Singing in the rain!

We are on our short Easter break at Green Pastures and it was wonderful yesterday afternoon having a siesta in the middle of torrential rain with tremendous thunder and lightening.

Yesterday it rained 28 mm at Green Pastures so things are gradually improving.

I had a relaxing day yesterday beating my granddaughter Louisa's husband Tiago at chess twice and reading 'The Bloomsbury Murder' by Mike Hollow which I should finish today.

This Good Friday is our 59th anniversary of Liz and I going out together! 😘😍

Praise the Lord!

Yesterday I again did without my siesta, as I did on Monday, so as to make further progress with my résumé of the Bible, and I managed to complete the big book of Psalms. This means I have finished 53% of the Bible which are the first 19 books of the Old Testament covering 628 chapters out of a total of 1,189 in the protestant Bible. I am very pleased with the speed I am maintaining with this work which started on the 23rd of September 2024. Hence I did the first half of the Bible in a year and a half on top of everything else I have on. If I can keep up this pace I should be able to complete the whole Bible by the end of next year. All this work is being published on the EAB website to be readily available for all our pastors and anyone else interested.

We will be having a short Easter break over the next few days as we do every year. We value your prayers. 😎

Yesterday it rained 26 mm at Green Pastures taking this year's total rainfall up to 511.6 mm.

Proverbs 1 (résumé): The Proverbs of Solomon

The book of Proverbs is attributed to King Solomon and is a wisdom book which offers short pithy instructions for Godly pious living. This book emphasizes that true wisdom begin with the fear of the Lord which is a reverent trust in God with total commitment to him.

Proverbs chapter 1 is the introduction to this 31-chapter book and right at the beginning lays out the key premise of the text which is that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, knowledge and discipline. Then the text goes on to show father to son advice against keeping bad company with those who offer easy illicit gain or acts of violence. Then comes a warning against rejecting wisdom where wisdom is personified as a woman as happens continually in this book. Here wisdom personified as a woman "raises her voice in the public square"  promising safety, blessing and peace to those who heed her advice. But for those who do not heed "the complacency of fools will destroy them. However whoever listens to wisdom will live in safety, be at ease, without fear of harm."

Psalm 150 (résumé): Praise God in his sanctuary!

This is the final doxology of the book of Psalms calling everything that has breath to praise the Lord! Praise him for his greatness and acts of power! Praise him with multiple musical instruments such as trumpet, flute, strings, tambourine, harp, lyre and cymbals and with plenty of dancing! Praise the Lord!

Psalm 149 (resumé): Sing to the Lord a new song!

Psalm 149 is a vibrant song of praise exhorting Israel to rejoice in their maker and be glad in their king. The psalmist calls them to praise God with dance and music because he crowns the humble with salvation. Let the saints rejoice and sing for joy in bed! May they also hold a double-edged sword in their hands to inflict vengeance on the nations. Praise the Lord!

Psalm 148 (résumé): Praise the Lord from the heavens!

Psalm 148 is the third of the final 5 hallelujah / praise the Lord psalms that bring this book to a close. It is a song of jubilant universal praise from the highest heaven to the lowest place for God the creator. Thus the psalmist exhorts: "Praise the Lord from the heavens... angels... sun, moon and stars... for God commanded and they were created... he set them in place for ever... praise the Lord great sea creatures, lightening, hail, snow and clouds... mountains, hills, trees, wild animals, cattle, kings, princes, birds... everything praise the Lord!"

Psalm 147 (résumé): How good it is to sing praises to our God!

Psalm 147 is a song of praise to both God as mighty creator ("He determines the number of stars and calls them each by name!") and as the gentle healer comforting brokenhearted exiles ("the Lord sustains the humble"). He says "Great is our Lord and mighty in power... sing to the Lord with thanksgiving... he supplies the earth with rain... he provides food for the cattle... the Lord delights in those that fear him... praise your God O Zion... he spreads the snow like wool... He has revealed his word to Jacob and his laws and decrees to Israel!"

