Unless the Lord helps us, life can be such a drag. Today's reading says, count on the Lord's help. Factor in Grace as you make your way through life's journey.

What brings you into the presence of God? Apart from the fact that unlike the Old testament, we do not have to be in a particular building to feel we are in the presence of God, the reasons why we come might be similar to theirs; for protection, to worship, to find help in the face of troubles, worries and challenges, to seek a powerful experience, etc. What brings you into the presence of God? Whatever it is, it should be about drawing closer to God.

The very essence of God's word is truth; in other words, it cannot fail. It is sure, it is trustworthy. It is folly to stand against the truth, you will lose in the end. My advise today, hold on to the truth of God's word now and always.

Our reading today is divided into two sections; Psalms 117 and 118, and then Psalms 119. The first part say, give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. I am sure you have heard that before, that God is good, of course he is! But God is good not because he does good things, no, he is good because he is God. It is in his nature. Also, are you not glad that God's FAITHFUL love for us endures forever. It endures my sins, it endures the accusations of the devil, the family I was born into, my country. Despite all my failings, his love endures, Halleluyah. That's our first part. Psalms 119 however is a treasure trove of the excellence of the Word of God. It's actually quite remarkable that at least one form of the word is mentioned in every in single verse except verse 122.

Our focus this morning is to simply, Praise the Lord and to give Him all the glory. The Psalmist puts it this way, "not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name goes all the glory for your unfailing love and faithfulness" - Psalms 115:1. Spend some time thinking today about how good God has been to you and yours, and then, Praise the LORD.

From declaring the many wonderful things God does in Psalms 107 to announcing the reign of the messiah in Psalms 110 we ask ourselves this morning, has God done any wonderful thing for you? Think about them this morning and you'd realise they are many. For one, he gave you and I the most beautiful, the most precious gift in the world, a relationship with him through his son Jesus. Halleluyah!

Israel's remarkable story is retold again in these two chapters of Psalms and you can't but stare in disbelief at how it ended for them. As they came out of Egypt scripture says; "yet he did not let anyone oppress them. He warned kings on their behalf: "Do not touch my chosen people, and do not hurt my prophets."" Psalms 105: 14-15. The nation itself was God's chosen people, they were his prophets. Sadly however, that same nation rejected God, "they traded their glorious God for a statue of a grass-eating bull. They forgot God, their saviour..." Psalms 106: 20-21. The listen and charge today is simple; what would make you forget God? And, do not forget God.

Let all that I am praise God. All that I am means, all that I am; the good and the bad, the pleasant and not so pleasant, in times despair or happiness, sorrow or joy, literally, let my whole being praise the Lord. I just want you to know that praising God is not just for when it feels alright or cool, no, the Lord will have me tell you that you should praise him even when you feel abandoned, betrayed and forsaken. Let all that you are, praise the Lord.

Enter his gates with Thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name - Psalms 100:4. Do you have anything to be thankful to God for? I have droves, but if you are not sure, just know that the fact you can read what I have written down and understand, is one reason to be thankful this morning; you can see, you are in your right mind...Father, I say thank you.

Those who dwell in or live in the shelter, in the secret place of the most high will find rest in the shadow of the almighty. They will have God near them always, nothing touches them without God's consent. Listen this morning, there is a blessing reserved for those who have found the secret of staying in the presence of God. Jesus puts it this way; "and your Father who dwells in the secret place and sees in secret, will reward you openly". I pray you will find it today, the joy of God's presence.