Devotional Scripture

"Praise the Lord! Praise God in His Sanctuary; 

Praise Him in His mighty heavens. 

Praise Him for His acts of power; 

Praise Him for His surpassing greatness.

Praise Him with the sounding trumpet; 

Praise Him with the harp and lyre. 

Praise Him with the tambourine and dancing; 

Praise Him with the stringed instruments and flutes. 

Praise Him with the clash of cymbals, 

Praise Him with the resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord."

(Psalm 150:1-6)

Lord, we pray that we will come Sunday ready to celebrate Your greatness and may You be glorified in our hearts.

Lyrical Prayers

Blessed be Your name 

In the land that is plentiful; where the streams of abundance flow.

Blessed be Your name 

When I'm found in the desert place; though I walk through the wilderness 

Blessed be Your name 

When the sun's shinning down on me; when the world's all as it should be.

Blessed be Your name 

On the road marked with suffering; though there is pain in the offering.

Every blessing you pour out I'll turn back to praise 

And when the darkness closes in still I will say blessed be Your name

You give and take away; 

My heart will choose to say, blessed be Your name.

(Redman, Blessed Be Your Name)

 

Father let me dedicate all this life to you in whatever worldly state Thou would have me be. Not from sorrow, pain or care, freedom dare I claim.  

This alone shall be my prayer, glorify Thy name.

Can a child presume to choose where or how to live?  

Can a Father's love refuse all the best to give? 

Let my glad heart while it sings, Thee in all proclaim 

And whatever future brings glorify Thy name.

(Lawrence Tuttiett, 1864)

Response

Ecclesiates 7:14

"When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other.  Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about the future."

Both prosperity and adversity come from a Sovereign God.  That is a hard concept and the lyrics this week are challenging. How can I train my heart to sing "blessed be Your name" when times are bad?  Do I really trust God with my future even if that means it may not be comfortable?  I think the important thing is to remember that we are in an intimate relationship with the Father and to bring our honest worries to him.  That relationship is worship.  We bring glory to Him when we come to Him first with our concerns.

God be glorified in us as we learn to put you first in our hearts and trust You for our future.

Phil. 4:6-7

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."