Maranatha Grace Church

Hello:

Tomorrow, November 11, 2015, Veterans Day we will start our challenge of the Book of Psalm. We have fifty one days left till the end of the year. The challenge will consist in reading three (3) psalms everyday for the next fifty (50) days. That will bring us up to December 30, 2015. On December 31, we will read again Psalm 119 to prepare us for the New Year.

Starting tomorrow - day1, please read the first three chapters of the book of Psalm, chapters 1-3.  On Thursday, day 2, please read chapter 4-6. You will notice that on day x, the chapters to read are [((x*3)-2) to (x*3)]; by example on day 3 the chapters to read are [(3*3)-2 to (3*3)] or [9-2 to 9], chapters 7 to 9.

I will be sending a gentle reminder each night so we can all keep in sync.

May the Lord richly bless you.

Hello:

Book of Psalm Challenge – Day 2 – Ps. 4, 5, 6.

The last time I went to Haiti, I was shocked to see the mango trees and other fruit trees of  my town, Cabaret, were dying. The problem was, I was told, a grant was giving to Cabaret by some NGO from Germany to cement all the rigoles (streams of water). They wanted to have the water flow smoothly and cleanly. There would be no more need to have a Kombit to clean the rigoles like the people used to do when I was growing up. Problem solved!

Good intention sometimes produces bad result. The trees that lined up the rigoles, needed the water to sip into the dirt to get into their roots. The rigoles do look nice with cement all around, but without water the trees are dying, no more fruits. The water is near the trees but can’t reach their roots, it can’t get into them.

We too need to have the word of God sipping drip by drip (day by day)  into our minds to our hearts in order for us to be the person that is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season (Psalms 1:3). Please keep on with the Challenge, it is good for you.

Yesterday in Derick Prince’s healing testimony, we saw how Mr. Prince used the Word of God daily as a medicine for his sickness, and he did get healed. Do you need healing? Do as Mr. Prince did. In addition, remember that we can take the Word of God for all our needs. Do you need a good night sleep? Psalms 4:8 is the medicament for you. Do you need favors? Psalms 5:12 can be the word for you. Do you need deliverance? You can call on God as the Psalmist did in Psalms 6:4, “Turn, Lord, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love.”

What do you have to lose? Nothing really, except your pride. “Lord, you have promised that these words of yours will be medicine to all my flesh. I'm taking them as my medicine now in the name of Jesus!”

May the Lord richly bless you

Hello:

Book of Psalms Challenge – Day 3 – Ps. 7, 8, 9.

Today is day 3 of our challenge to read three chapters daily of the Book of Psalms for the next fifty days. “C'est en mangeant que l'appetit vient", It's by eating that appetite comes,” we used to say back home. Don't feel discourage, keep reading.  I include below a classification of the book of Psalms from “Hunger’s Bible Handbook (page 274)” so you can get the big picture of the book.

1. Psalms  1-41  -- Doxology  41:13
2. Psalms  42-72 -- Doxology  72:18-19
3. Psalms  73-89 -- Doxology  89:52
4. Psalms  90-106 -- Doxology 106:48
5. Psalms 107-150  -- Doxology 150:1-6

Royal Psalms: 2, 18, 20, 21, 45, 72, 89, 101, 110, 144. They anticipate Christ as King.

Alphabetic Psalms:  9, 10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119, 145. They employ some arrangement based on the Hebrew alphabet.

Penitential Psalms: 6, 25, 32, 38, 39, 40, 51, 102, 130. These Psalms breathe deep contrition for sin committed.

Messianic Psalms: 2, 8, 16, 22, 45, 69, 72, 89, 110, 118, 132. They preview the person and work of the coming Messiah.

Imprecatory Psalms: 52, 58, 59, 69, 109, 140. All of these implore God’s vindication of His own against godless persecutors.

Hallelujah Psalms: 111-113, 115-117, 46-150. These psalms employ the term Hallelujah, meaning “Praise Jah [Jehovah].”

Elohistic Psalms: 42-83. They employ the name Elohim for God. Others use the name of Jehovah.

Ascent Psalms: 120-134. They were recited or sung as the pilgrims went up to Jerusalem to celebrate the feats.

May the Lord richly bless you.

Hello:

Book of Psalms Challenge – Day 4 – Ps. 10, 11, 12.

For the Lord is righteous,
 he loves justice;
 the upright will see his face. (Ps. 11:7)

And the words of the Lord are flawless,
 like silver purified in a crucible,
 like gold^[a] refined seven times. (Ps.12:6)

The Psalmist declares in Psalms 12, “And the words of the Lord are flawless.” Flawless is a very big word. Perfect is another big word. These words express something that is outside of the day to day occurrences in nature. We see around us every day sickness, disease, death and destruction because of the imperfections of nature.  Only qualities relative to God can be said to be flawless and perfect.

Two days ago Fortune’s headline was “Billionaire Buys 7-year-old Daughter Most Expensive Diamond Ever."  The diamond costs $48.5 million. Why such a high price, you may ask? The diamond is said to be flawless. So it is very expensive. I felt sorry for that little girl. Will the impact of such a gift on her life be positive? One cannot know for sure. But we know that Love, Joy, Peace, Security are not the result of money but special fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Only the flawless words of the Lord are forever. You can stake your present life, your tomorrow, your entire future on the Word of God. Ce que sa bouche a dit, sa main l’accomplira. God’s word will never return to him void, but will bring you true prosperity (Isaiah 55).

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalms Challenge – Day 5 – Ps. 13, 14, 15.

I will sing the Lord’s praise,
 for he has been good to me. (Ps. 13:6)

All of us should be able to say with the Psalmist, “I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.” You may look at your life difficulties now, and you don’t see how in all truthfulness you can utter such words.  But remember that everything in life is perspective, what one focuses on makes all the difference. Are you focusing on the Lord or on your circumstances? The psalmist complains bitterly in verses 1 and 2, asking God what’s going on.  You seem to have forgotten me. But it is the same person after counting the blessings of God in his life and remembering the unfailing love of God for him who boldly declares that God has been good to him. So you can do the same.

The Lord Jesus in his model prayer in the Sermon of the Mount, tells us to pray in a certain way that could shock most believers if they really pay attention. First, we praise God. Second, we petition for God for our needs. Third, we ask God for forgiveness. Christians most of the time start their prayers with the third step and they are sometimes blocked in their prayer life because they miss out the first step in prayer which is to praise God.

In Psalms 150:6 the psalmist is even bolder regarding the necessity of praising God, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.”

Do you praise God even when you don’t feel like doing it? Praising God is the key to your success in prayer. Do you start your prayers on the right note? I would encourage you to try the Jesus’ way of praying: “Start with Praise.”

 “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ your kingdom come,
your will be done,
 on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:9-10)

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalms Challenge – Day 7 – Ps. 19, 20, 21.

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer. (Ps. 19:14)

The last time that I said some thoughtless words, I decided not to speak a word for a whole day, to go completely silent for a whole day. I reasoned that it would be more beneficial to say nothing than to say unacceptable words in the sight of the Lord. However, not to say a say for a whole day is not an easy task.  Besides, one can quiet the mouth by will power or by avoidance, what about the heart?

The beauty of walking with God and desiring to be pleasing to him is that God himself does the work in us. The Psalmist in Ps. 19:14 is not saying what he wants to do for God, but rather what he wants God to do for him. Please Lord, allow my words and my heart to be right with you. We need to always remember that the Christian life is not the result of will power, but Holy Spirit power. ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty (Zechariah 4:6).

The Lord will change your heart and you words if you really ask him. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him (1 John 5:14-15).

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer. (Ps. 19:14)

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalms Challenge – Day 9– Ps. 25, 26, 27.

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
² O my God, in you I trust;
 let me not be put to shame;
 let not my enemies exult over me.
³ Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;
 they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. (Psalms 25:1-3)

The last time we sang the following Ke in the church I was in tears, tears of joy because I knew deep in my heart that was a word for me.

Poko janm gin moun ki pran desizyon
Poul sevi Bon Dié pou li soti wont
Lè yo humilié-ou lè yo fè ou deseption
Bon Dié sevi ak sa pou li delivre ou

Do you know why you will never be put to shame? Because the Lord had taken away your shame. He died so you can have life, life abundantly. Jesus said in John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” On the Cross, he switched places with us. He went through pain so that we don’t have to, through rejection, so we know we are always welcome in the Father’s house.

Jesus provided healing for us on the cross: “ But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:4-5)”

Jesus provided prosperity for us on the cross. On the cross they striped him naked taken all his belongings, complete destitution. But his lost was for our gain,  ^“For you  know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.(2 Corinthians 8:9) “ He makes us rich so we toot can be generous. ”And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.(2 Corinthians 9:8)”

At the cross is found everything that a human being needs: for his spirit, for his soul and for his body.

You will not be put to shame, trust in the Lord.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalms Challenge – Day 10 – Ps. 28, 29, 30.

Lord my God, I called to you for help,
 and you healed me. (Psalms 30:2)

Right after God rescued the Israelites from bondage in Egypt, he revealed himself to them as their healer, “I am the Lord, who heals you (Exodus 15:26)”. And throughout the Old Testament we see God’s healing power manifested in the lives of his people. All they had to do was to look up to him, and to call on his name. The psalmist started very sure of himself, “When I felt secure, I said, “I will never be shaken (Ps. 30:6).” He had not doubt that everything was going to be fine for him. But in the end, he realized that true security can only be found in God.

When was the last time that you sincerely called on the name of the Lord? The Bible clearly tells us that no matter our situation we can call on the name Lord and he will rescue us, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13).” We will encounter problems and difficulties in this life, but often times they are just opportunities for God’s glory to be manifested through us. So like the psalmist we can have a testimony of the everlasting goodness of the Lord.

Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people;
 praise his holy name.
⁵ For his anger lasts only a moment,
 but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
 but rejoicing comes in the morning. (Psalms 30:4-5)

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalms Challenge – Day 11 – Ps. 31, 32, 33.

We have been reading three psalms a day for the last ten days, and we will continue to do the same for the next forty days. This has been a very spiritual enriching experience for me, I hope it has been the same for you. We are very fortunate to be able to read the words of the Lord, and to meditate on them. For as Proverbs 4:22 says, “They are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body.” Reading the Bible is a very profitable exercise.

I would like to share with you the verses that have most touched me today through the readings.

Into your hands I commit my spirit;
 deliver me, Lord, my faithful God. (Psalms 31:5)

The Lord Jesus prayed that prayer of complete trust in God on the cross. However on Jesus’ lips it became something more intimate, “Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit (Luke 23:46).”  Jesus taught us that we too can call God “Father.” So we too can say, “Father into your hands I commit my Spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.”

 The second group of verses that I spent a good deal of time thinking about today were Psalms 32:1-2.

Blessed is the one
 whose transgressions are forgiven,
 whose sins are covered.
² Blessed is the one
 whose sin the Lord does not count against them
 and in whose spirit is no deceit. (Psalms 32:1-2)

Surely we are very blessed. When God forgives our sins, he does something only he can do.  He goes to our past, he changes it in order to rearrange our present and our future. Because of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, our sins are forgiven. We don’t have to reap what we sowed. We are indeed blessed peoples.

