Thursday, September 14, 2006

Psalm 68 We let God, Arise

Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her Daily Journal.

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Psalm 68:1-35
For the choir director: A psalm of David. A song.
1 Arise, O God, and scatter your enemies. Let those who hate God run for their lives.
2 Drive them off like smoke blown by the wind. Melt them like wax in fire. Let the wicked perish in the presence of God.
3 But let the godly rejoice. Let them be glad in God's presence. Let them be filled with joy.
4 Sing praises to God and to his name! Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds. His name is the LORD— rejoice in his presence!
5 Father to the fatherless, defender of widows— this is God, whose dwelling is holy.
6 God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. But for rebels, there is only famine and distress.
7 O God, when you led your people from Egypt, when you marched through the wilderness,
Interlude
8 the earth trembled, and the heavens poured rain before you, the God of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel.
9 You sent abundant rain, O God, to refresh the weary Promised Land.
10 There your people finally settled, and with a bountiful harvest, O God, you provided for your needy people.
11 The Lord announces victory, and throngs of women shout the happy news.
12 Enemy kings and their armies flee, while the women of Israel divide the plunder.
13 Though they lived among the sheepfolds, now they are covered with silver and gold, as a dove is covered by its wings.
14 The Almighty scattered the enemy kings like a blowing snowstorm on Mount Zalmon.
15 The majestic mountains of Bashan stretch high into the sky.
16 Why do you look with envy, O rugged mountains, at Mount Zion, where God has chosen to live, where the LORD himself will live forever?
17 Surrounded by unnumbered thousands of chariots, the Lord came from Mount Sinai into his sanctuary.
18 When you ascended to the heights, you led a crowd of captives. You received gifts from the people, even from those who rebelled against you. Now the LORD God will live among us here.
19 Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms.
Interlude
20 Our God is a God who saves! The Sovereign LORD rescues us from death.
21 But God will smash the heads of his enemies, crushing the skulls of those who love their guilty ways.
22 The Lord says, "I will bring my enemies down from Bashan; I will bring them up from the depths of the sea.
23 You, my people, will wash your feet in their blood, and even your dogs will get their share!"
24 Your procession has come into view, O God— the procession of my God and King as he goes into the sanctuary.
25 Singers are in front, musicians are behind; with them are young women playing tambourines.
26 Praise God, all you people of Israel; praise the LORD, the source of Israel's life.
27 Look, the little tribe of Benjamin leads the way. Then comes a great throng of rulers from Judah and all the rulers of Zebulun and Naphtali.
28 Summon your might, O God. Display your power, O God, as you have in the past.
29 The kings of the earth are bringing tribute to your Temple in Jerusalem.
30 Rebuke these enemy nations— these wild animals lurking in the reeds, this herd of bulls among the weaker calves. Humble those who demand tribute from us. F48 Scatter the nations that delight in war.
31 Let Egypt come with gifts of precious metals; let Ethiopia F49 bow in submission to God.
32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth. Sing praises to the Lord.
Interlude
33 Sing to the one who rides across the ancient heavens, his mighty voice thundering from the sky.
34 Tell everyone about God's power. His majesty shines down on Israel; his strength is mighty in the heavens.
35 God is awesome in his sanctuary. The God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.
Praise be to God!
FOOTNOTES:F48: Or Humble them until they submit, bringing pieces of silver as tribute. F49: Hebrew Cush.
Copyright Statement:
Holy Bible, The New Living Translation

~ Lena’s Journalin’~
This passage says, “Let God arise”…and I say Amen. Now let’s look at what’s being said.
“Let”, that means someone gets a choice to or not to, right?
Then the writer says who to let, right? So we “let God”.
We “let” God do what? “Arise”.
“Arise”, means He’s there, He just may be pushed down and suffocated, not allowed to speak. Remember the person has to “let” this happen. He’ said He’d never leave us, yet He may be with us and silenced, because we’ve been steering this vehicle we all call life and He’s been in the back seat or even stuffed in the trunk. So maybe we could say it like this- “Let God take the wheel, apologize and invite Him out of the trunk, then what you’ve been waiting for will happen”!
Wow,
Let GOD……Arise
And Let ALLLL of His enemies be scattered.
Do you have enemies? Are yours and God’s enemies the same ones?
Get on God’s “team”, be in God’s “car”, get on His “side”, and watch the salvation of God arise in and through you.
When we get out of the way, we see what He desires to happen. He invites us to participate in His will for the earth. We can let that happen or not. We can do our own will or His will.
Now I did not say, we get out of the picture. No, we are all a part of this picture. Without us there is no picture. The enemy is after who looks like God, that’s us. He wants to play us against our Father and hurt our God through us. When we show Him we know that, we see that, and we aren’t gonna control the means of the outcome ourselves, but through true surrender we’re gonna win over him, because we chose to be in participation with God, God using us in the earth, he’s gonna be astounded that a people actually don’t control as he does, don’t manipulate as he does, don’t lord over as he does, and they now see that that’s the way they win!
So… Let God arise….

Daily Recital Verses -
Psalms 118:24
This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Prov 17:22 A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength.