Psalm 98 – Spaces of Beauty, Grace, Prayer, and Mercy

Power For the Work

May 21, 2018 Jeff

Today is Monday, May 21, 2018. Day 21,984.

Seven days until Memorial Day.

“As a Christian, you forgive, and you feed the hungry and clothe the naked, and you visit the sick and comfort the lonely. If I’m a true follower of my lord and saviour Jesus Christ, I got to do the things you’re supposed to be doing.” ~ Mr. T, born on this date in 1952. (BrainyQuote)

The word for today is adultescent, a noun which means, “a young adult or middle-aged person who has interests, traits, etc., that are usually associated with teenagers.” Haha! I guess, by some peoples’ estimates, that would make me an adultescent!

We had a nice day, yesterday. It started out with a really good rain while we were getting ready for our worship gathering. It was a challenging morning, as we got everything set up and going, though. The person who pulls the trailer up to the front door was late, but we still got everything up and running in time to rehearse our songs and have our small prayer gathering at 9:45.

We departed from our normal steak and potatoes late lunch, yesterday, because C had a meeting to go to at 5:00 PM, about church by-laws and other such stuff. It was about more than that, but I really can’t say anything else at this point in time. While she was gone to her meeting, I finally finished Dragon Age: Origins, the game I have been playing on the X-Box 360 (yes, I still have one of those, and no, I don’t have an X-Bone) since shortly after my birthday. The final battle was a doozy and took me four hours to finish. That, of course, includes dying four or six or twelve times; I lost count. I seriously almost wept when that dragon finally died. (See above word of the day.) I suppose it will be on to Dragon Age II, next, which I also got for my birthday.

Today, it’s Monday again. I suppose C and I will go to the Y tonight, so we’ll be having Subway sandwiches for dinner.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS
All Scriptures are from the ESV unless otherwise noted

A Psalm.
Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.
The LORD has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody!
With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD!
Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it!
Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together
before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.
Psalm 98

More beautiful praise to the Lord, telling the world to make a joyful noise to the Lord! Even the seas and rivers are to join in with their praise!

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”
John 14:12-13

Power In Prayer is a book of excerpts from the great spiritual writer, Andrew Murray. The chapter I read this morning is called “Power for Prayer and Work.”

In this chapter, Murray shows us the difference between Jesus’s opening monologue to his disciples (the Sermon on the Mount), and the final discourse in the closing chapters of the Gospel of John.

In the Sermon, Jesus teaches his new disciples principles of prayer, showing them that they, like children, need to depend on the Father to give them good gifts, and to pray in faith.

In this final discourse, the focus is shifted. Jesus has called them friends, and has told them everything that the Father has given him to tell them. They are now to carry on his work in the world, even doing greater works than he did!

“Prayer is to be the channel through which that power is received for their work. With Christ’s ascension to the Father, a new epoch begins, both for their work and for their life of prayer.”

Those who would work must pray! We get power for our work in prayer. While this may seem like a simple instruction, we cannot overestimate the truth of the matter. If we try to “work” without first praying, even if our work seems successful, it will not be as fruitful as it could or should be.

We are now carrying on the work of those first disciples in our world. And we must, must pray!

Father, thank you for calling me to a life of prayer. But I confess that I do not spend enough time in prayer. Remind me, daily, by your Spirit, that I need to pray. I need planned times of prayer, such as these devotions and my drive time to work, as well as constant, spontaneous prayer, throughout the day. Help me to remember.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you. Psalm 33:22

Grace and peace, friends.

Sing A New Song

May 7, 2018 Jeff

Today is Monday, May 7, 2018. Day 21,970.

Six days until Mother’s Day!

It’s the birthday of Robert Browning (1812-1889), who said, “Perhaps one has to be very old before one learns to be amused rather than shocked.” BrainyQuote
Perhaps, then, I am very old, because I believe I have reached that point.

The word for today is ocellated, an adjective which means, “having eyelike spots or markings.”

We didn’t do a lot, yesterday afternoon. We didn’t even cook our steaks for lunch/dinner. We were both so tired that we decided to freeze them and have them next weekend. I’ll cook them for Mother’s Day.

