A PSALM - devotional thoughts



Psalm 119 
is written in a manner in which there are 8 lines (verses)
for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
As part of my devotional time 
I wrote in the same manner using our alphabet.



Age after age, God, You have been the same.

Awesome and majestic are the works of Your hands.

Abundant are Your mercies and Your grace.

All Your promises are true.

As for You, Your ways are perfect.

As long as heaven and earth remain, You are I AM

A God of love,

Always.



Because of Your great faithfulness, lives are changed.

Blessings are showered on everyone, without favouritism.

Burdens are lifted for those who believe on You.

Bondages are broken by Holy Spirit Power!

Boldly giving testimony of Your goodness,

Becoming the person You want me to be,

Bowing in reverence and adoration ,

Bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit, is my heart’s desire.



Could we brag that we are acceptable in Your eyes?

Conviction of our own sin is the work of Your Holy Spirit.

Confessing our sins to You, You cleanse us from unrighteousness.

Committing our lives to You we find:

Contentment in submitting our will,

Courage to face every trial,

Comfort for every situation,

Communion that renews our strength.



Does not God work mysteriously in the hearts of all?

Delivered from the power of sin, we worship You.

Daily dialogue with You is where we learn Your ways.

Delighting in Your presence, we learn to love.

Dead to sin, we have been set free from its power.

Disciples of the Master do what is right.

Dear Father, draw us daily closer to You,

Display Your glory through our lives! 




Exalted is Your name in the heavens and on earth.

Every knee will one day bow before Your Majesty.

Everything was made by Your spoken Word.

Evidence of Your greatness fills the whole earth!

Each new day, my heart is filled with a new song.

Everlasting life is mine through the marvelous gift of salvation.

Energize my being Lord for service in Your Kingdom.

Eternally may I live with You in the mansions You've prepared.



Following Your precepts is what I truly want to do.

Faith grows through the hearing of Your Word.

Forgiveness is mine as I forgive all others.

Fear is cast out by Your perfect love.

Freedom is the result.

Fellowship with You and with others is then restored.

Fully committed to You, we Your children can live and love in unity.

Forever You love me, my Father, the author and finisher of my faith.



God of the Universe.

Giver of life.

Gracious Redeemer.

Great is Your faithfulness.

Gladness and joy fill my heart to overflowing.

Goodness and mercy follow me always.

Glorious is Your Name forever.

God of my life.



Hope lives in the human heart while there is still the breath of life.

Here on earth, we have but a temporary tent.

Home is the place You have gone ahead to prepare.

Heaven is a wonderful eternal place -

How marvelous and beyond our comprehension!

Hallelujah, Your kingdom is from everlasting to everlasting.

Happy is the child of the King ready to go home.

How long do we have to wait for Your return, oh Lord?




In this world we are called to live out our faith.

Injustice reigns wherever we look.

Instead of being afraid, we put our trust in You.

If we let our lives be as salt and light in our family and community,

Influencing others to live beyond reproach,

Ignoring the taunts of the enemy,

Integrity and honesty will not disown us.

It will glorify Your Holy Name.



Just as I am, I worship You, my King!

Jesus, Son of God You will return as You have promised.

Jubilant Your Bride awaits Your coming!

Joy in Your presence fills my heart to overflowing!

Judge not each other, rather forgive and you will be forgiven.

Justice will be done on the whole earth, in Your time.

Just one look at Your face and our joy will be complete.

Jesus, You are the joy-giver!



King of Kings!

Keeper of promises given,

Kingdom authority.

Kindles hearts with

Kindness to all.

Keep on asking.

Keep on seeking.

Keep on knocking.



Loving the Lord with all of our heart;

Leaning on Him, and not our own understanding;

Learning to love, as He has loved us;

Losing our self in service for Him;

Longing for the fellowship of believers;

Leading a blameless life, by the power of the Holy Spirit;

Leaving the painful past behind;

Living in His powerful presence, teaches us how to be ourselves.



Magnify His Name, for He alone is worthy.

Make known His love to children and grandchildren.

Many are the blessings He has given.

