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The Word of God says:

Psalm 130:7-8 (NASB)
⁷ O Israel, hope in the Lord; For with the Lord there is lovingkindness, And with Him is abundant redemption.
⁸ And He will redeem Israel From all his iniquities.

My reflections on the Word of God:

Today we conclude our meditation on Psalm 130. We will resume this walk through the Songs of Ascent in two weeks when I return from a trip to Louisiana where I will be attending the 50^th reunion of my High School class of 58.

The hope of Israel then and the hope of the church today is that God is interested in the salvation of individuals and the nation. God is interested in the salvation of Israel, and the individuals who comprise the nation.

Notice that God is interested in all of Israel, and that He will redeem Israel from all its sins. Consider what a wonderful salvation that we who comprise the new Israel have through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Psalm 111:9 (NASB)
⁹ He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever; Holy and awesome is His name.

Matthew 1:21 (NASB)
²¹ “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I am so glad that I have a redeemer, who is able to provide for the redemption of all people. I am so glad that the Father sent the Son to save His people from their sins.

Father God, I pray for the church, the Body of Christ, all of Your blood bought children. I praise and thank You for Your lovingkindness and for providing the means for our salvation.

Ephesians 1:7 (NASB)
⁷ In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace

Acts 20:28 (NASB)
²⁸ “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

I Am Praying for You (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

http://www.biblestudycharts.com/SH_I_Am_Praying_For_You.html

The Word of God says:

Psalm 130:5-6 (NASB)
⁵ I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope.
⁶ My soul waits for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning.

My reflections on the Word of God:

Yesterday our passage focused on the forgiveness the Lord gives His people. Forgiveness is not a license to sin more. Rather, it creates an environment for loving the Lord more. We learned from yesterday’s passage that forgiveness is a platform for God’s people to demonstrate their love for God, and their reverence of Him.

Psalm 130:4 (AMP)
⁴ But there is forgiveness with You [just what man needs], that You may be reverently feared and worshiped.

One of the benefits of being forgiven by the Lord is the hope that it produces for future blessings and favor from the hands of the Lord. Notice the faith in God that comes from the grateful and expectant heart of the Psalmist.

Psalm 130:5 (AMP)
⁵ I wait for the Lord, I expectantly wait, and in His word do I hope.

The Psalmist paints a very vivid picture of what it felt like to wait for the Lord. He compares it to the night watchmen waiting for the shift change in the morning when he will be relieved of his night duties.

Psalm 130:6 (AMP)
⁶ I am looking and waiting for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, I say, more than watchmen for the morning.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I praise and thank You that with You there is always hope for a brighter tomorrow for the person who puts their trust in the Lord.

Father God, You are a faithful God, and Your mercies are new every morning. Knowing a God like You brings joy to my heart as I reflect upon the greatness and the goodness of our God.

Great Is Thy Faithfulness (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

http://www.biblestudycharts.com/SH_Great_Is_Thy_Faithfulness.html

The Word of God says:

Psalm 130:3-4 (NASB)
³ If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
⁴ But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.

My reflections on the Word of God:

There is one thing that all of us share in common, and that is the problem of sin. In the court room of justice we all stand guilty as charged. That is the plight that the Psalmist made in verse three.

Psalm 130:3 (AMP)
³ If You, Lord, should keep account of and treat [us according to our] sins, O Lord, who could stand?

The Psalmist asked the right question. We have a big problem. Even the best lawyer could not help us get relief in the court of law and justice.

Galatians 2:16 (NASB)
¹⁶ nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.

Romans 3:20 (NASB)
²⁰ because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

However, we need not despair. There is one who can help us in our condition of sin. The one is described in verse four of our focal passage listed above. There is a God in heaven that is gracious. He is the God of grace and mercy.

Psalm 86:5 (NASB)
⁵ For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.

Because of His greatness and His goodness His children delight to fear Him. That is what the Psalmist said in verse four.

Psalm 130:4 (AMP)
⁴ But there is forgiveness with You [just what man needs], that You may be reverently feared and worshiped.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, I delight to fear You for You are a great God, and You are greatly to be reverently feared and worshiped.

Father God, without Your grace, mercy, and forgiveness I would be lost and undone, and without hope in this world or in the world to come.

