Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, They make it a spring; The rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; Each one appears before God in Zion. O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; Give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah

My strength is in You, LORD; it is in You. It has to be as I pass through my own Valleys of Baca. Or support others who are doing so. Often we see dear brothers hauled back to prison on what often looks like trumped of charges, yet the Holy Spirit uses them powerfully to minister to others

Often each of us is going through our own Baca where it is our personal responsibility to demonstrate how our faith is enabling us to live out that precious faith as a member of the Body of Christ. The LORD asks each of us to cover our challenges with the Spring Pools of Baca.

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Morning Psalm 48, Noon Psalm 119:97-104, Evening Psalm 94 .

Alternate Reading Plan based on 7 chapters/day from 7 sections of the Scriptures. My groupings are: Genesis-Joshua, Judges to Esther, Job to Song of Solomon, Psalms breaking 119 into convenient sets, Isaiah to Malachi, Matthew to Acts, Romans to Revelation.

Set your own reading schedule up in convenient groupings as fits your study habits.

Righteous are You, O LORD, And upright are Your judgments. Your testimonies, which You have commanded, Are righteous and very faithful. My zeal has consumed me, Because my enemies have forgotten Your words.

Your word is very pure; Therefore Your servant loves it. I am small and despised, Yet I do not forget Your precepts. Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your law is truth.

Trouble and anguish have overtaken me, Yet Your commandments are my delights. The righteousness of Your testimonies is everlasting; Give me understanding, and I shall live.

Our zealous scribe, Ish Elohim, recognizes that he is caught between zeal for the Words of the LORD and the rejection of them by the enemies of the LORD, God, the Almighty. He rightly, and so must I, chose the high road, the road of adherence to the Word. The world may scorn us yet we can continue in our delight in His commandments.

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Morning Psalm 47, Noon Psalm 119:89-96, Evening Psalm 93 .

Alternate Reading Plan based on 7 chapters/day from 7 sections of the Scriptures. My groupings are: Genesis-Joshua, Judges to Esther, Job to Song of Solomon, Psalms breaking 119 into convenient sets, Isaiah to Malachi, Matthew to Acts, Romans to Revelation.

Set your own reading schedule up in convenient groupings as fits your study habits.

To the Chief Musician. On An Instrument of Gath. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. How lovely is Your tabernacle, O LORD of hosts!My soul longs, yes, even faints For the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home, And the swallow a nest for herself, Where she may lay her young—Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts, My King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; They will still be praising You. Selah

This passage from Psalm 84 brings to mind that magnificent tribute to the people of God in 1 Peter 2:9“But you area chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” We are that beautiful tabernacle that the Sons of Korah envisioned centuries earlier. They saw sparrows and swallows; we are called to welcome all the peoples of the world into the arms of the living God.

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Morning Psalm 46, Noon Psalm 119:81-88, Evening Psalm 92 .

Alternate Reading Plan based on 7 chapters/day from 7 sections of the Scriptures. My groupings are: Genesis-Joshua, Judges to Esther, Job to Song of Solomon, Psalms breaking 119 into convenient sets, Isaiah to Malachi, Matthew to Acts, Romans to Revelation.

Set your own reading schedule up in convenient groupings as fits your study habits.

O my God, make them like the whirling dust, Like the chaff before the wind; As the fire burns the woods, And as the flame sets the mountains on fire, So pursue them with Your tempest, And frighten them with Your storm. Fill their faces with shame, That they may seek Your name, O LORD. Let them be confounded and dismayed forever; Yes, let them be put to shame and perish, That they may know that You, whose name alone is the LORD, Are the Most High over all the earth.

It is time, LORD, it is time for You to make Your power known throughout the earth. No longer may the nations of the world be permitted to mock You holy name. It is time for Your people to step into the forefront as Your chosen people and in so doing, exalt You as the LORD, God, the Almighty, the One who said and it was!

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Morning Psalm 45, Noon Psalm 119:73-80, Evening Psalm 91 .

Alternate Reading Plan based on 7 chapters/day from 7 sections of the Scriptures. My groupings are: Genesis-Joshua, Judges to Esther, Job to Song of Solomon, Psalms breaking 119 into convenient sets, Isaiah to Malachi, Matthew to Acts, Romans to Revelation.

Set your own reading schedule up in convenient groupings as fits your study habits.

A Song. A Psalm of Asaph. Do not keep silent, O God! Do not hold Your peace, And do not be still, O God!For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; And those who hate You have lifted up their head. They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, And consulted together against Your sheltered ones. They have said, "Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, That the name of Israel may be remembered no more." For they have consulted together with one consent; They form a confederacy against You:The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab and the Hagrites; Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assyria also has joined with them; They have helped the children of Lot. Selah

Deal with them as with Midian, As with Sisera, As with Jabin at the Brook Kishon, Who perished at En Dor, Who became as refuse on the earth. Make their nobles like Oreb and like Zeeb, Yes, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, Who said, "Let us take for ourselves The pastures of God for a possession."

