“JOY” Meditations in the Psalms has been written forANYONE to use in daily devotions. Meditate upon thePsalms. Memorize them. Learn them so well by heart thatthey will come to your mind to help you in time of NEED. Itis good to get alone with God and talk to Him in prayer. It isalso good to be quiet before Him and let Him talk to you.

Many of the Psalms express not only praise to God butalso prayers of the heart. As you read them, take a pencil orpen and draw a line under the words that help you to pray.Then TAKE THOSE WORDS and MAKE THEM THE PRAY-ERS OF YOUR HEART. Pray earnestly to God and HeWILL HEAR YOU.

Below are a few Scripture verses showing you how topray.

HOW TO PRAY

1. Pray to God first thing in the morning, at noon, in theevening, or at ANYTIME. “My voice You shall hear in themorning, O LORD; in the morning I will direct it to You,and I will look up” (Psalm 5:3). “Evening and morningand at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hearmy voice” (Psalm 55:17).

2. We are to wait upon the Lord and listen to Him speaking toour hearts. This will give us strength to be overcomers. “Waiton the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strength-

(continued on inside back cover)

Copyright © 1966 by Mrs. Rose A. Goodman, Th.B., Author

FOREWORD

A. A blessing from the Lord is upon the person who neitherfollows the advice of wicked people nor goes with them to dosins with them.

Blessed is the man thatwalketh not in the counsel of theungodly, nor standeth in the wayof sinners, nor sitteth in the seatof the scornful. But his delight isin the law of the LORD; and inhis law doth he meditate day andnight. And he shall be like a treeplanted by the rivers of water,that bringeth forth his fruit in hisseason; his leaf also shall not

wither; and whatsoever he doethshall prosper. The ungodly are notso: but are like the chaff which thewind driveth away. Therefore theungodly shall not stand in thejudgment, nor sinners in the con-gregation of the righteous. For theLORD knoweth the way of therighteous: but the way of theungodly shall perish.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

PSALM 1. THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WICKEDCONTRASTED

1

LORD, how are they increasedthat trouble me! many are theythat rise up against me. Manythere be which say of my soul,

There is no help for him in God.Selah. But thou, O LORD, art ashield for me; my glory, and thelifter up of mine head. I criedunto the LORD with my voice,and he heard me out of his holyhill. Selah. I laid me down andslept; I awaked; for the LORDsustained me. I will not be afraidof ten thousands of people, thathave set themselves against meround about. Arise, O LORD;save me, O my God: for thouhast smitten all mine enemiesupon the cheek bone; thou hastbroken the teeth of the ungodly.Salvation belongeth unto theLORD: thy blessing is upon thypeople. Selah.

PSALM 3. A PRAYER FOR PROTECTION

B. A good person or righteous person loves to do the willof God. He delights in pleasing God; he likes to think of waysin which he can please God at all times.

C. A tree that is well taken care of and gets lots of wateralways bears lots of good fruit and is a joy to the owner of it.A righteous person is like this tree. He also brings joy to theLord and is a blessing to the people around him.

D. The Lord knows everyone who is living a righteous lifeand will watch over them, but the wicked people will be lost.They will perish.

2 3

“. . . safety is of the LORD.” — Proverbs 21:31

PSALM 4. AN EVENING PRAYER

PSALM 5. A MORNING PRAYER FOR PROTECTION

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

Give ear to my words, OLORD, consider my meditation.Hearken unto the voice of mycry, my King, and my God: forunto thee will I pray. My voiceshalt thou hear in the morning,O LORD; in the morning will Idirect my prayer unto thee, andwill look up. For thou art not a

God that hath pleasure in wick-edness: neither shall evil dwellwith thee. The foolish shall notstand in thy sight: thou hatest allworkers of iniquity. Thou shaltdestroy them that speak leasing:the LORD will abhor the bloodyand deceitful man. But as for me,I will come into thy house in the

Hear me when I call, O God ofmy righteousness: thou hastenlarged me when I was in dis-tress; have mercy upon me, andhear my prayer. O ye sons ofmen, how long will ye turn myglory into shame? how long willye love vanity, and seek afterleasing? Selah. But know that the

LORD hath set apart him that isgodly for himself: the LORD willhear when I call unto him. Standin awe, and sin not: communewith your own heart upon yourbed, and be still. Selah. Offer thesacrifices of righteousness, andput your trust in the LORD.There be many that say, Who willshew us any good? LORD, liftthou up the light of thy counte-nance upon us. Thou hast putgladness in my heart, more thanin the time that their corn andtheir wine increased. I will bothlay me down in peace, and sleep:for thou, LORD, only makest medwell in safety.

4

multitude of thy mercy: and inthy fear will I worship towardthy holy temple. Lead me, OLORD, in thy righteousnessbecause of mine enemies; make

thy way straight before my face.For there is no faithfulness intheir mouth; their inward part isvery wickedness; their throat isan open sepulchre; they flatterwith their tongue. Destroy thouthem, O God; let them fall bytheir own counsels; cast them outin the multitude of their trans-gressions; for they have rebelledagainst thee. But let all those thatput their trust in thee rejoice: letthem ever shout for joy, becausethou defendest them: let themalso that love thy name be joyfulin thee. For thou, LORD, wiltbless the righteous; with favourwilt thou compass him as with ashield.

PSALM 7. A PRAYER FOR GOD’S JUDGMENT(Psalm 7:9-17)

Oh let the wickedness of thewicked come to an end; butestablish the just; for the righ-teous God trieth the hearts andreins. My defence is of God,which saveth the upright in heart.God judgeth the righteous, andGod is angry with the wickedevery day. If he turn not, he willwhet his sword; he hath bent hisbow, and made it ready. He hathalso prepared for him the instru-ments of death; he ordaineth his

5

God wants us to turn from our sins. Isaiah 55, verse 7,says, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteousman his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and hewill have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abun-dantly pardon.” Ezekiel 18:20-23— “The soul that sinneth, itshall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father,neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righ-teousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and thewickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. But if thewicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, andkeep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right,he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his transgressionsthat he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned untohim: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saiththe Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways,and live?”

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

arrows against the persecutors.Behold, he travaileth with iniqui-ty, and hath conceived mischief,and brought forth falsehood. Hemade a pit, and digged it, and isfallen into the ditch which hemade. His mischief shall return

upon his own head, and his vio-lent dealing shall come downupon his own pate. I will praisethe LORD according to his righ-teousness: and will sing praise tothe name of the LORD most high.

O LORD our Lord, how excel-lent is thy name in all the earth!

who hast set thy glory above theheavens. Out of the mouth of

PSALM 8. WHY GOD MADE US AND OUR PLACE INCREATION

PSALM 9. A SONG OF PRAISE TO GOD FOR HIS JUDGMENT

babes and sucklings hast thouordained strength because ofthine enemies that thou mighteststill the enemy and the avenger.When I consider thy heavens, thework of thy fingers, the moon

and the stars, which thou hast or-dained; What is man, that thouart mindful of him? and the sonof man, that thou visitest him?For thou hast made him a littlelower than the angels, and hastcrowned him with glory and hon-our. Thou madest him to havedominion over the works of thyhands; thou hast put all thingsunder his feet: All sheep andoxen, yea, and the beasts of thefield; The fowl of the air, and thefish of the sea, and whatsoeverpasseth through the paths of theseas. O LORD our Lord, howexcellent is thy name in all theearth!

(Psalm 9:1-3, 7-18)I will praise thee, O LORD,

with my whole heart; I will shewforth all thy marvellous works. Iwill be glad and rejoice in thee: Iwill sing praise to thy name, Othou most High. When mine en-emies are turned back, they shallfall and perish at thy presence . . .But the LORD shall endure forever: he hath prepared his thronefor judgment. And he shall judgethe world in righteousness, heshall minister judgment to the

people in uprightness. The LORDalso will be a refuge for theoppressed, a refuge in times oftrouble. And they that know thyname will put their trust in thee:for thou, LORD, hast not forsak-en them that seek thee. Singpraises to the LORD, whichdwelleth in Zion: declare amongthe people his doings. When hemaketh inquisition for blood, heremembereth them: he forgettethnot the cry of the humble. Havemercy upon me, O LORD; con-

6 7

PSALM 12. WHAT GOD SAYS ABOUT SPEAKINGPROUD AND VAIN WORDS

Help, LORD; for the godlyman ceaseth; for the faithful failfrom among the children of men.They speak vanity every one withhis neighbour: with flattering lipsand with a double heart do theyspeak. The LORD shall cut offall flattering lips, and the tonguethat speaketh proud things: Whohave said, With our tongue willwe prevail; our lips are our own:who is lord over us? For the

oppression of the poor, for thesighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will sethim in safety from him thatpuffeth at him. The words of theLORD are pure words: as silvertried in a furnace of earth, purifiedseven times. Thou shalt keep them,O LORD, thou shalt preservethem from this generation for ever.The wicked walk on every side,when the vilest men are exalted.

No matter how poor we may be, if our heart is right with God,He will remember us and give us a home in heaven. Psalm 140,verses 12 and 13: “I know that the LORD will maintain thecause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor. Surely the righ-teous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell inthy presence.”

sider my trouble which I suffer ofthem that hate me, thou thatliftest me up from the gates ofdeath: That I may shew forth allthy praise in the gates of thedaughter of Zion: I will rejoice inthy salvation. The heathen aresunk down in the pit that theymade: in the net which they hid istheir own foot taken. The LORD

is known by the judgment whichhe executeth: the wicked issnared in the work of his ownhands. . . Selah. The wicked shallbe turned into hell, and all thenations that forget God. For theneedy shall not alway be forgot-ten: the expectation of the poorshall not perish for ever.

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER

8 9

The tongue is a little member of our body but capable ofgreat and terrible things. Read James, chapter three, below:

“My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shallreceive the greater condemnation. For in many things weoffend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a per-fect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, weput bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; andwe turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, whichthough they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yetare they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoev-er the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little mem-ber, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a mattera little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of ini-quity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileththe whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; andit is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birdsand of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hathbeen tamed of mankind: but the tongue can no man tame;it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless weGod, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, whichare made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouthproceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these thingsought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the sameplace sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren,bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountainboth yield salt water and fresh. Who is a wise man andendued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of agood conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But

if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not,and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth notfrom above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For whereenvying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peace-able, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy andgood fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And thefruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that makepeace.”

God is able to give us Grace over the tongue. ReadJames 4:6-8 and 10-15:

“But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God re-sisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submityourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he willflee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh toyou. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts,ye double minded . . . Humble yourselves in the sight of theLord, and he shall lift you up. Speak not evil one of another,brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgethhis brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: butif thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but ajudge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and todestroy: who art thou that judgest another? Go to now, yethat say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, andcontinue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. Forwhat is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a lit-tle time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say,If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.”

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

10

Any person who says there is no God is truly a fool in every senseof the word, for the Bible tells us that even the devils believe andtremble! Read James 2:19. It says, “Thou believest that there is oneGod; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”

PSALM 14. THERE ARE MANY EVIL MEN IN THEWORLD TODAY

The fool hath said in his heart,There is no God. They are corrupt,they have done abominable works,there is none that doeth good. TheLORD looked down from heavenupon the children of men, to see ifthere were any that did under-stand, and seek God. They are allgone aside, they are all togetherbecome filthy: there is none thatdoeth good, no, not one. Have allthe workers of iniquity no knowl-

edge? who eat up my people asthey eat bread, and call not uponthe LORD. There were they ingreat fear: for God is in the gener-ation of the righteous. Ye haveshamed the counsel of the poor,because the LORD is his refuge.Oh that the salvation of Israelwere come out of Zion! when theLORD bringeth back the captivityof his people, Jacob shall rejoice,and Israel shall be glad.

PSALM 15. THE CHARACTER OF THE GODLY PERSON(Described by the Question and Answer Method)

QUESTION: “LORD, whoshall abide in thy tabernacle?who shall dwell in thy holyhill?”

ANSWER: “He that walkethuprightly, and worketh righ-teousness, and speaketh thetruth in his heart. He that back-biteth not with his tongue, nordoeth evil to his neighbour, nor

taketh up a reproach against hisneighbour. In whose eyes a vileperson is contemned; but hehonoureth them that fear theLORD. He that sweareth to hisown hurt, and changeth not. Hethat putteth not out his money tousury, nor taketh reward againstthe innocent. He that doeth thesethings shall never be moved.”

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

11

Do our lives measure up to all the things required in Psalm 15 fora godly, holy life? There are eleven things mentioned here that tellWHO shall dwell in God’s holy hill. They are as follows:

1. He that walks uprightly.2. He that works righteousness.

3. He that speaks the truth in his heart.

4. He that does not backbite with his tongue.

5. He that does no evil to his neighbor.

6. He that does not take up a reproach against his neighbor.

7. He that contemns a vile person.

8. He that honors or respects those who fear the Lord.

9. He that keeps his promises and does not change eventhough it may mean a loss to him.

10. He that does not put out his money on high interest.

11. He that does not take any reward against the innocent.The Psalm ends like this: “He that doeth these things shallnever be moved.”

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

PSALM 16. PRAYER AND PRAISE FOR ALL PRESENTBLESSINGS AS WELL AS FUTURE DELIVERANCE

Preserve me, O God: for inthee do I put my trust. O my soul,thou hast said unto the Lord,Thou art my LORD: my goodnessextendeth not to thee; But to thesaints that are in the earth, and tothe excellent, in whom is all my

delight. Their sorrows shall bemultiplied that hasten after a-nother god: their drink offeringsof blood will I not offer, nor takeup their names into my lips. TheLORD is the portion of mine in-heritance and of my cup: thou

maintainest my lot. The lines arefallen unto me in pleasant places;yea, I have a goodly heritage. Iwill bless the LORD, who hathgiven me counsel: my reins alsoinstruct me in the night seasons. Ihave set the LORD always beforeme: because he is at my righthand, I shall not be moved.

Therefore my heart is glad, andmy glory rejoiceth: my flesh alsoshall rest in hope. For thou wiltnot leave my soul in hell; neitherwilt thou suffer thine Holy One tosee corruption. Thou wilt shew methe path of life: in thy presence isfulness of joy; at thy right handthere are pleasures for evermore.

“BECAUSE HE LIVES WE TOO SHALL LIVE”

PSALM 17. GOD IS A REFUGE FROM OPPRESSORS

Hear the right, O LORD, at-tend unto my cry, give ear untomy prayer, that goeth not out offeigned lips. Let my sentencecome forth from thy presence; letthine eyes behold the things thatare equal. Thou hast proved mineheart; thou hast visited me in thenight; thou hast tried me, andshalt find nothing; I am purposedthat my mouth shall not trans-gress. Concerning the works ofmen, by the word of thy lips Ihave kept me from the paths ofthe destroyer. Hold up my goingsin thy paths, that my footstepsslip not. I have called upon thee,for thou wilt hear me, O God:incline thine ear unto me, andhear my speech. Shew thy mar-

vellous lovingkindness, O thouthat savest by thy right handthem which put their trust in theefrom those that rise up againstthem. Keep me as the apple of theeye, hide me under the shadow ofthy wings, From the wicked thatoppress me, from my deadly ene-mies, who compass me about.They are inclosed in their ownfat: with their mouth they speakproudly. They have now com-passed us in our steps: they haveset their eyes bowing down to theearth; Like as a lion that isgreedy of his prey, and as it werea young lion lurking in secretplaces. Arise, O LORD, disap-point him, cast him down: delivermy soul from the wicked, which is

12 13

PSALM 19. THE HEAVENS DECLARE GOD’S GLORYAND THE LAW WITHIN OUR HEARTS

thy sword: From men which arethy hand, O LORD, from men ofthe world, which have their por-tion in this life, and whose bellythou fillest with thy hid treasure:they are full of children, and

leave the rest of their substance totheir babes. As for me, I will be-hold thy face in righteousness: Ishall be satisfied, when I awake,with thy likeness.

The heavens declare the gloryof God; and the firmament shew-eth his handywork. Day unto dayuttereth speech, and night untonight sheweth knowledge. Thereis no speech nor language, wheretheir voice is not heard. Their lineis gone out through all the earth,and their words to the end of theworld. In them hath he set a tab-ernacle for the sun, Which is as abridegroom coming out of hischamber, and rejoiceth as astrong man to run a race. Hisgoing forth is from the end of theheaven, and his circuit unto the

ends of it: and there is nothinghid from the heat thereof. Thelaw of the LORD is perfect, con-verting the soul: the testimony ofthe LORD is sure, making wisethe simple. The statutes of theLORD are right, rejoicing theheart: the commandment of theLORD is pure, enlightening theeyes. The fear of the LORD isclean, enduring for ever: thejudgments of the LORD are trueand righteous altogether. More tobe desired are they than gold,yea, than much fine gold: sweeteralso than honey and the honey-comb. Moreover by them is thyservant warned: and in keepingof them there is great reward.Who can understand his errors?cleanse thou me from secretfaults. Keep back thy servant alsofrom presumptuous sins; let themnot have dominion over me: then

14

shall I be upright, and I shall beinnocent from the great trans-gression. Let the words of mymouth, and the meditation of myheart, be acceptable in thy sight,O LORD, my strength, and myredeemer.

John 3:16For God so loved the world,

that he gave his only begottenSon, that whosoever believeth inhim should not perish, but haveeverlasting life.

The LORD is my shepherd; Ishall not want. He maketh me tolie down in green pastures: heleadeth me beside the still waters.He restoreth my soul: he leadethme in the paths of righteousnessfor his name’s sake. Yea, though Iwalk through the valley of theshadow of death, I will fear no evil:for thou art with me; thy rod andthy staff they comfort me. Thoupreparest a table before me in thepresence of mine enemies: thouanointest my head with oil; my cuprunneth over. Surely goodness andmercy shall follow me all the daysof my life: and I will dwell in thehouse of the LORD for ever.

PSALM 23. THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD

15

The earth is the LORD’S, andthe fulness thereof; the world, andthey that dwell therein. For hehath founded it upon the seas,and established it upon thefloods. Who shall ascend into thehill of the LORD? or who shall

stand in his holy place? He thathath clean hands, and a pureheart; who hath not lifted up hissoul unto vanity, nor sworndeceitfully. He shall receive theblessing from the LORD, andrighteousness from the God of hissalvation. This is the generationof them that seek him, that seekthy face, O Jacob. Selah. Lift upyour heads, O ye gates; and be yelift up, ye everlasting doors; andthe King of glory shall come in.Who is this King of glory? TheLORD strong and mighty, theLORD mighty in battle. Lift upyour heads, O ye gates; even liftthem up, ye everlasting doors;and the King of glory shall comein. Who is this King of glory? TheLORD of hosts, he is the King ofglory. Selah.

PSALM 24. THE KING OF GLORY ENTERING ZIONAND WHO SHALL STAND IN HIS HOLY PLACE

SOMETHING TO REMEMBERThe King of Glory is the Lord Jesus Christ. If we want to go dwell

in His Holy Place we must be sure to have clean hands and a pureheart. Our hearts must not be lifted up in pride and we must not

THOUGHT

The Lord is ever present with those who trust in Him. “ . . . lo, I amwith you alway, even unto the end of the world.”— Matthew 28:20

16

swear at all. Read Matthew 5:34-37.

“But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it isGod’s throne: nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither byJerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thouswear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white orblack. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for what-soever is more than these cometh of evil.”

If we ask the Lord, He can give us clean hands and a pure heart.

PSALM 25. A PRAYER FOR GUIDANCE AND PARDON

Unto thee, O LORD, do I liftup my soul. O my God, I trust inthee: let me not be ashamed, letnot mine enemies triumph overme. Yea, let none that wait onthee be ashamed: let them beashamed which transgress with-

out cause. Shew me thy ways, OLORD; teach me thy paths. Leadme in thy truth, and teach me: forthou art the God of my salvation;on thee do I wait all the day.Remember, O LORD, thy tendermercies and thy lovingkindness-es; for they have been ever of old.Remember not the sins of myyouth, nor my transgressions:according to thy mercy remem-ber thou me for thy goodness’sake, O LORD. Good and up-right is the LORD: therefore willhe teach sinners in the way. Themeek will he guide in judgment:and the meek will he teach hisway. All the paths of the LORDare mercy and truth unto such askeep his covenant and his testi-monies. For thy name’s sake, OLORD, pardon mine iniquity; for

17

PSALM 26. MEDITATION BEFORE DIVINE WORSHIP

PSALM 27. A SONG OF TRUST AND DELIVERANCE

it is great. What man is he thatfeareth the LORD? him shall heteach in the way that he shallchoose. His soul shall dwell atease; and his seed shall inheritthe earth. The secret of theLORD is with them that fearhim; and he will shew them hiscovenant. Mine eyes are evertoward the LORD; for he shallpluck my feet out of the net. Turnthee unto me, and have mercyupon me; for I am desolate andafflicted. The troubles of my

heart are enlarged: O bring thoume out of my distresses. Lookupon mine affliction and mypain; and forgive all my sins.Consider mine enemies; for theyare many; and they hate me withcruel hatred. O keep my soul, anddeliver me: let me not beashamed; for I put my trust inthee. Let integrity and upright-ness preserve me; for I wait onthee. Redeem Israel, O God, outof all his troubles.

Judge me, O LORD; for I havewalked in mine integrity: I havetrusted also in the LORD; there-fore I shall not slide. Examine me,O LORD, and prove me; try myreins and my heart. For thy lov-ingkindness is before mine eyes:and I have walked in thy truth. Ihave not sat with vain persons,neither will I go in with dissem-blers. I have hated the congrega-tion of evildoers; and will not sitwith the wicked. I will wash minehands in innocency: so will I com-pass thine altar, O LORD: That I

may publish with the voice ofthanksgiving, and tell of all thywondrous works. LORD, I haveloved the habitation of thy house,and the place where thine honourdwelleth. Gather not my soul withsinners, nor my life with bloodymen: In whose hands is mischief,and their right hand is full ofbribes. But as for me, I will walkin mine integrity: redeem me, andbe merciful unto me. My footstandeth in an even place: in thecongregations will I bless theLORD.

The LORD is my light and mysalvation; whom shall I fear? the

LORD is the strength of my life;of whom shall I be afraid? When

18

PSALM 29. THE VOICE OF THE LORD

the wicked, even mine enemiesand my foes, came upon me to eatup my flesh, they stumbled andfell. Though an host should en-camp against me, my heart shallnot fear: though war should riseagainst me, in this will I be confi-dent. One thing have I desired ofthe LORD, that will I seek after;that I may dwell in the house ofthe LORD all the days of my life,to behold the beauty of theLORD, and to inquire in his tem-ple. For in the time of trouble heshall hide me in his pavilion: inthe secret of his tabernacle shallhe hide me; he shall set me upupon a rock. And now shall minehead be lifted up above mine ene-mies round about me: thereforewill I offer in his tabernacle sacri-fices of joy; I will sing, yea, I willsing praises unto the LORD. Hear,O LORD, when I cry with my

voice: have mercy also upon me,and answer me. When thousaidst, Seek ye my face; my heartsaid unto thee, Thy face, LORD,will I seek. Hide not thy face farfrom me; put not thy servantaway in anger: thou hast been myhelp; leave me not, neither for-sake me, O God of my salvation.When my father and my motherforsake me, then the LORD willtake me up. Teach me thy way, OLORD, and lead me in a plainpath, because of mine enemies.Deliver me not over unto the willof mine enemies: for false wit-nesses are risen up against me,and such as breathe out cruelty. Ihad fainted, unless I had believedto see the goodness of the LORDin the land of the living. Wait onthe LORD: be of good courage,and he shall strengthen thineheart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Give unto the LORD, O yemighty, give unto the LORDglory and strength. Give unto the

LORD the glory due unto hisname; worship the LORD in thebeauty of holiness. The voice of

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER

We can receive strength to overcome all evil if we wait inprayer before the Lord and take courage. We must trustGod to help us.

19

PSALM 31. PRAISE FOR DELIVERANCE FROMSLANDERING TONGUES

the LORD is upon the waters: theGod of glory thundereth: theLORD is upon many waters. Thevoice of the LORD is powerful;the voice of the LORD is full ofmajesty. The voice of the LORDbreaketh the cedars; yea, theLORD breaketh the cedars ofLebanon. He maketh them also toskip like a calf; Lebanon andSirion like a young unicorn. Thevoice of the LORD divideth theflames of fire. The voice of the

LORD shaketh the wilderness;the LORD shaketh the wildernessof Kadesh. The voice of theLORD maketh the hinds to calve,and discovereth the forests: andin his temple doth every onespeak of his glory. The LORD sit-teth upon the flood; yea, theLORD sitteth King for ever. TheLORD will give strength unto hispeople; the LORD will bless hispeople with peace.

