Welcome, once again, to your Gathering Place girls! It is my prayer this week that as you sit under the restorative shade of Psalm 100, that it becomes, not only a place of meditation and contemplation for you, but a place of great rejoicing and praise as well!I have found this week that many of the old hymns have found their voice in me and I have thoroughly enjoyed the ministering work that they have brought about within my heart and soul... Great Is Thy Faithfulness; Come Thou Fount; Doxology; The Solid Rock; It Is Well With My Soul; Blessed Assurance; Immortal Invisible... it has been wonderful!
Did you know that Psalm 22:3 tells us that God Himself inhabits the praises of His people? There is nothing like praising God and knowing the sweet release and freedom that comes from the quick retreat of the enemy of our souls! And that is what this Psalm is all about - praise and thanksgiving!
On my first reading of this Psalm, I noticed that in v.1-4 there were seven distinct commands given - Shout, Serve, Come, Know, Enter, and Give Thanks and Bless. Since Monday morning I have been looking at each one of these commands, as deeply as the Lord would have me go, and I have been blessed beyond precious reason; I am still not done and am looking forward to the next three days of going even deeper. I will give you a 'for instance' that is particular to the season that I now find myself in, so the application has been quite profound.
As I looked more deeply into God's command for His people to 'shout ', one of the places I found myself studying was Joshua 6 - to keep it short I will just say this, when God commands His people to open their blessed mouths and 'shout', then we had better be about opening our blessed mouths and shouting... there are some walls that God intends to be coming down!
Psalm 100 directs us to 'shout joyfully'. This word 'shout' means 'to raise a sound, cry out, give a blast, to shout a war-cry or alarm of battle, to sound a signal for war or march, to shout in triumph over enemies'. Did you ever stop to consider that your praising of God is a battle cry of triumph over your enemies? That as you praise God, He Himself inhabits those praises and the enemy then turns tail and runs as your praises to your God blows the trumpet of Satan's defeat? Don't tell me that this wasn't a balm to my weary soul this week, walls were crashing down all over the blessed place and this particular girl was all about 'possessing the land'!
Something else that I noticed was the direction and the attitude of the heart that must be present as we Shout, Serve, Come, Know, Enter Give Thanks and Bless. We are to shout to the LORD joyfully; serve the LORD with gladness; come before HIM with joyful singing; know that the LORD HIMSELF is GOD; enter HIS GATES with thanksgiving and HIS COURTS with praise; give thanks to HIM; bless HIS NAME. The direction is always God-ward, the attitude of the heart joyful, glad, thankful and full of praise.
I then meditated upon v.3. When we truly know that He is God, then we understand that He Himself made us and not ourselves. Among God's people there is no such thing as the 'self-made' woman or man - we are His people, we are the sheep of His pasture, after all, He is our Shepherd and we shall not want. Last week we looked at how we can come to 'know' God.
There is also an attitude, a positioning of the heart that God delights in when we approach His gates and His courts. We are to enter His gates with thanksgiving (v.4) and enter His courts with praise. I thought this week, as I meditated on this, how often I have barged through those gates and blasted through into those courts with nothing on my sorry mind but my own wants and desires. Yet those gates are only open to me through the shed blood of Jesus, and those courts are only accessible to me through the rent veil of the flesh of Jesus, my Great High Priest. Surely, to stop and consider the price that was paid for me, to even enter in, would result in the bending of my knee in thanksgiving at those gates and the opening of my mouth in praise as I passed through those courts and entered into the Holy of Holies, to come before the throne of God Himself.
Did you notice the superscription at the beginning of this Psalm? It is 'A Psalm for Thanksgiving' ... not a Psalm of Thanksgiving. This Psalm is to direct us towards thanksgiving and praise, it is not in lieu of it. This Psalm is given as a directive to 'all the earth' (v.1), yet it is not for 'all the earth', it is directed to those that belong to God. Those who serve the LORD with gladness (v.2) are His servants, and those that serve Him know that the LORD Himself is God.
I'll just leave it at that for now as I give the last verse time to minister to my soul, "For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations."
Great is Thy faithfulness,
Oh God, My Father!
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not -
Thy compassions they fail not;
As Thou hast been
Thou forever wilt be.