The last verses that really caught my attention were 33:16-18.

¹⁶ No king is saved by the size of his army;
 no warrior escapes by his great strength.
¹⁷ A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
 despite all its great strength it cannot save.
¹⁸ But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,
 on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, (Psalms 33:16-18)

You and I don’t need to cut corners. The fear of the Lord takes away all other fears.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalms Challenge – Day 12 – Ps. 34, 35, 36.

Taste and see that the Lord is good;
 blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
⁹ Fear the Lord, you his holy people,
 for those who fear him lack nothing.
¹⁰ The lions may grow weak and hungry,
 but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. (Psalms 34:8-10)

Our beautiful Haitian Kreyol language always put together the goodness of God and the name of God. In Haitian Kreyol, God’s name is always a compound word, “Bon Die, Good God.” But to say that God is good and to know that God is good are two different propositions. Have you tasted and seen for yourself that the Lord is good?

Intellectual acceptance of the truth of the word of God is not enough to sustain us in our spiritual journey. Throughout the ages, theologians have tried to prove the existence of God without any good result for all their efforts. Why? Because as the psalmist invites us to do we must “Taste and see that the Lord is good (Ps. 34:8).” In order words we must experience God.

The promises of God in Psalms 34 are so extraordinary that to our human minds they seem too good to be true. But they are not too good to be true. They are good, and they are true. “Let God be true, and every human being a liar. Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true (Romans 3:4)”. After you taste and see for yourself that the Lord is good, you can confidently say and expect the following promise to be a reality in your life, “The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.”  This promise is true, I have seen it played out in many countless lives who diligently sought after the Lord.

This week is Thanksgiving Week, all that is left for us to do is to glorify the Lord.

Glorify the Lord with me;
 let us exalt his name together. (Psalms 34:3)

May the Lord richly bless you!

 I was young and now I am old,
  yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
  or their children begging bread.(Psalms 37:25)

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalms Challenge – Day 14– Ps. 40, 41, 42

As the deer pants for streams of water,
 so my soul pants for you, my God.
² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
 When can I go and meet with God? (Psalms 42:1-2)

When I was growing up in Haiti, people used to write letters. It seems that every young person was a poet. We bought beautiful flowery papers to write beautiful letters. Love letters. It is a sad fact that technology has changed the way we communicate. Our communication has become more direct and brief.  We use emoji to express feelings in our text messages. But they are inadequate for the communication of the soul to the Lord.  We need words, beautiful words inside our prayers. We can learn to say with the psalmist:

As the deer pants for streams of water,
 so my soul pants for you, my God.
² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
 When can I go and meet with God? (Psalms 42:1-2)

In Psalms 40:10, the psalmist protests that true love for the Lord cannot be hidden in the heart. It must be openly professed.

 I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
 I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help.
I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness
 from the great assembly. (Psalms 40:10)

This Thanksgiving Week, I encourage you to count the blessings of the Lord, and to share your testimony of the goodness of Lord Jesus with your friends and your family.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalms Challenge – Day 15– Ps. 43, 44, 45.

⁶ Your throne, O God,^[c] will last for ever and ever;
 a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
⁷ You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
 therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
 by anointing you with the oil of joy. (Psalms 45:6-7)

These verses are repeated exactly in Hebrews 1:8-9 to refer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who is God anointed with the oil of joy. His joy can be our joy. The Bible tells us that joy is from God, joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. God gives us his joy and we cultivate that joy by thinking about all the great things that God has done for us. Mon âme, retourne à ton repos, Car l'Éternel t'a fait du bien. (Psalms 116:7)
 

God commands us to have joy, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4)." You could be going through one the most difficult experiences in your life right now, but God's command is to rejoice in him. Why? I can think of two specific reasons, even though there are a multitudes of reasons to rejoice in the Lord. First, Jesus came and died for us to save us and to give us eternal life. The second reason is, by rejoicing in the Lord in the midst of our difficulties, we build our faith up in order to overcome those same difficulties, " for the joy of the  Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

Be thankful, be joyful. Happy Thanksgiving!

May the Lord Richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalms Challenge – Day 16– Ps. 46, 47, 48.

I would like to invite you to read Deuteronomy 28:1-6, “Blessing for Obedience.”

If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. ² All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God:³ You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.⁴ The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.⁵ Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.⁶ You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. (Deuteronomy 28:1-6)

Then that you read Ephesians 1:3-7, “Spiritual Blessings in Christ.”

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. ⁴ For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵ he^[b] predestined us for adoption to sonship^[c] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace ⁸ that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding. (Ephesians 1:3-8)

One blessing is the result of work of complete obedience, the other blessing is the result of “God’s glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Which one do you prefer? We should prefer the blessings that come from grace - unmerited favor. It is a full package, in which the material blessings which are temporary follow the spiritual blessings which are eternal.

Brothers and Sisters, we have been blessed. As believers we can truly testify: “The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” (Proverbs 10:22)

Be thankful, be joyful. Happy Thanksgiving!

May the Lord Richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalms Challenge – Day 17– Ps. 49, 50, 51.

¹ Have mercy on me, O God,
 according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
 blot out my transgressions.
² Wash away all my iniquity
 and cleanse me from my sin. (Psalms 51:1-2)

Psalms 51 is one of the well-known psalms of the Bible. That psalms shows the seriousness of sin, and its danger. It also shows God’s mercy and grace toward repentant sinners. The biggest fear of David in psalms 51 is found in verse 11, “Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.” He knew two things well. First, as we sing all the time in our church, “Pi pres ou ce la vie, pi loin ou ce la mort.” Second, he knew that without the Holy Spirit of God, he is nothing. So he pleaded with God, “Do not take your Holy Spirit from me.” Are you conscious of the fact that since you are a Christian the Holy Spirit lives in you?

New Testament believers such as ourselves has a great advantage over Old Testament believers, all of us have the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Paul reminds us of that fact in 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Do you not know that you^[a] are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?” The same truth is repeated in 1 Corinthians 6:19, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.”

We are blessed indeed. The Holy Spirit is a seal of our salvation, and he produces his fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness in our lives. (Galatians 5:22)

Be thankful, be joyful. Happy Thanksgiving!

May the Lord Richly bless you!

Book of Psalms Challenge – Day 18– Ps. 52, 53, 54

⁸ But I am like an olive tree
 flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God’s unfailing love
 for ever and ever.
⁹ For what you have done I will always praise you
 in the presence of your faithful people.
And I will hope in your name,
 for your name is good.. (Psalms 52:8-9)

It is good that a special day is set apart in the US for Thanksgiving. However, for each one of us the best course of action is to develop an attitude of gratitude where our heart continuously gives thanks to God for all his daily blessings.  

Daily blessings require daily thanks giving. It is only by God grace that we exist, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;^[a]  his mercies never come to an end;  they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:23-24). The psalmist is sure of God’s love for him, “I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever (v8). This should be the same assurance for each one of us. God loves you is a fact. The question is, “What do you do with God’s love, do you love him in return?”

The love of God in our hearts compel us to praise him. “For what you have done I will praise you”, wrote the psalmist. Do you feel the same urge to praise God, to testify of his goodness? If your answer is no, now is the time to start.

Be thankful, be joyful. Happy Thanksgiving!

May the Lord Richly bless you!
 

Hello:

Book of Psalms Challenge – Day 19 – Ps. 55, 56, 57

Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice (Psalms 52:8-9)

The Bible encourages us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Why is this important, doesn’t God right away hear his children when they cry out to him? I believe it is important to persevere in prayer because the Lord Jesus tells us to always pray and not give up (Luke 18:1-8). Our faith most of the time is manifested in our obedience, since God demands persistence in prayer of us, this is what we must do. The Psalmist knew the success in prayer through perseverance, he said: “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice (Psalms 52:8-9). Will you challenge yourself to do the same?

The first day of the Challenge I mentioned the testimony of Dereck Prince, a great Bible teacher of the past century. In his testimony he told how reading the Bible daily brought him completely healing for an incurable disease. I put below a part of the testimony to encourage you to continue the Challenge with us because daily readings of the Bible is very beneficial both spiritually and physically.

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I read the story of Derek Prince on the Internet about how he got cured miraculously from an incurable disease just by taking the Word of God as his medicine three times a day for a period of time. (It just happens that our Challenge fit neatly into the three times daily pattern). I like the way that Mr. Prince approached the whole thing. Starting from Proverbs 4:20-21, he reasoned that since the word of God is “medicine to all their flesh”, he would take it as he would take a prescription medicine three times a day, once after each meal. He said: “After each main meal I bowed my head over my open Bible and said, “Lord, you have promised that these words of yours will be medicine to all my flesh. I'm taking them as my medicine now in the name of Jesus!”

Derek Prince continued his healing testimony saying: “No sudden or dramatic change took place. I experienced nothing that I could describe as a “miracle.” But after I had been about three months in the Sudan, I discovered that my “medicine” had made good its claims. I was perfectly well. There was no more sickness anywhere in my body. I had actually and literally received “health to all my flesh.”

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Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice (Psalms 52:8-9). You have nothing to lose, keep on reading the Bible.

May the Lord Richly bless you!

⁵ Commit your way to the Lord;
 trust in him, and he will act.
⁶ He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
 and your justice as the noonday.(Psalms 37:5-6)

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalm Challenge – Day 21 – Ps. 60, 61, 63.

⁴ I will praise you as long as I live,
 and in your name I will lift up my hands.
⁵ I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
 with singing lips my mouth will praise you. (Psalms 63:4-5)

Brothers and Sisters, the emails that I send are not devotionals. They are just to encourage you to keep up with the Challenge, to read the Bible for yourself. I believe that we cannot grow to spiritual maturity just by feeding on a few verses here and there from some teachers out there.

Please keep reading the Bible for yourself. Open your mind and your heart to listen to God speaking to you through his word. Trust that the Holy Spirit is making you understand what you need to understand while you are reading the psalms. You will see great blessings in your life.

David was a true worshiper. It is amazing how much David loved God. His thoughts were all the time on the Lord. Are you a true worshiper? Do you really love Jesus? Are you a thankful for the salvation that he gives you? An attitude of gratitude is the first step to true worship.  

⁴ I will praise you as long as I live,
 and in your name I will lift up my hands.
⁵ I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
 with singing lips my mouth will praise you. (Psalms 63:4-5)

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalm Challenge – Day 22 – Ps. 64, 65, 66.

³ When we were overwhelmed by sins,
 you forgave^[a] our transgressions. (Psalms 65:3)

¹⁸ If I had cherished sin in my heart,
 the Lord would not have listened;
¹⁹ but God has surely listened
 and has heard my prayer.
²⁰ Praise be to God,
 who has not rejected my prayer
 or withheld his love from me! (Psalms 66:18-20)

The NIV gives two translations for Psalms 65:3, the first one, “When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave^[a] our transgressions.” The second one, “When we were overwhelmed by sins, you made atonement for our transgressions.” The key word “atonement” takes us forward and backward to the sacrificial death of our Lord Jesus Christ. David spiritually knew something that most of the Old Testament believers did know, the forgiveness of our transgressions is on the basis of Christ Atonement, “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (Revelation 13:8)”

When I was growing up in Haiti, preachers preached about sin. We were told that we need to accept Christ as our personal Savior not because he will give us success, nice houses, nice jobs, perfect health …, but because Christ will forgive our sin, reconcile us with God and give us eternal life. Nowadays, great preachers do not preach about sin. It seems as if Jesus died for our mistakes, and not for our sin.

But we need to be careful, sin is a bad proposition. The Psalmist says, “¹⁸ If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” That’s a terrible situation for a believer. But there is a good news, Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in^[a] Christ Jesus our Lord.”

David loved both God and Jesus. Do you love both God and Jesus?

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalm Challenge – Day 23 – Ps. 67, 68, 69.

¹ May God be gracious to us and bless us
 and make his face shine on us—^[b] (Psalms 67:1)

²² The Lord said to Moses, ²³ “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

²⁴ “‘“The Lord bless you
 and keep you;
²⁵ the Lord make his face shine on you
 and be gracious to you;
²⁶ the Lord turn his face toward you
 and give you peace.”’

²⁷ “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” (Numbers 6:22-27)

In Psalms 67:1 the psalmist uses part of “The Priestly Blessing” of Numbers 6:24-26 to bless himself and the people of God. This blessing was a command, given directly by God to Aaron and his sons to bless the Israelites, His people. It seems at first that only the priests should use that specific blessing, but as we see in Psalms 67:1 it is appropriate to be used by all believers.

I believe that those verses - Num.24-26 - should be memorized by all Christians, mainly by all believing parents. God told Aaron and his sons, “you bless the Israelites, and put my name on them, and I will bless them.” I think it goes the same for parents, “you bless your children, and God will bless them.”

When was the last time you bless your loved ones? There a few things you cannot do too much, such as pronouncing blessings on yourself and on your family.

¹ May God be gracious to us and bless us
 and make his face shine on us—^[b] (Psalms 67:1)

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalm Challenge – Day 24– Ps. 70, 71, 72.

¹⁷ Since my youth, God, you have taught me,
 and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.
¹⁸ Even when I am old and gray,
 do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
 your mighty acts to all who are to come. (Psalms 71:17-18)

Spiritual life is a Marathon not a Sprint. It is a long race, and it requires a lot of endurance. Only the people who run well will finish well. No rush. The most important thing is to finish well. The Psalmist started well. To start well is to start with God, “From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you (Ps. 71:6).” He continued the race with God in his youth and his adulthood, “Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds (Ps. 71:17).”

The future belongs to God.  Only a complete reliance on God will see us through in the spiritual life. And one thing is certain, God is faithful, he will never abandon or forsake us. The psalmist wants to finish well. To finish well is to finish with God, “Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come. (Ps. 71:18).

We can have the same rock solid confidence of the psalmist that even in our old age God will not forsake us. Here is one of his guarantee, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).”

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalms Challenge – Day 25 – Ps. 73, 74, 75.

⁶ For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.⁷ But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another. (Psalms 75:6-7 KJV)

⁶ For not from the east or from the west
 and not from the wilderness comes lifting up,
⁷ but it is God who executes judgment,
 putting down one and lifting up another. (Psalms 75:6-7 ESV)

We have reached the mid-point of the Book of Psalms Challenge. I congratulate all of you who have been doing this Challenge. You can even start today. When an airplane is on a flight path, there is a distance after which no matter what happens the airplane cannot go back, it must continue the course. That distance is called the point of no return. Today is the point of no return for us in our Challenge. Please keep on readings. Your blessings will keep on coming.

There are a lot of points of no return in life. God showed that clearly to the children of Israel after he delivered them from Egypt’s bondage. He led them to the red sea, he opened the red sea in front of them, and closed it behind them. No way back. After we accept Jesus as our personal Savior, and we get baptized, we proclaim to the whole world that we have reached a point of no return in our spiritual journey. “La croix devan gem, le monde deye dom, mwen pap tounen, mwen pap tounen,” nou chante.

Do you need a promotion? Psalms 75:6-7 has the answer for you, basically it tells me that I don’t have to behave as the world does to get promoted. ^“For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another. (Psalms 75:6-7 KJV)”.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Jesus said to the Samaritan woman in John 4:22, "You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews." What about you, whom do you worship?

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalm Challenge – Day 27– Ps. 79, 80, 81.

¹ Sing for joy to God our strength;
 shout aloud to the God of Jacob!
² Begin the music, strike the timbrel,
 play the melodious harp and lyre. (Psalms 81:1-2)

Many church order of services have what is called: “A call to worship.” Usually Psalms 100 is used for the “Call to worship” at the beginning of the church service. Psalms 81:1-2 is clearly a “Call to worship”, “Sing for joy, shout aloud, and begin the music.” These are imperative words, commands that must be obeyed.  

Once in a while we find Christians who think that it is fine to do church alone. I always say to my young friends who think in such a way, “It is okay to eat alone in a restaurant, since you don’t want to starve. But it is much fun to eat with friends and family in a restaurant.” It is fine to worship God alone. But I think that God likes it best when we come together as his children, as the family of God to worship him.

The Bible tells us in Hebrews 10:24-25 not to give up meeting together. It seems that a few Christians had that bad habit even before TV were invented. But for us we will do both, we will worship God alone in in our homes, in our cars, anywhere we are, and in addition we will come to worship in the church with our brothers and sisters in Christ. When we come together to worship, I believe God's face shines on us (Ps. 80:19).

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalm Challenge – Day 28– Ps. 82, 83, 84.

¹⁰ Better is one day in your courts
 than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
 than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
¹¹ For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
 the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
 from those whose walk is blameless.

¹² Lord Almighty,
 blessed is the one who trusts in you. (Psalms 84:10-12)

Do you feel any lack in your life? All you need to do is get closer and closer to God.  The psalmist knew that the closer he gets to the Lord the more good things come to his life. “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless (Ps. 84:11).”

Sometimes God let difficult situations come into our lives so we may turn to him with all our heart. We are only humans, but the Bible says that God is our Father in heaven. As children cling to their parents in times of trouble, we too must chose humility to call on the name of the Lord when we are faced with difficulties that seem insurmountable. The Lord is our shepherd.

Whom do you trust? You must trust the Lord for when you do you are blessed: “Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you (Ps. 84:12)”. You can see your problems from God’s point of view, “For with God nothing will be impossible (Luke 1:37).”

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalm Challenge – Day 29– Ps. 85, 86, 87.

¹¹ Teach me your way, Lord,
 that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
 that I may fear your name.
¹² I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;
 I will glorify your name forever. (Psalms 86:11-12)

Everything that we are and everything that we have are gifts from God. We often forget these simple truths, and when we do we put ourselves in unnecessary troubles. Our walk with the Lord Jesus depends on the grace he gives us daily to follow him. We read in Philippians 2:13, “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” Here in Psalms 86:11-12, we find the sincere prayer of some who knew that only God could give him the undivided heart to stay focus on him.

The story of Apostle Peter teaches us the truth that we cannot rely on our own feelings to follow Jesus, to resist the temptation of denying him by our lives and conducts. Jesus told Peter that he would betray him, but Peter was too confident of his love for Jesus that he contradicted Jesus, “But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death (Luke 22:33).” We know the rest of the story, he denied Jesus three times in a very short span of time.

A good dose of humility and sincerity will help us greatly in our spiritual walk. Let us join with the psalmist, and humbly ask the Lord:

¹¹ Teach me your way, Lord,
 that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
 that I may fear your name.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalm Challenge – Day 30– Ps. 88, 89, 90.

¹ Lord, you have been our dwelling place
 throughout all generations.
² Before the mountains were born
 or you brought forth the whole world,
 from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

³ You turn people back to dust,
 saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.”
⁴ A thousand years in your sight
 are like a day that has just gone by,
 or like a watch in the night. (Psalms 90:1-4)

Anyone who has ever attended a Christian religious wake or funeral must have listened to Psalms 90 being read. The reader would start solemnly with the first two verses. And again the tone of voice would change on verse 12, “Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom (Ps. 90:12).”

Psalms 90 teaches us humility. Humility allows us to see God for who he is: “He is eternal, from everlasting to everlasting.”  Humility allows us to see ourselves for who we are: “Finite, like new grass of the morning.” We are not “gods” as New Age philosophy would induce us to believe. We are human beings who “live, and move and have our being in God (Acts 17:28).”  We do not depend on our own words, “… but on every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4)”

There are a lot of things we cannot learn by ourselves. Things such as one day, we will die. So we must ask the Lord, as little children who don’t know any better, to teach us to number our days so we may gain a heart of wisdom. People die every day, but most of the time people live as if they were going to live forever. Although we are encouraged to live in the present, nevertheless we must plan for the future. Hebrews 9:27 says, “Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.”

Do you agree with Ecclesiastes 7:2 “it’s better to go a funeral than to attend a feast; funerals remind us that we all must die?”

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalm Challenge – Day 31 – Ps. 91, 92, 93.

¹ Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
 will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.^[a]
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
 my God, in whom I trust.” (Psalms 91:1-2)

Psalms 91 is one of the most known psalms by Haitians, Christians or non-Christians alike. It is indeed a most powerful psalms to quiet one’s spirit down and to center it on God when faced with any dangerous and harmful situation. When I was a young boy living in Haiti, I used to read that psalm a lot with my mom and dad.

However this psalm cannot be used superficially or superstitiously. The psalmist tells us about the condition for the application of that psalm at the very beginning. It sounds better in French, “Celui qui demeure sous l'abri du Très Haut Repose à l'ombre du Tout Puissant. ² Je dis à l'Éternel: Mon refuge et ma forteresse, Mon Dieu en qui je me confie!”

It is important to note that Satan also knows psalms 91. He used a distorted interpretation of that psalms (vv. 11, 12) to tempt the Lord Jesus in the wilderness (see Matthew 4:6). But, “Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’^, that answers is from Deuteronomy 6:16.” This is warning for all of us to know the whole Word of God and to apply it to our lives in order to avoid all sorts of temptation.

I encourage you to read the Bible for yourself. Do not depend on a few verses here and there from even the best Bible teachers. Keep on with the Challenge of reading the three psalms daily with us. God will richly bless you.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalms Challenge – Day 32 – Ps. 94, 95, 96.

⁷ for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture,
 the flock under his care. Today, if only you would hear his voice, ((Psalms 95:7)

⁷ Car il est notre Dieu, Et nous sommes le peuple de son pâturage, Le troupeau que sa main conduit... Oh! si vous pouviez écouter aujourd'hui sa voix! (Psaumes 95:7)

One day I listened closely to the song “Il me conduit, douce pensee! (89 CEF)” I wept through the whole song. They weren’t tears of sadness or bitterness, rather tears of joy, a feeling that everything in my life is going to be fine. I was singing that song of praise to the Lord, and it seemed that the Lord was singing it back to me. “Car je suis votre Dieu, Et vous etes le people de mon pasturage, Le troupreau que ma main conduit”, the Lord was telling me. What can go wrong when the Lord leads us? Really nothing!

Humanly speaking we may feel threatening sometime by where the Lord leads us. We may feel afraid, inadequate, unworthy, but since he is the one who is doing the leading we can rest assured that everything will turn out right for his glory. He leadeth me, O blessed thought!

 Refrain

He leadeth me, He leadeth me,
By His own hand He leadeth me;
His faithful follower I would be,
For by His hand He leadeth me.

Sometimes mid scenes of deepest gloom,
Sometimes where Eden’s bowers bloom,
By waters still, over troubled sea,
Still ’tis His hand that leadeth me.

May the Lord Richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalms Challenge – Day 33 – Psalms 97, 98, 99. (Please click on the blue links to direct you to the Psalms)

Happy readings! Please, let the Lord speak to you through the Psalms.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalms Challenge – Day 34 – Psalms 100, 101, 102. (Please click on the blue links to direct you to the Psalms)

Happy readings! Please, let the Lord speak to you through the Psalms.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalms Challenge – Day 35 – Psalms 103, 104, 105. (Please click on the blue links to direct you to the Psalms)

Happy readings! Let the Lord speak to you through the Psalms.

 May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalms Challenge – Day 36 – Psalms 106, 107, 108. (Please click on the blue links to direct you to the Psalms)

²⁰ He sent out his word and healed them;
 he rescued them from the grave. (Psalms 107:20)

Please forgive me if I interfere somewhat with your readings of the three psalms. I just cannot help bringing your attention to Psalms 107:20, this verse tells us that God is healing us through his word. Do you need healing in any area of your life? Keep on reading the Word, keep up with the Challenge, we are almost there.  

Happy readings! Let the Lord speak to you through the Psalms.

 May the Lord richly bless you!
 

Hello:

Book of Psalms Challenge – Day 37 – Psalms 109, 110, 111. (Please click on the blue links to direct you to the Psalms)

People used to be killed for reading the Bible. Nowadays, we are very fortunate that without any fear we can pick up a Bible and read the word of God, or we can go to the Internet to select between a rich varieties of good translations of the Bible from many different languages. Let us show our gratitude to the Lord by reading his word on a daily basis.  

There is something unique about the word of God, it is a living word. “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).”

Happy readings! Let the Lord speak to you through the Psalms.

 May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalms Challenge – Day 39 – Psalms 115, 116, 117. (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Psalms)

The next reading is going to be a challenge, Psalms 119.  But it is a challenge worth taking. For most of us, it is the first time that we will read Psalms 119 in one sitting. If you read it aloud, it will take approximately sixteen minutes to complete. So don’t despair.

Happy readings! Let the Lord speak to you through the Psalms.

 May the Lord richly bless you!
 

Hello:

Book of Psalms Challenge – Day 40 – Psalms 118, 119, 120. (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Psalms)

Psalms 119 is the prayer of someone who delights in and lives by the word of God. Do you delight in the word of God? The one sure way to prosperity is to delight in the word of God, Psalms 1:3 makes it very clear that the person who delights in the word of God, and who meditates on it day and night will prosper in whatever they do.

Someone approached me after church today and told me that she doesn’t clearly understand the Bible. I told her not to worry, but to keep on reading the word, and to ask the Holy Spirit for guidance and illumination. You will notice that the Psalmist in Psalms 119:26-27 had to ask of the Lord to be his teacher. For the Word of God to become more than simple words to you only God can do that for you and in you.

²⁶ I gave an account of my ways and you answered me;
 teach me your decrees.
²⁷ Cause me to understand the way of your precepts,
 that I may meditate on your wonderful deeds. (Psalms 119:26-27)

Happy readings! Let the Lord speak to you through the Psalms.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalms Challenge – Day 41 – Psalms 121,122,123. (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Psalms)

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
 where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the Lord,
 the Maker of heaven and earth. (Psalms 121:1-2)

When I first came to the US a long time ago, my biggest shock and source of sadness was that in Long Island where I ended up living there were no mountains. The fact that I could not see any mountain grieved my soul deeply.  In Haiti, I used to go to “Boutilier and Sion,” “sous la montagne” with my mother for fast and prayer when I was still a child. I liked it. These events had a deep spiritual impact on my young mind, just to see the trail of people going up the mountain and singing “Je veux monter sur la montagne.”

While I was in Haiti, early in the morning I usually found myself reciting Psalms 121 out loud looking at the blue mountains of our dear country. There I was in Long Island saying “I lift up my eyes to the mountains,” the lack of mountains created in me a certain disconnect, but I had to pray that psalms because I needed help, massive help from the Lord in that strange land. Spiritual help, financial help, school help, every kind of help you can think of, I needed it. What about you, whom do you turn to for help in times of trouble? It is best to turn to the Lord.

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
 where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the Lord,
 the Maker of heaven and earth. (Psalms 121:1-2)

Happy readings! Let the Lord speak to you through the Psalms.

 May the Lord richly bless you!
 

Hello:
Book of Psalms Challenge – Day 43 – Psalms 127, 128, 129 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Psalms)

Unless the Lord builds the house,
 the builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
 the guards stand watch in vain. (Psalms 127:1)

Do you feel secure or insecure? Can you trust the Lord in the midst of your difficulties? Do you welcome his help and protection?

