First Fifteen

What is the most basic but essential thing about praise, the abc's?  Not only does Psalm 111 tell us what that is, it teaches us how to practice it.  Psalm 112 continues the theme that Psalm 111 ends on and shows us the blessings of praising and worshiping God. 

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 111 and considering Psalm 112 from Book 5 of the Psalms.  In form and structure these two psalms are quite similar: both start the same with "Hallelu-Yah!", both are ten verses long, and both are Hebrew acrostics--poems where the first word of each line start with the letters of the alphabet, from "A to Z" (or aleph to taw).  Further, the last verse of Psalm 111 provides the theme that Psalm 112 begins with. 

Psalm 111 and 112 are wisdom psalms and contain themes and emphases that we find in the other wisdom books (Job, Ecclesiastes and especially Proverbs).  A key verse that illustrates this is Psalm 111:10 "The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom."  Psalm 112 in many ways echoes Psalm 1 and the entire book of Proverbs.   

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  

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God’s salvation seems cheap to those not lost, God’s redemption isn’t sweet to those not bound or imprisoned.  God’s love isn’t especially meaningful to those who haven’t been cheated, robbed or forgotten.  In other words, if you haven’t cried out to God in desperation, you probably won’t seek his deliverance.       

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 107 from Book 5 of the Psalms.  While it has some similarities to the two previous psalms (105-106), it has less emphasis on history and more on God's deliverance from a variety of human conditions.  There are three main parts to this psalm: the first three verses or introduction, the many ways and situations God delivers us (vv. 4-32), and a meditation on God’s ways that calls for wisdom (vv. 33-43).  Altogether, it’s a thanksgiving psalm for God’s deliverance that urges us to grow in wisdom. 

Psalm 107 begins with praise, not lament.  God's goodness, love and deliverance are highlighted.  The psalm recalls specific ways God has delivered people in a wide variety of circumstances: from dry desert wanderings to watery ocean waves, from the darkness of prison to the foolishness of rebellion, from hunger and thirst  and from sickness and discouragement. The last part of Psalm 107 is a wisdom psalm.  It says God is fully able to reverse situations; he is the master of reversals in nature and in human fortunes.  Wisdom teaches us to be humble and seek God’s will, because our situation can be reversed.    

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  

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Is God concerned with the past or with wrongs our ancestors committed in the past?  Do we in fact need to give any thought to history?  The Psalms answer these questions and show us how to engage with history and the past in God’s way.        

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 parts of Psalm 105 and 106 from Book 4 of the Psalms.  These both retrace Israel's history and yet they have two different approaches.  Since these are longer psalms (45 and 48 verses long), we won't read the entire psalm on the episode.  Psalm 105 focuses on Israel's early history and praises God for his mighty works demonstrated in their deliverance from Egypt and wandering in the wilderness.  God's covenant with his people is emphasized.  

Psalm 106 also praises God for his loyal covenant love and mighty acts, but Israel's sin and rebellion is repeatedly mentioned.  The psalmist also confesses he and the nation share in the sin; it is not just a past problem but it continues in the present.  The disobedience has landed the nation in exile and the psalmist prays for God to bring his people back to the land of Israel.  These two psalms show that God works in history and wants his people to praise him and remember what he has done as well as honor the covenant and repent of their sins and those of their fathers.     

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

When was the last time you gave much thought to God’s benefits for you? God’s blessings are rich and complete and when you wake up to them, you are compelled to bless God for all his benefits.        

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 103 from Book 4 of the Psalms.  It is one of the most gracious and beautiful psalms in the collection.  It has three sections:  vv. 1-5 praise God for his benefits, vv. 6-18 focus on who God is, his covenant and how he deals with sin, and vv. 19-22 swells from God reigning at the center to show all creation blessing him.  The first and last verse encourages us to stir our soul and bless God, to learn to turn from seeking the blessing to start being the blesser.  God's grace, compassion and tender love is a prominent theme and it echoes what Moses saw in Exodus 34:6-7.    

Psalm 103 can transform you from a blessed child to a blesser, a giver who extends blessing to others, starting with God.  

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

To call God holy is to speak truly about him as wholly good.  If we’re honest, it also involves us confessing that we are NOT holy or good, not like he is.  Any goodness we have is a very dim reflection of his dazzling brilliance.  Psalm 99 repeats three times: He is holy!

