First Fifteen

“No one is good except God alone.”  That sounds so absolute, and human reason rushes to take exception to it.  But Jesus is the one who said it, and he spoke truly (Mark 10:18, Luke 18:19).  If you want to look for goodness, you’re only going to find it in God and whatever reflects his nature.  Psalm 119:65-72 prompts us to affirm God is good and does good, and we need him to teach us about true goodness.   

If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place.

Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and responding in a personal way.  This podcast will show you how and teach you in an easy to follow process.

In fifteen minutes (or less) you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day.  What a perfect way to get started!

We are listening to the longest psalm of the Bible: Psalm 119.  We're listening to one or two stanzas at a time, each of which begins with the same letter in Hebrew, which makes this  an acrostic in Hebrew. Today's episode features the ninth stanza (tet).  

One word stands out in this stanza:  the Hebrew word “tov” is common and means “good.” It is the lead word in 5 of the 8 lines of this stanza (vv. 65, 66, 68, 71, 72).  Even in adversity and affliction we can make God the center of our lives.   

One way to slow down and remember God's teaching is to write out one stanza (8 verses) of Psalm 119 each day until you finish it.  After you've written out the stanza for the day, pick one verse from that section to meditate on throughout the day.  For today's reading, I recommend v. 68.   

If you want to get more daily encouragement you can follow me on Twitter @WordofPrayer15.  Go ahead and get started listening and follow/subscribe to this podcast to hear more from God's word.   You can also find us on Facebook at Word of Prayer 15.

You can get a copy of the book God Help Me Grow: Learning to Pray through the Psalms on Amazon (or the ebook) so you can pray all of the first 30 psalms in the book of Psalms.

You can download the helpsheet that details and demonstrates the four step process we use on First Fifteen using Psalm 1.

Additional resources at the Word of Prayer website https://word-of-prayer.com  

Support the show

Psalm 119 is the longest psalm (and chapter) of the Bible: 176 verses long.  We pause in our mini-series on Psalm 119 to reflect on the why and the how of praying this part of Scripture. 

Ron is joined by special guest Angela Oltmanns, a regular listener to First Fifteen, who has some questions about this podcast and the current season. 

If you are listening to the podcast for the first time, this episode is unlike any that we've done, but more like a traditional podcast with a conversational format.  First Fifteen is s devotional podcast to help people listen to God and respond in a personal way.  All of our regular episodes use some part of Scripture to listen to God's Word, reflect on it and then pray it back to him. 

We are usually done in fifteen minutes (or less), but today's episode goes a little longer.  We hope you'll appreciate the change of pace and format as you continue praying through the Psalms and Psalm 119 in particular. 

Some of the topics we discuss:  Why pray Psalm 119? What does reading it in Hebrew teach us about this psalm?  What is an acrostic poem and how does it work in the case of Psalm 119?  Do we know the author or this psalm?  How can we better appreciate the poetry of this psalm?  How is the Bible similar and different compared to other great literature?  Why do people call the Bible "God's Word" and what are they talking about? Is it essential to learn Hebrew to appreciate this psalm?   

If you want to get more daily encouragement you can follow us on Twitter @WordofPrayer15 (Ron) and @angelaoltmanns (Angela).  Go ahead and follow/subscribe to this podcast to hear more from God's word.   You can also find us on Facebook at Word of Prayer 15.

You can get a copy of the book God Help Me Grow: Learning to Pray through the Psalms on Amazon (or the ebook) so you can pray all of the first 30 psalms in the book of Psalms.

You can download the helpsheet that details and demonstrates the four step process we use on First Fifteen using Psalm 1.

Additional resources at the Word of Prayer website https://word-of-prayer.com  

Support the show

Memory is a tricky thing.  We don’t remember things very well or for long.  It’s because we forget that we need to go back to God’s word, to learn it again, to recall its principles and lessons.  Psalm 119:49-56 prompts us to remember God's word and receive the comfort he will give us.   

If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place.

Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and responding in a personal way.  This podcast will show you how and teach you in an easy to follow process.

In fifteen minutes (or less) you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day.  What a perfect way to get started!

We are listening to the longest psalm of the Bible: Psalm 119.  We're listening to one or two stanzas at a time, each of which begins with the same letter in Hebrew, which makes this  an acrostic in Hebrew. Today's episode features the seventh stanza (zayin).  

One word gets special prominence in this stanza:  in Hebrew, the verb “zakar” is a common word that means “remember”, and it begins vv. 49, 52 and 55. The first plea is for God to remember his promise which gives us hope.  God comforts us in our difficulty (v. 50) and in our remembering (v. 52), which leads us to remember God's name and keep his law.   

One way to slow down and remember God's teaching is to write out one stanza (8 verses) of Psalm 119 each day until you finish it.  After you've written out the stanza for the day, pick one verse from that section to meditate on throughout the day.  For today's reading, I recommend either v. 49, 52, or 55.   

If you want to get more daily encouragement you can follow me on Twitter @WordofPrayer15.  Go ahead and get started listening and follow/subscribe to this podcast to hear more from God's word.   You can also find us on Facebook at Word of Prayer 15.

You can get a copy of the book God Help Me Grow: Learning to Pray through the Psalms on Amazon (or the ebook) so you can pray all of the first 30 psalms in the book of Psalms.

You can download the helpsheet that details and demonstrates the four step process we use on First Fifteen using Psalm 1.

Additional resources at the Word of Prayer website https://word-of-prayer.com  

Support the show

One lesson you can’t learn fully on your own is how to love.  Love is an inclusive activity; it involves you AND someone else.  It’s simply impossible to love yourself enough to learn what true love is. 

Psalm 119:33-48 stresses God as the primary cause and power behind our prayers as well as the inclusive "and":  me and you, us and them, God and me.  It ends with an emphasis on God's love as our primary motive in studying his word. 

If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place.

Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and responding in a personal way.  This podcast will show you how and teach you in an easy to follow process.

In fifteen minutes (or less) you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day.  What a perfect way to get started!

We are listening to the longest psalm of the Bible: Psalm 119.  We're listening to one or two stanzas at a time, and we've seen that this psalm is written as an acrostic in Hebrew, where the lines begin with the letters of the alphabet in order. This episode features the fifth and sixth stanzas (he and waw). 

God is the source or cause behind our prayers, and our ultimate longing for him and his word is expressed through love (vv. 47-48).  The "and" is crucial here; we can't learn what true love is alone or in isolation.  It takes a relationship or a community to experience true love.   God is good for his promises, and his love is an expression of his faithfulness and fierce loyalty. 

I invite you to write out one stanza (8 verses) of Psalm 119 each day until you finish it.  Writing out scripture is one way to meditate on it and make it stick.  After you've written out the stanza for the day, pick one verse from that section to meditate on throughout the day.  For today's reading, I recommend either v. 33, 35, 47 or 48.   

If you want to get more daily encouragement you can follow me on Twitter @WordofPrayer15.  Go ahead and get started listening and follow/subscribe to this podcast to hear more from God's word.   You can also find us on Facebook at Word of Prayer 15.

As we progress in season three get a copy of the book God Help Me Grow: Learning to Pray through the Psalms on Amazon (or the ebook) so you can pray all of the first 30 psalms in the book of Psalms.

You can download the helpsheet that details and demonstrates the four step process we use on First Fifteen using Psalm 1.

Additional resources at the Word of Prayer website https://word-of-prayer.com  

Support the show

The alphabet is a wonderful invention.  It simplifies our written language, gives us a way to handle the complexity of communication.  In Psalm 119 we’re learning the alphabet of God’s Word.  Are you ready for the next lesson?

Psalm 119:25-32 stresses our choice of the way or path we will walk, and the psalmist encourages us to choose God's way and run wild and free in it.

If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place.

Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and responding in a personal way.  This podcast will show you how and teach you in an easy to follow process.

In fifteen minutes (or less) you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day.  What a perfect way to get started!

We are listening to Psalm 119, the longest psalm of the Bible.  We're listening to one or two stanzas at a time.  This wisdom psalm about God’s law is written as an acrostic in Hebrew, a poem where the lines begin with the letters of the alphabet in order. The Hebrew alphabet has 22 letters, and Psalm 119 has 22 sections of 8 verses each.  Each section or stanza starts every line with the same letter: This episode features the fourth stanza (daleth) where every line starts with "d". 

In this episode we pay attention to what gets repeated.  The word “way” is repeated a lot, five times in fact.  The Hebrew word “way” is derek, the same word that is prominent in Psalm 1 (the way of the righteous and of the wicked).  It’s also in the first verse of Psalm 119, which shows its importance.

Scripture teaches we are free to choose.  God gives us free will.  He wants us to choose him and his way, but he doesn’t force us.  The psalmist is quietly, persistently urging us, “Choose his way.”

I invite you to write out one stanza (8 verses) of Psalm 119 each day until you finish it.  Writing out scripture is one way to make it "sticky".  After you've written out the stanza for the day, pick one verse from that section to meditate on throughout the day.  For today's reading, I recommend either v. 31 or 32.   

If you want to get more daily encouragement you can follow me on Twitter @WordofPrayer15.  Go ahead and get started listening and follow/subscribe to this podcast to hear more from God's word.  

As we progress in season three get a copy of the book God Help Me Grow: Learning to Pray through the Psalms on Amazon (or the ebook) so you can pray all of the first 30 psalms in the book of Psalms.

You can download the helpsheet that details and demonstrates the four step process we use on First Fifteen using Psalm 1.

