Psalm 98 New American Standard Bible (NASB) A Call to Praise the Lord for His Righteousness

A Psalm.

98 O sing to the Lord a new song,

For He has done wonderful things,

His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him.

2 The Lord has made known His salvation;

He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations.

3 He has remembered His loving kindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

4 Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth;

Break forth and sing for joy and sing praises.

5 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,

With the lyre and the sound of melody.

6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn

Shout joyfully before the King, the Lord.

7 Let the sea roar and all it contains,

The world and those who dwell in it.

8 Let the rivers clap their hands,

Let the mountains sing together for joy

9 Before the Lord, for He is coming to judge the earth;

He will judge the world with righteousness

And the peoples with equity.

Psalm 96 New American Standard Bible (NASB) A Call to Worship the Lord the Righteous Judge.

96 Sing to the Lord a new song;

Sing to the Lord, all the earth.

2 Sing to the Lord, bless His name;

Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.

3 Tell of His glory among the nations,

His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.

4 For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised;

He is to be feared above all gods.

5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,

But the Lord made the heavens.

6 Splendor and majesty are before Him,

Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,

Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory of His name;

Bring an offering and come into His courts.

9 Worship the Lord in holy attire;

Tremble before Him, all the earth.

10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns;

Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved;

He will judge the peoples with equity.”

11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;

Let the sea roar, and all it contains;

12 Let the field exult, and all that is in it.

Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy

13 Before the Lord, for He is coming,

For He is coming to judge the earth.

He will judge the world in righteousness

And the peoples in His faithfulness.

Home is where the Heart is.

I find because of my job in Liverpool, I get up early in the morning,  so I can have that extra cup of coffee,  pray and have a quiet time and wait on the Lord,  to keep my brain active at 5.30 am I’ve started to write my blog now rather than later in the day.

I now live in Southport, Merseyside having moved here just over 2 years ago from Neath, South Wales I’ve settled here and for the last two years Southport has been my home,  and I’ve committed myself to staying here until I die or until the Lord returns.   I have wandered previously and made a mess of thinks, but thanks be to God who has settled me here in Southport, my heart is here because this is now my home.

I remember visiting here just over 2 years ago,  and being in a mess and my good friend Dave Gregg (one of our Elders) was speaking on a Sunday morning at my church (now) The Community Church, Southport and he quoted at the end of his message he quoted

Numbers 10:29

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

29 Then Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out to the place of which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you’; come with us and we will do you good, for the Lord has promised good concerning Israel.”

When I returned back to Neath, while I was praying whether or not to stay there or move here, the Lord bought my attention to some scriptures and because I had moved from pillar to post and back again several times, I told the Lord I would either settle in Neath or move to and settle here in Southport, the Lord reminded me of the story of Isaac and the wells.

Genesis 26:17-25

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

17 And Isaac departed from there and camped in the valley of Gerar, and settled there.

Quarrel over the Wells

18 Then Isaac dug again the wells of water which had been dug in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham; and he gave them the same names which his father had given them. 19 But when Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of flowing water, 20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarrelled with the herdsmen of Isaac, saying, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek, because they contended with him. 21 Then they dug another well, and they quarrelled over it too, so he named it Sitnah. 22 He moved away from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it; so he named it Rehoboth, for he said, “At last the Lord has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.”

23 Then he went up from there to Beersheba. 24 The Lord appeared to him the same night and said,

“I am the God of your father Abraham;

Do not fear, for I am with you.

I will bless you, and multiply your descendants,

For the sake of my servant Abraham.”

25 So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.

Deuteronomy 8

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

God’s Gracious Dealings

8 “All the commandments that I am commanding you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord swore to give to your forefathers. 2 You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3 He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. 5 Thus you are to know in your heart that the Lord your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son. 6 Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. 7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills; 8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; 9 a land where you will eat food without scarcity, in which you will not lack anything; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. 10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.

Psalm 66

English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)

How Awesome Are Your Deeds

To the choirmaster. A Song. A Psalm.

66 Shout for joy to God, all the earth;

2     sing the glory of his name;

    give to him glorious praise!

3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!

    So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.

4 All the earth worships you

    and sings praises to you;

    they sing praises to your name.” Selah

5 Come and see what God has done:

    he is awesome in his deeds towards the children of man.

6 He turned the sea into dry land;

    they passed through the river on foot.

There did we rejoice in him,

7     who rules by his might for ever,

whose eyes keep watch on the nations—

    let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah

8 Bless our God, O peoples;

    let the sound of his praise be heard,

9 who has kept our soul among the living

    and has not let our feet slip.