Ephesians 2:4-5 (NASB)
⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
⁵ even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

Saved, Saved (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

http://www.biblestudycharts.com/SH_Saved_Saved.html

The Word of God says:

Psalm 130:1-8 (NASB)
¹ Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord.
² Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive To the voice of my supplications.
³ If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
⁴ But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.
⁵ I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope.
⁶ My soul waits for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning.
⁷ O Israel, hope in the Lord; For with the Lord there is lovingkindness, And with Him is abundant redemption.
⁸ And He will redeem Israel From all his iniquities.

My reflections on the Word of God:

We have been on this journey of walking through the 15 Psalms of Ascent since May 28. We started with Psalm 120, and today we begin our look at Psalm 130. A common thread that we have seen running throughout these Psalms is that God’s people can trust in the Lord for any and every thing.

As God’s people described in these Psalms made there pilgrimage up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord on the feast days they trusted in the Lord in their times of trial and in their times of triumph. They found God to be God on the mountain and God in the valley.

In our journey through this world, with all of its problems and with all of its difficulties, we will find that what the nation of Israel found to be true as recorded in these Psalms, we will also find these same things to be true in our lives if we will look to the God of the mountains and the God of the valleys. If we learn to trust in the Lord, we will find that He will never fail us.

Today, our focus is on the first two verses of Psalm 130. In these verses we see the Psalmist speaking to God with passion because of some great problem that the people of the nation faced. There are times in our lives that we have to sink to the bottom before we are willing to look up and seek the help of the only one who is truly able to help us.

When we lift our eyes out of the depths of our trials and our troubles we will find that the Lord is a God on tender mercies. If you feeling like you are drowning in the depths of your problems and troubles, now is the time to turn and look up to the Lord. You can pray the prayer that Simon Peter prayed when he took his eyes off of Jesus while walking on the water to meet Jesus. Peter simply cried out, “Lord, help me”.

Psalm 130:1-2 (NASB)
¹ Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord.
² Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive To the voice of my supplications.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I praise and thank You that the door to Your throne room in heaven is always open and we have a standing invitation to come and visit with You. Father God, I pray that we will make it a practice to come to You before we get into the deep water and start to drown in our problems and our troubles.

However, whenever we come to You, I know that we will find that You are able to help us and that You are willing to hear our cry, and meet our needs.

Jesus I Come (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

http://www.biblestudycharts.com/SH_Jesus_I_Come.html

The Word of God says:

Psalms 129:5-8 (NASB)
⁵ May all who hate Zion Be put to shame and turned backward;
⁶ Let them be like grass upon the housetops, Which withers before it grows up;
⁷ With which the reaper does not fill his hand, Or the binder of sheaves his bosom;
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.”

My reflections on the Word of God:

Today we conclude our meditation on Psalm 129. Our focal passage is about harvest time. This passage is a prayer by the Psalmist. It is a prayer that is deeply rooted in faith in the Lord. The God of the Psalmist is a sovereign God, and He is righteous in all His ways. Therefore, the Psalmist is willing to trust those who “hate Zion” into the hands of the one who will judge their evil deeds, and render just punishment.

Psalms 129:4 (NASB)
⁴ The Lord is righteous; He has cut in two the cords of the wicked.

It would be well for every Christian to follow the example of the Psalmist. Resist the temptation to return evil for evil. Trust in the Lord, and go to Him in prayer for the haters.

Romans 12:14 (NIV)
¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

Romans 12:17-19 (NIV)
¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.
¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I praise and thank You that those who hate Zion and those who hate Christians will not have the last word.

Lord, I thank You that there is a righteous judge that the evil doers will have to face, and that their evil deeds will not go unpunished.

Father God, help me and all of Your believing children to be patient, and to learn to never return evil for evil. Father, help us to learn to take everything to You in prayer.

What a Friend We Have in Jesus (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

http://www.biblestudycharts.com/SH_What_a_Friend_v1.html

The Word of God says:

Psalms 129:1-4 (NASB)
¹ “Many times they have persecuted me from my youth up,” Let Israel now say,
² “Many times they have persecuted me from my youth up; Yet they have not prevailed against me.
³ “The plowers plowed upon my back; They lengthened their furrows.”
⁴ The Lord is righteous; He has cut in two the cords of the wicked.

