lord is that in our hearts there is an overwelming desire for God to be glorified.
This song by Eric Grover, of Sovereign Grace Ministries, resonates in my heart:
Your Great Renown
Our hearts are longing for the glory of the Lord
To be made known in all the earth.
Lord, let Your kingdom come,
Lord, let Your will be done.
Yours is the greatest name of all. . .
Chorus:
We want to see the nations bow,
We want to hear the rising sound,
Of the worship that You deserve.
We want this passion to abound,
A burden for Your great renown.
Our hearts are longing for the wisdom of the Lord
To be proclaimed in all the earth.
Your ways are higher than the dreams of any man
Yours is the greatest name of all. . .
Our hearts are hungry for the power of the Lord
To be displayed in all the earth.
The message of the cross will bring hope to the lost
Yours is the greatest name of all. . .
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