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1 May God arise, may his enemies be scattered;
may his foes flee before him.
2 As smoke is blown away in the wind
may you blow them away;
as wax melts before the fire,
may the wicked perish before God.
3 But may the righteous be glad
and rejoice before God;
may they be happy and joyful.
4 Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,
extol him who rides on the clouds[b];
rejoice before him – his name is the LORD.
5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling.
6 God sets the lonely in families,[c]
he leads forth the prisoners with singing;
but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.
7 When you, went out before your people, O God
when you marched through the wastelands,[d]
8 the earth shook, the heavens poured down rain,
before God, the One of Sinai,
before God, the God of Israel.
9 You gave abundant showers, O God;
you refreshed your weary inheritance.
10 Your people settled in it,
and from your bounty, God, you provided for the poor.
11 The Lord announces the word,
and great was the company of those who proclaim it:
12 ‘Kings and armies flee in haste;
in the camps men divide the plunder. 13 Even while you sleep among the campfires,[e]
the wings of my dove are sheathed with silver,
its feathers with shining gold.’
14 When the Almighty[f] scattered the kings in the land,
it was like snow fallen on Zalmon.
15 The mountains of Bashan, are majestic mountains;
rugged are the mountains of Bashan, ,
16 why gaze in envy, O rugged mountain,
at the mountain where God chooses to reign,
at the mountain where God chooses to reign,
17 The chariots of God are tens of thousands
and thousands of thousands;
the Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary.[g]
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18 When you ascended on high,
you led many captives in your train;
you received gifts from men,
even from[h] the rebellious –
that you O LORD God, might dwell there.
19 Praise be to the Lord, to God our Saviour,
who daily bears our burdens.
20 Our God is a God who saves;
from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death.
21 Surely God will crush the heads of his enemies,
the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins.
22 The Lord says, ‘I will bring them from Bashan;
I will bring them from the depths of the sea,
23 that you may plunge your feet in the blood of your foes,
while the tongues of your dogs have their share.’
24 Your procession, , has come into view, O God
the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary.
25 In front are the singers, after them the musicians;
with them are the maidens playing the tambourines.
p> praise the LORD in the assembly of Israel.
27 There is the little tribe of Benjamin, leading them,
there the great throng of Judah’s princes,
and there the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali.
28 Summon your power, God;[j]
show us your strength, our God, as you have done before.
29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem
kings will bring you gifts.
30 Rebuke the beast among the reeds,
the herd of bulls among the calves of the nations.
Humbled, may it bring bars of silver.
Scatter the nations who delight in war.
31 Envoys will come from Egypt;
Cush[k] will submit herself to God.
32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth,
sing praise to the Lord,
33 to him who rides the ancient skies above
who thunders with mighty voice.
34 Proclaim the power of God,
whose majesty is over Israel,
whose power is in the heavens.
35 You, are awesome O God, in your sanctuary;
the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.
Praise be to God!
(NIV)
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Psalm 68 – It is thought that this psalm might have been one they sang as they carried the Ark into Jerusalem. It is a song of praise and thanksgiving to God, for His greatness and protection that He gives to His people. The psalm sings praises to God that nothing can overcome Him.
‘God is the greater than anything on earth or in heaven.
To God we give our thanks and praise for making the world we are living. ‘
I remember as a little girl when I entered church, feeling the awe of the sacred place. People spoke in whispers, and it was a place where we talked to each other equally. If we had a disagreement with a person, then we went outside, to talk about it. This was God’s house, and everyone had to learn to get along with each other.
I wonder if we have lost this wonder, the excitement and awe of being in God’s presence.
Do we pray as soon as we enter church?
Do we alter our voices or words when we are in God’s house?
Do we praise God, for all that He has done for us?
Remember to thank God for our day today, for all He has done, in your life, and your parents life, to bring you to where you are today.
Our journey may not be an easy one, or things may have happened in your life that you did not like, remember that God created us and for a reason we were put in the places where we born.
What good can we bring to these places and the people?
What good can we bring to the places like where we were born? Or families like we were born into?
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