My reflections on the Word of God:

I can relate to this passage on so many levels. Each of us has faced difficulties in our lives. They come in all shapes and sizes. The wonderful thing about trials and troubles is that they don’t last forever.

The cry of the Psalmist and the people of Israel is a cry that God’s people of every age can relate to. It is certainly a cry that the first century church would have been able to relate to. The church from its very beginning has faced persecution. The church from its small beginning had to face powerful opposition.

In their repeated pain brought on by persecution God’s people had learned to be patient, to trust in God, and to wait on God. In their pain the people learned to make poetry out of their problems. They learned to make music out of their misery. As a result they received provisions out of their patience.

God’s people then and God’s people today can look up and rejoice because they are “cast down but not destroyed”.

Psalms 37:24 (KJV)
²⁴ Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.

2 Corinthians 4:9 (KJV)
⁹ Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I praise You and I thank You that You are not only the God of those who lived in past times, but that You are the God of the present and the future. Father God, I thank You that You are the one and only God, and I delight that I can put my trust in You and never am disappointed.

Father God, I thank You and I praise You for being a forever God. Lord I thank You that the provisions that You made for Israel is the same God that has made and continue to make provisions for the church.

The Church Triumphant (Click on link below to watch and listen to this song):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y0MstLEdT4

The Word of God says:

Psalms 129:1-8 (NASB)
¹ “Many times they have persecuted me from my youth up,” Let Israel now say,
² “Many times they have persecuted me from my youth up; Yet they have not prevailed against me.
³ “The plowers plowed upon my back; They lengthened their furrows.”
⁴ The Lord is righteous; He has cut in two the cords of the wicked.
⁵ May all who hate Zion Be put to shame and turned backward;
⁶ Let them be like grass upon the housetops, Which withers before it grows up;
⁷ With which the reaper does not fill his hand, Or the binder of sheaves his bosom;
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.”

My reflections on the Word of God:

The theme of this Psalm is that although the Lord’s people may face persecution in this world, those who persecute them will not prevail.

Notice the picture that the Psalmist draws in verse three. Can you imagine being face down in the dirt and having a plow going up and down your back? The people of Israel have faced persecution many times in their history. However, through it all they are able to say, “Yet they have not prevailed against me”.

Exodus 1:12-14 (NASB)
¹² But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out, so that they were in dread of the sons of Israel.
¹³ The Egyptians compelled the sons of Israel to labor rigorously;
¹⁴ and they made their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and bricks and at all kinds of labor in the field, all their labors which they rigorously imposed on them.

Exodus 1:22 (NASB)
²² Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born you are to cast into the Nile, and every daughter you are to keep alive.”

Judges 10:8-9 (NASB)
⁸ They afflicted and crushed the sons of Israel that year; for eighteen years they afflicted all the sons of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in Gilead in the land of the Amorites.
⁹ The sons of Ammon crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was greatly distressed.

Lamentations 1:3 (NASB)
³ Judah has gone into exile under affliction And under harsh servitude; She dwells among the nations, But she has found no rest; All her pursuers have overtaken her In the midst of distress.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Father God, my dear Father, I can only imagine how tough it must have been for Your people to have faced the many times that they have had to face persecution by their enemies. However, the goodnews is that their enemies did not ultimately prevail against them.

Father God, we are thankful for the bible that affords us the opportunities of learning from the experiences of those who went before us. Father, I pray that our hearts and minds will be open to learn from these Old Testament saints.

Romans 15:4 (NASB)
⁴ For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Wonderful Words of Life (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

http://www.biblestudycharts.com/SH_Wonderful_Words_of_Life.html

The Word of God says:

Psalms 128:1-6 (NASB)
¹ How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, Who walks in His ways.
² When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands, You will be happy and it will be well with you.
³ Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine Within your house, Your children like olive plants Around your table.
⁴ Behold, for thus shall the man be blessed Who fears the Lord.
⁵ The Lord bless you from Zion, And may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.
⁶ Indeed, may you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel!

My reflections on the Word of God:

Today we conclude our meditation on this Psalm. Our focus is on verses five and six. It is noteworthy of the priority of the home that permeates this Psalm.  You can see the importance that the Psalmist places upon God, family and nation. Additionally we see how the Psalmist covers the values of right relationship with God (v.1), meaningful work (v.2), Godly wife and the blessing of growing children (v.3), and life that is long enough to enjoy the blessings of grandchildren (v 6).

