Verse of the Day 11/29

Verse of the Day 11/29

 

1 Chronicles 16:8  Give thanks to Yahweh; call on His name;
proclaim His deeds among the peoples. Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

 

We're coming to the end of the Thanksgiving weekend and I thought that we'd close it out with a verse of thanks taken from David's song of thanks in 1 Chronicles 16.  He gives thanks, calls for other to call upon His name; give thanks and proclaim what God has done for them among "the peoples"; their friends and aquaintences.

 

I know that we are all thankful for many things.  As we give thanks we should be sure to give God the praise for it and to tell others, to "proclaim" what He has done for us.  Part of doing so is to encourage others to seek Him, His strength and His presence "continually" as pointed out in verse 7 below. 

 

As I was reading and writing this the following "old hymn" came to mind.  May we take it to heart as we sing and tell of His excellent greatness, always in a joyful song and voice.

 

Praise Him! praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
Sing O earth, His wonderful love proclaim!
Hail Him! hail Him! highest archangels in glory;
Strength and honor give to His holy Name!

Like a Shepherd, Jesus will guard His children,
In His arms He carries them all day long:
Praise Him! praise Him! tell of His excellent greatness;
Praise Him! praise Him! Ever in joyful song!

Verse 2
Praise Him! praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
For our sins He suffered, and bled, and died;
He our Rock, our Hope of eternal salvation,
Hail Him! hail Him! Jesus the Crucified.

Sound His praises! Jesus who bore our sorrows,
Love unbounded, wonderful, deep and strong:
Praise Him! praise Him! tell of His excellent greatness;
Praise Him! praise Him! Ever in joyful song.

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV

 

1 Chronicles 16:7-14 English Standard Version (ESV)

⁷ Then on that day David first appointed that thanksgiving be sung to the Lord by Asaph and his brothers.

David's Song of Thanks

⁸ Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;
    make known his deeds among the peoples!
⁹ Sing to him, sing praises to him;
    tell of all his wondrous works!
¹⁰ Glory in his holy name;
    let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
¹¹ Seek the Lord and his strength;
    seek his presence continually!
¹² Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
    his miracles and the judgments he uttered,
¹³ O offspring of Israel his servant,
    children of Jacob, his chosen ones!

¹⁴ He is the Lord our God;
    his judgments are in all the earth.

Verse of the Day 11/26

Verse of the Day 11/26/20

 

Psalm 69:30    I will praise the name of God with a song;
    I will magnify him with thanksgiving.  English Standard Version (ESV)

 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. 

Many of you may have read a devotional this morning that included 1 Thessalonians 5:18 "in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."  New King James Version (NKJV).  It may not seem like it is very easy this year to be thankful "in everything".  Many are facing challenges, this year most will be impacted in some way or another by COVID.  Some may have the illness itself; be suffering from lingering effects; have loved ones suffering from it; cannot see family members because of the travel and gathering restrictions; while others are still suffering loss of income or other things, and we're just talking about COVID.  We may feel like we're "up to our necks" with things and may think "how can I be thankful?"

 

Paul knew what it was like to give thanks in all situations, many of his works were written while in prison.  But this thinking of giving thanks in everything is not new.  David and other Old Testament kings and prophets faced all kinds of challenges yet gave thanks,.  This Psalm begins with the following:

 

Psalm 69:1-3 New King James Version (NKJV)

Save me, O God!
For the waters have come up to my ^[b]neck.
² I sink in deep mire,
Where there is no standing;
I have come into deep waters,
Where the floods overflow me.
³ I am weary with my crying;
My throat is dry;
My eyes fail while I wait for my God.

 

Still, David did not give up "under" the circumstances.  He knew from past experiences that he would be lifted up and praised God for it in the here and now and gave thanks with a vision towards the future and for God's blessing in the past.  He couldn't turn back because he was focused on something greater, brighter days ahead.

 

Hebrews 11:16 But they couldn't turn back for their hearts were fixed on what was far greater, that is, the heavenly realm!

So because of this God is not ashamed in any way to be called their God, for he has prepared a heavenly city for them. The Passion Translation (TPT)

Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son

 

And now let the weak say, "I am strong"
Let the poor say, "I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us"

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV

 

Psalm 69:29-36 New King James Version (NKJV)

²⁹ But I am poor and sorrowful;
Let Your salvation, O God, set me up on high.
³⁰ I will praise the name of God with a song,
And will magnify Him with thanksgiving.
³¹ This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bull,
Which has horns and hooves.
³² The humble shall see this and be glad;
And you who seek God, your hearts shall live.
³³ For the Lord hears the poor,
And does not despise His prisoners.