I got to watch the Red Sox/Rangers game on TV, since the Rangers are our local team. For me, it was a great game. Not so much for the Rangers fans, as their lone run was scored on an unusual Ryan Rua home run, late in the game. The Sox pretty much dominated the game and won 6-1 behind a strong outing by Chris Sale. The puts the Red Sox record at 25-9, being the only team left in MLB that has not lost ten games, yet. The Yankees, however, continue to roll, and remain one game behind the Sox, both in the AL East, and MLB, overall.

The Sox are off tonight, and begin a series in New York tomorrow night. I hope I have some Tums. The Rangers host the Detroit Tigers, beginning tonight.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS
All Scriptures are from the ESV unless otherwise noted

Let the heavens praise your wonders, O LORD, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!
For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD? Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD,
a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him?
O LORD God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O LORD, with your faithfulness all around you?
You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.
You crushed Rahab like a carcass; you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours; the world and all that is in it, you have founded them.
The north and the south, you have created them; Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.
You have a mighty arm; strong is your hand, high your right hand.
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O LORD, in the light of your face,
who exult in your name all the day and in your righteousness are exalted.
For you are the glory of their strength; by your favor our horn is exalted.
For our shield belongs to the LORD, our king to the Holy One of Israel.
Psalm 89:5-18

I’ve always wondered who “the council of the holy ones” is. There are other references in the Psalms to “gods,” as well, that make me scratch my head and wonder. What I love, though, in this Psalm, are the references to God in nature, the “raging of the sea,” along with references to God’s “might arm” and “strong hand.” I love the Psalms that poetically describe the Lord in such majestic terms.

(From The Finishing Touch, Charles Swindoll)
Making Melody

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Ephesians 5:18-21

Ephesians 5:18, says Chuck Swindoll, is one of those verses that doesn’t get noticed a lot. Like, for instance, John 3:17. Or 1 John 1:10. Can anyone quote either one of those? I doubt it. (“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” John 3:17) (“If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” 1 John 1:10)

Ephesians 5:18 tells us to sing! We are to sing “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,” which pretty much covers all the possible genres of “Christian” music. Furthermore, as our pastor pointed out a few weeks ago, we are to sing to one another! I confess that I had not noticed that before he pointed it out to us. When we sing together, we not only sing to the Lord, but we sing to one another, “addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.”

Why would we sing to one another? Because we all need to be reminded. We all need to be encouraged. Which is why we need to be together, in the first place.

I’m an introvert. I don’t particularly like to be “together.” But it’s necessary. And I’m finding it easier to bear, as the Lord brings me along.

But that’s not the point today. The point is singing. You notice that this verse doesn’t really make any reference to “church” or anything like it. It just says that we are to sing and make melody. When’s the last time you sang? “The Spirit-filled saint is a song-filled saint,” says Swindoll, as he reminds us that animals, pews, and pulpits can’t sing. Bibles and buildings can’t sing. Only we can sing. Some of you may not be able to carry a tune in a proverbial bucket. But you can still sing to God. God is not tone-deaf, but, somehow, by the time our feeble attempts at melody reach his ears, they have been filtered through some kind of heavenly “autotune.” God loves to hear us sing, I promise you, because he, himself, is a singing God! See Zephaniah 3:17, “The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”

I’m short on time, or I could write more on this. But spend some time today, I encourage you, singing! Try to remember the songs from church yesterday, or pick one that you are greatly fond of. Then find a place and time, where you can joyfully sing it to God. He will love to hear you sing.

Father, let me sing today. Teach me to sing more and more. I confess that I have not been singing enough in recent years. I used to sing all the time. Restore me, Lord, to the joyful singing that I once knew. Fill my lungs with your air, and open my lips that I might praise your name in joyful song!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Grace and peace, friends.

Listen

July 23, 2016 Jeff

Today is Saturday, July 23.

Quote of the Day

“Life’s tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late.” – Benjamin Franklin

Word of the Day

Connubial – “of marriage or wedlock; matrimonial; conjugal.”

Today is Gorgeous Grandma Day. This falls on July 23 of every year. We wish my mother a happy day, today!

C is feeling better today, much better. There are still occasional bouts of gas, and an occasional headache, as well, but over all, much better.

The pool lead repair happened earlier than expected. It was supposed to be Tuesday (I may have erroneously said Thursday, earlier), but they had an opening yesterday afternoon. That turns out to be a blessing, as C was already home, having taken a sick day. The pool heater arrived this morning, and is in the garage. We aren’t sure when the installation will happen for that. And the fence repair guys are supposed to be starting around noon today. Busy weekend!

In baseball news, both the Red Sox and Rangers lost last night. The Rangers have lost four in a row, and eight of their last ten. They are now only 2.5 games ahead of the second place Astros. Baltimore won their game, so the Sox are back in second place a half game out. In other news, the Cubs have managed to become the best team in baseball, once again, as the Giants have lost six consecutive games. In fact, the Cubs are the only team in MLB with a percentage over .600. Cleveland is the best team in the AL, and the Rangers are fourth best in the AL, behind Cleveland, Baltimore, and Boston. They are also behind Chicago, Washington, and San Francisco in the NL.

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

(From Praying With the Psalms)

A Psalm. Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.
The LORD has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody!
With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD!
Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it!
Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together
before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity. Psalm 98

“Salvation, which brings God’s wholeness into our lives, develops a capacity in us for total response, which is praise. Everything and everyone is enlisted in the work of praise: the songs of the people, the melodies of musical instruments, and the sounds of nature.” What would your life be like, if, every time you stepped outside, you considered the sounds of nature to be praise to God? The roar of the sea in Galveston or Cancun; the sounds of a rushing river or trickling stream.

“My God and King, bird song and sea-roar accompany the praise I lift to you. Mine is no solitary voice raised in gratitude; a thunderous and multitudinous congregation is making sounds of thanksgiving, and I am glad to be a part of it. Amen.”

Father, make me more observant of the sights and sounds around me when I am out and about. Help me to notice the sounds of praise the your creation makes, and let that inspire me to praise of my own. And may I continue to strive to “ruthlessly eliminate hurry” from my life, that I might take time, as it were, to “stop and smell the roses.” Let everything that has breath praise your name.

Come, Lord Jesus!

The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Grace and peace, friends.

God and God Alone

August 26, 2015August 26, 2015 Jeff

Good morning. It is Wednesday, August 26, 2015. Hump Day.

Today’s word of the day, from dictionary.com, is absquatulate. What a wonderful word!! This verb means, very simply, “to flee; abscond.” Example, “The old prospector absquatulated with our picks and shovel.” I simply must find a way to use that in a sentence today, at work.

Today is Women’s Equality Day, so marked by the certification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which occurred on August 26, 1920. The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote.

Our Huddle group went well, last night. A couple of guys were late (I arrived on time, for a change), and two were absent. One had “baby duty,” as his wife had a teacher meeting, and they have a newborn. The other was on a business trip. Last night, we talked about spiritual gifts, and how they help us share the Kingdom.

Nothing much else to report, other than it’s just over a month until our 30th anniversary vacation to Playa del Carmen!

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL

Today’s Psalm, from Heart Aflame, is Psalm 98.

A Psalm.
Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.
The LORD has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody!
With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD!
Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it!
Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together
before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.

“God had manifested his salvation in a singular and incredible manner. For having spoken of marvelous things, he represents this as the sum of all, that God had procured salvation with his own right hand; that is, not by human means, or in an ordinary way, but delivering his Church in an unprecedented manner.” (p 239)

(From Solid Joys)

Today’s reading is “Shadows and Streams.”

May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works,
who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke!
I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD.
Psalm 104:31-34

“God rejoices in the works of creation because they point us beyond themselves to God himself.”

I believe, with Piper, that God definitely intends for us to be in awe of his creation. “But not for its own sake.” He desires for us to look at his creation and think that, if his creation is so full of wonder and beauty, what must the Creator be like?

“These are but the backside of his glory, as it were, darkly seen through a glass.” Just as Moses was only allowed to see the backside of God’s glory, so are we. But what will it be like to see God, himself? “A billion galaxies will not satisfy the human soul. God and God alone is the soul’s end.”