Mercy and grace have surrounded us since before each was born.

Miraculous are the works of His hands in forming each one!

Matchless is His creation!

Mysterious are Your ways,

Marvelous Master!



No one comes to the Father but through Jesus Christ.

Now is the time to obey and to follow Him forever.

Nothing can separate us from His love, if our life is in Him.

Never will He leave us forsake us.

Night after night, I reflect on His goodness to me.

Near to my heart, is His Word, my pearl of great price.

Name above all names, Jesus, You are my light and my salvation.

Nurture my spirit with your love.



Our God, you are an awesome God!

Only You can satisfy the heart with Your presence.

Open my eyes to see You at work in everything You have created.

Of Your kingdom and Your glory there will be no end.

On You I call every day, and You supply my every need.

O Lord, thank you for caring for me.

Out of the miry clay You have rescued me.

Other people have strange gods, but I have You, God, my Father.



Praise the Lord every moment of every day.

Perfect are His ways, He makes no mistakes.

Precious are His promises, He keeps His word.

Powerful are His words, He transforms lives.

Pleasant is time spent with Him in prayer.

Prayer is answered in His time and in His way.

Pleasing to the soul are His abundant blessings.

Prophecy His amazing works!



Quiet moments with You allow for deep reflection.

Questions that plague the mind need no answer in Your presence.

Quickly You come to help!

Quicken my heart to desire Your perfect will, O Father.

Quality of life can truly be known in Your presence alone.

Quantities of earthly possessions have lost their appeal.

Quotes from Your love letter are on my mind constantly,

Quenching my deepest longings.



Remember the days when you lived without Him?

Repentance brought Him near.

Renewed in your Spirit, you returned to Him.

Restoration was complete!

Real living begins when He is in control of our life.

Rise up and call Him blessed, oh ye saints!

Rejoice in His goodness!

Revel in His Love!



Serve the Lord with a willing and glad heart.

See to it that no one can fault your testimony.

Sing His praises!

Spend time in fervent prayer.

Sensitivity to others needs He will teach.

Speak to all who ask the hope in you of your faith.

Stand firm on the sure foundation of your faith.

Seek the fellowship of believers to encourage each other.



Truly You are awesome, O mighty God.

Trusting You with my life is the best thing I’ve ever done.

Trials and testing have been Your vote of confidence.

Truth revealed in my life has healed my soul.

Traumas of the past have been erased.

Triumphs have taken their place.

Therefore You have my undying gratitude.

These things I will tell to those who come after me.



Unhappy faces, undermine the message of the gospel.

Under the law, we did not have freedom.

Under grace, we have freedom from the shackels of sin.

Unending and perfect is only God’s love.

Understanding the depth of Your love is impossible.

Unless we love each other deeply and from the heart,

we are not Your children.

United in the love of our Father we can defeat the enemy.

Unlike us, You, O God are faithful and keep Your promises.



Very important are Your precepts in our life.

Victory is ours only as we wear Your protective armour.

Views of right and wrong are formed through knowing Your Word.

Vivid pictures of how You work are written in Your Word.

Vitality fills the spirit that yields completely to Your Holy Spirit.

Visions of seeing the whole world worship Christ are before me.

Value each other higher than you value yourself.

Vibrant and filled with joy are the testimonies of the saints.



Worthy are You, O God to receive my praise.

Whispers of love throughout Your Word flood my soul.

Wonderful are Your plans for my life.

Writing down all my prayers and praises is edifying.

Welcome, yes, I welcome every opportunity to grow in faith.

Worship.

Work.

Witness.



X - Χχ*

You are the Christ!



Examine your own life!

Experience His forgiveness and love.

Extend to others His grace!

Exhort one another in love!

Excellent are His ways!

Explore His Word daily, always digging deeper.

Exclaim the Good News to all you meet!

Exalt His Name forever!



Yesterday You showed Your people Your law-no one could keep it.

Yet You laid the plan of redemption before the beginning of time.

Years You have been patient and longsuffering with us.

Your love is the full message of the gospel!

Yielded to You in humility You have lifted us up in Your Grace!

Yearning for His guidance and His will in all things,

You can climb the impossible mountains.

Young will your spirit remain within you under His protection.



ZZZZZs - refreshing sleep - you give to those you love!

Zeal is admirable if it is for a good and right purpose.

Zealously You shield Your children from the enemy.

Zephyrs in the sky remind us that You will return in the clouds.

Zenith of perfection, what no eye has seen, nor ear heard is

Zion – it awaits for us, the city on the great hill!.

Zion – perfect in beauty – God shines forth!

Zion – shout aloud and sing for joy for great is the Holy One!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh the joy of praising Your Name with all the letters of the alphabet!



Karin Ristau©


*
*Chi or X is often used to abbreviate the name Christ, as in the holiday Christmas (Xmas). When fused within a single typespace with the Greek letter Rho, it is called the labarum and used to represent the person of Jesus Christ.



 

24 comments:

Mari said...

This is so good! The words you chose all flow and are so meaningful. I can't imagine doing this and I thank you for sharing.

Glenda said...

Such a beautiful picture of what God does for a willing heart! He is to be praised!!

pam said...

wow...going to ponder this for a while....much food for thought....well done. This makes me want to try this for myself...see what I can come up with from my own life experiences with God. Good idea Karin!

ellen b. said...

A wonderful exercise Karin. Love it. I just completed a Bread for the Journey this morning for April about writing a Psalm. God has really gifted you with written expression!

Doris Sturm said...

Wonderfully written - so true and uplifting!

Ginny Hartzler said...

Just beautiful, Karin!! I think you would make a good bible translator!

Shug said...

Karin, this is great! Actually it is awesome.
Each word flows so beautifully. This post truly Blesses my heart!
Blessings,
Shug

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Love it ---Love it----Love it, Karin. You are SUPER... This is incredible.... Can't wait to read more...

Hugs,
Betsy

George said...

This is beautiful -- beautiful thoughts beautifully expressed.

Ruth Hiebert said...

Very well done.You should print this out for others to have.
Have a great day.

Betty W said...

Your are gifted with the words that many times escape me. Thank you for sharing with us these meaningful thoughts!

Evi said...

Thanks for posting the little subscript too...got me on to a whole new vein of thought...Love you. You are so talented! I love how God has always blessed you with these poems and verses. It's truly a gift.

Linda said...

Karin...this was so beautiful. I loved it! It brought my heart to a place of worship and adoration as I read it.

Please...please...please may I print it out so I can meditate on it?

Linda @ Truthful Tidbits
jhoge1945@sbcglobal.net

Christina said...

Karin, once again you have blessed my soul with your writings which are inspired through your faith in God. HE is your inspiration and I truly thank you for sharing your heart....your sis, Chris

Sandy said...

I love that Karin and what a wonderful personal devotional exercise. Thanks for sharing yours!

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

You are amazing. How long did you spend to do this?

I thought of th epeople in Christchurch when I read your temporaerey tents.

Karen said...

Karin, this was more than just beautiful...truly anointed and inspiring...

I believe "H" and "P" are my favorites!

I am bookmarking this page so I can read this often....

Kimberly Pitman said...

I very much enjoyed reading this as a devotional this Sunday morning!

Anonymous said...

Truly beautiful Karin. Thank you for sharing with us.

Pranavam Ravikumar said...

Hi Karin,

I loved it. Beautiful thoughts.. My wishes.

Velvet Over Steel said...

The best post I've read Ever!!! It should be printed and stuck in our purses and post on the frig!! Which I am, hope that's ok?! I need the reminders sometimes!! :-)

Thank you, Karin!!!!!!
HUGS,
Coreen xoxoxo

Valerie said...

Karin - that is so beautiful. So wonderful to meditate on and encourage each of us to examine our lives and create and 'alphabetical dialogue" with the KING!
Thank you for such a great post!

mariel said...

Oh this is so good!! I especially love "L" and "M"!! :)

Tonya said...

This is so neat I have never thought about doing this before. Thank you for sharing. Your post are so uplifting and have been such a blessing. Blessings to you and yours.