“That the name of Israel may be remembered no more” A vow that was made over 3000 years ago by a confederacy that is no more, whose members are long forgotten. Today, the nation of Israel stands alone in the Middle East. Powerful, a force to be reckoned with, their reaction to every proposal considered seriously.

There are many other proofs that the LORD, God, the Almighty exists and is active in the affairs of the world, yet none that is so universally recognized. Look at the focus of the Muslims, the Hindus, in fact the politics and the foreign policy of all the nations in the 10-40 window; all shaped by the anticipated reaction of the nation of Israel.

The gentile Christian Church, out numbering the people of Israel by several orders of magnitude, can only long for the day that our grafting in is complete and final.

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Morning Psalm 44, Noon Psalm 119:65-72, Evening Psalm 90 .

Alternate Reading Plan based on 7 chapters/day from 7 sections of the Scriptures. My groupings are: Genesis-Joshua, Judges to Esther, Job to Song of Solomon, Psalms breaking 119 into convenient sets, Isaiah to Malachi, Matthew to Acts, Romans to Revelation.

Set your own reading schedule up in convenient groupings as fits your study habits.

A Psalm of Asaph. God stands in the congregation of the mighty; He judges among the gods.How long will you judge unjustly, And show partiality to the wicked? Selah

Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy; Free them from the hand of the wicked. They do not know, nor do they understand; They walk about in darkness; All the foundations of the earth are unstable.

I said, "You are gods, And all of you are children of the Most High. But you shall die like men, And fall like one of the princes. Arise, O God, judge the earth; For You shall inherit all nations.

We, as the called Ambassadors of Reconciliation, are directed to serving the poor, the fatherless, those who are forced to live without access to justice. We stand against those judge unjustly, who show partiality to the wicked. We may be called Home before our task is finished, but we will be welcomed and join with others who await that final trumpet peal.

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Morning Psalm 43, Noon Psalm 119:57-64, Evening Psalm 89 .

Alternate Reading Plan based on 7 chapters/day from 7 sections of the Scriptures. My groupings are: Genesis-Joshua, Judges to Esther, Job to Song of Solomon, Psalms breaking 119 into convenient sets, Isaiah to Malachi, Matthew to Acts, Romans to Revelation.

Set your own reading schedule up in convenient groupings as fits your study habits.

"Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you! O Israel, if you will listen to Me! There shall be no foreign god among you; Nor shall you worship any foreign god. I am the LORD your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

"But My people would not heed My voice, And Israel would have none of Me. So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, To walk in their own counsels.

"Oh, that My people would listen to Me, That Israel would walk in My ways! I would soon subdue their enemies, And turn My hand against their adversaries. The haters of the LORD would pretend submission to Him, But their fate would endure forever. He would have fed them also with the finest of wheat; And with honey from the rock I would have satisfied you."

Look the progression in these few short verses. 1) The LORD, God, the Almighty promise a rich reward if Israel will listen to Him and shun other gods. 2) Israel pigheadedly refuses to listen and obey. 3) The LORD holds out an olive branch and promises to subdue all their enemies and return Israel to their favored nation status, if they live in obedience to Him.

Sound familiar, America. Are we sliding down that that same slope? Is it time to return the LORD's day to a day of worship and not a day of games, relaxation, and parties?.

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Morning Psalm 42, Noon Psalm 119:49-56, Evening Psalm 88 .

Alternate Reading Plan based on 7 chapters/day from 7 sections of the Scriptures. My groupings are: Genesis-Joshua, Judges to Esther, Job to Song of Solomon, Psalms breaking 119 into convenient sets, Isaiah to Malachi, Matthew to Acts, Romans to Revelation.

Set your own reading schedule up in convenient groupings as fits your study habits.

For this is a statute for Israel, A law of the God of Jacob. This He established in Joseph as a testimony, When He went throughout the land of Egypt, Where I heard a language I did not understand. "I removed his shoulder from the burden; His hands were freed from the baskets. You called in trouble, and I delivered you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah

When I call, He answers. I don't have to understand the problem. I probably do not even understand the language of the problem. All I need to know is that I have a problem and I need the help of the LORD, God, the Almighty. I do need to cry out to Him in the most basic of pleas. LORD, help me for I am in over my head.

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Morning Psalm 41, Noon Psalm 119:41-48, Evening Psalm 87 .

Alternate Reading Plan based on 7 chapters/day from 7 sections of the Scriptures. My groupings are: Genesis-Joshua, Judges to Esther, Job to Song of Solomon, Psalms breaking 119 into convenient sets, Isaiah to Malachi, Matthew to Acts, Romans to Revelation.

Set your own reading schedule up in convenient groupings as fits your study habits.

Your testimonies are wonderful; Therefore my soul keeps them. The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple. I opened my mouth and panted, For I longed for Your commandments. Look upon me and be merciful to me, As Your custom is toward those who love Your name.

Direct my steps by Your word, And let no iniquity have dominion over me. Redeem me from the oppression of man, That I may keep Your precepts. Make Your face shine upon Your servant, And teach me Your statutes. Rivers of water run down from my eyes, Because men do not keep Your law.