Additional resources at the Word of Prayer website https://word-of-prayer.com  

Support the show

To come before God’s word and learn anything, you first have to admit you are empty, blind, broken.  If you feel full, enlightened and comfortable, what can God possibly teach you? Psalm 119 is long and tedious and plain for the full. For the hungry, it only increases your appetite for more real food.

Psalm 119:17-24 teaches us that before we can see God's truth, we need to confess our difficulties, acknowledge our blindness and ask God to open our eyes to see his truth.

If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place.

Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and responding in a personal way.  This podcast will show you how and teach you in an easy to follow process.

In fifteen minutes (or less) you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day.  What a perfect way to get started!

We are listening to Psalm 119, the longest psalm of the Bible.  We listened to the first two stanzas (aleph and bet) in the last episode.  Psalm 119 is divided into 22 parts or stanzas, each one 8 verses long, and we'll be listening to one or two stanzas at a time. 

In today's episode we focus on the third stanza (gimel), which lands us into lament, difficulty, and hardship.  This doesn't sound like the blessedness we heard in the first two stanzas!  The psalmist speaks as a stranger, someone slandered, crushed, cursed and bearing contempt.  But instead of looking for pity or self-justification, look at what the psalmist does:  meditates on God’s statutes (v. 23), pleads for God’s generosity (v. 17), asks God for revelation (v. 18), and takes delight in God’s revealed law (v. 24).  That kind of response instructs us in how we should respond to difficulties and troubles.                          

Even with the difficulties, vv. 18 and 24 are full of confidence and longing for God.  I recommend v. 18 as a brief prayer you can pray before you open scripture and listen to God.

I invite you to write out one stanza (8 verses) of Psalm 119 for the next few weeks until you finish it.  After you've written out the stanza for the day, pick one verse from that section to meditate on throughout the day.  For today's reading, I recommend either v. 18 or 24.   

If you want to get more daily encouragement you can follow me on Twitter @WordofPrayer15.  Go ahead and get started listening and follow/subscribe to this podcast to hear more from God's word.  

As we progress in season three get a copy of the book God Help Me Grow: Learning to Pray through the Psalms on Amazon (or the ebook) so you can pray all of the first 30 psalms in the book of Psalms.

You can download the helpsheet that details and demonstrates the four step process we use on First Fifteen using Psalm 1.

Additional resources at the Word of Prayer website https://word-of-prayer.com  

Support the show

What brings you delight in life? God wants to speak to you and fill you with his delights.  He invites you to come and feast on his rich food and grow strong on his truth. You are in for a treat!

If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place.

Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and responding in a personal way.  This podcast will show you how and teach you in an easy to follow process.

In fifteen minutes (or less) you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day.  What a perfect way to get started!

We are listening to Psalm 119, the longest psalm of the Bible.  We aren't going to pray the whole psalm in this episode!  Psalm 119 is divided into 22 parts or stanzas, each one 8 verses long, and we'll be listening to one or two stanzas at a time.  Psalm 119 is a wisdom psalm that praises God for his word or law (torah).  It uses the entire Hebrew alphabet for that, like saying "God's word has everything, from A to Z".  

The first stanza focuses on the blessing of walking in God’s ways and setting a firm intention to embrace all of God’s law or teaching.  The first three verses set the tone for all the psalm with a double blessing on those who walk in God's ways.  

The second stanza    (vv. 9-16) brings up what happens as soon as we commit to walking in God's Word:  we have to face our sin, our tendency to wander, and get serious about purifying our hearts. It’s not all serious and grim, though.  When we do this, there is joy, focus (meditation) and delight in this path (vv. 14-16).  

The language of delight, joy and longing is unmistakable in Psalm 119.  It leads us to move beyond the head and to embrace God and his word with our full heart. 

I invite you to join me in writing out one stanza (8 verses) of Psalm 119 for the next few weeks until you finish it.  After you've done that you can pick one verse to meditate on throughout the day.    

If you want to get more daily encouragement you can follow me on Twitter @WordofPrayer15.  Go ahead and get started listening and follow/subscribe to this podcast to hear more from God's word.  

As we progress in season three get a copy of the book God Help Me Grow: Learning to Pray through the Psalms on Amazon (or the ebook) so you can pray all of the first 30 psalms in the book of Psalms.

You can download the helpsheet that details and demonstrates the four step process we use on First Fifteen using Psalm 1.

Additional resources at the Word of Prayer website https://word-of-prayer.com  

Support the show

Life is tough and we will get knocked down.  The truth that God is for you should encourage you daily.  The reality that God in Jesus came for you gives you your whole reason for living.  Psalm 118 is full of truth that will transform your life.

If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place.

Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and responding in a personal way.  This podcast will show you how and teach you in an easy to follow process.

In fifteen minutes (or less) you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day.  What a perfect way to get started!