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 99 from Book 4 of the Psalms.  At first it seems to be an elaborated version of Psalm 93.  It begins by proclaiming "Yahweh reigns" (so does Psalm 97 by the way).  It lifts high God's praise, but then it starts laying down its own fresh emphases.  As we said before, all the Psalms from 90-100 have some intricate links between them and you would be blessed from in-depth study of all of these psalms.  

Psalm 99 names three of Israel's leaders who had priestly functions and intimacy with God (Moses, Aaron and Samuel), though they served in other ways too.  Moses was a messenger for God's law, Aaron was the first high priest to serve at the tabernacle, and Samuel also anointed Israel's first two kings.  Psalm 99 emphasizes that God is holy, his name is holy, and he reigns.  Besides the links to Isaiah 6 and Revelation 4, this psalm also echoes the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13.  Today, pray the Lord's prayer while keeping in mind the rich background of Psalm 99.  

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

Singing is a natural response when our emotions are aroused.  Psalm 98 shows us what singing a new song includes and reminds us we have plenty to sing about.   

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 98 from Book 4 of the Psalms.  It celebrates God's salvation and justice by singing a new song.  It follows in the steps of Psalm 95 and 96 which are also songs of praise or urge singing a new song to Yahweh.  All the Psalms from 90-100 have some intricate links between them and you would be blessed from in-depth study on this topic.  The exuberant thanksgiving and praise by the rivers, the mountains and the seas helps us see that praise is not limited to humans alone.  The concluding note of God coming and his future judgment and restoration of justice strikes the note of hopeful expectation for believers.  

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

Who (or what) is in control?  That is a question we have to ask today.  Psalm 93 gives us an emphatic answer:  Yahweh reigns.  He is in control.  And he is not like any other god you might have encountered.  

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 93 from Book 4 of the Psalms.  It is a psalm of God's reign and rule.   In five verses, just 45 words in Hebrew, it captures an entire worldview.  Yahweh reigns, he created the world and all the mighty forces of nature are beneath him.  He has revealed himself faithfully, and he is holy.  From these truths, our response is to live acknowledging God's reign and his holiness and making daily choices that submit to him. 

The "waters" in v. 3 (this translation) are literally "rivers" in Hebrew and could refer to the mighty rivers of the ancient world, the seas (and their currents), or both.  "Yahweh" is repeated five times, and he is clearly central in this psalm.  

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

If there was ever a psalm for our day, it has to be Psalm 91.  So many people have turned to it for protection, comfort and reassurance.  God gave it to us in order to grow our faith and help us put confidence in him. 

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 91 from Book 4 of the Psalms.  It is a psalm of confidence, trust and a prayer for God's protection.   It teaches us to call on God and even gives us four names for him:  Most High (Elyon), Almighty (Shaddai), Yahweh, and God (Elohim). It also gives us several descriptions or images of his help: hiding place, shadow, refuge, fortress as well as shield and rampart.  Though the threats and dangers that can assault us are many, God's protection is more secure and he sends angels to to guard and help us.  The last three verses has God speaking directly to us, promising to rescue, protect, answer, be with us, deliver, honor, satisfy and show us salvation.  Grab hold of one of these truths and meditate on it 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

Some psalms grow on you and become such a part of you over time that they are a touchstone, an anchor for your soul through the changing seasons of faith.  Psalm 90 is that psalm for me. 

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 90 from Book 4 of the Psalms.  It is a psalm of Moses and has a lot packed into it, more than we can unpack in 15 minutes.  It teaches us that God is eternal yet our lives are fleeting.  God hates sin because it destroys us and his good creation.  Life apart from God is full of frustration and trouble, so the wisest choice you can make in life is to fear God and call on his name.  Ask him to teach you and show you the true purpose of your life.  God is compassionate and gives us both joy and purpose in living.    

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

Do you seek the blessing of being in God's presence? Those who have spent any time there know the joy and the comfort that God brings.  But the blessing isn't limited just to spending time in God's presence.  Psalm 84 shows us that the blessing extends to other times including when we set out hearts toward God and place our trust in him.  

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 84 from Book 3 of the Psalms.  It is a familiar psalm to many and it expresses a longing to be in God's presence, to spend time in the courts of God.  What if you can't actually be in a house of God or a place of worship?  Psalm 84 also speaks to those who have set their heart on pilgrimage, who are on their way to go worship God and speaks blessings upon the journey.  Finally, it blesses all who put their trust in God and who focus on doing their duty by choosing to do the right thing and turn their back on the ways of the wicked.  

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

As we get into 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