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Look to Jesus – Day 8

Scripture for Today 

Psalm 145:1-8

I will exalt you, my God and King,
and praise your name forever and ever.
I will praise you every day;
yes, I will praise you forever.
Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!
No one can measure his greatness.
Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts;
let them proclaim your power.
I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor
and your wonderful miracles.
Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue;
I will proclaim your greatness.
Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness;
they will sing with joy about your righteousness.
The Lord is merciful and compassionate,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
The Lord is good to everyone.
He showers compassion on all his creation.

The vivid greens in our county are putting a smile on my face and praise on my lips. I have enjoyed the burst of colors filling the landscape. 

I am not saying everything is hunky dory. Overall, the atmosphere remains dreary. The discouraging news never stops. We know that the eye of the storm has yet to pass over our area. Cabin fever drives some people crazy. On the other hand, I am hearing that the introverts have prepared their whole life for this moment.

People are scrambling. Teachers of all stripes are doing yeoman’s work to reach out, touch their children, and keep exercising their brains. Medical professionals are fighting battles we do not even understand. Governing authorities are weighing decisions night and day as they seek to flatten the curve and serve our fiscal needs. Moms and dads are clambering to best serve children, home, and business from the same room. All kinds of businesses remain open to serve our essential needs.

Creation is a great place to turn when everything is unsettled. David must have written this Psalm in the spring. The praise falls easily from his lips. He wrote this song as an acrostic with one verse for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. 

David starts with a focus on God’s greatness (148:1-3). Our minds cannot comprehend His majesty but our hearts can love Him. He expects that praise will be contagious as one generation declares God’s faithfulness to another (148:4-7). Doesn’t it seem like every realization of God at work leads to many other recognitions of such? 

In the final two verses, David uses God’s own description of Himself to praise God. He is mindful of the mighty God who is behind every deed. God’s character is His focus. When our hearts and minds are concentrated on God and His splendor, then we begin to understand that the joy of the Lord is our strength.

I exhort you to look around at what God is doing in creation and in your life. We may have lost track of what day it is, but we must remember our personal, active God. Recall His faithfulness over the scope of your life. Tell someone about God’s work around you. Let this down time be used to sling praise. 

Since the Psalm is an acrostic, perhaps you or your children could come up with one description of God or one deed He has done for each letter of our own alphabet. Your joy would be increased in the presence of our God and each other. Then take a moment to thank God in prayer. 

In the joy of the Lord, 

Dave

Prayer for Today

Dear Jesus, 

You reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. You are sovereign over all we see. Your greatness is difficult for us to wrap our minds around. You are generous in Your goodness and open-handed with Your grace.  

We confess that we rarely take time to notice You at work. Our minds are easily sidetracked. We confess that we are consumed with our comfort, our schedule, our new forms of staying in touch and have not been mindful of You. We repent of forgetting Your goodness, compassion, and mercy.

Thank You giving us such natural beauty to observe. Thank You for reaching out to us as the One who is greater than all. Thank You for remembering us when we forget You. Thank You for calling us back to Your joy.

We need mindfulness of You. We need Your grace to recognize Your grace. We need You to make Yourself real to us. We need to find our rest in You. Please give us the ability to start with memory of Your works and move quickly to Your eternal character. Give us staying power in Your joy.

We love you. Thank You for loving us.

In the joyful name of Jesus,

Amen.

Song for Today

Great Are You Lord
YouTube Link
Author: Jason Ingram, Leslie Jordan, and David Leonard
2012 Open Hands Music, Sony/ATV Timber Publishing, Integrity’s Praise! Music, and Integrity’s Alleluia! Music
CCLI: #6460220

You give life, You are love
You bring light to the darkness
You give hope, You restore
Every heart that is broken
Great are You, Lord

It’s Your breath in our lungs
So we pour out our praise, pour out our praise
It’s Your breath in our lungs
So we pour out our praise to You only

All the earth will shout Your praise
Our hearts will cry, these bones will sing
Great are You, Lord

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