In thee, O LORD, do I put mytrust; let me never be ashamed:deliver me in thy righteousness.Bow down thine ear to me; deliv-er me speedily: be thou my strongrock, for an house of defence tosave me. For thou art my rockand my fortress; therefore for thyname’s sake lead me, and guideme. Pull me out of the net thatthey have laid privily for me: forthou art my strength. Into thinehand I commit my spirit: thouhast redeemed me, O LORD God

of truth. I have hated them thatregard lying vanities: but I trustin the LORD. I will be glad andrejoice in thy mercy: for thouhast considered my trouble; thouhast known my soul in adversi-ties; And hast not shut me up intothe hand of the enemy: thou hastset my feet in a large room. Havemercy upon me, O LORD, for Iam in trouble: mine eye is con-sumed with grief, yea, my souland my belly. For my life is spentwith grief, and my years with

OBEY THE VOICE OF THE LORD

“ . . . The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice willwe obey.” — Joshua 24:24

20

sighing: my strength faileth be-cause of mine iniquity, and mybones are consumed. I was a re-proach among all mine enemies,but especially among my neigh-bours, and a fear to mine ac-quaintance: they that did see mewithout fled from me. I am for-gotten as a dead man out ofmind: I am like a broken vessel.For I have heard the slander ofmany: fear was on every side:while they took counsel togetheragainst me, they devised to takeaway my life. But I trusted inthee, O LORD: I said, Thou artmy God. My times are in thyhand: deliver me from the handof mine enemies, and from themthat persecute me. Make thy faceto shine upon thy servant: saveme for thy mercies’ sake. Let menot be ashamed, O LORD; for Ihave called upon thee: let thewicked be ashamed, and let thembe silent in the grave. Let thelying lips be put to silence; which

speak grievous things proudlyand contemptuously against therighteous. Oh how great is thygoodness, which thou hast laid upfor them that fear thee; whichthou hast wrought for them thattrust in thee before the sons ofmen! Thou shalt hide them in thesecret of thy presence from thepride of man: thou shalt keepthem secretly in a pavilion fromthe strife of tongues. Blessed bethe LORD: for he hath shewedme his marvellous kindness in astrong city. For I said in my haste,I am cut off from before thineeyes: nevertheless thou heardestthe voice of my supplicationswhen I cried unto thee. O love theLORD, all ye his saints: for theLORD preserveth the faithful,and plentifully rewardeth theproud doer. Be of good courage,and he shall strengthen yourheart, all ye that hope in theLORD.

Blessed is he whose transgres-sion is forgiven, whose sin is cov-ered. Blessed is the man unto

whom the LORD imputeth notiniquity, and in whose spirit thereis no guile. When I kept silence,

SOMETHING TO REMEMBERBe of good courage, and the Lord will strengthen your heart.

PSALM 32. BLESSEDNESS OF THE FORGIVEN

my bones waxed old through myroaring all the day long. For dayand night thy hand was heavyupon me: my moisture is turnedinto the drought of summer.Selah. I acknowledged my sinunto thee, and mine iniquity haveI not hid. I said, I will confess mytransgressions unto the LORD;and thou forgavest the iniquity ofmy sin. Selah. For this shall everyone that is godly pray unto theein a time when thou mayest befound: surely in the floods ofgreat waters they shall not comenigh unto him. Thou art my hid-ing place; thou shalt preserve me

from trouble; thou shalt compassme about with songs of deliver-ance. Selah. I will instruct theeand teach thee in the way whichthou shalt go: I will guide theewith mine eye. Be ye not as thehorse, or as the mule, which haveno understanding: whose mouthmust be held in with bit and bri-dle, lest they come near unto thee.Many sorrows shall be to thewicked: but he that trusteth inthe LORD, mercy shall compasshim about. Be glad in the LORD,and rejoice, ye righteous: andshout for joy, all ye that areupright in heart.

Rejoice in the LORD, O yerighteous: for praise is comely forthe upright. Praise the LORDwith harp: sing unto him with thepsaltery and an instrument of tenstrings. Sing unto him a newsong; play skilfully with a loudnoise. For the word of the LORDis right; and all his works aredone in truth. He loveth righ-teousness and judgment: theearth is full of the goodness of theLORD. By the word of the LORDwere the heavens made; and allthe host of them by the breath ofhis mouth. He gathereth the wa-

ters of the sea together as anheap: he layeth up the depth instorehouses. Let all the earth fearthe LORD: let all the inhabitantsof the world stand in awe of him.For he spake, and it was done; hecommanded, and it stood fast.The LORD bringeth the counsel ofthe heathen to nought: he makeththe devices of the people of noneeffect. The counsel of the LORDstandeth for ever, the thoughts ofhis heart to all generations.Blessed is the nation whose God isthe LORD; and the people whomhe hath chosen for his own inheri-

PSALM 33. A SONG OF THE BLESSED PEOPLE

21

22

tance. The LORD looketh fromheaven; he beholdeth all the sonsof men. From the place of hishabitation he looketh upon all theinhabitants of the earth. He fash-ioneth their hearts alike; he con-sidereth all their works. There isno king saved by the multitude ofan host: a mighty man is not de-livered by much strength. Anhorse is a vain thing for safety;neither shall he deliver any by his

great strength. Behold, the eye ofthe LORD is upon them that fearhim, upon them that hope in hismercy; To deliver their soul fromdeath, and to keep them alive infamine. Our soul waiteth for theLORD: he is our help and ourshield. For our heart shall rejoicein him, because we have trustedin his holy name. Let thy mercy,O LORD, be upon us, accordingas we hope in thee.

I will bless the LORD at alltimes: his praise shall continuallybe in my mouth. My soul shallmake her boast in the LORD: thehumble shall hear thereof, and beglad. O magnify the LORD withme, and let us exalt his nametogether. I sought the LORD, andhe heard me, and delivered mefrom all my fears. They lookedunto him, and were lightened:and their faces were not a-shamed. This poor man cried,and the LORD heard him, andsaved him out of all his troubles.The angel of the LORD encam-peth round about them that fearhim, and delivereth them.

O taste and see that the LORDis good: blessed is the man that

trusteth in him. O fear theLORD, ye his saints: for there isno want to them that fear him.The young lions do lack, and suf-fer hunger: but they that seek theLORD shall not want any goodthing. Come, ye children, heark-en unto me: I will teach you thefear of the LORD. What man ishe that desireth life, and lovethmany days, that he may seegood? Keep thy tongue from evil,and thy lips from speaking guile.Depart from evil, and do good;seek peace, and pursue it. Theeyes of the LORD are upon therighteous, and his ears are openunto their cry. The face of theLORD is against them that doevil, to cut off the remembrance

PSALM 34. THE TESTIMONY OF THE SAVED MAN

23

of them from the earth. Therighteous cry, and the LORDheareth, and delivereth them outof all their troubles. The LORD isnigh unto them that are of a bro-ken heart; and saveth such as beof a contrite spirit. Many are theafflictions of the righteous: butthe LORD delivereth him out of

them all. He keepeth all hisbones: not one of them is broken.Evil shall slay the wicked: andthey that hate the righteous shallbe desolate. The LORD redeem-eth the soul of his servants: andnone of them that trust in himshall be desolate.

Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, neither be thou enviousagainst the workers of iniquity.For they shall soon be cut downlike the grass, and wither as thegreen herb. Trust in the LORD,and do good; so shalt thou dwellin the land, and verily thou shaltbe fed. Delight thyself also in theLORD; and he shall give thee thedesires of thine heart. Committhy way unto the LORD; trustalso in him; and he shall bring itto pass. And he shall bring forththy righteousness as the light,and thy judgment as the noon-day. Rest in the LORD, and waitpatiently for him: fret not thyselfbecause of him who prospereth inhis way, because of the man whobringeth wicked devices to pass.Cease from anger, and forsakewrath: fret not thyself in any wiseto do evil. For evildoers shall becut off: but those that wait uponthe LORD, they shall inherit the

earth. For yet a little while, andthe wicked shall not be: yea, thoushalt diligently consider his place,and it shall not be. But the meekshall inherit the earth; and shalldelight themselves in the abun-dance of peace.

The wicked plotteth against thejust, and gnasheth upon him withhis teeth. The Lord shall laugh athim: for he seeth that his day iscoming. The wicked have drawnout the sword, and have benttheir bow, to cast down the poorand needy, and to slay such as beof upright conversation. Theirsword shall enter into their ownheart, and their bows shall bebroken. A little that a righteousman hath is better than the rich-es of many wicked. For the armsof the wicked shall be broken:but the LORD upholdeth therighteous. The LORD knoweththe days of the upright: and theirinheritance shall be for ever.

PSALM 37. THE MAN OF FAITH OVERCOMES

24

They shall not be ashamed in theevil time: and in the days offamine they shall be satisfied. Butthe wicked shall perish, and theenemies of the LORD shall be asthe fat of lambs: they shall con-sume; into smoke shall they con-sume away. The wicked bor-roweth, and payeth not again:but the righteous sheweth mercy,and giveth. For such as be blessedof him shall inherit the earth; andthey that be cursed of him shallbe cut off. The steps of a goodman are ordered by the LORD:and he delighteth in his way.Though he fall, he shall not beutterly cast down: for the LORDupholdeth him with his hand. Ihave been young, and now amold; yet have I not seen the righ-teous forsaken, nor his seed beg-ging bread. He is ever merciful,and lendeth; and his seed isblessed. Depart from evil, and dogood; and dwell for evermore.For the LORD loveth judgment,and forsaketh not his saints; theyare preserved for ever: but theseed of the wicked shall be cut off.The righteous shall inherit theland, and dwell therein for ever.

The mouth of the righteousspeaketh wisdom, and his tonguetalketh of judgment. The law ofhis God is in his heart; none of hissteps shall slide. The wickedwatcheth the righteous, andseeketh to slay him. The LORDwill not leave him in his hand, norcondemn him when he is judged.Wait on the LORD, and keep hisway, and he shall exalt thee toinherit the land: when the wickedare cut off, thou shalt see it. Ihave seen the wicked in greatpower, and spreading himself likea green bay tree. Yet he passedaway, and, lo, he was not: yea, Isought him, but he could not befound. Mark the perfect man,and behold the upright: for theend of that man is peace.

But the transgressors shall bedestroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off. But thesalvation of the righteous is of theLORD: he is their strength in thetime of trouble. And the LORDshall help them, and deliverthem: he shall deliver them fromthe wicked, and save them, be-cause they trust in him.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

“ . . . this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our

faith.” — 1 John 5:4

25

PSALM 40. GOD DELIVERS AND UPHOLDS HISCHILDREN

I waited patiently for the LORD;and he inclined unto me, andheard my cry. He brought me upalso out of an horrible pit, out ofthe miry clay, and set my feetupon a rock, and established mygoings. And he hath put a newsong in my mouth, even praiseunto our God: many shall see it,and fear, and shall trust in theLORD. Blessed is that man thatmaketh the LORD his trust, andrespecteth not the proud, norsuch as turn aside to lies. Many,O LORD my God, are thy won-derful works which thou hastdone, and thy thoughts which areto us-ward: they cannot be reck-oned up in order unto thee: if Iwould declare and speak of them,they are more than can be num-bered. Sacrifice and offering thoudidst not desire; mine ears hastthou opened: burnt offering andsin offering hast thou not re-quired. Then said I, Lo, I come:in the volume of the book it iswritten of me, I delight to do thywill, O my God: yea, thy law iswithin my heart. I have preachedrighteousness in the great congre-gation: lo, I have not refrainedmy lips, O LORD, thou knowest.

I have not hid thy righteousnesswithin my heart; I have declaredthy faithfulness and thy salva-tion: I have not concealed thy lov-ingkindness and thy truth fromthe great congregation. Withholdnot thou thy tender mercies fromme, O LORD: let thy lovingkind-ness and thy truth continuallypreserve me. For innumerableevils have compassed me about:mine iniquities have taken holdupon me, so that I am not able tolook up; they are more than thehairs of mine head: therefore myheart faileth me. Be pleased, OLORD, to deliver me: O LORD,make haste to help me. Let thembe ashamed and confounded to-gether that seek after my soul todestroy it; let them be drivenbackward and put to shame thatwish me evil. Let them be deso-late for a reward of their shamethat say unto me, Aha, aha. Letall those that seek thee rejoiceand be glad in thee: let such aslove thy salvation say continually,The LORD be magnified.