Ish-el-Eohim pants for the Word; he thirsts for the commandments that shape his life; he pleads for protection from the consequences of inequities; and from the oppression of man. In short, he turns to the LORD, God, the Almighty as the source of all that is right and good in his life.

So must I and I must lead my family along a similar path. Help me and guide me, LORD, God, the Almighty.

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Reading

Morning Psalm 41, Noon Psalm 119:41-48, Evening Psalm 87 .

Alternate Reading Plan based on 7 chapters/day from 7 sections of the Scriptures. My groupings are: Genesis-Joshua, Judges to Esther, Job to Song of Solomon, Psalms breaking 119 into convenient sets, Isaiah to Malachi, Matthew to Acts, Romans to Revelation.

Set your own reading schedule up in convenient groupings as fits your study habits.

To the Chief Musician. On An Instrument of Gath. A Psalm of Asaph. Sing aloud to God our strength; Make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob.Raise a song and strike the timbrel, The pleasant harp with the lute. Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon, At the full moon, on our solemn feast day.

Look at this short but joy filled description of a solemn feast day. Compare with a current LORD's Day 'worship' service that tends to equate solemn with a long sad face. Not so in Israel, they knew that the LORD, God, the Almighty had rescued them from slavery; from servitude, from the onerous and cruel hand of Pharaoh.

Does the LORD care that I can't carry a tune in a rusty bucket? Doesn't He want to hear joy and thanksgiving in my voice as I sing, “Praise the Savior, Ye Who Know Him”? And from all assembled to worship Him? Look at the title of that precious hymn. Praise the Savior! Praise the Savior! Praise the Savior! Praise the Savior! Praise the Savior! Praise the Savior!

Let us assemble this coming LORD's Day with joy in our praise-filled hearts and pouring out through worshipful voices. We gather in thanksgiving and praise, not dolor!

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Reading

Morning Psalm 41, Noon Psalm 119:41-48, Evening Psalm 87 .

Alternate Reading Plan based on 7 chapters/day from 7 sections of the Scriptures. My groupings are: Genesis-Joshua, Judges to Esther, Job to Song of Solomon, Psalms breaking 119 into convenient sets, Isaiah to Malachi, Matthew to Acts, Romans to Revelation.

Set your own reading schedule up in convenient groupings as fits your study habits.

Why have You broken down her hedges, So that all who pass by the way pluck her fruit? The boar out of the woods uproots it, And the wild beast of the field devours it. Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts; Look down from heaven and see, And visit this vine And the vineyard which Your right hand has planted, And the branch that You made strong for Yourself. It is burned with fire, it is cut down; They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.

Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, Upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself. Then we will not turn back from You; Revive us, and we will call upon Your name. Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved!

Do you ever have that feeling of abandonment? Friends don't return your calls? Maybe even beginning to wonder if you haven't become invisible to anyone who ever knew you? Immersed in your own personal pity pot? AND IT FEELS GOOD? Woe is me, I'm a poor little boy and nobody loves me (A line from one of my children after being refused a second Popsicle or the like). It doesn't have to be rational to be comforting.

I see an element of that self pity in this passage. Had the LORD, God, the Almighty really turned His back on His chosen people or were they not listening? Surely the latter. A parent has the responsibility to refuse to aid in self-destructive behavior.

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Morning Psalm 40, Noon Psalm 119:33-40, Evening Psalm 86 .

Alternate Reading Plan based on 7 chapters/day from 7 sections of the Scriptures. My groupings are: Genesis-Joshua, Judges to Esther, Job to Song of Solomon, Psalms breaking 119 into convenient sets, Isaiah to Malachi, Matthew to Acts, Romans to Revelation.

Set your own reading schedule up in convenient groupings as fits your study habits.

To the Chief Musician. Set to "The Lilies." a Testimony of Asaph. A Psalm. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth!Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, Stir up Your strength, And come and save us! Restore us, O God; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved!

O LORD God of hosts, How long will You be angry Against the prayer of Your people? You have fed them with the bread of tears, And given them tears to drink in great measure. You have made us a strife to our neighbors, And our enemies laugh among themselves.

Restore us, O God of hosts; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved! You have brought a vine out of Egypt; You have cast out the nations, and planted it. You prepared room for it, And caused it to take deep root, And it filled the land. The hills were covered with its shadow, And the mighty cedars with its boughs. She sent out her boughs to the Sea, And her branches to the River.

“Restore us, O God; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved!” Isn't this the story of our relationships with the LORD, God, the Almighty? We go off on our own, (details unspecified here) and then plead for mercy and restoration. Interesting, I do not see remorse or confession of offending the LORD. Just a plea for restoration. But there is recognition that such a plea will result in a far deeper relationship with the LORD

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Reading

Morning Psalm 39, Noon Psalm 119:25-32, Evening Psalm 85 .

Alternate Reading Plan based on 7 chapters/day from 7 sections of the Scriptures. My groupings are: Genesis-Joshua, Judges to Esther, Job to Song of Solomon, Psalms breaking 119 into convenient sets, Isaiah to Malachi, Matthew to Acts, Romans to Revelation.

Set your own reading schedule up in convenient groupings as fits your study habits.