Written by: Suzie Gallagher – Tearfund Student Projects Co-ordinator
Psalm 47 v 1-4
Clap your hands, all you people.
Shout to God with joy.
The LORD Most High is wonderful.
He is the great King over all the earth!
He defeated nations for us and put them under our control.
He chose the land we would inherit.
We are the children of Jacob, whom he loved.
Notes
In ancient Israel psalms were used in many different ways – to praise
God, to express sorrow, to express joy, to teach. Psalm 47 is used to tell
of God’s power over all creation, these first few verses are a reminder
to the people of Korah (specifically) of what God had achieved for them. For
us they are a reminder too – let’s give God praise and credit for
the amazing way he has worked throughout all history, with outpourings of love
and grace for his people. This is a God who is praiseworthy! He is the One
true God.
Maybe you’re reading this and not feeling that much like worshipping but regardless of how we’re feeling we have a God who is deserving of our worship, all the time. It’s OK if you don’t always feel like praising but allow these words to encourage you to praise. His glory doesn’t diminish according to how we’re feeling. This psalm shouldn’t make us feel guilty if we’re not feeling worshipful, instead it can excite us and re-envision us again. Its aim is to inspire and remind us that our God is worthy, always worthy of our praise.
Read the verses again and soak them up! Spend time considering the words and allow them to speak to you afresh about who your God is.
Prayer
Lord I praise you and thank you for all you are and all you’ve done.
Help me every day to worship you because you are worth it, reveal to my heart
and to my head more of who you are so that as I know you more I’ll give
you the praise you deserve. Amen
Psalm 47 v 5-6
God has risen with a shout of joy; the LORD has risen as the trumpets sounded.
Sing praises to God. Sing praises.
Sing praises to our King. Sing praises.
Notes
The Lord is more awesome than words can describe, he is worthy of our praise
and song. These few verses declare his rising and his declaration with the
sound of trumpets and follow with the call for us to sing his praise.
Worship has been connected to the use of voice for a long time; the use of song is seen by many as a vital element of our worship to God. Maybe singing isn’t your forte but regardless of our talents our song is glorious to our King’s ears. As we sing his praise his name is lifted high upon the earth.
We can also raise our praises to him as we put our love of him into action and into worship in the everyday lifestyle choices we make as we interact with his world and the people in it.
Prayer
Lord, may my everyday life and every aspect of me and my life, be singing a
praise of your name. May it be a declaration, a trumpet sound to declare
you as King in my life. Help me to praise you more in the way that is pleasing
to your heart. Amen
Psalm 47 v 7-9
God is King of all the earth, so sing a song of praise to him.
God is King over the nations.
God sits on his holy throne.
The leaders of the nations meet with the people of the God of Abraham, because
the leaders of the earth belong to God.
He is supreme.
Notes
This passage reminds us that God was known as the God of Abraham, the one and
true God, the God of us and of Abraham. His throne is holy and is a throne
over all the nations. God is supreme and we are entrusted as his leaders
to live a life that displays his love for us.
We live in a world where the worlds poor are getting poorer and this year offered a unique opportunity to campaign to the worlds G8 leaders to make life better for those living in poverty. As our leaders they should listen to our requests of them and they are accountable to us as their voters. “Make Poverty History” has asked them all year long to make trade fair, give better aid and cancel debt.
As followers of Christ we should lead a life of example and use our political power to “speak up” for those who cannot speak up for themselves, our lives should demonstrate that God is supreme and the choices we make should praise him and his heart.
Prayer
Lord may my life be pleasing to you, may I lead a live that show your glory
and your love for your earth and all who dwell on her. Let me take responsibility
for the resources you have placed at my hands and the choices you allow me
to make, may these be pleasing to your name, Amen
Psalm 48 v 1-3
The LORD is great; he should be praised in the city of our God, on his holy
mountain.
It is high and beautiful and brings joy to the whole world.
Mount Zion is like the high mountains of the north; it is the city of the Great
King.
God is within its palaces; he is known as its defender.
Notes
The theme of this new chapter is of the joy we can have in God’s presence.
God provides us with salvation and security, he is praised as the defender
of Jerusalem, the holy city of the Jews. God is our guide and our defender
always.