Our focal passage for today concludes the Psalm with a benediction (v.5) and a prayer (v.6). In this brief Psalm the poet moves from a family consisting of husband and wife, to children, and then to grandchildren. Having experienced that journey it seems to happen in real life so quickly.

Like the Psalmist we must pray much for our spouse, children, and grandchildren that the Lord’s hand of blessing would be upon their lives.

Ephesians 1:3 (NASB)
³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

Proverbs 17:6 (NASB)
⁶ Grandchildren are the crown of old men, And the glory of sons is their fathers.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I pray that we will all take to heart the priority of having a right relationship with the Lord as being of first priority. Lord, I thank You that because of Your lovingkindness, grace and mercy that we who are Your people are the recipients of your boundless blessings.

James 1:17 (ESV)
¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Open the Windows of Heaven (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

http://www.biblestudycharts.com/SH_Open_the_Windows_of_Heaven.html

The Word of God says:

Psalms 128:1-6 (NASB)
¹ How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, Who walks in His ways.
² When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands, You will be happy and it will be well with you.
³ Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine Within your house, Your children like olive plants Around your table.
⁴ Behold, for thus shall the man be blessed Who fears the Lord.
⁵ The Lord bless you from Zion, And may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.
⁶ Indeed, may you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel!

My reflections on the Word of God:

Today we conclude our meditation on this Psalm. Our focus is on verses five and six. It is noteworthy of the priority of the home that permeates this Psalm.  You can see the importance that the Psalmist places upon God, family and nation. Additionally we see how the Psalmist covers the values of right relationship with God (v.1), meaningful work (v.2), Godly wife and the blessing of growing children (v.3), and life that is long enough to enjoy the blessings of grandchildren (v 6).

Our focal passage for today concludes the Psalm with a benediction (v.5) and a prayer (v.6). In this brief Psalm the poet moves from a family consisting of husband and wife, to children, and then to grandchildren. Having experienced that journey it seems to happen in real life so quickly.

Like the Psalmist we must pray much for our spouse, children, and grandchildren that the Lord’s hand of blessing would be upon their lives.

Ephesians 1:3 (NASB)
³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

Proverbs 17:6 (NASB)
⁶ Grandchildren are the crown of old men, And the glory of sons is their fathers.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I pray that we will all take to heart the priority of having a right relationship with the Lord as being of first priority. Lord, I thank You that because of Your lovingkindness, grace and mercy that we who are Your people are the recipients of your boundless blessings.

James 1:17 (ESV)
¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Open the Windows of Heaven (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

http://www.biblestudycharts.com/SH_Open_the_Windows_of_Heaven.html

The Word of God says:

Psalms 128:1-4 (NASB)
¹ How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, Who walks in His ways.
² When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands, You will be happy and it will be well with you.
³ Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine Within your house, Your children like olive plants Around your table.
⁴ Behold, for thus shall the man be blessed Who fears the Lord.

My reflections on the Word of God:

Today our focus moves to verses three and four. These verses speak of the family. In this song of degrees you can see the growth of the children.

Psalms 127:3-5 (NASB)
³ Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward.
⁴ Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth.
⁵ How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They will not be ashamed When they speak with their enemies in the gate.

The image of the vine and olive plant suggest growth and fruitfulness. You can see the growth in the children from Psalm 127 to Psalm 128. Notice the references in Psalm 128:3 to the wife as being within the house, and the children being around the table.

 What a delightful picture of the family of the Godly man who trusts in the Lord and who fears the Lord. Both his wife and his children are blessings from the Lord. And all these blessings accrue to the man who fears the Lord.

Psalms 128:4 (AMP)
⁴ Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who reverently and worshipfully fears the Lord.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Father God, my dear Father, I thank You for all of Your blessings that You bestow upon Your people. Father, I thank You for the blessings that You give to those who fear You reverently and worshipfully. Father God, I pray that You will give us more Christian homes that will be pictures to the world of how You want to bless those who trust in You, and who fear You.

Blest the Man That Fears Jehovah (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/b/l/blestman.htm