Sandyknowes Blog

Living beside the busiest roundabout in Northern Ireland gives plenty of opportunity for watching the world go by. Sandyknowes Blog is the personal blog of Niall Lockhart (minister of Ballyhenry). Pull in and have a read…

Psalm 34 - At all times

18 April 2020

Read: Psalm 34 vs 1-22

Psalm 34 is one of 14 Psalms in the Bible with a title linked to specific events in the life of David. David wrote this Psalm when fleeing from Saul he had taken refuge in the Philistine city of Gath. Gath (Goliath’s home city) was a very hazardous place for David to be and he ended up pretending to be insane to safely escape from it (the story is told in 1 Samuel 21 vs 10-15.

Read more

Psalm 33 - A New Song

17 April 2020

Read: Psalm 33 vs 1-22

I am not musical. I was sent to piano when I was in primary school but to quote my late father ‘I didn’t make much of it’. I can’t make music but I do appreciate music. The Psalms are overflowing with music and creativity. Psalm 33 is a call for new songs and new tunes to be skilfully written and formed for God’s glory.

Read more

Psalm 32 - My Hiding Place

16 April 2020

Read: Psalm 32 vs 1-11

This morning when I got up I looked in the mirror. Looking in a mirror lets you see what you are like (sometimes not a pretty picture!) The Bible describes itself as a mirror (James 1:23). We all have our own ideas of what we ‘look like’, we all have our own aspirations of what we would like to look like, but it is only when we look in the Bible that we see what we are really like.

Read more

Psalm 31 - Worthless Idols

15 April 2020

When we live in difficult times people naturally ask the question ‘When are things going to get back to normal?’ ‘Normal’ is a word that describes what we expect from life, what we have been used to. The more we read the Psalms the more we build up a picture that ‘normal life’ for the writers of these songs and prayers was marked by daily threats, challenges and dangers.

Read more

Psalm 30 - Be Merciful

14 April 2020

Psalm 30 was a song that David wrote to be sung at the dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem. It is a Psalm of thanksgiving which begins with David exalted the LORD’s name. The Psalm is both public (to be sung by a large congregation) whilst also being personal. David looks back to a time (or times) when the LORD lifted Him out of the depths and did not let his enemies gloat over him.

Read more

Pages