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed
Thy hand hath provided -
Great is Thy faithfulness,
Lord, unto me!
I am looking forward to hearing your insights from this week when we get together in the Comment Cafe - see you there!
18 comments:
Hi Cathie,
My heart leaps as I read this Psalm! I am shouting praises "to" the Lord but I am also shouting about the Lord to all the earth. I am so trying to serve the Lord in every way He sends me. Send me out to serve you Lord, send me. I am His and will forever be. Vs. 5 fills my heart with joy and thanksgiving; it will be my memory verse from this Psalm and I want to shout it to the whole world!
Jan, Hi! You have totally and powerfully got it sweetheart - all throughout the Psalms we see this theme, that we KNOW GOD and that we MAKE HIM KNOWN!
And good for you for continuing to take memory verses from each Psalm - v. 5 is the pivotal verse in this Psalm, the word 'for' that begins the verse is called a 'causal gar' and gives the reason for our shouting, serving, coming, knowing, entering, giving thanks and blessing!
I love you to pieces and I am delighted that you are staying faithful to our study this summer!
Hi everyone,
First off I want to thank everyone for thinking about me on my birthday. It is truly a blessing to have so many Christain friends who really care about each other. This has been such an interesting week for me and this Psalm has fit into it so perfectly. We have once again had some challenges (we seem to have a black cloud over us right now)but what I found was that nothing could deter me. God has so blessed me and made me see things through different eyes and both Lorne and I want so much to glorify God that nothing is going to get in our way. Even when thngs seemed hard to handle I still felt a joy and thankfulness to God. I just felt that I was the luckiest girl on earth just to know God and to be able to give Him thanks and praise for being there for us. Although I don't normally want to make much noise, I just have a real desire to SHOUT OUT LOUD about how lucky we are to have a wonderful God who protects and looks after us. This psalm is a good reminder to me that I must stop and give thanks and praise to the Lord before I barge in with my own prayers and needs.
Hi Jan,
Nice to see your comments.I too feel like you and I love Vs5 as well. Lets just keep on rejoicing!
Hi girls...it is good to be back!!!
Upon first reading Psalm 100, I was immediately struck once again that a familiar chorus I used to sing in church came from this psalm...
"Enter His gates with thanksgiving,
And His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him; bless His name."
And then later this week I thought that God must rejoice when we, in truth and sincerity, sing back to Him His own words of praise...
Verse 3 brought me to a cross-reference from Isaiah 40:11...
"Like a shepherd He will tend His flock,
In His arm He will gather the lambs,
And carry them in His bosom;
He will gently lead the nursing ewes."
As we are His people and the sheep of His pasture, He lifts us with His arm and holds us securely in His bosom...a place of warmth, tenderness and beautiful intimacy as we rest near the heart of God...this image and promise comforts, blesses and astounds me.
Before I close here, I have a little detour I would like to take...earlier this evening, my 11 year old son told me of something that happened yesterday. My mom had to pick my boys up from an event they were at yesterday and as usual, she had the radio on in the car to one of her favourite stations KARI. Dr. David Jeremiah was speaking. My son told me that as they were driving he was listening to it and he had a question for me. He wanted to know when we one day go before the Beama (spelling?) Seat of Christ, will we have to answer for individual sins we have committed or as our life's works pass through the refining fire, will we have to give an account for that? I was taken back that he could have understood any of this at his age...and then to hear it over the chatterings of his older brother in the car no doubt! I answered him as best as I knew how to...and then went upstairs after we had our conversation and became teary as I thought about the preciousness and significance of the input my mom has on my boys' lives. She probably did not even intentionally put the radio station on for them...but the walk she has with her Lord is so evident in everything she does that they cannot help be touched by the Lord when they are near her. And God in His sovereignty uses every and all opportunities to use His word to minister to people...young and old. As a parent, it is comforting to know that other godly men and women will play a significant role in the lives of my children. For all you ladies out there who are grandmas, aunties, sisters or special "others" in the lives of children, just know that they are watching, listening and learning from all you do...please let this be a blessing and not a burden to you. God uses what is pure and beautiful in our lives to shine for Him and bring Him glory...and as you all know, children pick up on what is "beautiful and shiny" very quickly!!! Thank you so much mom (a.k.a. "Mama")...you have touched our family once again in a significan way...I love you.
It is so great to click on the Comment Cafe and find it full of great personal insights from my friends. You are both so full of joy and if I were to "catch" something, this would be it! As always Cathie, you add so very much to our study. After I read what God had laid on your heart I went back once more and asked God if there was anything else He wanted me to learn. Sometimes I read from several Bibles and the one I picked up had a verse on the margin that went with verse:3 "Know that the Lord is God". It took me to Psalm 46:10 "Be Still, and know that I am God". This was the very verse that came to me sitting by the river last month. He gently was reminding me to "Be Still". When I do this, He fills my heart with joy and the praise and thanksgiving just start flowing. He knows what I need without my even asking so what better way to spend my time, than giving back to Him what He so rightly desires and deserves. This was a good day!
So looking forward to more comments.
p.s. Just as I was about to send my comments...Marnies came up and I am just crying away..It is a good cry!
I just spent a lovely afternoon with 2 friends as we sat comfortably, so at ease with each other, sipping tea and eating cookies. Our conversation led us right to Ps 100, each of telling which verse had reached out to us. Before we knew it we had our own "mini" bible study happening. The afternoon just flew by and I left feeling rejuvenated. It was just what I needed and I didn't even know it. Once again I was reminded of how awesome He is. ALWAYS caring, protecting, guiding us and I am so thankful.
What a wonderful Psalm of praise to our God! The psalms are the Bibles praise songs. SHOUT JOYFULLY to all the lands not just Israel but ALL the lands. This will happen one day when EVERY knee will bow before our Lord and Saviour.
v3 How I praise God that HE designed and made me how awsome is that! I am not a link in the chain of evolution! He made me and knew I would be His.
As the people praised God for His lovingkindness and faithfulness to Israel so I praise Him for His lovingkindness in imparting salvation, redemption,justification,& glorification to me.
Like Jan my memory verse is v.5
Wow!!! I am so overwhelmed after reading all your comments. I just want to hug all of you and all at the same time! This has been one of my best summers as I learn to walk with God and all of my sisters helping me.
Marnie, I really enjoyed your comments and can see how blessed your children are to have a grandmother like your mom. She certainly is a role model for me plus she is a wonderful friend.
Edna, I too enjoyed our mini bible study and am so thankful to have true friends like you and Angie. It was so special to be able to talk about our wonderful God and share our thoughts. I hope we have many more days like this.
See what you have started for us Cathie.... it couldn't be better, thank you so much. p.s. I sure hope your walls have stopped crumbling down and are building up again. The one thing I know because you have been such a good example is that no matter what you are facing you are not facing it alone! So let's all shout , be joyful and louldly proclaim our praise to our sovereign God.
Thank you so very much for your warm loving heart and deeply thank you that you have been praying for me which is a great comfort.
It's so nice to know your bible study group, and be able to fellow ship with you in our LORD.
May abundant blessings from our precious LORD be upon you always.
Shalom!
Takako
Well... after reading all your comments I just had to sit back in my chair and shake my head at the wonder of it all. I am your sister, but right now, honestly, I feel like your 'sister-mama'! I have been watching you girls grow in your faith and it just takes my breath away that God would even have me be among your midst...you are mighty women of God and I just sense that you are taking hold of it and living it for all you're worth!
Takako welcome, and well done on your entering into the Comment Cafe! I just have to say that it was an absolute pleasure meeting you this afternoon; it was a lovely and powerful time, with you and Auntie Jean and Angie, I would not have missed it for anything!
Jan, Margaret, Edna, Debbie, Angie, Marnie - your comments here have blessed me more than you could possibly know and I thank you for your openness and your willingness to share of the bounty that God has given you.
Marnie, just last night I was thinking deeply about the importance of we women pouring into the lives of others. My heart rejoices along with you as you see your sons recieving the outpouring of their godly grandmother. You yourself sweetheart are a mighty woman of God, do not ever underestimate the power and wisdom that flows through you, not only to your family, but to all those others that are blessed in their knowing of you.