10 For you, O God, have tested us;

    you have tried us as silver is tried.

11 You brought us into the net;

    you laid a crushing burden on our backs;

12 you let men ride over our heads;

    we went through fire and through water;

yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.

13 I will come into your house with burnt offerings;

    I will perform my vows to you,

14 that which my lips uttered

    and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.

15 I will offer to you burnt offerings of fattened animals,

    with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams;

I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah

16 Come and hear, all you who fear God,

    and I will tell what he has done for my soul.

17 I cried to him with my mouth,

    and high praise was on my tongue.

18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,

    the Lord would not have listened.

19 But truly God has listened;

    he has attended to the voice of my prayer.

20 Blessed be God,

    because he has not rejected my prayer

    or removed his steadfast love from me!

When I moved here, the Lord made me several promises,  and give me the following scripture verses and I had some solid advice from an amazing friend in Swansea, Ralph Bettany who advised me to stay in Southport for at least 5 years and settle down rather than wandering around as I had done previously.

Jeremiah 29:4-7 and verse 11

New Living Translation (NLT)

4 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: 5 “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. 6 Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! 7 And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.” 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope

I would like to say a heart full thank you to my church family,  The Community Church,  Southport and my many dear friends there, thank you for welcoming me and making part of your church family, I love you all, and I wouldn’t be who I’m today without you, I would like to thank especially Geoff and Pam Grice, Dave and Su Gregg, Steve and Miriam Smith,  David and Gwen Raynor and John and Julia Sutton-Smith for your love, friendship, sound advice and your prayers.

                               

Psalm 85 Contemporary English Version (CEV) (A psalm by the people of Korah for the music leader.) A Prayer for Peace

85 Our Lord, you have blessed
    your land
    and made all go well
    for Jacob’s descendants.
² You have forgiven the sin
    and taken away the guilt
    of your people.
³ Your fierce anger is no longer
    aimed at us.

⁴ Our Lord and our God,
    you save us!
    Please bring us back home
    and don’t be angry.
⁵ Will you always be angry
    with us and our families?
⁶ Won’t you give us fresh life
    and let your people be glad
    because of you?
⁷ Show us your love
    and save us!

⁸ I will listen to you, Lord God,
    because you promise peace
to those
    who are faithful
    and no longer foolish.
⁹ You are ready to rescue
    everyone who worships you,
    so that you will live with us
    in all of your glory.

¹⁰ Love and loyalty
    will come together;
    goodness and peace
    will unite.
¹¹ Loyalty will sprout
    from the ground;
    justice will look down
    from the sky above.

¹² Our Lord, you will bless us;
    our land will produce
    wonderful crops.
¹³ Justice will march in front,
    making a path
    for you to follow.

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

And I will trust in You alone, And I will trust in You alone, For Your endless mercy follows me, Your goodness will lead me home.

The Lord’s My Shepherd

The Lord’s my shepherd, I’ll not want;

He makes me lie in pastures green.

He leads me by the still, still waters,

His goodness restores my soul.

And I will trust in You alone,

And I will trust in You alone,

For Your endless mercy follows me,

Your goodness will lead me home.

He guides my ways in righteousness,

And He anoints my head with oil,

And my cup, it overflows with joy,

I feast on His pure delights.

And though I walk the darkest path,

I will not fear the evil one,

For You are with me, and Your rod and staff

Are the comfort I need to know.

Stuart Townend

Copyright © 1996 Thankyou Music

- See more at: http://www.stuarttownend.co.uk/song/the-lords-my-shepherd/#sthash.fbeZwlGM.dpuf

Psalm 23 New American Standard Bible (NASB) The Lord, the Psalmist’s Shepherd.

A Psalm of David.

23 The Lord is my shepherd,

I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside quiet waters.

3 He restores my soul;

He guides me in the paths of righteousness

For His name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I fear no evil, for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You have anointed my head with oil;

My cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Isaiah 58:5-14 A Message of Transformation, Hope and Renewal

⁵ Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,

    only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
    and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
    a day acceptable to the Lord?

⁶ ‘Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
    and break every yoke?
⁷ Is it not to share your food with the hungry
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter –
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
⁸ Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
    and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
⁹ Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
    you will cry for help, and he will say: here am I.

‘If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
    with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
¹⁰ and if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
    and your night will become like the noonday.
¹¹ The Lord will guide you always;
    he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
    and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
    like a spring whose waters never fail.
¹² Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
    and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
    Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

¹³ ‘If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
    and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
    and the Lord’s holy day honourable,
and if you honour it by not going your own way
    and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
¹⁴ then you will find your joy in the Lord,
    and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land
    and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.’
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.