As you read, keep in mind our two questions:

1. What things in this Psalm can I relate to?

2. Is there anything in the Psalm that makes me think of Jesus?

For the choirmaster. According to Gittith. A Psalm of David.
1 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is Your name in all the earth!

You have set Your glory
above the heavens.
2 From the mouths of children and infants
You have ordained praise
on account of Your adversaries,
to silence the enemy and avenger.

3 When I behold Your heavens,
the work of Your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which You have set in place—

4 what is man that You are mindful of him,
or the son of man that You care for him?
5 You made him a little lower than the angels;
You crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You made him ruler of the works of Your hands;
You have placed everything under his feet:
7 all sheep and oxen,
and even the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.

9 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is Your name in all the earth!

REFLECTIONS

Now think about the two questions:

1. What things in this Psalm can I relate to?

2. Is there anything in the Psalm that makes me think of Jesus?

Then pray, seeking to delight in God or to depend on God.

As you read, keep in mind our two questions:

1. What things in this Psalm can I relate to?

2. Is there anything in the Psalm that makes me think of Jesus?

A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite.
1 O LORD my God, I take refuge in You;
save me and deliver me from all my pursuers,
2 or they will shred my soul like a lion
and tear me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

3 O LORD my God, if I have done this,
if injustice is on my hands,
4 if I have rewarded my ally with evil,
if I have plundered my foe without cause,
5 then may my enemy pursue me and overtake me;
may he trample me to the ground
and leave my honor in the dust.

Selah
6 Arise, O LORD, in Your anger;
rise up against the fury of my enemies.
Awake, my God, and ordain judgment.
7 Let the assembled peoples gather around You;
take Your seat over them on high.
8 The LORD judges the peoples;
vindicate me, O LORD,
according to my righteousness and integrity.
9 Put an end to the evil of the wicked,
but establish the righteous,
O righteous God who searches hearts and minds.

10 My shield is with God,
who saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a righteous judge
and a God who feels indignation each day.
12 If one does not repent,
God will sharpen His sword;
He has bent and strung His bow.
13 He has prepared His deadly weapons;
He ordains His arrows with fire.

14 Behold, the wicked man travails with evil;
he conceives trouble and births falsehood.
15 He has dug a hole and hollowed it out;
he has fallen into a pit of his own making.
16 His trouble recoils on himself,
and his violence falls on his own head.

17 I will thank the LORD for His righteousness
and sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.

REFLECTIONS

Today, Stephen has written his own thoughts on the two questions.

One thing I related to was David’s longing for God to “put an end to the evil of the wicked, but establish the righteous” (v 9). Sometimes we can feel like we are under attack from godless enemies – and we have many brothers and sisters who literally face physical violence from those who hate the Lord Jesus. God calls us not to fight back, but to pray “your kingdom come”, and to cling to him as our refuge, the one who will deliver us (v 1), and who will bring us to the security of his eternal kingdom.

There were so many things in the Psalm that reminded me of Jesus – especially that will return to judge the world. But the most precious reminder of Jesus for me was in verse 8: “The LORD judges the peoples; vindicate me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and integrity.” I could never pray that or claim that based on my own righteousness, because the New Testament calls Jesus “the Righteous One” (for example, Acts 7:52). But thinking some more, I remembered that on the last day, God will vindicate me and declare me innocent – not on the basis of a “natural” righteousness that’s in me, but on the basis of Jesus’ perfect righteousness. God has clothed me with Jesus’ righteousness through his death on the cross, so that when God sees me, he sees his righteous Son. What a miraculous gift!

So for me, the last verse was the perfect way to pray: “I will thank the LORD for His righteousness and sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.”

As you read, keep in mind our two questions:

1. What things in this Psalm can I relate to?

2. Is there anything in the Psalm that makes me think of Jesus?

PSALM 5

For the choirmaster, to be accompanied by flutes. A Psalm of David.

1 Give ear to my words, O LORD;
consider my groaning.
2 Attend to the sound of my cry,
my King and my God,
for to You I pray.

3 In the morning, O LORD, You hear my voice;
at daybreak I lay my plea before You
and wait in expectation.

4 For You are not a God who delights in wickedness;
no evil can dwell with You.
5 The boastful cannot stand in Your presence;
You hate all workers of iniquity.
6 You destroy those who tell lies;
the LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.