We are listening to Psalm 118, the last psalm of the Hallel (Psalm 113-118) that was sung at the Jewish holy festivals and especially Passover.  Psalm 118 was the last hymn sung after the Passover meal, so this was also the last song Jesus sang before the cross.  It begins, "Give thanks to Yahweh for he is good, for his loyal love lasts forever" (Psalm 118:1).  It ends with the same line in v. 29.  In between, it recalls God's deliverance of his people Israel in bringing them back to the promised land from exile among the nations.   

God is addressed in the most personal of terms.  We've been translating his covenant name "Yahweh" (traditionally "Lord" in English Bibles) throughout this series, and besides using that name often, this psalm also addresses God as "Yah", a shortened and very intimate way to speak to God.

One of the striking things about Psalm 118 is the three references to it in the gospels that are tied to Jesus' last week in Jerusalem before his crucifixion.  We give more details on the podcast, but some of the lines of the psalm will probably sound familiar.  There is more in this psalm than we can really cover in 15 minutes, so you should consider meditating on a verse or a few verses at a time.  I've been writing out sections of this psalm this week and want to invite you to do the same.  You might want to start with vv. 1, 6, 8, 16, 24, 25, 28, and 29.  You could also write out one verse a day for a month.   

If you want to get more daily encouragement you can follow me on Twitter @WordofPrayer15.  Go ahead and get started listening and follow/subscribe to this podcast to hear more from God's word.  

As we progress in season three get a copy of the book God Help Me Grow: Learning to Pray through the Psalms on Amazon (or the ebook) so you can pray all of the first 30 psalms in the book of Psalms.

You can download the helpsheet that details and demonstrates the four step process we use on First Fifteen using Psalm 1.

Additional resources at the Word of Prayer website https://word-of-prayer.com  

Support the show

When we start praying, God meets us where we are.  But he doesn’t leave us there.  The Psalms have been guiding us to put our attention, trust and praise in God, which is where it belongs.  Psalm 115 begins with the plea: Not to us, Yahweh, not to us...  

If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place.

Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and responding in a personal way.  This podcast will show you how and teach you in an easy to follow process.

In fifteen minutes (or less) you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day.  What a perfect way to get started!

We are listening to Psalm 115, which is part of the Hallel (Psalm 113-118) that was sung at the Jewish holy festivals and especially Passover.  Psalm 115 draws several contrasts in it, first between us and God (let Him gain the glory), next between God and idols that other nations serve, and finally between the ungodly who have little to look forward to beyond the grave and the righteous who will praise God forever.   

Spend some time examining your heart for idols, and meditate on Psalm 115:1 ("Not to us, Yahweh, not to us...") today.  

Go ahead and get started listening and follow/subscribe to this podcast to hear more from God's word.  

As we progress in season three get a copy of the book God Help Me Grow: Learning to Pray through the Psalms on Amazon (or the ebook) so you can pray all of the first 30 psalms in the book of Psalms.

Download the helpsheet that details and demonstrates the four step process we use on First Fifteen using Psalm 1.

Additional resources at the Word of Prayer website https://word-of-prayer.com  

Support the show

Psalm 110 is one of two psalms about the Messiah that is widely quoted in the New Testament by Jesus himself and his early followers.  At the same time, it is cryptic and mysterious in some of its details.  How do we pray it?   

If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place.

Spend your first fifteen minutes of the day listening to God and responding in a personal way.  This podcast will show you how and teach you in an easy to follow process.

In fifteen minutes (or less) you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day.  What a perfect way to get started!

We are listening to Psalm 110 today, which along with Psalm 2 is a messianic psalm.  It's language comes from Israel's early kingdom days, yet it refers to the king as a priest too, something that was never true during the the reign of any of Israel's kings.  In speaking of the Messiah to come, it clearly is drawing from ancient language and ideas while making far-reaching claims for the Messiah.  In the New Testament, Jesus used this psalm to confound his opponents, and he considered himself the fulfillment, both son of David and David's Lord or superior.  Jesus quotes from this psalm in three of the four gospels, and Peter also refers to it on Pentecost (Acts 2).  It shows up again in Hebrews, which makes use of it in several ways.   

How do we pray Psalm 110 today?  We follow Jesus' lead along with the early Church and welcome Jesus as Messiah, both king and priest who alone rises to fulfill the prophetic role of the Messiah and who will return again to reign at the end of the age.  We look forward in anticipation to God's righteous judgment and victory over his enemies.    

Go ahead and get started listening and follow/subscribe to this podcast to hear more from God's word.  

As we progress in season three get a copy of the book God Help Me Grow: Learning to Pray through the Psalms on Amazon (or the ebook) so you can pray all of the first 30 psalms in the book of Psalms.

Download the helpsheet that details and demonstrates the four step process we use on First Fifteen using Psalm 1.

Additional resources at the Word of Prayer website https://word-of-prayer.com  

Support the show