“Keep moving forward.” This is a phrase of encouragement throughout history. And this is my heart, during the advent season, filled with uncertainties and change. I ask you to join me to ascend in the Psalms through the Song of Ascents, to speak aloud the Word and pray to God to be renewed in hope and the joy of the Lord.
Here we go:
In my distress, I cried to the LORD, And He heard me.
Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips And from a deceitful tongue.
“Yes, Lord. This is a time of divisive and hostile words. Give us discernment to hear Your voice of truth.”
What shall be given to you, Or what shall be done to you, You false tongue? Sharp arrows of the warrior, with coals of the broom tree!
“Lord, help us know and remember Your eyes and ears are open to everything. We only see portions, but You are a witness to each unspoken and spoken word, each motive, every action of humankind., worldwide. You are God Almighty. Together we cry out to You. The One able to move mountains.”
Woe is me, that I dwell in Meshech, That I dwell among the tents of Kedar! My soul has dwelt too long With one who hates peace. I am for peace; But when I speak, they are for war Psalm 120, NRSV.
“We think of the day You walked on this earth, Jesus. You came in love, yet You were ‘despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief . . . we hid, as it were, our faces from’ . . . You. (Isaiah 53: 3.)
In this dark age we live in, we cry out for Your hope and light.
We give praise to You for Your Word reminds us:
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts Isaiah 55: 8-9.
Amen and amen!”
And through the Songs of Ascents, we will continue:
I lift up my eyes to the hills—from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth Psalm 121:1,2.
Is this not the testimony of faith through the ages?
“Lord, help us get our eyes off the circumstances, great frustrations, and misunderstandings and fix them on You.”
Where will we be if we turn from the true and living God to trust in man’s wisdom alone?
Your Word tells us, ‘. . . the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men‘ 1 Corinthians 1:25, ESV.
Thank You, Lord, that the open Word brings light to our steps:”
He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night” Psalm 121: 3,4.
“Amen, dear Lord. You are my Keeper. You’re our Keeper! We walk on the solid ground of faith in You.
You’re Immanuel, God with us. To all who choose to receive Your love and gift of salvation. You’re a giver. You were willing to lay down Your life for all lives, all people, all nations, all tongues.
Nails were driven into Your hands for me.
In a world where love is defined in many ways, Your Word defines love for us:
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation [that is, the atoning sacrifice, and the satisfying offering] for our sins [fulfilling God’s requirement for justice against sin and placating His wrath] 1 John 4:10, AMP.
To know You, Lord, is to believe Your promises:
The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore! (Psalm 121: 7,8. Emphasis mine.)
Amen. Amen! (Emphasis mine.)
The LORD will preserve those who trust in Him from all evil, from this time forth, and even forevermore.
P.S. Renewed in mind, heart, and soul is the reward in time aloud in God’s Truth! In response, I share a song I wrote from Psalm 95, which I plan to record with the voices of children, The Lord is a Great God:
(For anyone who has read this far, can I ask for prayer as I complete the writing of a 5-Day Huddle in Genesis / Creation?
This song will need to be re-recorded with the voices of children! If you are local to me and have a child who loves to sing and is looking for opportunity, please contact me (PM).
In time, I pray this offering to the Lord will be a resource for churches and Christian schools for simple and powerful ministry to kids! And prayerfully, I can keep putting together 5-Day Huddles throughout Genesis.)
“Will you follow Me? Together we can journey.” Do we answer, “I will!”
“Get strong in the Lord,” we hear from our pastors. We’re exhorted daily, “It’s time to know the Word.”
So, let’s go then. On a walk, moving forward in The Song of Ascents, Psalm 120-123, Amplified.
The Lord gives words for our prayers and power to heal what’s been dislocated from His Word of truth.
Who is God except the Lord? And Who is the rock on which we stand? We do best to know Him more and more fixing our eyes up, neither left or right.
A prophesy was given in 2019 that the year 2020 would be as Psalm 120:
In my distress I cried to the Lord, and He answered me. Deliver me, O Lord, from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue . . .
Woe is me, that I sojourn with Mesheck, that I dwell beside the tents of Kedar [as if among notoriously barbarous people]!
My life has too long had its dwelling with him who hates peace. I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war” Psalm 120: 1,2,5,6,7.
The ancient Word speaks as if written today. They prove to be an accurate prayer from our heart at present.
We have not experienced anything the Lord has not walked through and experienced. The old hymn,”O Sacred Head, Now Wounded,” makes this clear in our mind’s eye:
“With grief and shame weighed down. Now scornfully surrounded With thorns Thine only crown; How pale thou art with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn!
Our Jesus, how He knows our sadness and losses, our persecutions, and abuses. He took all our shame and failures on Himself, on the tree:
“What Thou, my Lord hast suffered Was all for sinner’s gain; Mine, mine was the transgression, But Thine the deadly pain;
What is our response when we view so clearly His willingness to face our curse?