7 But I will enter Your house
by the abundance of Your loving devotion;
in reverence I will bow down
toward Your holy temple.

8 Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness
because of my enemies;
make straight Your way before me.9 For not a word they speak can be trusted;
destruction lies within them.
Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit.

10 Declare them guilty, O God;
let them fall by their own devices.
Drive them out for their many transgressions,
for they have rebelled against You.

11 But let all who take refuge in You rejoice;
let them ever shout for joy.
May You shelter them,
hat those who love Your name may rejoice in You.
12 For surely You, O LORD, bless the righteous;
You surround them with the shield of Your favor.

PSALM 6

For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments, according to Sheminith. A Psalm of David.

1 O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger
or discipline me in Your wrath.
2 Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am frail;
heal me, O LORD, for my bones are in agony.
3 My soul is deeply distressed.
How long, O LORD, how long?

4 Turn, O LORD, and deliver my soul;
save me because of Your loving devotion.
5 For there is no mention of You in death;
who can praise You from Sheol?

6 I am weary from groaning;
all night I flood my bed with weeping
and drench my couch with tears.
7 My eyes fail from grief;
they grow dim because of all my foes.

8 Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity,
for the LORD has heard my weeping.
9 The LORD has heard my cry for mercy;
the LORD accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed;
they will turn back in sudden disgrace.

REFLECTIONS

Now think about the two questions:

1. What things in this Psalm can I relate to?

2. Is there anything in the Psalm that makes me think of Jesus?

Then pray, seeking to delight in God or to depend on God.

As you read, keep in mind our two questions:

1. What things in this Psalm can I relate to?

2. Is there anything in the Psalm that makes me think of Jesus?

PSALM 3

A Psalm of David, when he fled from his son Absalom.
1 O LORD, how my foes have increased!
How many rise up against me!2 Many say of me,
“God will not deliver him.”

Selah
3 But You, O LORD, are a shield around me,
my glory, and the One who lifts my head.
4 To the LORD I cry aloud,
and He answers me from His holy mountain.

Selah
5 I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, for the LORD sustains me.
6 I will not fear the myriads
set against me on every side.

7 Arise, O LORD!
Save me, O my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
break the teeth of the wicked.8 Salvation belongs to the LORD;
may Your blessing be on Your people.

Selah

PSALM 4

For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.
1 Answer me when I call,
O God of my righteousness!
You have relieved my distress;
show me grace and hear my prayer.

2 How long, O men, will my honor be maligned?
How long will you love vanity and seek after lies[A] ?

Selah
3 Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for Himself;
the LORD hears when I call to Him.

4 Be angry, yet do not sin;
on your bed, search your heart and be still.

Selah
5 Offer the sacrifices of the righteous
and trust in the LORD.

6 Many ask, “Who can show us the good?”
Shine the light of Your face upon us, O LORD.
7 You have filled my heart with more joy
than when grain and new wine abound.
8 I will lie down and sleep in peace,
for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

REFLECTIONS

Now think about the two questions:

1. What things in this Psalm can I relate to?

2. Is there anything in the Psalm that makes me think of Jesus?

Then pray, seeking to delight in God or to depend on God.

As you read, keep in mind our two questions:

1. What things in this Psalm can I relate to?

2. Is there anything in the Psalm that makes me think of Jesus?

1 Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together,
against the LORD
and against His Anointed One:
3 “Let us break Their chains
and cast away Their cords.”

4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord taunts them.
5 Then He rebukes them in His anger,
and terrifies them in His fury:
6 “I have installed My King on Zion,
upon My holy mountain.”

7 I will proclaim the decree
spoken to Me by the LORD:
“You are My Son;
today I have become Your Father.
8 Ask Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance,
the ends of the earth Your possession.
9 You will break them with an iron scepter;
You will shatter them like pottery. ”

10 Therefore be wise, O kings;
be admonished, O judges of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry
and you perish in your rebellion,
when His wrath ignites in an instant.

Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.

REFLECTIONS

Now think about the two questions:

1. What things in this Psalm can I relate to?

2. Is there anything in the Psalm that makes me think of Jesus?

Then pray, seeking to delight in God or to depend on God.

This month, we are returning to the start of the book of Psalms, with our “do-it-yourself” devotion system. Instead of hearing someone else’s reflections, each day I’ll ask you to reflect on the Psalm yourself using some simple questions that you can use with any Psalm.

The two questions to think about are:

1. What things in the Psalm can I relate to?

2. Is there anything in the Psalm that makes me think of Jesus? It could be something about his ministry, his suffering and death, his resurrection, his kingdom, or what God has done for us through Jesus.

But don’t worry if you can’t always think of something – just read, reflect and pray.

~~~

1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
or set foot on the path of sinners,
or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the Law of the LORD,
and on His law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
yielding its fruit in season,
whose leaf does not wither,
and who prospers in all he does.

4 Not so the wicked!
For they are like chaff driven off by the wind.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6 For the LORD guards the path of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

REFLECTIONS

Now think about the two questions:

1. What things in this Psalm can I relate to?

2. Is there anything in the Psalm that makes me think of Jesus?

Then pray, seeking to delight in God or to depend on God.

Note: We have been having some problems with sending devotions. Many apologies for things being late and bunched up! We’re trying to fix things up.

—

7 Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb was to be sacrificed. 8 Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare for us to eat the Passover.”

9 “Where do You want us to prepare it?” they asked.

10 He answered, “When you enter the city, a man carrying a jug of water will meet you. Follow him to the house he enters, 11 and say to the owner of that house, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?’ 12 And he will show you a large upper room, already furnished. Make preparations there.”

13 So they went and found it just as Jesus had told them. And they prepared the Passover.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Rebecca Lin

As I read this passage, the thing that stuck out to me the most was v13, which says “So they went and found it just as Jesus had told them.” I think it is because Jesus’ words to the disciples were not just a helpful suggestion about an appropriate place where they might be able to prepare the Passover meal, but rather a specific set of instructions about how to find a specific man, who would lead them to a specific house and then a specific room. And as the disciples followed those specific instructions, they found everything “just as Jesus had told them.”

This reminds me that every word Jesus says is trustworthy and true. Usually when I think about examples in the Bible that show that Jesus’ words are trustworthy, I tend to think of the many times Jesus told people that he would die and rise again before he actually did. But in this passage, Jesus’ words about something as small as finding a room to prepare a meal came true too! It is a reminder that Jesus has been completely faithful to every word that he has said and every promise that he has made, no matter whether it was big or small.

And this gives me confidence that Jesus is currently being faithful and will continue to be faithful to the promises he had made to us. Let’s spend time reflecting on and praising God for his faithfulness to his words and trusting that every promise will be fulfilled just as Jesus has told us.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rebecca is a member of our Bossley Park Morning congregation.

1 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, 2 and the chief priests and scribes were looking for a way to put Jesus to death; for they feared the people.

3 Then Satan entered Judas Iscariot, who was one of the Twelve. 4 And Judas went to discuss with the chief priests and temple officers how he might betray Jesus to them. 5 They were delighted and agreed to give him money. 6 Judas consented, and began to look for an opportunity to betray Jesus to them in the absence of a crowd.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Marcy Saw

The first thing that stands out to me in today’s passage is the matter-of-fact way Luke describes Satan entering Judas Iscariot. At first, that makes me feel uneasy – could I be susceptible to being taken over like that, to the point of betraying or forsaking Jesus? But it’s helpful to remember that followers of Jesus have received his Spirit dwelling in us, which means Satan cannot rule over us. At the same time, it challenges me to continue putting to death sin, and to not give Satan a foothold in my life (see Ephesians 4:26).

We may not fully know Judas’ reasons for betraying Jesus, but the passage suggests that one motive might have been a desire for monetary gain. The danger of letting sin into our lives through the temptation of wealth and materialism is particularly strong for us living in Australia, and especially for those whom God has blessed with plenty. I constantly need to remind myself to find my security in belonging to Christ, rather than chasing the empty promises of satisfaction from worldly riches.

The second thing that stands out is how God achieves his purposes despite the sinful intentions of people and Satan’s plots. The chief priests were motivated by jealousy at Jesus’ popularity and fear that people would rise up to follow up him; Judas was driven by selfish gain, and Satan by his opposition to God’s plans. But it is God who orchestrates this scene and is in charge of its setting. The timing of these events near the Passover reminds me of God’s past deliverance of his people in Egypt from the angel of death. God is so great that he uses even sinful motives and Satan’s schemes as part of his plan to deliver us from the curse of sin through Jesus’ death for us.

Let’s ask God to keep guarding our hearts from the allure of wealth and the deceit of sin. Let’s also praise him that even when we fall short, his grace in Jesus is greater than our sin.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mercy is a member of our Fairfield Morning congregation.

34 But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life—and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of all the earth. 36 So keep watch at all times, and pray that you may have the strength to escape all that is about to happen and to stand before the Son of Man.”

37 Every day Jesus taught at the temple, but every evening He went out to spend the night on the Mount of Olives. 38 And early in the morning all the people would come to hear Him at the temple.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Dania Mourad

Today is the final part of Jesus’ teaching about signs of the end. This last section serves as a clear reminder to all believers living in the last days. Jesus urges us not to be weighed down by worldly concerns — “dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life” (verse 34). This made me reflect on how often I fall victim to anxiety — ungodly worry about the unknown future, fear of how plans will unfold, and scenarios I can’t control. It’s easy to get caught up in fearing the worst. I also think of those who turn to drunkenness or other temptations as a way to cope with the world’s pressures.

I am especially thankful for verse 36, which reminds us to “pray that you may have the strength to escape all that is about to happen.” This is a clear instruction to keep our focus on God, by praying and staying alert. We are given both the responsibility and the solution to overcome being weighed down by the world’s concerns. This reminds me of 1 Peter 5:7: “Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” How incredible it is that we can lay our worries before God in prayer, a sacred time of communion with our Father, and know that he hears and answers out of love for us.

This world is imperfect, sinful, and full of despair, but we hold on to the promised hope we have in Jesus. When we believe in Him and surrender our lives, we can rest assured in the future He has for us, a future beyond our comprehension. I pray that we all choose to seek God, who cares for us, loves us, and provides peace in a world that gives into sin. May we lean fully on Jesus in all seasons of life and remember that our lives ultimately belong to Christ. Amen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dania is a member of our Bossley Park Morning congregation.

29 Then Jesus told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. 30 When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. 31 So also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

Understanding things is very important, especially understanding God’s Word. But sometimes it’s just as important to know what things you don’t understand. Today’s passage is a great example: I don’t understand verse 32. In fact, I suspect nobody today knows for sure what Jesus meant when he said, “this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened.” Who did he mean by “this generation”? Maybe he meant that the climactic signs of his coming will not last longer than one generation – those who “see these things happening” (verse 31) will also see the end itself. Or maybe he was using “this generation” to talk about this entire age of evildoers who persecute his people and cause violence and bloodshed in the world – they will keep doing those things right up to the end.

I don’t know – which is good for me. Keeps me (and hopefully all of us) humble before God’s Word.

But I still find this passage very encouraging! Because Jesus tells us two things we can know for sure: we can know that the kingdom of God will come, and that Jesus’ words will never pass away. We can know because we have already seen the signs.

Jesus tells a little parable about how trees can show you what’s just around the corner: when they sprout, you know summer is near. When we lived in Chile, the street just around the corner from us was lined with trees that were bare through the winter. But in spring, out of nowhere, they would all suddenly burst into the most beautiful display of cherry blossoms. It was a certain and reliable sign that summer was coming.

There may be signs in the future that Jesus’ return is near – the things Jesus has talked about earlier in this chapter. I don’t understand everything there either! But we have already seen the most important signs of the coming of God’s kingdom: Jesus the Messiah died for our sins and was raised to life in glory, to fulfil all the Old Testament Scriptures. God did those things publicly, as signs that Jesus has already established God’s kingdom. We are only waiting for it to be finally revealed.

The signs have happened: This generation and this whole creation will pass away, but God’s kingdom, and Jesus’ words, will last forever. So, as Peter says, “you ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming” (2 Peter 3:11-12).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our senior minister.