Piper quotes Jonathan Edwards:

The enjoyment of God is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. . . . [These] are but shadows; but God is the substance. These are but scattered beams; but God is the sun. These are but streams; but God is the ocean.

Psalm 104, a psalm which celebrates creation, ends with this proclamation of the glory of God, himself. “In the end it will not be the seas or the mountains or the canyons or the water spiders or the clouds or the great galaxies that fill our hearts to breaking with wonder and fill our mouths with eternal praise. It will be God.”

Father, I do love your creation! I love to look at it in all its glory! But, truly, it directs me to you. When I look at the seemingly endless array of stars (especially when I am away from light pollution), it causes me to worship you in your glory, for the creation only reflects the glory of you, the Creator! When I gaze upon the crashing waves of the mighty ocean (one of my favorite places to be), I remember that, even though the ocean appears to be endless, even it has boundaries. The expanse of the ocean is only a mild reflection of your glory, which is infinite, and has no boundaries. I pray, Father, for all the world to see you in your glory! My soul cannot wait for the day when I can finally gaze upon you and see your fullness. My appetite has been whetted by your creation, and longs to be eternally fulfilled.

I pray for this day, Lord, that our travel to and from work will be safe. I pray that our work day will be a good day, and that we might remember to allow your Spirit to work through us, displaying your Kingdom in all circumstances. Help me to remember to look for where you are breaking into my world and the world of those around me. I pray for Stephanie, that she would know your great love today. I pray for Rachel and Justin, that you would grant them grace. And may you be ever present in my mother’s life, surrounding her with your great love.

I pray for my friend, Guy, who is in the hospital, recovering from an accident. May you bring him healing and patience.

Your grace is sufficient.

Grace and peace, friends.

Persistent Obedience Overcomes All Obstacles

September 6, 2012 Jeff2 Comments

Good morning. It is Thursday, September 6, 2012. Thursday already. I like that. Today is “National Procrastination Day.” It is also “Read A Book Day.” I believe I’ll read today. I’ll procrastinate tomorrow.

See what I did there?

Haha…Stephanie just said she would read a book tomorrow. What’s really funny is that she’s nowhere near awake enough to get that.

On this date in 1901, President McKinley was shot. His last words, before slipping into a coma, were, “It is God’s way. His will, not ours, be done.”
On this date in 1522, Magellan’s expedition completed the first circumnavigation of Earth.
On this date in 1847, Henry David Thoreau left Walden and moved in with Ralph Waldo Emerson.
On this date in 1995, Cal Ripken, Jr. broke Lou Gehrig’s consecutive game record by playing in his 2131st consecutive game. Oh…that’s baseball for those of you who don’t recognize the names. Like I would be talking about any other kind of game.

Yesterday was a tough day at work. Heavy delivery day. It wasn’t terribly stressful after the first couple of hours, though…just a downer, because of knowing that deliveries were running late. Christi says she’s feeling better this morning. We went to the Super Sport facility last night. I worked out on a new machine, called an “Adaptive Motion Trainer.” I’m not sure I liked it. What I did like, though, was this:

Yes. That is a TV on top of the display. This place has TVs on quite a few of the cardio machines. Unfortunately, there are none on the recumbent bikes, which is Christi’s favorite. They also have some newer resistance training machines, one of which worked on the back, which Christi found to be helpful. While we weren’t just completely “Wowed” by the place, it has some features that are nice.

Father, I pray for a glimpse of your grace this morning, as I look into your word for inspiration for my life and for this day. I pray that you fill me with your Spirit today.

Today, I’m reading Psalm 98. This is a short praise psalm, so I will quote the whole thing.

Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.
The LORD has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody!
With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD!
Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it!
Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together
before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.

What a great way to start the morning!

My Utmost For His Highest
“Rivers of living water.” John 7:38

This has been a running theme (no pun intended) for a while now, in my Chambers readings. If we think about a river, it touches places down the way that the source knows nothing of. If we believe in Christ and allow him to do his work in us, through us, these “rivers of living water” will flow out from us and “bless to the uttermost parts of the earth.” Realize that God rarely allows us to see how much we bless others. I’m reminded of the Ray Bolz song, “Thank You.” You never know whose life you are going to bless with your obedience. Whether or not a scene like the one depicted in that song will ever occur (I think it’s highly doubtful), we can trust that God will use our faithfulness to bless others, whether we know it or not.

One thing that is noticeable about a river is that it is “victoriously persistent, it overcomes all barriers.” It will come to an obstacle, appear to be stymied for a bit, and make a path around it. Or it will disappear underground, out of sight for a distance, and “emerge again broader and grander than ever.” If I’ve come to an obstacle in my life, one that seems to, on the surface, be keeping me from being used by God, I must keep my eyes on the “Source.” God will either make away around this obstacle or remove it from my path. My job is simply to be persistently obedient to what I know he desires for me to do. “The river of the Spirit of God overcomes all obstacles.” If I allow my focus to center on the obstacle, I will lose out. “The obstacle is a matter of indifference to the river which will flow steadily through you if you remember to keep right at the Source.” I must never allow anything to come between me and Jesus Christ.

As I make this personal, I see where it’s taking me. God has blessed me with this prayer ministry. Sometimes I get frustrated because either I don’t see answers or I don’t get updates from people I’m praying for (the second is just as frustrating as the first…how do I know how to keep praying if I don’t get updates?). But, truthfully, these things should be of no consequence to me. There are several items on my prayer list that I have determined that I will keep praying for until God directs me differently. One of those is prayer for the people affected by the shootings in Aurora, CO and Wisconsin at the Sikh temple. When’s the last time you saw anything about the Aurora shooting? See, those people have already been forgotten. But God hasn’t forgotten them, and neither have I. They need prayer, possibly for years to come. The ones who lost loved ones need comfort, peace, and hope. The ones who were injured but survived need healing. The ones who weren’t injured need emotional healing. They all need hope. So I will keep praying for these folks until God tells me different. I don’t have to get an update. God is my update. Yeah. I just said that.

The point is persistent obedience. Stay at the source of the river. If I am obedient and believe in the power of Jesus, those rivers will flow out of me and bless people I will never know about.

I just got goosebumps. Perhaps we should call those “Spiritbumps.”

Father, I thank you. Sometimes I just have to thank you with nothing specific in mind. I pray that you would make me more grateful for everything in my life. My life should be a paean of praise. Along with being in a constant attitude of prayer, ready at any given moment to send up a prayer for anyone or anything, I should also be in a constant mode of thanksgiving and praise to you, the author of everything good in my life. All that I have has come from you. I have nothing that I can call my own. Sure, I talk about “my car,” “my house,” “my job,” but, in reality, all of those things are yours.

I thank you that you are teaching me persistent obedience. Keep showing me this. It occurs to me this morning that my complaint about people not giving me updates on their situations is irrelevant. What makes this really cool is that I was just complaining about this to Christi yesterday afternoon. It doesn’t matter! You are my update, and if I trust in you, you will let me know when to stop or change my praying for any particular thing.

I pray that, through my obedience, these rivers of living water will flow out of me and bless many people. I don’t care if I see them or not. I don’t care if I ever know. It is enough to know that I’m being obedient to the task that you have given me. Sure, I would love to see results. We’re kind of wired that way. But I will trust you, Father! I will trust you.

I pray for this day. I thank you that Christi is feeling better this morning. I pray that, as she must walk to meetings today, her pain will be less than yesterday. Ultimately, I would pray for healing of her pain, completely. I also, though, pray that there will be some kind of hope or solution offered during her doctor visit this Friday. Give her a good day at work today, with little stress. I pray also for a better day at my job. I pray that you would prosper the companies that we work for, that we may, in turn, prosper. i pray for Stephanie today, and am grateful for this new relationship that she has stumbled into. I pray that there will be spiritual growth from this, as she branches out to help with the Echo youth ministry and other things. I pray for your blessings on her life. I also pray that we will get in a good workout again tonight.

Your grace is sufficient.

If we are persistently obedient, the rivers that flow from us will find a way around any and all obstacles that threaten to stifle them. We must trust in God and keep our eyes off of the obstacles.

Grace and peace, friends.