The Lord is truly great and his name is worthy of praise. The emphasis here is put on Jerusalem, as it is the city of the great temple built by King Solomon in the book of 1 Kings. The temple was of course built as a building to represent the story of creation in Genesis 1 and as a place for God’s presence to reside. It was a large temple for its day and the holy of holies was raised so that God would be high over the city. “It is high and beautiful and brings joy to the whole world”.
The temple as it was then is no longer standing, it was destroyed and pillaged however God still resides among us, his spirit is with us always living in us and defending us. Consider the significance of Jesus, the sacrifice he made, the tearing of the temple curtain, the doorway to God removed, direct access restored. As you consider this reflect on the times you have felt him close, what was happening? What did you do to get closer? Consider steps you must take to praise him more and be closer in your relationship to him.
Prayer
May my behaviour and action today be of praise to your name, great is your
name, you are worthy of my praise. Thank you for your defence, joy and guidance
in my life. Amen
Psalm 48 v 4-7
Kings joined together and came to attack the city.
But when they saw it, they were amazed.
They ran away in fear.
Fear took hold of them; they hurt like a woman having a baby.
You destroyed the large trading ships with an east wind.
Notes
God is a protector and a source of strength for the city of Jerusalem. The
kings approach and are met with not only the might of the temple but also
God’s presence that provokes fear in them. God evokes fear in them
as they run and tremble, this provides a strong image of God as a strong
defender.
We live in a world where war and attack can appear in many forms against us as followers of Christ. Think of the media messages you are bombarded with on a daily basis, the lies it feeds you of who you are and what your purpose is. God provides the strength and protection we need to fight back against the world and its lies, his word declares the truth and time in his company assures us of who we are and whose we are.
God lives in each one of us and that should give us great comfort and joy when attack and hard times come, he will not forsake us just as he did not forsake Jerusalem in this Psalm.
Prayer
Father I thank and praise you for the protection you offer me. May I know more
of who I am in you and more of who you are in order to fight back against
the world around me. Show me today more of your glory, may I know you close
I pray. Amen
Psalm 48 v 8
First we heard and now we have seen that God will always keep his city safe.
It is the city of the LORD All-Powerful, the city of our God.
Notes
God provides security and eternal life to all those who invite him into their
hearts. This verse refers to God’s constant protection of Jerusalem
but it is important to consider this may refer prophetically to the new Jerusalem
we are promised where God will live with his people and be the judge of all
nations.
Since the psalm has been written Jerusalem has been destroyed many times however it is clear from passages throughout the Bible that God holds this city in a special place and has made provision for its future. When times feel tough and we feel like God has forgotten us, focus on the bigger picture, the promises he speaks over your life and the truth his word tells us. God makes you secure forever, your future is firm in his hands, remember that when times feel hard.
Prayer
Father I praise you and thank you that my future is secure in you. May I know
your truth and my identity in you. Remind me of who you are I pray. Amen
Psalm 48 v 9-11
God, we come into your Temple to think about your love.
God, your name is known everywhere; all over the earth people praise you.
Your right hand is full of goodness.
Mount Zion is happy and all the towns of Judah rejoice, because your decisions
are fair.
Notes
God is full of goodness and his decisions are fair. As his representatives
on his earth, can we say that we model ourselves on his behaviour? In ancient
Israel the temple was built by King Solomon as a display of God’s creativity
and as a place to come to worship him. Because of Jesus we now know we can
be in his presence anywhere we go, we do not need to approach his temple
to think about his love, he is in on us and with us always.
God’s name is as famous as ever, the world over he is praised, however ask yourself; are the daily decisions you are making praising him? Are they displaying his goodness and are they as fair as he?
We can live a life of rejoicing, thanks to God’s provision for us and the sacrifice he made for his by sending his son to die for each of us.
Read the verses again and consider the ways you can display this in your daily lives, think about who God is and how your life can display this to others.
Prayer
Lord I praise you for you love and goodness, may my life reflect your beauty
and goodness, transform my heart and so I may display your attributes to
others and so I may live a life that is fair to all. Amen
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text
taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright
1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes