Psalm 47

In this psalm, the temple assistants, who were known as the sons of Korah, rallied the people of Israel to praise the Almighty God with any free form of worship postures --- clapping, joyful shouting, sounding of trumpets and singing.

Many times during our praise and worship sessions, we sing and clap along to worship songs without realising that it is a privilege to worship the Lord. The Lord is worthy of our praise! So let us renew our hearts to come before God at every worship opportunity in church, giving our all to freely exalt His Name. I am sure God will honour our sacrifice of praise when we first enter into His presence in spirit and in truth.

Psalm 46

Psalm 46:10 is one of my favourite memory verses: "Be still, and know that I am God...". I had also done this memory verse with my children which I thought it was by far the easiest verse for children below 5 years old to memorise and understand. It's also a great reminder of God's power and authority over the odds of our lives.

God assures us that He is with us, He is our refuge, fortress and strength in times of troubles. Men may have caused Mother nature's global warming phenomenon, but God's authority over His works such as the mountains, seas and sky, is higher than men's claimed control of the earth. All God wants us to do is to come before Him and let His inner peace come upon our hearts, for the spirit of fear is not from Him.

Don Moen's song "Still" is a wonderful interpretation of Psalm 46:

Hide me now
Under Your wings
Cover me
Within Your mighty hand

CHORUS:
When the oceans rise
And the thunders roar
I will soar with You
Above the storm
Father You are King
Over the flood
And I will be still
And know You are God

Find rest my soul
In Christ alone
Know His power
In quietness and trust
Be still and know
That I am God
I am the God
That healeth thee

Thank you O Lord, for Your wonderful message of love and protection in Psalm 46. I can react to my inner fear with God's authority and find peace and rest under Your wings. Indeed, "nothing is impossible with God" (Luke 1:37). I claim every victory in every circumstances, that by Your name, all troubles will flee and peace restored. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Psalm 45

My first reaction after reading Psalm 45 was one of awe and thanksgiving. Imagine the psalmist's words of praise to commemorate King Solomon's wedding to Egyptian Pharaoh's daughter being used as an analogy to Jesus Christ's wedding to His bride, the Church.

"Listen, O daughter, consider and give ear:

Forget your people and your father's house.

The king is enthralled by your beauty;

honour him, for he is your lord." -- Psalm 45:10-11

Jesus is welcoming His church and people into His holy presence at the end of days. When it comes, the glory of God will be marvellously displayed to its fullest grandor beyond our imagination. The heavenly beings will be rejoicing and leading His people to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The New Jerusalem will celebrate just as in a grand wedding bash. Picture it!

Brothers and sisters in-Christ, let us encourage one another to finish the race that the Lord has given us. Do not look at the road blocks and long windy paths immediately ahead of us, but focus on the end-point where God has prepared for us. As one of my pastors, Angela Chan once told me: "When we are faced with any uphill situation ahead of our path, PUSH on".

P RAY
U NTIL
S OMETHING
H APPENS

Amen!

First Combined Cantonese and Hokkien Service@FCBC

9 Feb 08 marked a very special day for FCBC. It was the first combined Cantonese and Hokkien worship service in the history of the church. Even though it was the 3rd day of the Chinese New Year which usually see a slight drop in attendance, the church (Touch Centre@Marine Parade) was fully packed. The service opened with a touching testimony by a Mediacorp artiste before Senior Pastor Lawrence Khong delivered his sermon on Psalm 37.

I had gathered alot of insight of what it means to be "delighting in the Lord" in the Year of the Sabbath. The sermon reminded me to do things which are close to God's heart, which we would be granted His favour in doing the "right things" (the true meaning of "万事如意" in the context of Chinese New Year).

Psalms 43 and 44

These 2 psalms are said to be authored by Hezekiah, king of Judah, referring to his darkest moments in defending Jerusalem when faced with the imminent attack by Sennacherib, king of Assyria (Marilyn Hickey, 1997, "Psalms: Classic Library Edition", pp. 113 & 115). Hezekiah talked about his discouragement in the face of uncertainty in the battlefield and unanswered prayers. When there was no victory in sight, or sense of inner peace, he poured out his heart to God in prayers.

Do we cringed when we are faced with imminent death or threat? I remembered during the SARS epidemic in 2003 that many foreigners shunned Singapore for business and leisure. Within Singapore, many of us were skeptical of meeting people around us. The economy was affected and it was all gloom and doom throughout the nation in those fateful months. Psalms 43 and 44 could be our national prayer for divine intervention and deliverance!

When I received news from my dad this afternoon that mom's brain tumour has been diagnosed as benign, I know deep in our soul that my prayer for God's healing upon her has been answered.
Indeed God is our stronghold and we can trust in His deliverance in our personal lives and even our nation in times of crisis. When we have no one to fully lean on, stick to our faithful God for supernatural help!

Psalm 42

The psalmist's thirst for intimacy with God, from the depth of his soul, is manifested throughout the passage. I especially like verse 1: "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God". It showed us that the longing for God's presence is a natural instinct, just as it is natural for the deer in searching for water for its survival. Men are wired to have a close fellowship with his Creator!

God listens to all our prayers and requests. He is our confidant. We can even tell him about our sadness and seek His comfort and directions. My pastor once told me that habitual feeling of dejection, downcast or dwelling in self-pitiness is in itself a sin. Modern sciences confirm that frequent or habitual emotional upheavals could affect our health and well-being, so much so that it may develop into mental illness or even cancer. Causing grief to our body is a sin because our body is a representation of the temple of God and that we are not to defile it. So God is saying, put all your sorrows and hurts at the foot of the cross. Only Christ can redeem them and shoulder our burdens.

Thank you, Lord, for Your assurance of love in this psalm. Despite circumstances beyond my control, I will seek You first and not rely on my own strength and emotions to handle those situations. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Psalm 41

King David's humility was portrayed in this psalm, reflecting on his past sins and troubles, and seeking God's forgiveness and deliverance. Commentary notes in my bible suggest that it contains prophetic verses (Psalm 41:5-9) about the accusations and curses upon Christ and the betrayal of Judas, His close friend.

But thanks be to God, who "always lead us in triumph in Christ and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place" (2 Cor 2:14). When we delight in the Lord and walk according to His will, we are assured of His protection (Psalm 41:11-12).

I praise God for the revelation of His everlasting love for me and family in this psalm. As I reflect upon the many blessings He has bestowed upon me in the past year (new job, new house, a beautiful and healthy third child, my wife's part-time career and new preschool for my 2 elder children), I can't help but marvelled at His wonderful grace and plan for me. Even right now when my mother has been diagnosed with a brain tumour a week ago, I know that the Lord has heard my prayer of healing and salvation upon her. The final victory belongs to Jesus Christ! And I can proclaim, just like David in Psalm 41:13, that "praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen".