What is possibly the most exquisite single group of psalms - 120-134 - describe themselves as 'songs of ascents'. They recall the journeys of pilgrims from all over the land 'up' to Jerusalem to keep the feasts of the Lord. And as the people walked, they sang.  
God's people today may not make quite such a journey but, as Alec Motyer contests, in living the Christian life we have all embarked on a pilgrimage of the heart. The life of faith is to be lived on the move; through varying terrains but with a single destination - as we walk with eyes fixed on Jesus.  
A devotional read to hearten both weary and sure-footed travellers.

Alec Motyer

Journey

Abbreviations

Preface

1 Are you going up this year?

Walking, running and arriving

Never forget your salvation

Why?

Effective remembrance

So it was commanded... so it was done!

And as they went, they sang

2 The pilgrims’ songbook

A revealing bracket

Mini-pilgrimages

Two pilgrimages; one homecoming

Notes

Psalm 120

3 The resident alien: Living in the unwelcome present

The believer: an ethnic minority

So...?

Praying in a difficult day

Psalm 121

4 The guarded pathway: In his world, under his shade

Security six times over

What's your problem?

The Lord the Redeemer (verses 3–4)

The Lord the Companion (verses 5–6)

A comprehensive insurance policy, securely underwritten (verses 7–8)

Psalm 122

5 The pilgrim in Zion: Home at last

Already and not yet; yes and no

Jerusalem, past, present and future

Back to the psalm

Our interim Jerusalem

Psalm 123

6 At the end of our tether: The Lord above

Small room, quiet voice

(1) The place called 'Prayer' (verse 1)

The God of Heaven

(2) Laying burdens down (verse 2a)

(3) Waiting with patience; waiting with confidence (verse 2b)

(4) Prayer, the place where we matter (verse 3)

(5) At the end of out tether, there's a place called 'Prayer' (verses 3-4): Prayer as counter-attack

The exhaustion factors

Psalm 124

7 Against overwhelming odds: The Lord alongside

David's outlaw days

Extrapolation

David's teaching

The 'clothes line' of Psalm 124

The fourfold power of the Creator

Psalm 125

8 Keeping on keeping on: The encircling Lord

Home, but not yet home

Question one

Question two

Divine sovereign rule

Giving God a helping hand

Facing life

Psalms 126 – 131

9 A preview: The pilgrimage of the heart

Zion, past, present and future

Psalm 126

10 Instant coffee and stalactites: Living with God's tensions

Satan, the idealist

Past and present

Miracle and providence

Praying for more

Waiting for miracle, living with providence

Instant coffee and stalactites

Psalm 127

11 Managing life's cares: Busyness and restfulness

Perils of the heart

Why pray when you can worry?

Solomon?

Disease and antidote

For instance

The divine gift of a child

Psalm 128

12 Home at last: Fulfilment – present, guaranteed and ultimate

Fear that is not fear

The genuine article

What a blessing!

The fear of the Lord

Evidence

Blessings abound

The call to the life of faith

Psalm 129

13 The tonic of the backward look: How the past prepares us for the future

Enemies, ploughmen and furrows

__Psalms 120-134, possibly the most exquisite single group of psalms, are described as 'Songs of Ascents'. They recall the journeys of pilgrims from all over the land 'up' to Jerusalem to keep the feasts of the Lord. And as the people walked, they sang.__

God's people today may not make quite such a journey but, as Alec Motyer contests, in living the Christian life we have all embarked on a pilgrimage of the heart. The life of faith is to be lived on the move, through varying terrains but with a single destination - as we walk with eyes fixed on Jesus.

A devotional read to hearten both weary and sure-footed travellers.

People today are hopelessly confused about sex. On the one hand, it is meant to be something special. On the other, it is casually dismissed as trivial - merely or 'just' sex. Sex has also become a big issue for Christians. Faced with a barrage of messages from a sexually permissive environment and lacking a clear rationale for biblical teaching, many Christians are unsure of what they think. This book encourages us to consider whether the impact of our sexual relationships on others around us is fair, or just. With conviction and pastoral sensitivity, Guy Brandon explains the strength and integrity of the Christian world-view of sex. In doing so, he also addresses the inconsistency and inadequacy of the prevailing idea that consent alone is enough to sanction a sexual relationship. Demonstrating the damage created by this approach he offers a better, more just way, which brings with it the promise of God's shalom.

The Good Book Stall

This book examines in depth Psalms 120-134, the “Songs of Ascents”. So, why the sub-title “Psalms for Pilgrim People”? Because the psalms in question recall the journeys or pilgrimages from all over ancient Israel “up” to Jerusalem to keep the feasts of the Lord. Christians today are less likely to physically make a pilgrimage, but we must continue on our journey of faith. This very detailed analysis of these psalms combines further analysis of the Bible related to the psalm themes, and the basics of the human journey through life, to provide a devotional aid to a more certain path.

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Journey

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