Happy readings! Let the Lord speak to you through the Psalms.

 May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalms Challenge – Day 44– Psalms 130. 131, 132 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Psalms)

My heart is not proud, Lord,
 my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
 or things too wonderful for me.
² But I have calmed and quieted myself,
 I am like a weaned child with its mother;
 like a weaned child I am content. (Psalms 131:1-2)

I would like to invite you to pray for world peace. May the humility of the Lord Jesus who chose to be born in a manger be the example of complete surrender to the will of God for the whole human race!

Merry Christmas! Peace.

Happy readings! Let the Lord speak to you through the Psalms.

 May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalms Challenge – Day 45– Psalms 133, 134, 135 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Psalms)

How good and pleasant it is
 when God’s people live together in unity! (Psalms 133:1)

I believe that Psalms 133 tells us what the church of the Lord Jesus Christ should be:  “A place of unity and of blessings.”  The short version of the Psalms could be rendered as follows:  “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.” Where there is unity, there is great blessing.

Only loving, compassionate, humble and forgiving people can live in unity. It is not as easy it may sound to live in unity in the church, but it is necessary; because unity is one of the keys to God’s great treasures. Jesus said in Matthew 18:19, ““Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.”

Do you strive for unity in your church and in your family?

Happy readings! Let the Lord speak to you through the Psalms.

May the Lord richly bless you!
 

Hello:

Book of Psalms Challenge – Day 46– Psalms 136, 137, 138 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Psalms)

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever. (Psalms 136:1)

Di Bondye mèsi, paske li gen bon kè. Wi, li p'ap janm sispann renmen nou! (Sòm 136:1)

When a truth is repeated twice in the Bible, it means “pay attention, this is very important.” What about when it is repeated twenty six times back to back? It certainly means “don’t forget, you must not forget, this is extremely important.”  Psalms 136 repeats the truth of God’s enduring love for us twenty six times, “His love endures forever, Wi, li p'ap janm sispann renmen nou!”

If you ever be tempted to doubt of the love of God, Psalms 136 is the psalms for you in such times. It is the alphabet of God love for us. Go ahead try it, rearrange it a little bit, make it personal, repeat to yourself twenty six times: “His love for me endures forever, Wi, li p'ap janm sispann renmen mwen!” If you had to forget evrything, there is one thing that you should not forget, "God loves you." That’s a truth to live by.

Happy readings! Let the Lord speak to you through the Psalms.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalms Challenge – Day 47– Psalms 139, 140, 141 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Psalms)

²³ Search me, God, and know my heart;
 test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
 and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalms 139:23-24)

Psalms 139 lists a good number of God’s attributes, those characteristics that help us to understand who God truly is. Verses 1 through 6 are about the omniscience of God. God knows everything. Verses 7 through 8 are about the omnipresence of God. God is everywhere. Verses 13 through 18 tell us about the omnipotence of God. Nothing is impossible to God, nothing is too hard for him. Verses 19 through 22 concern about the justice of God. God is a just God who will not let wickedness and sin go unpunished. Lastly verse 23 through 24 affirm God’s love and his grace toward us.  

God is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. He is just, and his attribute of love makes all the difference for us, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16)”

Happy readings! Let the Lord speak to you through the Psalms.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalms Challenge – Day 48– Psalms 142, 143, 144 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Psalms)

¹⁵ Blessed is the people of whom this is true;
 blessed is the people whose God is the Lord. (Psalms 144:15)

Every time that a member of our church goes to Haiti and comes back, they give a quick testimony and an assessment of the conditions of the country. My heart breaks every time to hear about the desperate financial and economic situations of most of our Christian brothers and sisters back home. Why is this so?  I think that the problem is mostly a spiritual one, it is caused by the condition of the hearts of the leaders of the country.

This morning, I read a paper that was published by the World Bank. They stated that, “In the world of international aid, there has been growing awareness of the significance of institutional factors in influencing the course of sustainable development. Based on a growing body of research and evaluation, the World Bank and others now judge that “poor countries have been held back not by a financing gap, but by an ‘institutions’ and ‘policy’ gap.”

In other words, Haiti’s problem is not simply a problem of money and resources, but mostly a problem of bad governance. That is why I invite you to earnestly pray for Haiti. We should pray that true revival comes to Haiti so that the heart of the Haitian people, including the leaders, be turned to God. When we can truly say “Haiti pour Christ, and Christ pour Haiti,” our country will become again “ La Perle des Antilles.” With God everything is possible.

¹⁵ Blessed is the people of whom this is true;
 blessed is the people whose God is the Lord. (Psalms 144:15)

Happy readings! Let the Lord speak to you through the Psalms.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of Psalms Challenge – Day 50– Psalms 148, 149, 150 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Psalms)

¹ Praise the Lord.^[a] Praise God in his sanctuary;
 praise him in his mighty heavens.
² Praise him for his acts of power;
 praise him for his surpassing greatness.
³ Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
 praise him with the harp and lyre,
⁴ praise him with timbrel and dancing,
 praise him with the strings and pipe,
⁵ praise him with the clash of cymbals,
 praise him with resounding cymbals.

⁶ Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. (Psalms 150)

We have come to the end of our “Book of Psalms Challenge.” It has been a quite a journey. We have also come to the end of the Year.  It has been quite a year.

We can boldly say, “The Lord has done great things for us!” So, let us unite our voices together as one to praise the Lord. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.

Happy New Year Maranatha! Happy New Year Friends of Maranatha!

Let the Lord speak to you through the Psalms.

May the Lord richly bless you!