Great is the Lord

God is our refuge and strength,
 a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though
the earth gives away,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at
its swelling.

Selah

 There is a river whose streams make glad
the City of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not
be moved;
God will help her when morning
 dawns.
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
He utters His voice, the earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Selah

Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how He is brought desolations on
 the earth.
 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and shatters
the spear,
He burns the chariots with fire.
"Be still, and know that I am God.
 I will be exalted among the nations,
 I will be exalted in the earth!"
 The LORD of hosts is with us;
 the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Selah

I love this song! I love how it says to be still. And the use of the word Selah. It's a musical term that means "to stop and pause and think about it".  Some translation, I think it's amplified, uses "cease striving" instead of "be still'. This stands out to me. Also. I thought the three parts between the Selah are reminiscent of the functions of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father he sets everything in motion;the Son-,who is the true water- as streams of living water; and the Holy Sypirit who is it work in the world propeling us towards the Kingdom.

T

Oh My...

My Rock and My Fortress

Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
who trains my hands for war;
and my fingers for battle;
He is my steadfast love and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer, 
my shield and He in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.

O LORD, what is man and that 
you regard him?
or the son of man that you think of him? Man is like a breath;
 his days are like a passing shadow.

Bow your heavens, O LORD,
and come down!
Touch the mountains so that they smoke!
Flash forth the lightning and scatter them;
send out your arrows and rout them!
stretch out your hand from on high;
rescue me and deliver me from 
the many waters,
from the hand of foreigners,
whose mouths speak lies
 and whose right hand is a right 
hand of falsehood.

I will sing a new song to you, O God;
upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,
who gives victory to kings,
who rescues David his servant 
from the sword.
Rescue me and deliver me 
from the hand of foreigners, 
whose mouths speak lies 
and whose right hand is a right 
hand of falsehood.

May our sons in their youth 
be like plants full grown,
our daughters like corner pillars 
cut for the structure of a palace;
may our granaries be full,
providing all kinds of produce;
may our sheep bring forth thousands
and ten thousands in our fields;
may our cattle be heavy with young,
suffering no mishap or failure in bearing, may there be no cry of distress 
on our streets! 
Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall! 
Blessed are the people whose
God is the Lord!


The steadfast love of the Lord is all over the Psalms, OT and NT. There are at least five Psalms that are titled with the Steadfast Love of the Lord. Psalms 136 - is refrained with His Steadfast love endures forever. Psalm 100 - Is a Truth Statement that solicits action - an Ode to His Steadfast Love. David sings of and declares great the steadfast love of the Lord in Psalm 89 and 86. Psalm 52 is kind of a flip, and puts the fool in a place which matches his untrust in God - and reminds His people to to wait in the presence of the godly. In Psalm 33, the steadfast love of the Lord is the hope of His people; actually He is steadfast love and we hope in Him. 
Now that reminds me of  Psalm 144 - HE IS MY STEADFAST LOVE. This is not an indicative but a declarative.  David is speaking, declaring the Truth that has been stated everywhere.  But here, he doesn't just talk about it, David owns it. 
Maybe, I'm making too much, of this - but there is a solidity to faith that when it comes to the place that calls God my steadfast love. It the turn that turns promises into personhood as a heart that had all too often doubted, gets grace to see Jesus a little more clearly.

Come, thou Holy Spirit bright;
        come with thy celestial light;
               pour on us thy love divine.

Come, protector of the poor;
        come, thou source of blessings sure;
                    come within our hearts to shine.

                       Thou, of comforters the best,
                   thou the soul's most welcome guest,
                       of our peace thou art the sign.

In our labor, be our aid;
         in our summer, cooling shade.
                      Every bitter tear refine.

Brighter than the noonday sun,
        fill our lives which Christ has won;

                    fill our hearts and make them thine.

                             Where thou art not, we have nought:

           all our world and deed and thought twisted from thy true design.

Bend the stubborn heart and will;

         melt the frozen, warm the chill;

               rule us by thy judgment's line.

Cleanse us with thy healing power;

            what is barren bring to flower;

                    to thy love our sins consign.

To thy people who adore and confess thee evermore,

               thy blest seven-fold gift assign.

Grant us thy salvation, Lord,

         boundless mercy our reward,

                 which earth and heaven entwine.
                                 - 12 Century Latin hymn.

A Prayer for Pentecost.

"What is barren bring to flower."
Thy Kingdom come.
Even so come quickly Lord Jesus.

Enduring Love

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
for His steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods,
for His steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the LORD of lords,
for His steadfast love endures forever.

to Him who alone does great wonders,
for His steadfast love endures forever.
to Him who by His understanding made the heavens,
for His steadfast love endures forever.
to Him who spread out the earth above the waters,
for His steadfast love endures forever.
to Him who made the great lights,
for His steadfast love endures forever.
the sun to rule over the day,
for His steadfast love endures forever.
the moon and stars to rule over the night,
for His steadfast love endures forever.

to Him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
for His steadfast love endures forever,
and brought Israel out from among them,
for His steadfast love endures forever;
with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
for His steadfast love endures forever;
to Him who divided the Red Sea in two,
for His steadfast love endures forever;
and who made Israel pass through the midst of it,
His steadfast love endures forever;
but overthrew Pharaoh and His host in the Red Sea,
for His steadfast love endures forever;
to Him who lead His people through the wilderness,
for His steadfast love endures forever;

to Him who struck down great kings,
for His steadfast love endures forever;
and killed mighty kings,
for His steadfast love endures forever;
Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for His steadfast love endures forever;
and Og, king of Bashon,
for His steadfast love endures forever;
and gave their land as an inheritance,
for His steadfast love endures forever;
a heritage to Israel His servant,
for His steadfast love endures forever.

It is He who remembers us in our low estate.
for His steadfast love endures forever;
And rescues us from our foes,
for His steadfast love endures forever;
He who gives food to all flesh,
for His steadfast love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of heaven,
for His steadfast love endures forever.

Love in five part harmony - Sovereign, Creator, Defender, Redeemer, Eternal One

Jot 'em down, pass 'em on

"Maturation is messy."

"Perfection, like going north, is a general direction, you can never actually get there."
-Katherine Koonge


BTW- These are encouragements :O)   As in-you're going the right way - just had to add the sidebar to stave off the seep of cynic  - that can totally miss the desired point.