95. Wala ka sa Lolo ko. He was made alive with Psalms.

18 January 2021
Living as Those Made Alive in Christ

Colossians 3
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

Here is my reflection 1 October 2017

"Psalms. The book of worship and praise songs, many ascribed to David, the shepherd who became king of Israel.

Colossians 4
2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

Psalms are also prayers, lamentations because of adversity.

The Book of Chronicles and the Book of Kings give account of the adversity that David went through, being hunted by King Saul as David became a threat to his throne.

The Book of Psalms had been a particular book of prayer for me at a time of adversity. 

In 2008, I suffered severe drug allergy to antibiotics in the course of urinary tract infection after prostate biopsy. I came home from the hospital recuperating from liver and kidney damage due to drug overload, and with deficiency in body electrolyte.

I would suffer leg cramps and stomach spasms, and would pass out. At bed, I would ask my wife Marlou to pray for me; I was then anxious if I would regain consciousness.

It recurred for weeks, so later it was our son Paolo whom I would ask to pray. Paolo was in college, our daughters Vannie and Patty were working already. 


Years earlier, I already went through adversity, I was out of work and got ill, with the children starting college.

I recovered then, I came about a passage in psalms that spoke to me in my innermost being; I was then on flight home coming from work in Kuwait.

Psalms 118
18 The LORD has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death.

I was in tears, relishing the goodness of God, the grace of God, the undeserved favor God gave me, God having me survived the adversity, God restoring my life and my health that I was gainfully employed, tears of joy and gratitude.

"LORD, You are my shepherd, I lack nothing. You make me lie down in green pastures, You lead me beside quiet waters, You refresh my soul. LORD, You guide me along the right paths for Your name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever (Psalm 23). This I pray, in Jesus' name. Amen. ""


"The Book of Psalms (/sɑːmz/ or /sɔː(l)mz/ SAW(L)MZ; Hebrew: תְּהִלִּים‎, Tehillim, "praises"), commonly referred to simply as Psalms, the Psalter or "the Psalms", is the first book of the Ketuvim ("Writings"), the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and a book of the Christian Old Testament. The title is derived from the Greek translation, ψαλμοί, psalmoi, meaning "instrumental music" and, by extension, "the words accompanying the music". The book is an anthology of individual psalms, with 150 in the Jewish and Western Christian tradition and more in the Eastern Christian churches. Many are linked to the name of David.
Gerard van Honthorst, King David Playing the Harp, 1622
Gerard van Honthorst • Public domain

Individual psalms were originally hymns, to be used on various occasions and at various sacred sites; later, some were anthologised, and might have been understood within the various anthologies (e.g., ps. 123 as one of the Psalms of Ascent); finally, individual psalms might be understood within the Psalter as a whole, either narrating the life of David or providing instruction like the Torah. In later Jewish and Christian tradition, the psalms have come to be used as prayers, either individual or communal, as traditional expressions of religious feeling."


My life story. My life verse.

Psalm 118
18 The Lord has chastened me severely,
    but he has not given me over to death.


I praise God for his great mercy, His love endures forever.

May you find comfort in God's Word.

Maraming salamat.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

102. Wala ka sa Lolo ko. The Lord has given him a crown.

Image
25 January 2021 1 Timothy 5 4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. Let me share my reflection 7 October 2017 which I have updated. "Grandchildren. Children’s children are a crown to the aged. (Proverbs 17:6) 1 Timothy 5 9 No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband,  10 and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lord’s people, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds. Let me make the connection between grandchildren and a widow. Marlou and I recently spent a weekend in Lipa to visit my mother-in-law. We went to Lipa New Hope Church for the Sunday worship service. From the back, I can see the petite figure of "Nanay" (...
Read more

119. Wala ka sa Lolo ko. For him, there is no righteousness apart from God in Jesus Christ.

Image
28 February 2021 Photo by Shaun F from Pexels Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens, you who have done great things. Who is like you, God? (Psalm 71:19) 2 Peter 1 1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: 2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. The Apostle Peter. "Do you think that we are too tough on Peter for denying Christ? Note that after the Resurrection, Jesus told the women: "Go tell my disciples and Peter." Why "and Peter"? I see myself in Peter. I also see my neighbors and friends in him. Perhaps you see yourself in Peter as well. There's something of this man in us all, and the way God used him with his faults and failures gives me hope, for the God who changed his life is still in the business of changing people. As I think of Mr. Peter, I think o...
Read more

226. We will be blessed: The Lord washed our feet, we should wash one another's feet.

Image
6 December 2021 You will be blessed. Deuteronomy 28 3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. 2 All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God. John 13 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. Maundy Thursday. " Maundy (from Old French mandé, from Latin mandatum meaning "command"), or the Washing of the Feet, or Pedelavium, is a religious rite observed by various Christian denominations. This is also seen as referring to the commandment of Christ that believers should emulate his loving humility in the washing of the feet (John 13:14–17). The term mandatum (mandé, maundy), therefore, was applied to the rite of foot-washing on the Thursday preceding Easter Sunday, called Maundy Thursday. " From Wikipedia " As Jesus was t...
Read more