Psalm 146 (résumé): Praise the Lord, O my soul!

Psalm 146 is a poetical hymn of praise to God starting "Praise the Lord, O my soul!... don't trust in mortal men but trust in God!... Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob... who is the maker of heaven and earth... he upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry... the Lord watches over the alien and reigns forever!"

Psalm 145 (résumé): I will exalt you, my God the King!

Psalm 145 is the last of David's psalms and it is an exuberant celebration of God's greatness ("his greatness no-one can fathom"), his sovereign kingdom ("they will tell of the glory of your kingdom") and his kind spirit ("the Lord is loving towards all he has made"). David starts saying "I will exalt you, my God and King... Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise... celebrate your abundant goodness... the Lord is good to all... your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom... the Lord upholds all those who fall... you satisfy the desires of every living thing... the Lord is near to all who call on him... my mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever!"

Psalm 144 (résumé): Praise be to the Lord, my Rock!

Psalm 144 is a psalm of praise and prayer. David starts by praising the Lord, his Rock... He is my loving God and fortress... what is man that you care for him?... for man is but a fleeting shadow... reach down your hand from on high... rescue me from the mighty waters... I will sing a new song to you, O God... Deliver me from the hands of foreigners... and our sons and daughters will flourish... and our barns will be filled... and our sheep will multiply profusely... Blessed is the people whose God is the Lord!

Psalm 143 (résumé): O Lord, hear my prayer!

David, in this psalm, is suffering intense persecution ("the enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground") and strong depression ("my spirit faints with longing... I will be like those who go down to the pit"). David therefore cries for help from God ("listen to my cry for mercy") and pleas for mercy. David recalls all that God has done in the past and his soul thirsts for God. So he asks God to teach him to do his will and he trusts God to destroy his foes.

Psalm 142 (résumé): I cry aloud to the Lord!

 Psalm 142 was written by David in the context of being hidden in a cave from Saul expressing his loneliness ("no-one cares for my life"), desperation ("I am in desperate need") and danger ("men have hidden a snare for me"). He cries to God "set me free from my prison that I may praise your name."

Psalm 141 (résumé): O Lord, I call to you!

This psalm of David is a sincere prayer asking God to help him control his tongue ("set a guard over my mouth, O Lord") and to help him to resist temptation ("Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil"). David then expresses that being corrected by a righteous man is a kindness (let him rebuke me - it is oil on my head") and he concludes saying that he takes refuge in the Lord asking God to keep him free from the traps of evildoers. 

Psalm 140 (résumé): Rescue me, O Lord!

In Psalm 140 David asks God for protection and to be rescued from evil men who plan to trip him and set traps for him. David goes on to pray for God to "not let their plans succeed". David recalls that "the Lord secures justice for the poor" saying that "surely the righteous will praise you name and the upright will live before you". 

Psalm 139 (résumé): O Lord, you have searched me

Psalm 139 is a Davidic meditation on the omniscience, omnipresence and omnipotence of God. First of all David considers how God knows what we are going to say before we say it. ("Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely") Then he focuses on God's all invasive presence and that no matter where we go God is already there. Then David points to God's amazing work in creating man who is "fearfully and wonderfully made", and he says that "all the days ordained for me" were  pre-written in God's book. David closes the psalm praying for sanctification and holiness saying "search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know me".

Faith that perseveres

Last night I gave the study at the Men's Fellowship on 'Faith that Perseveres' from Matthew 15:21-28. It was a good blessed meeting led by Chief of Police Esau. 

In the month of March this blog was read 16,989 times. Thank you and greetings to one and all! If you make comments, which are welcome, then please put your name otherwise I have no way of knowing who spoke. 

Last night it rained 10 mm at Green Pastures bringing this years total to 485.6 mm. We have a long way to go to reach the average rainfall of 702 mm.

Today is my sister Joy's birthday there at High Wycombe. Happy Birthday Joy! I clearly remember when she was born.