HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 883
PSAL M 68
page 513
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For by his great power he rules forever.
He watches every movement of the
nations;
let no rebel rise in defiance.
Interlude
Let the whole world bless our God
and loudly sing his praises.
Our lives are in his hands,
and he keeps our feet from stumbling.
You have tested us, O God;
you have purified us like silver.
You captured us in your net
and laid the burden of slavery on our backs.
Then you put a leader over us.*
We went through fire and flood,
but you brought us to a place of great
abundance.
Now I come to your Temple with burnt
offerings
to fulfill the vows I made to you—
yes, the sacred vows that I made
when I was in deep trouble.
That is why I am sacrificing burnt
offerings to you—
the best of my rams as a pleasing aroma,
and a sacrifice of bulls and male goats.
Interlude
Come and listen, all you who fear God,
and I will tell you what he did for me.
For I cried out to him for help,
praising him as I spoke.
If I had not confessed the sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
But God did listen!
He paid attention to my prayer.
Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer
or withdraw his unfailing love from me.
67
For the choir director: A song. A psalm,
to be accompanied by stringed instruments.
1
May God be merciful and bless us.
May his face smile with favor on us.
Interlude
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May your ways be known throughout
the earth,
your saving power among people
everywhere.
May the nations praise you, O God.
Yes, may all the nations praise you.
Let the whole world sing for joy,
because you govern the nations with
justice
and guide the people of the whole world.
Interlude
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May the nations praise you, O God.
Yes, may all the nations praise you.
Then the earth will yield its harvests,
66:12 Or You made people ride over our heads. 68:4 Or rides
through the deserts.
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and God, our God, will richly bless us.
Yes, God will bless us,
and people all over the world will fear him.
68
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For the choir director: A song. A psalm
of David.
Rise up, O God, and scatter your enemies.
Let those who hate God run for their lives.
Blow them away like smoke.
Melt them like wax in a fire.
Let the wicked perish in the presence
of God.
But let the godly rejoice.
Let them be glad in God’s presence.
Let them be filled with joy.
Sing praises to God and to his name!
Sing loud praises to him who rides
the clouds.*
His name is the Lord—
rejoice in his presence!
Father to the fatherless, defender of
widows—
this is God, whose dwelling is holy.
• Family
PS A LM 68:3-6
The statistics are depressing, and
the emotional fallout staggering. The
day is fast approaching when a child
growing up with two loving, functioning
parents will be vastly outnumbered by
those living in single-parent homes or
with dysfunctional, emotionally absent
parents. Although a single parent
certainly can be effective and loving, the
job is difficult at best. Inevitably, there are
gaps in the child’s life where the other
parent should be functioning.
This comforting passage tells us that
God has a specific place in his heart for
the orphan, the fatherless, those who
know loneliness and abandonment.
Jesus taught us how to have an intimate relationship with God as Father
(Matthew 6). Paul taught that one of
the ways the Holy Spirit works in the
believer’s heart is by assuring us of
our status as children of God (Romans
8:15-16). Profoundly intimate, this new
relationship is expressed by an invitation
to call God Abba, or “Daddy.” If your
earthly parents have mistreated or
abandoned you or if you’re struggling
to be both Dad and Mom to your own
children, know that your heavenly
Father’s love is great enough to fill all
the gaps and heal all the wounds.