Do we take a hard look? Do we see Him now?
“Lo, here I fall, my Savior! ‘Tis I deserve Thy place; Look on me with Thy favor, Vouch-safe to me Thy grace. (O Sacred Head, Now Wounded. Based on Medieval Latin poem. Ascribed to Bernard of Clairvaux.)
Together, we speak aloud the next Song of Ascents as we press forward into 2021. We won’t lean on our own understanding, but boldly proclaim in an ever-growing faith:
I will lift up my eyes to the hills, . . . From whence shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made Heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip or to be moved; He Who keeps you will not slumber Psalm 121: 1-3, Amplified.
We can trust the Lord in all things. We remind ourselves these things:
The Lord will keep you from all evil;
He.
Will.
Keep.
Your life.
The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and for evermore. Psalm 121: 7,8. A Song of Ascents.
Laws are made by man to protect the people, but move to close the doors of God’s house.
God is Spirit. His Church is not a building. The hearts of His people speak in confidence continuously, . . .
despite the location:
“I was glad when they said to me, Let us go to the house of the Lord! Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem . . . Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
May they prosper that love you [the Holy City]! Psalm 122: 1,2,6.
“We pray for the peace of Jerusalem dear Lord!”
For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,
having abolished in His flesh the enmity, Ephesians 2:14,15.
He is our peace? Our peace isn’t good circumstances. Our peace is a Person! What is His name?
God saves us once from sin and death for salvation in Jesus. And to all who receive Him and believe in His name, He calls us His children. Children of God.
He saves us daily from our “natural selves.” Our brokenness, our anxieties, doubts, jealousies, hatreds, and our rage. Jesus calms the wind and the waves. He can tame our flesh. In Christ alone . . .
That He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity . . .
For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father Ephesians 2: 16,18.
We’re not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. We have access by the Spirit of God to the Father. These are not mere “positive thoughts.” God’s Word, the Gospel message is the power of God to salvation.
Step by step, breath by breath we speak, meditate, pray His Word, and become more and more empowered and hopeful:
[Earnestly] remember the former things which I did of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God and there is none like Me.
Declaring the end and the result from the beginning and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying,
My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure and purpose. . . Listen to Me. . . Isaiah 46: 3,9.
He, Jesus, keeps us in perfect peace when we keep our minds on Him! (Is. 26:3.)
Psalm 123. A Song of Ascents. Unto You do I lift up my eyes, O You who are enthroned in heaven . . .
Instead of worry, we worship and wait in ever-growing faith in God, the Creator of the Universe, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the lover of our souls:
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. 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. Psalm 84: 10,11.
We speak aloud and are changed from glory to glory being transformed by the renewing of our minds in Christ:
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; . . . They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion Psalm 84: 5,6,7.
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow Because He lives, all fear is gone Because I know He holds the future And life is worth the living Just because He lives.
We can rest in our Jesus. He is our hope and stay. Do you join me in an “Amen?”
Walk with me in victory in the Song of Ascents as we run our race and fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith . . .
The Song of Ascents were recited as the children of Israel journeyed up to Jerusalem. Journey with me. Speak aloud the Songs. Pray the Songs, for such a time as this, together we ascend to our promised land:
Psalm 120, A Cry in Distress A Song of Ascents:
Quite accurate for our year 2020, Psalm 120.
In my distress I cried to the LORD, And He heard me.
Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips And from a deceitful tongue.
What shall be given to you, Or what shall be done to you, You false tongue? Sharp arrows of the warrior, with coals of the broom tree!
Woe is me, that I dwell in Meshech, That I dwell among the tents of Kedar! My soul has dwelt too long With one who hates peace. I am for peace; But when I speak, they are for war Psalm 120.
We won’t stand still, we keep moving forward. Psalm 121 will help us with our focus:
Psalm 121, God is Our Keeper. A Song of Ascents.
The LORD will preserve those who trust in Him from all evil, from this time forth, and even forevermore.
Perhaps we walk in a desert place, but when we feed our hungry soul with faith as we drink the Living Word, we are refreshed in ways beyond our mind’s eye.
Those who sow in tears Shall reap in joy.
He who continually goes forth weeping
Bearing seed for sowing,
Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
Bringing his sheaves with him Psalm 126: 5,6.
But I can’t get ahead of myself. “The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore.”
We can rejoice in the Lord, always:
“Great is Thy faithfulness!” “Great is Thy faithfulness!” Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy hand hath provided— “Great is Thy faithfulness, ” Lord, unto me!
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide; Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
How glad we are to enter the house of the LORD!
“I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the LORD.” Our feet have been standing Within the gates, O Jerusalem!
Jerusalem is built. As a city that is compact together, Where the tribes go up, The tribes of the LORD, To the Testimony of Israel, To give thanks to the name of the LORD . . .
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, Prosperity within your palaces.”
For the sake of my brethren and companions, I will now say, “Peace be within you.” Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek your good”Psalm 122.
“Yes, we pray for the peace of Jerusalem because You, dear Lord command us to. We seek Your good this day dear Lord. We rejoice that You hear our prayers.”
To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens.
Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he has mercy upon us.
Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt.
Our soul has had more than enough of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud Psalm 123.
Why should I feel discouraged Why should the shadows come Why should my heart feel lonely And long for heaven and home When Jesus is my portion A constant friend is He His eye is on the sparrow And I know He watches over me
Cevilla D Martin, His Eye is on the Sparrow
Bring us to a new beginning Lord. We seek You. Help us believe You and Your Word. Help our unbelief. We cry “Mercy Lord.”
Renew.
Restore.
We walk with ears to hear:
Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper . . . Psalm 1:1,2,3.
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish Psalm 1:6.
The LORD God, Creator of heaven and earth, He is our hope and defense:
If it had not been for the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us, . . . Our help is in the Name of the LORD who made heaven and earth Psalm 124. (Calligraphy, tonirypkema.com)
“If it had not been the LORD who was on our side,” Let Israel now say – “If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us;
Then they would have swallowed us alive, When their wrath was kindled against us;
Then the waters would have overwhelmed us, The stream would have gone over our soul; Then the swollen waters Would have gone over our soul.”
Blessed be the LORD, Who has not given us as prey to their teeth. Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers;
The snare is broken, and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the LORD, Who made heaven and earth Psalm 124.
Those who trust in the LORD are like mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever Psalm 125:1.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem, So the LORD surrounds His people From this time forth and forever.
For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest On the land allotted to the righteous, Lest the righteous reach out their hands to iniquity.
Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, And to those who are upright in their hearts.
As for such as turn aside to their crooked ways, The LORD shall lead them away With the workers of iniquity.
Peace be upon Israel! Psalm 125.
Breath by breath, step by step, with our eyes focused up, we walk this journey meditating on God’s Word that we might be as trees planted by the rivers of water whose leaf shall not wither, (Psalm 1).
Because: “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, So the LORD surrounds His people From this time forth and forever.“
The Bible tells us so. Today, I hear the voice of the Lord, and I will stand on His promises. Join me in faith to believe God more and more and grow in understanding of His Holy Word? Yes and amen.
“For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest On the land allotted to the righteous, Lest the righteous reach out their hands to iniquity Psalm 125:3.
Nothing can for sin atone, Nothing but the blood of Jesus; Naught of good that I have done, Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
This is all my hope and peace, Nothing but the blood of Jesus; This is all my righteousness, Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
We remember our hope:
What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus; What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Nothing but the Blood of Jesus by Robert Lowry, 1876.
Those who sow in tears Shall reap in joy . . . The Lord has done great things for us, And we are glad Psalm 126.
When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, We were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing.
Then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us, And we are glad.
Bring back our captivity, O Lord, As the streams in the South.
Those who sow in tears Shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, Bearing seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come againwith rejoicing, Bringing his sheaves with him Psalm 126.
Do we sow in tears? We shall reap in joy.
Do we continually go forth weeping? We are bearing seed for sowing. We will rejoice again because the Lord is working. He is helping. He is drawing near as we draw near to Him.
“Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob, all the remnant of the people of Israel, you whom I have upheld since your birth, and have carried since you were born. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you Isaiah 46:3,4.
“With whom will you compare me or count me equal? To whom will you liken me that we may be compared? Some pour out gold from their bags and weigh out silver on the scales; they hire a goldsmith to make it into a god, and they bow down and worship it. They lift it to their shoulders and carry it; they set it up in its place, and there it stands. From that spot it cannot move. Even though someone cries out to it, it cannot answer; it cannot save them from their troubles.
“Remember this, keep it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels Isaiah 46:5-8.
Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’Isaiah 46: 9,10.
From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do. Listen to me, you stubborn-hearted, you who are now far from my righteousness.
I am bringing my righteousness near, it is not far away; and my salvation will not be delayed. I will grant salvation to Zion, my splendor to Israel Isaiah 46:11-13.
Do we hear the voice of the Lord? Do we believe?
“I believe You, Lord.”
Aloud we proclaim Your Word. Our faith in increased. We are being changed.
Unless the LORD builds the house they labor in vain who build it Psalm 127:1.
Unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.
It is vain for you to rise early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep.
Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb is His reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth.
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. they shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate Psalm 127.
Moving forward in the Song of Ascents. Psalm 128:
Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, Who walks in His ways.
When you eat the labor of your hands, You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine In the very heart of your house, Your children like olive plants All around your table.
