Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

Today we will be looking a Psalm 9 and thinking about how our God is the righteous judge of all the earth. The title of this Psalm tells us that David is the writer. But we can’t be sure when he wrote it or what was the occasion that motivated him to write it. The commentators have dozens of various opinions and speculations as to the specifics as to why and when it was written. The most common vi...

“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?" Yesterday we learned that David wrote this Psalm and possibly it was on the occasion of his defeating Goliath of Gath. He meant for it to be song of victory for God’s people. In this beautiful expression of praise...

“O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens! Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger." I have been reading through the Book of Psalms daily now for over 50 years and estimate that I have read them completely through well over 600 ti...

Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity; Yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood. He made a pit and dug it out, And has fallen into the ditch which he made. His trouble shall return upon his own head, And his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown. I will praise the LORD according to His righteousness, And will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High. From the title o...

“O LORD my God, in You I put my trust; Save me from all those who persecute me; And deliver me, Lest they tear me like a lion, Rending me in pieces, while there is none to deliver.” (vv. 1-2) “Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity; Yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood.” (v. 14) Today we will be looking at Psalm 7 and the history behind it. From the title of this Psalm, we know t...

O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure. Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am weak; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are troubled. My soul also is greatly troubled; But You, O LORD--how long? Return, O LORD, deliver me! Oh, save me for Your mercies' sake! For in death there is no remembrance of You; In the grave who will give You thanks? I am weary with my groanin...

Today, Friday October 14 Ministering to Jesus Matthew 25:34-40 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was...

I am weary with my groaning; All night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears. My eye wastes away because of grief; It grows old because of all my enemies. Today we begin looking and thinking about Psalm 6. The inscription tells us that David wrote this psalm, but we aren't sure when he wrote it. It could have been composed during the time of Absalom's rebellion when David was old, si...

As we study through the Psalms, we can’t help but notice that David made it a daily habit to start every day with prayer. Seeking the face of the Lord as he worshipped and fellowshipped with Him. Prayer was not something David only did when he was in tremendous distress, as he was when he wrote this prayerful Psalm. I’ll never forget an elderly lady in our church in Holland Michigan, make a powerf...

“For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil dwell with You. The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity. You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; The LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.” David knows the best thing he can do is pray as he is facing the fact that his own son is out to kill him, and his best friends have tur...

David was facing the greatest crisis and challenge of his life and kingdom. Everything was at stake! His son Absalom was leading an insurrection against him, and he was fleeing for his life. Everything was falling apart. It appeared to many people that there was no hope. “There are many that say, who will show us any good” (Psalm 4:6). So, what did David do? Did he send for help from the Assyrians...

Yesterday we finished our blog with the statement that the greatest danger we all face each day is to think that we will not face any danger!  If you remember, we were talking about making preparations for the conflict. Today we want to discuss the time and place that prayer must have in our lives. If there is one thing that we should glean from the Psalms and especially from the life of Davi...

"Give ear to my words, O LORD, Consider my meditation. Give heed to the voice of my cry, My King and my God, For to You I will pray. My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up." What has helped me profit from my daily reading in the Psalms over the years has been to take a few minutes to try to find out who wrote the Psalm, what were...

As you read this Psalm, you can’t help but notice there are people that are angry (v. 4), and there are those who are discouraged (v. 6). I remember in my college days that it seemed like Dr. Jerry Falwell spoke about discouragement more than anything else. He would often say that the devil’s greatest tool to get a Christian down, is the tool of discouragement, because God can’t use a discouraged...

"The LORD will hear when I call to Him. Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah" What do you do when your world is falling apart all around you. Your own family has turned against you. Your closest friends have joined those who want to destroy you! Your most trusted advisors and counselors have taken the side of the those against you. Even those that y...

Some of are good at calling on the Lord at the beginning of a trial or difficult time in our life, but as time progresses and nothing seems to change, or even maybe the “hole gets deeper”, we start to lose hope and begin to complain and start blaming God and others for our troubles. We become bitter at a time when we have the opportunity to become better. In His time, David didn’t have Romans 5:1-...

“Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer. How long, O you sons of men, Will you turn my glory to shame? How long will you love worthlessness And seek falsehood? Selah But know that the LORD has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The LORD will hear when I call to Him. Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within you...

It is amazing that in the midst of the greatest trial in his life David took the time to pray, to reflect and write this Psalm. Can you imagine the rejection he must have felt as the people of Israel turned against him, and he is publicly humiliated. Even as he was leaving Jerusalem some of his enemies came out to mock and jeer at him. This a desperate time for him! Maybe at times you have felt th...

"But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head. I cried to the LORD with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah” David is facing the greatest trial of his life as his son Absalom has raised up an army against him. These are people who at one time honored and adored David as their beloved king. But it is possible that because of his sin with Bathsheba...

LORD, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say of me, "There is no help for him in God." Selah I trust that you had the opportunity to read 2 Samuel 12 through 18. In these chapters you read the story and the events behind the writing of this prayer of David. This prayer in Psalm 3 begins very abruptly with "Lord." This is how Peter began...

But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head. I cried to the LORD with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set themselves against me all around. Arise, O LORD; Save me, O my God." Today, I trust you will continue to pray with me for t...

Psalm 2:10-12 “Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, And rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.” Today in our Bible study we will be finishing up Psalm 2. Remember in verses 1-3, we heard the voice of the...

Remember in verse 6, God the Father declared a decree, despite what the kings of earth were thinking about how powerful and sovereign they were, that He will set up His King on His Holy Hill of Zion. Now in verse 7, the Son, Jesus, responds and tells us what the Father said to Him. "I will declare the decree" informs the rebels that God rules His creation on the basis of sovereign decrees. He does...

In verses 1-3 we heard the voice of the nations. It was the voice of rebellion. These verses remind me of Psalm 53:1-3. “The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; There is none who does good."   In my Bible next to these verses, I wrote down, “Why? Because…” Why do they claim there is no God? Because they are corrupt and are living...

When we read these first 3 verses of Psalm 2, you would think that you are reading the headlines of today’s newspapers. We have the first of four voices as we hear the nations of the earth rage and rebel against the Lord and His Anointed One!. This is a voice of rebellion—the word "rage" means "to assemble tumultuously". It is the Gentiles that are in view ("heathen" and "people" in v. 1), and the...