But I am poor and needy; yetthe LORD thinketh upon me:thou art my help and my deliver-er; make no tarrying, O my God.

26

Blessed is he that considereththe poor: the LORD will deliverhim in time of trouble. The LORDwill preserve him, and keep himalive; and he shall be blessedupon the earth: and thou wilt notdeliver him unto the will of hisenemies. The LORD will strength-en him upon the bed of languish-ing: thou wilt make all his bed inhis sickness. I said, LORD, bemerciful unto me: heal my soul;for I have sinned against thee.

Mine enemies speak evil of me,When shall he die, and his nameperish? And if he come to see me,he speaketh vanity: his heartgathereth iniquity to itself; whenhe goeth abroad, he telleth it. Allthat hate me whisper togetheragainst me: against me do theydevise my hurt. An evil disease,say they, cleaveth fast unto him:and now that he lieth he shall riseup no more. Yea, mine own famil-iar friend, in whom I trusted,which did eat of my bread, hathlifted up his heel against me. Butthou, O LORD, be merciful untome, and raise me up, that I mayrequite them. By this I know thatthou favourest me, because mineenemy doth not triumph over me.And as for me, thou upholdest mein mine integrity, and settest mebefore thy face for ever. Blessedbe the LORD God of Israel fromeverlasting, and to everlasting.Amen, and Amen.

PSALM 41. A SPECIAL BLESSING IS UPON THOSEWHO HELP THE POOR AND NEEDY

PSALM 46. GOD IS THE ETERNAL REFUGE OF HISPEOPLE

God is our refuge and strength,a very present help in trouble.

Therefore will not we fear, thoughthe earth be removed, and though

27

the mountains be carried into themidst of the sea; Though thewaters thereof roar and be trou-bled, though the mountains shakewith the swelling thereof. Selah.There is a river, the streamswhereof shall make glad the cityof God, the holy place of the tab-ernacles of the most High. God is

in the midst of her; she shall notbe moved: God shall help her,and that right early. The heathenraged, the kingdoms weremoved: he uttered his voice, theearth melted. The LORD of hostsis with us; the God of Jacob is ourrefuge. Selah. Come, behold theworks of the LORD, what desola-tions he hath made in the earth.He maketh wars to cease unto theend of the earth; he breaketh thebow, and cutteth the spear in sun-der; he burneth the chariot in thefire.

Be still, and know that I amGod: I will be exalted among theheathen, I will be exalted in theearth. The LORD of hosts is withus; the God of Jacob is our re-fuge. Selah.

The mighty God, even theLORD, hath spoken, and calledthe earth from the rising of thesun unto the going down thereof.Out of Zion, the perfection ofbeauty, God hath shined. OurGod shall come, and shall notkeep silence: a fire shall devourbefore him, and it shall be verytempestuous round about him.He shall call to the heavens from

above, and to the earth, that hemay judge his people. Gather mysaints together unto me; thosethat have made a covenant withme by sacrifice. And the heavensshall declare his righteousness:for God is judge himself. Selah.Hear, O my people, and I willspeak; O Israel, and I will testifyagainst thee: I am God, even thyGod. I will not reprove thee for

PSALM 50. GOD JUDGES THE WHOLE WORLD

28

thy sacrifices or thy burnt offer-ings, to have been continuallybefore me. I will take no bullockout of thy house, nor he goats outof thy folds. For every beast ofthe forest is mine, and the cattleupon a thousand hills. I know allthe fowls of the mountains: andthe wild beasts of the field aremine. If I were hungry, I wouldnot tell thee: for the world ismine, and the fulness thereof.Will I eat the flesh of bulls, ordrink the blood of goats?

Offer unto God thanksgiving;and pay thy vows unto the mostHigh: And call upon me in theday of trouble: I will deliver thee,and thou shalt glorify me. Butunto the wicked God saith, Whathast thou to do to declare mystatutes, or that thou shouldesttake my covenant in thy mouth?

Seeing thou hatest instruction,and castest my words behindthee. When thou sawest a thief,then thou consentedst with him,and hast been partaker withadulterers. Thou givest thy mouthto evil, and thy tongue framethdeceit. Thou sittest and speakestagainst thy brother; thou slan-derest thine own mother’s son.These things hast thou done, andI kept silence; thou thoughtestthat I was altogether such an oneas thyself: but I will reprove thee,and set them in order beforethine eyes. Now consider this, yethat forget God, lest I tear you inpieces, and there be none to deliv-er. Whoso offereth praise glorifi-eth me: and to him that orderethhis conversation aright will Ishew the salvation of God.

(Psalm 51:1-17)Have mercy upon me, O God,

according to thy lovingkindness:according unto the multitude of

PSALM 51. A PRAYER FOR FORGIVENESS OF SINAND A CLEAN HEART

THOUGHT FOR TODAYGod sees all we do; hears all we say; and knows every thought

of our heart. God is the only one qualified to be our Judge becauseHe is the Only One Who knows all about us.

29

thy tender mercies blot out mytransgressions. Wash me through-ly from mine iniquity, and cleanseme from my sin. For I acknowl-edge my transgressions: and mysin is ever before me. Againstthee, thee only, have I sinned, anddone this evil in thy sight: thatthou mightest be justified whenthou speakest, and be clear whenthou judgest. Behold, I was shap-en in iniquity; and in sin did mymother conceive me. Behold, thoudesirest truth in the inward parts:and in the hidden part thou shalt

make me to know wisdom. Purgeme with hyssop, and I shall beclean: wash me, and I shall bewhiter than snow. Make me tohear joy and gladness; that thebones which thou hast brokenmay rejoice. Hide thy face frommy sins, and blot out all mineiniquites. Create in me a cleanheart, O God; and renew a rightspirit within me. Cast me not a-way from thy presence; and takenot thy holy spirit from me. Re-store unto me the joy of thy salva-tion; and uphold me with thy freespirit. Then will I teach transgres-sors thy ways; and sinners shallbe converted unto thee. Deliverme from bloodguiltiness, O God,thou God of my salvation: and mytongue shall sing aloud of thyrighteousness. O Lord, open thoumy lips; and my mouth shall shewforth thy praise. For thou desirestnot sacrifice; else would I give it:thou delightest not in burnt offer-ing. The sacrifices of God are abroken spirit: a broken and a con-trite heart, O God, thou wilt notdespise.

PSALM 56. A PRAYER TO GOD FOR PROTECTIONBe merciful unto me, O God:

for man would swallow me up; hefighting daily oppresseth me.Mine enemies would daily swal-

low me up: for they be many thatfight against me, O Thou mostHigh. What time I am afraid, Iwill trust in thee. In God I willpraise his word, in God I haveput my trust; I will not fear whatflesh can do unto me. Every daythey wrest my words: all their

thoughts are against me for evil.They gather themselves together,they hide themselves, they markmy steps, when they wait for mysoul. Shall they escape by iniqui-ty? in thine anger cast down thepeople, O God. Thou tellest mywanderings: put thou my tearsinto thy bottle: are they not in thybook? When I cry unto thee, thenshall mine enemies turn back:this I know; for God is for me. InGod will I praise his word: in theLORD will I praise his word. InGod have I put my trust: I willnot be afraid what man can dounto me. Thy vows are upon me,O God: I will render praises untothee. For thou hast delivered mysoul from death: wilt not thoudeliver my feet from falling, thatI may walk before God in thelight of the living?

30

God be merciful unto us, andbless us; and cause his face toshine upon us; Selah. That thyway may be known upon earth,thy saving health among allnations. Let the people praisethee, O God; let all the peoplepraise thee. O let the nations beglad and sing for joy: for thou

shalt judge the people righteously,and govern the nations uponearth. Selah. Let the people praisethee, O God; let all the peoplepraise thee. Then shall the earthyield her increase; and God, evenour own God, shall bless us. Godshall bless us; and all the ends ofthe earth shall fear him.

PSALM 67. A SONG OF JOY AND PRAISE

31

Make haste, O God, to deliverme; make haste to help me, OLORD. Let them be ashamed andconfounded that seek after my soul:let them be turned backward, andput to confusion, that desire myhurt. Let them be turned back fora reward of their shame that say,

Aha, aha. Let all those that seekthee rejoice and be glad in thee:and let such as love thy salvationsay continually, Let God be magni-fied. But I am poor and needy:make haste unto me, O God: thouart my help and my deliverer; OLORD, make no tarrying.

He that dwelleth in the secretplace of the most High shall abideunder the shadow of the Al-mighty. I will say of the LORD,He is my refuge and my fortress:my God; in him will I trust.Surely he shall deliver thee fromthe snare of the fowler, and from

the noisome pestilence. He shallcover thee with his feathers, andunder his wings shalt thou trust:his truth shall be thy shield andbuckler. Thou shalt not be afraidfor the terror by night; nor forthe arrow that flieth by day; Norfor the pestilence that walketh indarkness; nor for the destructionthat wasteth at noonday. A thou-sand shall fall at thy side, and tenthousand at thy right hand; but itshall not come nigh thee. Onlywith thine eyes shalt thou beholdand see the reward of the wicked.Because thou hast made theLORD, which is my refuge, eventhe most High, thy habitation;There shall no evil befall thee,neither shall any plague comenigh thy dwelling. For he shall

PSALM 70. A PRAYER FOR HELP

PSALM 91. THE SOUL THAT DWELLS IN GOD ISSECURE FROM ALL EVIL

32

give his angels charge over thee,to keep thee in all thy ways. Theyshall bear thee up in their hands,lest thou dash thy foot against astone. Thou shalt tread upon thelion and adder: the young lionand the dragon shalt thou tram-ple under feet. Because he hathset his love upon me, therefore

will I deliver him: I will set himon high, because he hath knownmy name. He shall call upon me,and I will answer him: I will bewith him in trouble; I will deliverhim, and honour him. With longlife will I satisfy him, and shewhim my salvation.

O sing unto the LORD a newsong: sing unto the LORD, all theearth. Sing unto the LORD, blesshis name; shew forth his salvationfrom day to day. Declare his gloryamong the heathen, his wondersamong all people. For the LORDis great, and greatly to be praised:he is to be feared above all gods.For all the gods of the nations areidols: but the LORD made theheavens. Honour and majesty arebefore him: strength and beauty

are in his sanctuary. Give unto theLORD, O ye kindreds of the peo-ple, give unto the LORD gloryand strength. Give unto theLORD the glory due unto hisname: bring an offering, andcome into his courts. O worshipthe LORD in the beauty of holi-ness: fear before him, all theearth. Say among the heathenthat the LORD reigneth: theworld also shall be establishedthat it shall not be moved: he shalljudge the people righteously. Letthe heavens rejoice, and let theearth be glad; let the sea roar, andthe fulness thereof. Let the fieldbe joyful, and all that is therein:then shall all the trees of the woodrejoice Before the LORD: for hecometh, for he cometh to judgethe earth: he shall judge theworld with righteousness, and thepeople with his truth.

PSALM 96. ALL NATIONS SHOULD WORSHIP GOD

33

PSALM 100. A SONG OF PRAISE FROM GOD’S PEOPLE

PSALM 103. THE REDEEMED SOUL SINGS PRAISETO THE LORD

Make a joyful noise unto theLORD, all ye lands. Serve theLORD with gladness: come beforehis presence with singing. Know yethat the LORD he is God: it is hethat hath made us, and not we our-selves; we are his people, and the

sheep of his pasture. Enter into hisgates with thanksgiving, and intohis courts with praise: be thankfulunto him, and bless his name. Forthe LORD is good; his mercy iseverlasting; and his truth endurethto all generations.

Bless the LORD, O my soul:and all that is within me, bless hisholy name. Bless the LORD, Omy soul, and forget not all his be-nefits: Who forgiveth all thine in-quities; who healeth all thy di-seases; Who redeemeth thy lifefrom destruction; who crowneththee with lovingkindness and ten-der mercies; Who satisfieth thymouth with good things; so thatthy youth is renewed like theeagle’s. The LORD executeth righ-teousness and judgment for allthat are oppressed. He madeknown his ways unto Moses, hisacts unto the children of Israel.The LORD is merciful and gra-cious, slow to anger, and plen-teous in mercy. He will not alwayschide: neither will he keep hisanger for ever. He hath not dealtwith us after our sins; nor

rewarded us according to ouriniquities. For as the heaven ishigh above the earth, so great ishis mercy to-ward them that fearhim. As far as the east is from thewest, so far hath he removed ourtransgressions from us. Like as afather pitieth his children, so theLORD pitieth them that fear him.For he knoweth our frame; heremembereth that we are dust. Asfor man, his days are as grass: asa flower of the field, so he flour-isheth. For the wind passeth overit, and it is gone; and the placethereof shall know it no more.But the mercy of the LORD isfrom everlasting to everlastingupon them that fear him, and hisrighteousness unto children’schildren; To such as keep hiscovenant, and to those that re-member his commandments to

34

do them. The LORD hath pre-pared his throne in the heavens;and his kingdom ruleth over all.Bless the LORD, ye his angels,that excel in strength, that do hiscommandments, hearkening unto

the voice of his word. Bless ye theLORD, all ye his hosts; ye minis-ters of his, that do his pleasure.Bless the LORD, all his works inall places of his dominion: blessthe LORD, O my soul.

O give thanks unto the LORD,for he is good: for his mercy en-dureth for ever. Let the redeemedof the LORD say so, whom hehath redeemed from the hand ofthe enemy; And gathered themout of the lands, from the east,and from the west, from thenorth, and from the south. Theywandered in the wilderness in asolitary way; they found no cityto dwell in. Hungry and thirsty,their soul fainted in them. Thenthey cried unto the LORD intheir trouble, and he deliveredthem out of their distresses. Andhe led them forth by the rightway, that they might go to a cityof habitation. Oh that men wouldpraise the LORD for his good-ness, and for his wonderful worksto the children of men! For hesatisfieth the longing soul, and fill-eth the hungry soul with good-ness. Such as sit in darkness and

in the shadow of death, beingbound in affliction and iron;Because they rebelled against thewords of God, and contemned thecounsel of the most High: There-fore he brought down their heartwith labour; they fell down, andthere was none to help. Then theycried unto the LORD in theirtrouble, and he saved them out oftheir distresses. He brought themout of darkness and the shadowof death, and brake their bandsin sunder. Oh that men wouldpraise the LORD for his good-ness, and for his wonderful worksto the children of men! For hehath broken the gates of brass,and cut the bars of iron in sunder.Fools because of their transgres-sion, and because of their iniqui-ties, are afflicted. Their soul ab-horreth all manner of meat; andthey draw near unto the gates ofdeath. Then they cry unto the

PSALM 107. GOD’S PEOPLE EVERYWHERE SHOULD PRAISE GOD FOR ALL HE HAS DONE FOR THEM

35

LORD in their trouble, and hesaveth them out of their distress-es. He sent his word, and healedthem, and delivered them fromtheir destructions. Oh that menwould praise the LORD for hisgoodness, and for his wonderfulworks to the children of men!

And let them sacrifice the sac-rifices of thanksgiving, and de-clare his works with rejoicing.They that go down to the sea inships, that do business in greatwaters; These see the works ofthe LORD, and his wonders inthe deep. For he commandeth,and raiseth the stormy wind,which lifteth up the waves there-of. They mount up to the heaven,they go down again to the depths:their soul is melted because oftrouble. They reel to and fro, andstagger like a drunken man, andare at their wit’s end. Then theycry unto the LORD in their trou-ble, and he bringeth them out oftheir distresses. He maketh thestorm a calm, so that the wavesthereof are still. Then are theyglad because they be quiet; so hebringeth them unto their desiredhaven. Oh that men would praisethe LORD for his goodness, andfor his wonderful works to the

children of men! Let them exalthim also in the congregation ofthe people, and praise him in theassembly of the elders. He turn-eth rivers into a wilderness, andthe watersprings into dry ground;A fruitful land into barrenness,for the wickedness of them thatdwell therein. He turneth thewilderness into a standing water,and dry ground into water-springs. And there he maketh thehungry to dwell, that they mayprepare a city for habitation; Andsow the fields, and plant vine-yards, which may yield fruits ofincrease. He blesseth them also,so that they are multiplied great-ly; and suffereth not their cattleto decrease. Again, they are min-ished and brought low throughoppression, affliction, and sor-row. He poureth contempt uponprinces, and causeth them towander in the wilderness, wherethere is no way. Yet setteth he thepoor on high from affliction, andmaketh him families like a flock.The righteous shall see it, andrejoice: and all iniquity shall stopher mouth. Whoso is wise, andwill observe these things, eventhey shall understand the lov-ingkindness of the LORD.

“ . . . I will praise thy name, O LORD; for it is good.” —Psalm 54:6

36 37

PSALM 112. PEACE AND SAFETY OF THE MAN WHO FEARS GOD

Praise ye the LORD. Blessed isthe man that feareth the LORD,that delighteth greatly in his com-mandments. His seed shall bemighty upon earth: the genera-tion of the upright shall beblessed. Wealth and riches shallbe in his house: and his righ-teousness endureth for ever. Untothe upright there ariseth light inthe darkness: he is gracious, andfull of compassion, and righteous.A good man sheweth favour, andlendeth: he will guide his affairswith discretion. Surely he shall

not be moved for ever: the righ-teous shall be in everlasting re-membrance. He shall not beafraid of evil tidings: his heart isfixed, trusting in the LORD. Hisheart is established, he shall notbe afraid, until he see his desireupon his enemies. He hath dis-persed, he hath given to the poor;his righteousness endureth forever; his horn shall be exaltedwith honour. The wicked shall seeit, and be grieved; he shall gnashwith his teeth, and melt away: thedesire of the wicked shall perish.

Not unto us, O LORD, not untous, but unto thy name give glory,for thy mercy, and for thy truth’ssake. Wherefore should the hea-then say, Where is now their

God? But our God is in the heav-ens: he hath done whatsoever hehath pleased. Their idols are sil-ver and gold, the work of men’shands. They have mouths, but

they speak not: eyes have they,but they see not: They have ears,but they hear not: noses havethey, but they smell not: Theyhave hands, but they handle not:feet have they, but they walk not:neither speak they through theirthroat. They that make them arelike unto them; so is every onethat trusteth in them. O Israel,trust thou in the LORD: he is

their help and their shield. Ohouse of Aaron, trust in theLORD: he is their help and theirshield. Ye that fear the LORD,trust in the LORD: he is theirhelp and their shield. The LORDhath been mindful of us: he willbless us; he will bless the house ofIsrael; he will bless the house ofAaron. He will bless them thatfear the LORD, both small andgreat. The LORD shall increaseyou more and more, you andyour children. Ye are blessed ofthe LORD which made heavenand earth. The heaven, even theheavens, are the LORD’S: butthe earth hath he given to thechildren of men. The dead praisenot the LORD, neither any thatgo down into silence. But we willbless the LORD from this timeforth and for evermore. Praisethe LORD.

SAFETY IS OF THE LORD

Proverbs 21:31 — “The horse is prepared against the day of bat-tle: but safety is of the LORD.” Proverbs 18:10 — “The name of theLORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.”Proverbs 29:25 — “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whosoputteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.” SOMETHING TO REMEMBER

All that fear the Lord, both small and great, will be blessedof the Lord. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thoushalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likenessof any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earthbeneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shaltnot bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I theLORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of thefathers upon the children unto the third and fourth genera-

PSALM 115. THE TRUE GOD LIVES IN THE HEAVENSBUT IDOLS ARE VAIN AND CANNOT HELP

38

tion of them that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thou-sands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.”

— Exodus 20:3-6

PSALM 116. A SONG OF VOWS UNTO GOD FORDELIVERANCE FROM DANGER

I love the LORD, because hehath heard my voice and my sup-plications. Because he hath in-clined his ear unto me, thereforewill I call upon him as long as Ilive. The sorrows of death com-passed me, and the pains of hellgat hold upon me: I found trou-ble and sorrow. Then called Iupon the name of the LORD; OLORD, I beseech thee, deliver mysoul. Gracious is the LORD, andrighteous; yea, our God is merci-

ful. The LORD preserveth thesimple: I was brought low, and hehelped me. Return unto thy rest,O my soul; for the LORD hathdealt bountifully with thee. Forthou hast delivered my soul fromdeath, mine eyes from tears, andmy feet from falling. I will walkbefore the LORD in the land ofthe living. I believed, thereforehave I spoken: I was greatlyafflicted: I said in my haste, Allmen are liars. What shall I ren-der unto the LORD for all hisbenefits toward me? I will takethe cup of salvation, and callupon the name of the LORD. Iwill pay my vows unto the LORDnow in the presence of all his peo-ple. Precious in the sight of theLORD is the death of his saints.O LORD, truly I am thy servant;I am thy servant, and the son ofthine handmaid: thou hast loosedmy bonds. I will offer to thee thesacrifice of thanksgiving, and willcall upon the name of the LORD.

39

PSALM 117. ALL NATIONS SHOULD PRAISE GOD

I will pay my vows unto theLORD now in the presence of allhis people, In the courts of the

LORD’S house, in the midst ofthee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye theLORD.

O praise the LORD, all yenations: praise him, all ye people.For his merciful kindness is great

toward us: and the truth of theLORD endureth for ever. Praiseye the LORD.

PSALM 119. PRAYERS AND PRAISE

(Part 1: verses 1-8)Blessed are the undefiled in the

way, who walk in the law of theLORD. Blessed are they that

keep his testimonies, and thatseek him with the whole heart.They also do no iniquity: theywalk in his ways.

SOMETHING TO REMEMBERWe shall not always be able to escape death for there is a time

appointed unto man to die. Hebrews 9:27 says: “ . . . it is appointedunto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” The main thingin life is to be ready to meet the Lord when it is our time to die. Wemust keep our hearts right in God’s sight and live careful, prayerful,holy lives every day. Only then can we keep ready for Him to come.The Lord tells us in the Psalm above that the death of His saints isprecious in His sight. Also God’s Word tells us in Ezekiel 33:11 thatHe has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Why? The Biblesays in II Peter 3:9 that He is “ . . . not willing that any should perish,but that all should come to repentance.”

Ezekiel 33:11— “ . . . As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have nopleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn fromhis way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why willye die . . . ? ”

40 41

Thou hast commanded us tokeep thy precepts diligently. Othat my ways were directed tokeep thy statutes! Then shall Inot be ashamed, when I haverespect unto all thy command-ments. I will praise thee withuprightness of heart, when I shallhave learned thy righteous judg-ments. I will keep thy statutes: Oforsake me not utterly.

(Part 2: verses 9-16)Wherewithal shall a young

man cleanse his way? by takingheed thereto according to thyword. With my whole heart haveI sought thee: O let me not wan-der from thy commandments.Thy word have I hid in mineheart, that I might not sin againstthee. Blessed art thou, O LORD:teach me thy statutes. With mylips have I declared all the judg-ments of thy mouth. I have

rejoiced in the way of thy testi-monies, as much as in all riches. Iwill meditate in thy precepts, andhave respect unto thy ways. I willdelight myself in thy statutes: Iwill not forget thy word.

(Part 3: verses 17-24)Deal bountifully with thy ser-

vant, that I may live, and keepthy word. Open thou mine eyes,that I may behold wondrousthings out of thy law. I am astranger in the earth: hide notthy commandments from me. Mysoul breaketh for the longing thatit hath unto thy judgments at alltimes. Thou hast rebuked theproud that are cursed, which doerr from thy commandments.Remove from me reproach andcontempt; for I have kept thy tes-timonies. Princes also did sit andspeak against me: but thy servantdid meditate in thy statutes. Thytestimonies also are my delightand my counsellors.

(Part 4: verses 25-32)My soul cleaveth unto the dust:

quicken thou me according to thyword. I have declared my ways,and thou heardest me: teach methy statutes. Make me to under-stand the way of thy precepts: soshall I talk of thy wondrousworks. My soul melteth for heav-

iness: strengthen thou me ac-cording unto thy word. Removefrom me the way of lying: andgrant me thy law graciously. Ihave chosen the way of truth: thyjudgments have I laid before me.I have stuck unto thy testimonies:O LORD, put me not to shame. Iwill run the way of thy com-mandments, when thou shaltenlarge my heart.

Part 5: verses 33-40)Teach me, O LORD, the way of

thy statutes; and I shall keep itunto the end. Give me under-standing, and I shall keep thylaw; yea, I shall observe it withmy whole heart. Make me to go inthe path of thy commandments;for therein do I delight. Inclinemy heart unto thy testimonies,and not to covetousness. Turnaway mine eyes from beholdingvanity; and quicken thou me inthy way. Stablish thy word untothy servant, who is devoted to thyfear. Turn away my reproachwhich I fear: for thy judgmentsare good. Behold, I have longedafter thy precepts: quicken me inthy righteousness.

(Part 6: verses 41-48)Let thy mercies come also unto

me, O LORD, even thy salvation,

according to thy word. So shall Ihave wherewith to answer himthat reproacheth me: for I trustin thy word. And take not theword of truth utterly out of mymouth; for I have hoped in thyjudgments. So shall I keep thylaw continually for ever and ever.And I will walk at liberty: for Iseek thy precepts. I will speak ofthy testimonies also before kings,and will not be ashamed. And Iwill delight myself in thy com-mandments, which I have loved.My hands also will I lift up untothy commandments, which I haveloved; and I will meditate in thystatutes.

(Part 7: verses 49-56)Remember the word unto thy

servant, upon which thou hastcaused me to hope. This is mycomfort in my affliction: for thyword hath quickened me. Theproud have had me greatly inderision: yet have I not declinedfrom thy law. I remembered thyjudgments of old, O LORD; andhave comforted myself. Horrorhath taken hold upon me becauseof the wicked that forsake thylaw. Thy statutes have been mysongs in the house of my pilgrim-age. I have remembered thy name,O LORD, in the night, and havekept thy law. This I had, because I

42 43

kept thy precepts.

(Part 8: verses 57-64)Thou art my portion, O LORD:

I have said that I would keep thywords. I entreated thy favour withmy whole heart: be merciful untome according to thy word. Ithought on my ways, and turnedmy feet unto thy testimonies. Imade haste, and delayed not tokeep thy commandments. Thebands of the wicked have robbedme: but I have not forgotten thylaw. At midnight I will rise to givethanks unto thee because of thyrighteous judgments. I am a com-panion of all them that fear thee,and of them that keep thy pre-cepts. The earth, O LORD, is fullof thy mercy: teach me thystatutes.

(Part 9: verses 65-72)Thou hast dealt well with thy

servant, O LORD, according untothy word. Teach me good judg-ment and knowledge: for I havebelieved thy commandments. Be-fore I was afflicted I went astray:but now have I kept thy word.Thou art good, and doest good;teach me thy statutes. The proudhave forged a lie against me: but Iwill keep thy precepts with mywhole heart. Their heart is as fat asgrease; but I delight in thy law. Itis good for me that I have been

afflicted; that I might learn thystatutes. The law of thy mouth isbetter unto me than thousands ofgold and silver.

(Part 10: verses 73-80)Thy hands have made me and

fashioned me: give me under-standing, that I may learn thycommandments. They that fearthee will be glad when they see me;because I have hoped in thy word.I know, O LORD, that thy judg-ments are right, and that thou infaithfulness hast afflicted me. Let,I pray thee, thy merciful kindnessbe for my comfort, according tothy word unto thy servant. Let thytender mercies come unto me, thatI may live: for thy law is mydelight. Let the proud be a-shamed; for they dealt perverselywith me without a cause: but I willmeditate in thy precepts. Let thosethat fear thee turn unto me, andthose that have known thy testi-monies. Let my heart be sound inthy statutes; that I be not a-shamed.

(Part 11: verses 81-88)My soul fainteth for thy salva-

tion: but I hope in thy word. Mineeyes fail for thy word, saying,When wilt thou comfort me? ForI am become like a bottle in thesmoke; yet do I not forget thystatutes. How many are the days

of thy servant? when wilt thouexecute judgment on them thatpersecute me? The proud havedigged pits for me, which are notafter thy law. All thy command-ments are faithful: they persecuteme wrongfully; help thou me.They had almost consumed meupon earth; but I forsook not thyprecepts. Quicken me after thylovingkindness; so shall I keepthe testimony of thy mouth.

(Part 12: verses 89-96)For ever, O LORD, thy word is

settled in heaven. Thy faithful-ness is unto all generations: thouhast established the earth, and itabideth. They continue this dayaccording to thine ordinances:for all are thy servants. Unlessthy law had been my delights, Ishould then have perished inmine affliction. I will never forgetthy precepts: for with them thouhast quickened me. I am thine,save me; for I have sought thyprecepts. The wicked have waitedfor me to destroy me: but I willconsider thy testimonies. I haveseen an end of all perfection: butthy commandment is exceedingbroad.

(Part 13: verses 97-104)O how love I thy law! it is my

meditation all the day. Thou

through thy commandments hastmade me wiser than mine ene-mies: for they are ever with me. Ihave more understanding thanall my teachers: for thy testi-monies are my meditation. Iunderstand more than the an-cients, because I keep thy pre-cepts. I have refrained my feetfrom every evil way, that I mightkeep thy word. I have not depart-ed from thy judgments: for thouhast taught me. How sweet arethy words unto my taste! yea,sweeter than honey to my mouth!Through thy precepts I get un-derstanding: therefore I hateevery false way.

(Part 14: verses 105-112) Thy word is a lamp unto my

feet, and a light unto my path. Ihave sworn, and I will perform it,

that I will keep thy righteousjudgments. I am afflicted verymuch: quicken me, O LORD, ac-cording unto thy word. Accept, I

4544

beseech thee, the freewill offer-ings of my mouth, O LORD, andteach me thy judgments. My soulis continually in my hand: yet doI not forget thy law. The wickedhave laid a snare for me: yet Ierred not from thy precepts. Thytestimonies have I taken as anheritage for ever: for they are therejoicing of my heart. I have in-clined mine heart to perform thystatutes alway, even unto the end.

(Part 15: verses 113-120)I hate vain thoughts: but thy

law do I love. Thou art my hidingplace and my shield: I hope in thyword. Depart from me, ye evildo-ers: for I will keep the command-ments of my God. Uphold me ac-cording unto thy word, that Imay live: and let me not be a-shamed of my hope. Hold thoume up, and I shall be safe: and Iwill have respect unto thystatutes continually. Thou hasttrodden down all them that errfrom thy statutes: for their deceitis falsehood. Thou puttest awayall the wicked of the earth likedross: therefore I love thy testi-monies. My flesh trembleth forfear of thee; and I am afraid ofthy judgments.

(Part 16: verses 121-128) I have done judgment and jus-

tice: leave me not to mine oppres-sors. Be surety for thy servant forgood: let not the proud oppressme. Mine eyes fail for thy salva-tion, and for the word of thyrighteousness. Deal with thy ser-vant according unto thy mercy,and teach me thy statutes. I amthy servant; give me understand-ing, that I may know thy testi-monies. It is time for thee, LORD,to work: for they have made voidthy law. Therefore I love thy com-mandments above gold; yea,above fine gold. Therefore I es-teem all thy precepts concerningall things to be right; and I hateevery false way.

(Part 17: verses 129-136)Thy testimonies are wonderful:

therefore doth my soul keepthem. The entrance of thy wordsgiveth light; it giveth understand-ing unto the simple. I opened mymouth, and panted: for I longedfor thy commandments. Lookthou upon me, and be mercifulunto me, as thou usest to do untothose that love thy name. Ordermy steps in thy word: and let notany iniquity have dominion overme. Deliver me from the oppres-sion of man: so will I keep thyprecepts. Make thy face to shineupon thy servant; and teach me

thy statutes. Rivers of waters rundown mine eyes, because theykeep not thy law.

(Part 18: verses 137-144)Righteous art thou, O LORD,

and upright are thy judgments.Thy testimonies that thou hastcommanded are righteous andvery faithful. My zeal hath con-sumed me, because mine enemieshave forgotten thy words. Thyword is very pure: therefore thyservant loveth it. I am small anddespised: yet do not I forget thyprecepts. Thy righteousness is aneverlasting righteousness, andthy law is the truth. Trouble andanguish have taken hold on me:yet thy commandments are mydelights. The righteousness of thytestimonies is everlasting: giveme understanding, and I shalllive.

(Part 19: verses 145-152)I cried with my whole heart;

hear me, O LORD: I will keepthy statutes. I cried unto thee;save me, and I shall keep thy tes-timonies. I prevented the dawn-ing of the morning, and cried: Ihoped in thy word. Mine eyesprevent the night watches, that Imight meditate in thy word. Hearmy voice according unto thy lov-ingkindness: O LORD, quicken

me according to thy judgment.They draw nigh that follow aftermischief: they are far from thylaw. Thou art near, O LORD;and all thy commandments aretruth. Concerning thy testi-monies, I have known of old thatthou hast founded them for ever.

(Part 20: verses 153-160 )Consider mine affliction, and

deliver me: for I do not forget thylaw. Plead my cause, and deliverme: quicken me according to thyword. Salvation is far from thewicked: for they seek not thy sta-tutes. Great are thy tender mer-cies, O LORD: quicken me accord-ing to thy judgments. Many aremy persecutors and mine ene-mies; yet do I not decline fromthy testimonies. I beheld the trans-gressors, and was grieved; be-cause they kept not thy word.Consider how I love thy precepts:quicken me, O LORD, accordingto thy lovingkindness. Thy wordis true from the beginning: andevery one of thy righteous judg-ments endureth for ever.

(Part 21: verses 161-168)Princes have persecuted me

without a cause: but my heartstandeth in awe of thy word. Irejoice at thy word, as one thatfindeth great spoil. I hate andabhor lying: but thy law do I love.

4746

Seven times a day do I praise theebecause of thy righteous judg-ments. Great peace have theywhich love thy law: and nothingshall offend them. LORD, I havehoped for thy salvation, and donethy commandments. My soulhath kept thy testimonies; and Ilove them exceedingly. I havekept thy precepts and thy testi-monies: for all my ways are be-fore thee.

(Part 22: verses 169-176)Let my cry come near before

thee, O LORD: give me under-standing according to thy word.

Let my supplication come beforethee: deliver me according to thyword. My lips shall utter praise,when thou hast taught me thystatutes. My tongue shall speakof thy word: for all thy com-mandments are righteousness.Let thine hand help me; for Ihave chosen thy precepts. I havelonged for thy salvation, OLORD; and thy law is my delight.Let my soul live, and it shallpraise thee; and let thy judg-ments help me. I have gone astraylike a lost sheep; seek thy ser-vant; for I do not forget thy com-mandments.

I will lift up mine eyes unto thehills, from whence cometh myhelp. My help cometh from theLORD, which made heaven andearth. He will not suffer thy footto be moved: he that keepeth theewill not slumber. Behold, he thatkeepeth Israel shall neither slum-ber nor sleep. The LORD is thykeeper: the LORD is thy shadeupon thy right hand. The sunshall not smite thee by day, nor

the moon by night. The LORDshall preserve thee from all evil:he shall preserve thy soul. The

LORD shall preserve thy goingout and thy coming in from thistime forth, and even for evermore.

O give thanks unto the LORD;for he is good: for his mercy

endureth for ever. O give thanksunto the God of gods: for his

Blessed is every one thatfeareth the LORD; that walkethin his ways. For thou shalt eat thelabour of thine hands: happyshalt thou be, and it shall be wellwith thee. Thy wife shall be as afruitful vine by the sides of thinehouse: thy children like oliveplants round about thy table.

Behold, that thus shall the manbe blessed that feareth theLORD. The LORD shall blessthee out of Zion: and thou shaltsee the good of Jerusalem all thedays of thy life. Yea, thou shaltsee thy chidren’s children, andpeace upon Israel.

Except the LORD build thehouse, they labour in vain thatbuild it: except the LORD keep

the city, the watchman wakethbut in vain. It is vain for you torise up early, to sit up late, to eatthe bread of sorrows: for so hegiveth his beloved sleep. Lo, chil-dren are an heritage of theLORD: and the fruit of the wombis his reward. As arrows are inthe hand of a mighty man; so arechildren of the youth. Happy isthe man that hath his quiver fullof them: they shall not be a-shamed, but they shall speak withthe enemies in the gate.

PSALM 121. A TRAVELER’S HYMN OF TRUST IN GOD

PSALM 127. A FAMILY SONG OF TRUST AND TOIL

PSALM 128. BLESSING ON THE MAN WHO FEARS GOD

PSALM 136. GOD’S MERCY ENDURES FOR EVER

48 49

mercy endureth for ever. O givethanks to the Lord of lords: for hismercy endureth for ever. To himwho alone doeth great wonders:for his mercy endureth for ever. Tohim that by wisdom made theheavens: for his mercy endurethfor ever. To him that stretched outthe earth above the waters: for hismercy endureth for ever. To himthat made great lights: for hismercy endureth for ever: The sunto rule by day: for his mercy endu-reth for ever: The moon and starsto rule by night: for his mercyendureth for ever. To him thatsmote Egypt in their firstborn: forhis mercy endureth for ever: Andbrought out Israel from amongthem: for his mercy endureth forever: With a strong hand, and witha stretched out arm: for his mercyendureth for ever. To him whichdivided the Red sea into parts: forhis mercy endureth for ever: Andmade Israel to pass through themidst of it: for his mercy endureth

for ever: But overthrew Pharaohand his host in the Red sea: for hismercy endureth for ever. To himwhich led his people through thewilderness: for his mercy endurethfor ever. To him which smote greatkings: for his mercy endureth forever: And slew famous kings: forhis mercy endureth for ever: Sihonking of the Amorites: for his mercyendureth for ever: And Og theking of Bashan: for his mercyendureth for ever: And gave theirland for an heritage: for his mercyendureth for ever: Even an her-itage unto Israel his servant: forhis mercy endureth for ever. Whoremembered us in our low estate:for his mercy endureth for ever.And hath redeemed us from ourenemies: for his mercy endurethfor ever. Who giveth food to allflesh: for his mercy endureth forever. O give thanks unto the Godof heaven: for his mercy endurethfor ever.

O LORD, thou hast searchedme, and known me. Thou know-est my downsitting and mineuprising, thou understandest mythought afar off. Thou compass-

est my path and my lying down,and art acquainted with all myways. For there is not a word inmy tongue, but, lo, O LORD,thou knowest it altogether. Thou

LORD, I cry unto thee: makehaste unto me; give ear unto myvoice, when I cry unto thee. Let

my prayer be set forth before theeas incense; and the lifting up ofmy hands as the evening sacrifice.

hast beset me behind and before,and laid thine hand upon me.Such knowledge is too wonderfulfor me; it is high, I cannot attainunto it. Whither shall I go fromthy spirit? or whither shall I fleefrom thy presence? If I ascend upinto heaven, thou art there: if Imake my bed in hell, behold, thouart there. If I take the wings ofthe morning, and dwell in theuttermost parts of the sea; Eventhere shall thy hand lead me, andthy right hand shall hold me. If Isay, Surely the darkness shallcover me; even the night shall belight about me. Yea, the darknesshideth not from thee; but thenight shineth as the day: thedarkness and the light are bothalike to thee. For thou hast pos-sessed my reins: thou hast cov-ered me in my mother’s womb. Iwill praise thee; for I am fearful-ly and wonderfully made: mar-vellous are thy works; and thatmy soul knoweth right well. Mysubstance was not hid from thee,when I was made in secret, and

curiously wrought in the lowestparts of the earth. Thine eyes didsee my substance, yet being un-perfect; and in thy book all mymembers were written, which incontinuance were fashioned, whenas yet there was none of them.How precious also are thythoughts unto me, O God! howgreat is the sum of them! If Ishould count them, they aremore in number than the sand:when I awake, I am still withthee. Surely thou wilt slay thewicked, O God: depart from metherefore, ye bloody men. For theyspeak against thee wickedly, andthine enemies take thy name invain. Do not I hate them, OLORD, that hate thee? and amnot I grieved with those that riseup against thee? I hate themwith perfect hatred: I count themmine enemies. Search me, OGod, and know my heart: tryme, and know my thoughts: Andsee if there be any wicked way inme, and lead me in the way ever-lasting.PSALM 139. A SONG OF REJOICING OVER GOD’S

PERSONAL CAREPSALM 141. A PRAYER TO BE KEPT FROM EVIL

WORDS AND FROM WICKED WORKS

50 51

Set a watch, O LORD, before mymouth; keep the door of my lips.Incline not my heart to any evilthing, to practise wicked workswith men that work iniquity: andlet me not eat of their dainties. Let

the righteous smite me; it shall bea kindness: and let him reproveme; it shall be an excellent oil,which shall not break my head:for yet my prayer also shall be intheir calamities. When theirjudges are overthrown in stonyplaces, they shall hear my words;for they are sweet. Our bones arescattered at the grave’s mouth, aswhen one cutteth and cleavethwood upon the earth. But mineeyes are unto thee, O GOD theLord: in thee is my trust; leavenot my soul destitute. Keep mefrom the snares which they havelaid for me, and the gins of theworkers of iniquity. Let thewicked fall into their own nets,whilst that I withal escape.

I cried unto the LORD with myvoice; with my voice unto theLORD did I make my supplica-tion. I poured out my complaintbefore him; I shewed before himmy trouble. When my spirit wasoverwhelmed within me, then thouknewest my path. In the waywherein I walked have they privilylaid a snare for me. I looked on my

right hand, and beheld, but therewas no man that would know me:refuge failed me; no man cared formy soul. I cried unto thee, OLORD: I said, Thou art my refugeand my portion in the land of theliving. Attend unto my cry; for Iam brought very low: deliver mefrom my persecutors; for they arestronger than I. Bring my soul out

of prison, that I may praise thyname: the righteous shall compass

me about; for thou shalt dealbountifully with me.

I will extol thee, my God, Oking; and I will bless thy namefor ever and ever. Every day willI bless thee; and I will praise thyname for ever and ever. Great isthe LORD, and greatly to bepraised; and his greatness is un-searchable. One generation shallpraise thy works to another, andshall declare thy mighty acts. Iwill speak of the glorious honourof thy majesty, and of thy won-drous works. And men shallspeak of the might of thy terribleacts: and I will declare thy great-ness. They shall abundantly utterthe memory of thy great good-ness, and shall sing of thy righ-

teousness. The LORD is gracious,and full of compassion; slow toanger, and of great mercy. TheLORD is good to all: and his ten-der mercies are over all his works.All thy works shall praise thee, OLORD; and thy saints shall blessthee. They shall speak of theglory of thy kingdom, and talk ofthy power; To make known to thesons of men his mighty acts, andthe glorious majesty of his king-dom. Thy kingdom is an everlast-ing kingdom, and thy dominionendureth throughout all genera-tions. The LORD upholdeth allthat fall, and raiseth up all thosethat be bowed down. The eyes ofall wait upon thee; and thou giv-est them their meat in due season.Thou openest thine hand, and sa-tisfiest the desire of every livingthing. The LORD is righteous inall his ways, and holy in all hisworks. The LORD is nigh unto allthem that call upon him, to allthat call upon him in truth. Hewill fufil the desire of them that

PSALM 142. GOD IS A REFUGE IN TROUBLE, THOUGH MEN FAIL

PSALM 145. A SONG OF PRAISE FOR THE LORD ISGREAT AND GOOD

52 53

fear him: he also will hear theircry, and will save them. TheLORD preserveth all them thatlove him: but all the wicked will

he destroy. My mouth shall speakthe praise of the LORD: and letall flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

Praise ye the LORD: for it isgood to sing praises unto our God;for it is pleasant; and praise iscomely. The LORD doth build upJerusalem: he gathereth togetherthe outcasts of Israel. He healeththe broken in heart, and bindethup their wounds. He telleth thenumber of the stars; he calleththem all by their names. Great isour Lord, and of great power: hisunderstanding is infinite. TheLORD lifteth up the meek: hecasteth the wicked down to theground. Sing unto the LORD withthanksgiving; sing praise upon theharp unto our God: Who covereththe heaven with clouds, who pre-pareth rain for the earth, whomaketh grass to grow upon themountains. He giveth to the beasthis food, and to the young ravenswhich cry. He delighteth not in thestrength of the horse: he takethnot pleasure in the legs of a man.

The LORD taketh pleasure inthem that fear him, in those thathope in his mercy. Praise theLORD, O Jerusalem; praise thyGod, O Zion. For he hathstrengthened the bars of thy gates;he hath blessed thy children with-in thee. He maketh peace in thyborders, and filleth thee with thefinest of the wheat. He sendethforth his commandment uponearth: his word runneth veryswiftly. He giveth snow like wool:he scattereth the hoarfrost likeashes. He casteth forth his ice likemorsels: who can stand before hiscold? He sendeth out his word,and melteth them: he causeth hiswind to blow, and the waters flow.He sheweth his word unto Jacob,his statutes and his judgmentsunto Israel. He hath not dealt sowith any nation: and as for hisjudgments, they have not knownthem. Praise ye the LORD.

Praise ye the LORD. Praise yethe LORD from the heavens:praise him in the heights. Praiseye him, all his angels: praise yehim, all his hosts. Praise ye him,sun and moon: praise him, all yestars of light. Praise him, yeheavens of heavens, and yewaters that be above the heavens.Let them praise the name of theLORD: for he commanded, and

they were created. He hath alsostablished them for ever andever: he hath made a decreewhich shall not pass. Praise theLORD from the earth, ye drag-ons, and all deeps: Fire, and hail;snow, and va-pours; stormy windfulfilling his word: Mountains,and all hills; fruitful trees, and allcedars: Beasts, and all cattle;creeping things, and flying fowl:Kings of the earth, and all peo-ple; princes, and all judges of theearth: Both young men, andmaidens; old men, and children:Let them praise the name of theLORD: for his name alone isexcellent; his glory is above theearth and heaven. He also exal-teth the horn of his people, thepraise of all his saints; even of thechildren of Israel, a people nearunto him. Praise ye the LORD.

PSALM 147. A SONG OF GOD’S POWER ANDLOVINGKINDNESS

PSALM 148. ALL NATURE AND ALL MEN SHOULDPRAISE GOD

PSALM 150. EVERYTHING THAT HATH BREATHSHOULD PRAISE THE LORD

Praise ye the LORD. PraiseGod in his sanctuary: praise himin the firmament of his power.

Praise him for his mighty acts:praise him according to his excel-lent greatness. Praise him with

54

the sound of the trumpet: praisehim with the psaltery and harp.Praise him with the timbrel anddance: praise him with stringedinstruments and organs. Praisehim upon the loud cymbals:praise him upon the high sound-ing cymbals. Let every thing thathath breath praise the LORD.Praise ye the LORD.

Genesis 1:1-25In the beginning God created

the heaven and the earth. And theearth was without form, andvoid; and darkness was upon theface of the deep. And the Spirit ofGod moved upon the face of thewaters. And God said, Let therebe light: and there was light. AndGod saw the light, that it wasgood: and God divided the lightfrom the darkness. And Godcalled the light Day, and thedarkness he called Night. And the

evening and the morning werethe first day. And God said, Letthere be a firmament in the midstof the waters, and let it divide thewaters from the waters. And Godmade the firmament, and dividedthe waters which were under thefirmament from the waters whichwere above the firmament: and itwas so. And God called the firma-ment Heaven. And the eveningand the morning were the secondday. And God said, Let the watersunder the heaven be gathered

I. GOD MADE OUR WORLD

THINGS WE NEED TO KNOW

55

together unto one place, and letthe dry land appear: and it wasso. And God called the dry landEarth; and the gathering togetherof the waters called he Seas: andGod saw that it was good. AndGod said, Let the earth bringforth grass, the herb yieldingseed, and the fruit tree yieldingfruit after his kind, whose seed isin itself, upon the earth: and it

was so. And the earth broughtforth grass, and herb yieldingseed after his kind, and the treeyielding fruit, whose seed was initself, after his kind: and God sawthat it was good. And the eveningand the morning were the thirdday. And God said, Let there belights in the firmament of theheaven to divide the day from thenight; and let them be for signs,and for seasons, and for days, andyears: and let them be for lightsin the firmament of the heaven togive light upon the earth: and itwas so. And God made two greatlights; the greater light to rule theday, and the lesser light to rulethe night: he made the stars also.And God set them in the firma-ment of the heaven to give light

56 57

upon the earth, And to rule overthe day and over the night, and todivide the light from the darkness:and God saw that it was good.And the evening and the morningwere the fourth day. And Godsaid, Let the waters bring forthabundantly the moving creaturethat hath life, and fowl that mayfly above the earth in the open fir-mament of heaven. And God cre-ated great whales, and every livingcreature that moveth, which thewaters brought forth abundantly,after their kind, and every wingedfowl after his kind: and God sawthat it was good. And God blessedthem, saying, Be fruitful, and mul-tiply, and fill the waters in theseas, and let fowl multiply in theearth. And the evening and the

morning were the fifth day. AndGod said, Let the earth bringforth the living creature after hiskind, cattle, and creeping thing,and beast of the earth after hiskind: and it was so. And Godmade the beast of the earth afterhis kind, and cattle after theirkind, and every thing that creep-eth upon the earth after his kind:and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:26-31And God said, Let us make

man in our image, after our like-ness: and let them have dominionover the fish of the sea, and overthe fowl of the air, and over thecattle, and over all the earth, andover every creeping thing thatcreepeth upon the earth. So Godcreated man in his own image, inthe image of God created he him;

male and female created he them.And God blessed them, and Godsaid unto them, Be fruitful, andmultiply, and replenish the earth,and subdue it: and have domin-ion over the fish of the sea, andover the fowl of the air, and overevery living thing that movethupon the earth. And God said,Behold, I have given you everyherb bearing seed, which is upon

the face of all the earth, and everytree, in the which is the fruit of atree yielding seed; to you it shallbe for meat. And to every beast ofthe earth, and to every fowl of theair, and to every thing that creep-eth upon the earth, wherein thereis life, I have given every green

herb for meat: and it was so. AndGod saw every thing that he hadmade, and, behold, it was verygood. And the evening and themorning were the sixth day.

Genesis 2:7And the LORD God formed

man of the dust of the ground,and breathed into his nostrils thebreath of life; and man became aliving soul.

II. GOD MADE MANSOMETHING TO REMEMBER

Man is different from any other living thing. We are not likethe beast of the field. The Bible tells us in I Corinthians15:39 this great truth: “All flesh is not the same flesh: butthere is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts,another of fishes, and another of birds.” Man’s flesh is notonly different from other living creatures but man was madea living soul. Once we are born we shall always be some-where. The people who believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ

58 59

as their Saviour shall have Everlasting Life, but those whorefuse to receive Christ into their hearts shall haveEverlasting Damnation! John 5:28 and 29 says: “Marvel notat this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in thegraves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they thathave done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they thathave done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”

All of us shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ.Hebrews 9:27 says: “ . . . it is appointed unto men once to die,but after this the judgment.” Romans 14:10-12 says: “ . . . weshall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it iswritten, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every oneof us shall give account of himself to God.”

The above verses also show that we are different from thebeasts. It is true that beasts die and return to the dust of theground, but Ecclesiastes 3:21 clearly points out the differ-ence between the spirit of man and the spirit of beasts. Itsays: “Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward,and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to earth?”

Therefore, we see the spirit of man returns to God Whomade it. Ecclesiastes 12:7 tells us: “Then shall the dustreturn to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return untoGod who gave it.”

III. GOD MADE WOMAN

Genesis 2:15-25And the LORD God took the

man, and put him into the garden

of Eden to dress it and to keep it.And the LORD God commandedthe man, saying, Of every tree of

the garden thou mayest freelyeat: but of the tree of the knowl-edge of good and evil, thou shaltnot eat of it: for in the day thatthou eatest thereof thou shaltsurely die. And the LORD Godsaid, It is not good that the manshould be alone; I will make himan help meet for him. And out ofthe ground the LORD Godformed every beast of the field,and every fowl of the air; andbrought them unto Adam to seewhat he would call them: andwhatsoever Adam called everyliving creature, that was thename thereof. And Adam gavenames to all cattle, and to thefowl of the air, and to every beastof the field; but for Adam therewas not found an help meet forhim. And the LORD God causeda deep sleep to fall upon Adam,and he slept: and he took one ofhis ribs, and closed up the flesh

instead thereof; and the rib,which the LORD God had takenfrom man, made he a woman,and brought her unto the man.And Adam said, This is now boneof my bones, and flesh of myflesh: she shall be called Woman,because she was taken out ofMan. Therefore shall a man leavehis father and his mother, andshall cleave unto his wife: andthey shall be one flesh. And theywere both naked, the man and hiswife, and were not ashamed.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

Because Adam and Eve were created in God’s imageand God has Glory, the Glory of God must have radiatedfrom the bodies of Adam and Eve so that they were not con-scious of any nakedness. It seems that after the Glorydeparted they knew they were naked!

60 61

IV. SIN ENTERS THE HUMAN RACE

Genesis 3:1-24Now the serpent was more sub-

til than any beast of the fieldwhich the LORD God had made.And he said unto the woman, Yea,hath God said, Ye shall not eat ofevery tree of the garden? And thewoman said unto the serpent, Wemay eat of the fruit of the trees ofthe garden: but of the fruit of thetree which is in the midst of thegarden, God hath said, Ye shallnot eat of it, neither shall ye touchit, lest ye die. And the serpentsaid unto the woman, Ye shall notsurely die: For God doth knowthat in the day ye eat thereof,then your eyes shall be opened,and ye shall be as gods, knowinggood and evil. And when thewoman saw that the tree wasgood for food, and that it waspleasant to the eyes, and a tree tobe desired to make one wise, she

took of the fruit thereof, and dideat, and gave also unto her hus-band with her; and he did eat.And the eyes of them both wereopened, and they knew that theywere naked; and they sewed figleaves together, and made them-selves aprons. And they heard thevoice of the LORD God walkingin the garden in the cool of theday: and Adam and his wife hidthemselves from the presence ofthe LORD God amongst the treesof the garden. And the LORDGod called unto Adam, and saidunto him, Where art thou? Andhe said, I heard thy voice in thegarden, and I was afraid, be-cause I was naked; and I hidmyself. And he said, Who toldthee that thou wast naked? Hastthou eaten of the tree, whereof Icommanded thee that thoushouldest not eat? And the man

said, The woman whom thougavest to be with me, she gave meof the tree, and I did eat. And theLORD God said unto the woman,What is this that thou hast done?And the woman said, The serpentbeguiled me, and I did eat. Andthe LORD God said unto the ser-pent, Because thou hast done this,thou art cursed above all cattle,and above every beast of thefield; upon thy belly shalt thougo, and dust shalt thou eat all thedays of thy life: and I will putenmity between thee and thewoman, and between thy seedand her seed; it shall bruise thyhead, and thou shalt bruise hisheel. Unto the woman he said, Iwill greatly multiply thy sorrowand thy conception; in sorrowthou shalt bring forth children;and thy desire shall be to thy hus-band, and he shall rule over thee.And unto Adam he said, Becausethou hast hearkened unto thevoice of thy wife, and hast eatenof the tree, of which I commandedthee, saying, Thou shalt not eat ofit: cursed is the ground for thy

sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of itall the days of thy life; Thornsalso and thistles shall it bringforth to thee; and thou shalt eatthe herb of the field; in the sweatof thy face shalt thou eat bread,till thou return unto the ground;for out of it wast thou taken: fordust thou art, and unto dust shaltthou return. And Adam called hiswife’s name Eve; because she wasthe mother of all living. UntoAdam also and to his wife did theLORD God make coats of skins,and clothed them. And the LORDGod said, Behold, the man isbecome as one of us, to knowgood and evil: and now, lest heput forth his hand, and take alsoof the tree of life, and eat, and livefor ever: Therefore the LORDGod sent him forth from the gar-den of Eden, to till the groundfrom whence he was taken. So hedrove out the man; and he placedat the east of the garden of EdenCherubims, and a flaming swordwhich turned every way, to keepthe way of the tree of life.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

That wonderful Glory of the Lord departed from Adam andEve when they disobeyed God and sinned in His sight. For

62 63

the first time they realized they were naked. God saw theirsad plight and made clothes for them to wear.

V. MAN NEEDS A SAVIOR

VI. GOD PROVIDES THE SAVIOUR

VII. GOD SAYS WE MUST REPENT OR PERISH

VIII. WE MUST BELIEVE UPON CHRIST TO BE SAVED

Romans 3:23For all have sinned, and come

short of the glory of God.

Romans 5:12Wherefore, as by one man sin

entered into the world, and death

by sin; and so death passed uponall men, for that all have sinned.

John 3:5. . . Except a man be born of

water and of the Spirit, he cannotenter into the kingdom of God.

Romans 5:6-11For when we were yet without

strength, in due time Christ died

for the ungodly. For scarcely for arighteous man will one die: yetperadventure for a good mansome would even dare to die. ButGod commendeth his love towardus, in that, while we were yet sin-ners, Christ died for us. Muchmore then, being now justified byhis blood, we shall be saved fromwrath through him. For if, whenwe were enemies, we were recon-ciled to God by the death of hisSon, much more, being recon-ciled, we shall be saved by his life.And not only so, but we also joyin God through our Lord JesusChrist, by whom we have nowreceived the atonement.

John 3:16, 17For God so loved the world,

that he gave his only begottenSon, that whosoever believeth inhim should not perish, but have

everlasting life. For God sent nothis Son into the world to condemnthe world; but that the worldthrough him might be saved.

Luke 13:3I tell you, Nay; but, except ye

repent, ye shall all likewise per-ish.

Acts 17:30And the times of this ignorance

God winked at; but now com-

mandeth all men every where torepent.

II Corinthians 7:10For godly sorrow worketh re-

pentance to salvation not to berepented of: but the sorrow of theworld worketh death.

John 3:18He that believeth on him is not

condemned: but he that believethnot is condemned already, becausehe hath not believed in the nameof the only begotten Son of God.

Acts 16:31. . . Believe on the Lord Jesus

Christ, and thou shalt be saved,and thy house.

John 5:24. . . He that heareth my word,

and believeth on him that sentme, hath everlasting life, andshall not come into condemna-tion; but is passed from deathunto life.

John 11:25, 26Jesus said . . . I am the resurrec-

tion, and the life: he that be-lieveth in me, though he were

dead, yet shall he live: and who-soever liveth and believeth in meshall never die. Believest thouthis?

John 3:36He that believeth on the Son

hath everlasting life: and he thatbelieveth not the Son shall not seelife; but the wrath of God abidethon him.

John 1:12But as many as received him,

to them gave he power to becomethe sons of God, even to them thatbelieve on his name.

John 20:31But these are written, that ye

might believe that Jesus is theChrist, the Son of God; and thatbelieving ye might have lifethrough his name.

64

Christ Knocks At The Door Of Your Heart HOW TO PRAY(continued from inside front cover)

en your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD” (Psalm 27:14).“. . . those who wait on the LORD shall renew theirstrength . . . (Isaiah 40:31).

3. Find a place to pray where you can be alone with God.“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and whenyou have shut your door, pray to your Father who is inthe secret place; and your Father who sees in secret willreward you openly” (Matthew 6:6).

4. Be sure your heart is in the right relationship with God.If you need a clean heart read Psalm 51 on page 28 and 29in this booklet. God will help you to confess your sins to Him.He has promised to forgive our sins and to cleanse us fromthem if we confess our sins to Him. 1 John 1:9 says: “If weconfess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us oursins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

5. Pray with FAITH, BELIEVING CHRIST. “ . . . If you havefaith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain,‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothingwill be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20). “If you abidein Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what youdesire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7).

6. Obedience to God’s will also brings answers to ourprayers. “And whatever we ask we receive from Him,because we keep His commandments and do thosethings that are pleasing in His sight” (1 John 3:22). ReadMatthew 5:44, Matthew 6:9-15, and Mark 11:22-26 for moreon prayer.

Jesus said:

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock:

if any man hear My Voice, and open

the door, I will come in to him, and

will sup with him, and he with Me.”

Revelation 3:20

“Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Colossians 1:27

“But as many as received HIM,

to them gave He power to become

the sons of God,

even to them that believe on His Name.”

John 1:12

“And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, whenye shall search for Me with all your heart.”

Jeremiah 29:13

WITH CHRIST IN OUR HEARTS WE ARE SAFEWHEN THIS BODY OF OURS DIES.

If you have asked Jesus to forgive you of all your sins, and you do believe upon the LordJesus Christ as your Saviour, then write or print your name on the line below:___________________________________________________

FREE COPIES AVAILABLE FOR LIMITEDDISTRIBUTION

Meditations in the Psalms is NOT for mass distribu-tion in evangelistic outreach. It is designed forsmall-group Bible study, individual study, or follow-up for new believers. It is especially for Christians.

WORLD MISSIONARY PRESS, INC.P.O. Box 120

New Paris, IN 46553 USA

website: www.wmpress.org

OTHER FREE BOOKLETS

World Missionary Press publishes other Scripture book-lets. All booklets are sent free on request as the Lord sup-plies the finances.

If you write to request booklets, please tell us what lan-guages you need, how and where you plan to use them,how many people will help you distribute them, and howmany booklets you can prayerfully use each month.

Painting by Plockhorst.

Gramstorff Brothers, Inc., Malden, MA, USA 1101-2