Category: “Listening to God” Devotional

Read chapter in full: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Psalms+129

Psalm 129 English Standard Version (ESV)

They Have Afflicted Me from My Youth

A Song of Ascents.

 

129 “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth”—
  let Israel now say—
2 “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth,
  yet they have not prevailed against me.
3 The plowers plowed upon my back;
  they made long their furrows.”
4 The Lord is righteous;
  he has cut the cords of the wicked.
5 May all who hate Zion
  be put to shame and turned backward!
6 Let them be like the grass on the housetops,
  which withers before it grows up,
7 with which the reaper does not fill his hand
  nor the binder of sheaves his arms,
8 nor do those who pass by say,
  “The blessing of the Lord be upon you!
  We bless you in the name of the Lord!”

 

Reflection

• The psalm writer urged the people to acknowledge that God had enabled Israel to survive the many persecutions throughout her history. Israel’s enemies had, as it were, plowed deep furrows on Israel’s back. This was a vivid figure of speech in an agricultural economy. It pictures the land as a human being. However, righteous God had cut the cords to Israel’s oppressors.
• The psalmist encouraged the Israelite pilgrims to pray for continuing deliverance. The mention of Zion, the pilgrim’s destination, recalled the place where God dwelt, the most important place in Israel. Those who hated Zion would be hating and setting themselves against God.
• God’s people should carefully thank Him for past deliverances, but should also continue to pray for His safekeeping in the future, since their enemies will continue to oppose and oppress them.

Read chapter in full: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Psalms+128

Psalm 128 English Standard Version (ESV)

Blessed Is Everyone Who Fears the Lord

A Song of Ascents.

 

128 Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
  who walks in his ways!
2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
  you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.

3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
  within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
  around your table.
4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
  who fears the Lord.

5 The Lord bless you from Zion!
  May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
  all the days of your life!
6 May you see your children’s children!
  Peace be upon Israel!

 

Reflection

• “Fear of the Lord”, the Old Testament respect for God that motivates obedience, is the path of blessing for all of us. In most cases, the blessing will be obvious: long life, prosperity, a large and happy family.
• These are the things that the Jews of biblical times wished for one another as they gathered for worship. Peace and prosperity.
• This psalm beautifully tied family and nation together in the thinking of the pilgrim Israelite who traveled with his family to Jerusalem for a national feast. It is a reminder of the importance of God’s blessing on both home and nation that are mutually dependent. Families and nations can only succeed with God’s blessing.
• Pray for your family and your nation to fear the Lord and to enjoy God’s blessings.

 

Read chapter in full: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Psalms+127

Psalm 127

English Standard Version (ESV)

Unless the Lord Builds the House

A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.

127 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.

 

 

Reflection

• Our culture elevates the possession of things and applauds compulsive work habits. This psalm puts it in perspective. We can’t be self-sufficient. We can’t make ourselves safe. Work and workaholic lifestyles don’t help a bit. God alone provides, guards, and gives peace.
• The folly of working all the time and not trusting in the Lord should be obvious when one considers that much of what we enjoy does not come from working hard. Many of life’s best blessings come as gifts from God. Children are one of these great gifts. God gives them to a couple or withholds them, as he chooses, regardless of how much a husband and wife may strive to obtain them. 
• Followers of Christ need to recognize that people are never self-made. We owe all that we possess to God’s providence ultimately. Consequently, we should avoid the trap of depending totally on ourselves for all we need in life. Instead, we should trust God as we work and acknowledge His good gifts.
• Is God building your business? Family? Support system? Or are you building it?
• Have a conversation with God about this “building” business.

 

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in the “Spiritual Journal” book.

Read chapter in full: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Psalms+126

Psalm 126

English Standard Version (ESV)

Restore Our Fortunes, O Lord

A Song of Ascents.

126 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
  we were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
  and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
  “The Lord has done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us;
  we are glad.

4 Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
  like streams in the Negeb!
5 Those who sow in tears
  shall reap with shouts of joy!
6 He who goes out weeping,
  bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
  bringing his sheaves with him.

 

 

Reflection

• This is a song of celebration by the exiles who returned to Zion. What emotions do you see expressed throughout this psalm? Have you ever experienced such emotions?
• Has God ever done something so great that you had to pinch yourself to see if you were dreaming?
• The Israelites give God the credit for the “great things” that have happened. How do you do with giving God the credit?
• When do you feel inhibited about freely expressing your joy?

What do you need to praise God for? Share your joy with him and others.

Read chapter in full: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Psalms+125

Psalm 125

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Lord Surrounds His People

A Song of Ascents.

125 Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
  which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
  so the Lord surrounds his people,
  from this time forth and forevermore.
3 For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest
  on the land allotted to the righteous,
lest the righteous stretch out
  their hands to do wrong.
4 Do good, O Lord, to those who are good,
  and to those who are upright in their hearts!
5 But those who turn aside to their crooked ways
  the Lord will lead away with evildoers!
  Peace be upon Israel!

 

 

Reflection

• The simile “like Mount Zion” offers a powerful image. Those who trust God enter into a towering security where evil neither has sway nor corrupts, where God’s goodness and peace prevail.
• Christians will also face many temptations and challenges as we live out our lives with God in this world. We should have such confidence and stability knowing that “the Lord surrounds his people from this time forth and forevermore” (v2).
• What worldly influences tempt you at home, at work, or in society? How do you stay “unmoved” (v1)?
• When is it hardest for you to trust the Lord? Why?

 

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in the “Spiritual Journal” book.