Behold, thus shall the man be blessed Who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you out of Zion, And may you see the good of Jerusalem All the days of your life. Yes, may you see your children’s children.
Peace be upon Israel!
Life might be messy, but with the LORD, it will be blessed!
Blessings come in many ways. Often by trial and hardship. They’re the good things that draw me closer and closer to the Lord. The pain brings remembrance of Him:
Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed 1 Peter 2:24.
In this collage of God’s Word and Psalms and hymns, I share encouragement from a Traditional Spiritual written in about 1800, There Is a Balm in Gilead:
There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole; There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul.
Sometimes I feel discouraged, And think my work’s in vain, But then the Holy Spirit Revives my soul again.
If you can’t preach like Peter, If you can’t pray like Paul Just tell the love Jesus, And say He died for all.
Step by step we journey, fixed on the Author and Finisher of our souls. He speaks, . . .
with each step we’ve all been given privilege to choose:
See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess Deuteronomy 30: 15,16.
But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. Deuteronomy 30: 17,18.
This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.Deut. 30: 19,20.
Who will repeat His Word back to Him in faith and believing: “I chose life, so that me and my children may live. That we might love You, Lord God, and listen to Your voice, and hold fast to You.
For You, Lord are my life, and You give me many years in the land . . .
As our world enters a new decade, 2020, do we often feel like pilgrims in a foreign place?
Do our heart’s long for a homeland of peace and truth? Stepping up to hope for our upcoming year is found in our own personal, active worship to the LORD.
I won’t use the word god, because in this day, as in the Bible days, there were many gods among the people.
In ancient Israel, the people would travel in companies up to Jerusalem three times a year to worship the LORD, YHWH. They would sing pilgrim’s songs, marching songs to the true, eternal God, defined as the Creator of heaven and earth.
The songs are recorded for us in the Psalms of ascent.
The early steps of the journey, step by step, began with a company of singers proclaiming their heart.
Tell me, does your heart not cry out these phrases?
I took my troubles to the Lord; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer. Rescue me, O Lord, from liars and from all deceitful people . . .
How I suffer in far-off Meshech. It pains me to live in distant Kedar. I am tired of living among people who hate peace. I search for peace; but when I speak of peace, they want war! Psalm 120 NLT.
But as Christmas decorations get put away, in this new year of 2020, we must be diligent to keep our Jesus in full view, for this world is a battle zone.
“I search for peace; but when I speak of peace, they want war!”
Many words are spoken by the people and leaders around. But only God knows the heart of man.
Some words have been shoved aside because they’re offensive, but when someone has an invasive cancer, the attack is often bitter treatments. Our world is sick with a cancer.
The original word of this particular sickness, (which needs to be resurrected to make sense of this upside down world) is . . . sin.
The heart of people, all people, is deceitful. We are all prone to war in our minds. All have sin. (Romans 3:23).
None of us escape this condition, but thanks to the Lord, He gave us Jesus.
Where does our help come from?
Did we not sing the song this Christmas?
“Hark the herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King! Peace on earth and mercy mild God and sinners reconciled” Joyful, all ye nations rise Join the triumph of the skies With angelic hosts proclaim: “Christ is born in . . .
our hearts today?
Hail the Heav’n-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Yes, we must lift our eyes and worship aloud. The heaven-born Prince of peace abides in a heart of praise. Do we need peace? Do we need light?
We must receive this Prince of Peace. We must believe He loves us and came to heal each of us individually.
This new year can we put sound to the words? Do we dare sing aloud the never aging words of hymns and psalms. We must receive in order to . . . receive:
Light and life to all He brings Ris’n with healing in His wings Mild He lays His glory by Born that man no more may die Born to raise the sons of earth Born to give them second birth
We live in a world that needs help, . . . one person at a time. Help comes from the LORD who made heaven and earth.
I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! Psalm 121.
The wise men came to worship the New-born King. Do we take time to worship Him. Do we go out of our way to give Him praise? This is a New Year. We will answer,
“Yes!”
“Thank You Lord, for saving my soul. Thank You Lord, for making me whole. Thank You Lord, for giving to me, Thy great salvation so rich and free.”
God’s provision of the Babe come down to later die on the cross that Peace on earth and mercy mild God and sinners reconciled.”
We say, “Amen. Let it be in me.”
Jesus is our gift for each day of this new year.
Let’s worship the Prince of Peace, in the assembly of the congregation, stepping up with community that we might live with renewed courage every waking day.
Speak, sing, mumble, grown, to the LORD it’s glorious if it’s praise and adoration to Him, the Creator of heaven, earth, and the incredible life we see.
Our help comes from the LORD.
Yes, we lift up our voices exalt His great Name:
He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps.
The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night.
The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever Psalm 121.
“Praise be to our God, the Maker of heaven and earth, forever.”