Last night, my thoughts began to swirl as I thought about the exhortation in Titus regarding the 'older women'. There is chronological maturity and then there is spiritual maturity; as women of God, we need to be pouring into one another the wisdom that God has given to us. I will be writing a post on this soon, so I won't take up space here, but I just want you to know that I love deeply each and every one of you and am looking forward to all that God has in store for us as we walk this magnigicant road together.
Now, you local girls that have been participating in the Summer in the Psalms...are you up for a relaxed gathering in a couple of weeks? Good food and fellowship, cute sandals and plenty of laughter and pouring into one another's lives? If so, let me know!
Lovin' you all to bits!
Cathie OXO
Sounds like a wonderful idea Cathie, to get together for food and conversation and sharing in the Lord together.
'Sister-Mama'...my cute sandals and I are in!
I'm in!!! I'm in!!! I'm in!!! I might just have to go out and buy me a new cute pair of sandals for this but I'm so there!!! Awesome idea!!!
It will be such a joy to share time with my sisters in Christ. I have missed our weekly gathering but have enjoyed reading all the blogging. I still know that I have such a long way to go in my understanding of God's Word but I thank and bless everyone of you for all your help, love, and support. Angie, I really miss you as I haven't seen you at all. Thank you for your calls. They came at a time when I was feeling a bit discouraged. I am sorry that we did not connect. I hope you got my message. To me, you demonstrate all the fruits of the Spirit--You are filled with the Holy Spirit and It shines like a beacon for all to see.
Oops! After all that pouring out of my heart I forgot to say that I want to come!!!! My feet don't like cute sandals anymore( Boo Hoo ) Me and my utilitarian sandal will be there.
Hi Jan,
If my beacon points to Jesus and you see my "PRECIOUS LORD AND SAVIOUR" then I am safisfied! Jan, I am reading your words as I type and you STARTED the comments that I too, have been blessed by and I happen to know that you are living out your desires to serve Him. As I have been reading all the comments and then Cathie's...Yes! we really are
mighty women of God and we should take it up and run with it...and we are! God has given each one of us "His Purpose" for our time here on earth. That is why it is so important for us to encourage and be there for each other. God placed Cathie in our lives and we have all grown...some of you have been under her teaching longer than others but have we not ALL been blessed! To those of you coming into Cathie's teaching in this blog you can see why we love God's Word. As women, we also came to love each other and "Summer in the Psalms" helped us to stay in touch. We will have that coffee Jan!
For me, there has been a strong conviction that there are women out there that would love to know this Lord that we keep shouting about! My prayer is that through Cathie's wonderfully clear and deep teaching,and our chatting with each other you have seen that HE is MORE than just a "nice story". HE is our FATHER IN HEAVEN...He wants nothing more than for us to enter into a deep abiding relationship with HIM and make Him LORD of our lives and HE will take care of the rest! We, together, are on the greatest journey of our lives...until we see HIM face to face!
Hi Girls,
Count me in for the get together. I'm with Jan, no cute sandles for these tired feet....I'm coming barefoot, well I really do have a pair of sandles I can get my feet into as long as I can "kick"
them off!!!!
Jan ..it was nice chatting with you on Sunday at the Fair...and you are not alone in your journey with our Lord, we all have a connection that runs deep within us....bonding us to gether, we are sisters in Christ, walking with each other, supporting, caring and loving one another....
Debbie....I want to SHOUT with you, telling those about our wonderful Saviour
If they only knew about...Ps 118 v6-9.
Cathie.......have a wonderful time, there is not doubt in my mind that you will be are doing just that. I look foward to seeing everyone again at the gathering.
Angie & Marnie....I look at you and recognize that special relationship that flows easily between a mother and daughter that are walking with the Lord. To have a sister in Christ that is your daughter and your friend is truly a blessing. One that I cherish and I am so thankful to God for blessing me with my daughter (whom I have learned and continue to learn so much from) We are blessed as mothers. Angie see you Friday.
Takako...welcome to our group. Angie speaks of you so often and I look forward to actually meeting you in person.
Margaret...looking foward to seeing you. It seems like such a long time since we all got together. Until then have a wonderful summer....keep cool.
"How great is our God,
sing with me, how great is our God, and
all will see how great, how great is our God".
Name above all names,
You are worthy of our praise
My heart will sing
how great is our God".
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