³⁴ Let heaven and earth praise Him,
The seas and everything that moves in them.
³⁵ For God will save Zion
And build the cities of Judah,
That they may dwell there and possess it.
³⁶ Also, the ^[a]descendants of His servants shall inherit it,
And those who love His name shall dwell in it.

 

Verse of the Day 11/24

Verse of the Day 11/24

 

John 11:41-42   So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, "Father, thank you for hearing me. ⁴² You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me."  New Living Translation (NLT)

 

As we approach Thanksgiving we will be considering many things that we should be thankful for.  This year, it may be more of a challenge due to the COVID19 virus. Family gatherings may be smaller; some that we know are likely suffering from the disease and its ramifications.  Through it all, as Christ followers; we should be turning to God daily in prayers, knowing that He will answer.

 

What is interesting in this verse is when Jesus gave thanks.  Anne Peterson writes, "I always found it interesting that Jesus thanked God for hearing his prayer before Lazarus took one step. Years ago, I made a mental note of that. God is worthy of praise. We don't have to wait to see if God delivers on something we ask him before we thank him. And if God chooses to say, "No," that doesn't mean God is less worthy of our praise."

 

We truly have a lot to be thankful for including the answers to prayers that we are still waiting on.  May we eagerly wait for those answers in an attitude of faith.  I've heard it said that God gives three types of answers.  Sometimes it is "no", it is not His will for us, at least at this time; and we have to submit to His will.  Sometimes it is "slow"; we may get answers that come a step, even a baby step at a time, nonetheless God is working in the situation.  Other times it is "go"; God gives us a clear answer and a course forwards.

 

As you gather with family this Thanksgiving; may we say "thank you to God for always hearing me", no matter it be a "no", "slow" or "go" answer.

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV

 

John 11:38-44 New King James Version (NKJV)

Lazarus Raised from the Dead

³⁸ Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. ³⁹ Jesus said, "Take away the stone."

Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."

⁴⁰ Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" ⁴¹ Then they took away the stone ^[a]from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. ⁴² And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me." ⁴³ Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" ⁴⁴ And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

Verse of the Day 11/22

Verse of the Day 11/22

 

Psalm 107:28-29 Contemporary English Version (CEV)

²⁸ You were in serious trouble,
    but you prayed to the Lord,
    and he rescued you.
²⁹ He made the storm stop
    and the sea be quiet.

We have all faced some kind of storms in life; perhaps you're in the middle of one now. One of my favorite passages in regards to storms is from Mark chapter 4:35-41 where the disciples faced a fierce storm on the same and Jesus stepped in and called out "peace be still" and immediately the sea calmed down.  It's a picture of white caps turning to a sea "like glass" at the call of Jesus voice.  

 

In the passage we have before us the psalmist expressed familiarity with the storms on the sea relating to the storms of life.  In Psalms 107 the psalmist reveals to us 4 different challenges in life, and the Lord has control of all of them.  He relates to the desert; prison; illness; and actual storms.  What caught my attention in this passage is that in verse 25 that God was the one who lifted up the waves.  

 

David Jeremiah writes, "Did you step back from the canvas when you realized this detail  (of the picture)? Are you shocked? We're much more comfortable crediting God with calming the storms than with causing them. And yet we must take the scripture at His word. The Bible teaches us that He is Lord of all - and that includes the storms that serve His purposes along with everything else."

 

Thinking of this brings us back to what happened to Jonah.  We think of God being the one who calms the see but how often do we realize that He brings the storm, churns up the waters.  These storms may or may not be directly related to our actions, but we find ourselves caught up in them nonetheless.  Either way, He is the one who has the power to calm the sea.

 

Read the full chapter if you have the time today.  Perhaps you are in of those places, scenarios, mentioned.  If so, pray to the Lord.  He is the one who brings rain to the desert; can free you from prison; can lift you up from illness that can put you to the brink of death; and Jesus can calm your storm by saying "peace be still" just as He did in Mark 4 on the sea with His disciples.

 

1.   My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name.

o   Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

2.   When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV

 

Psalm 107:23-30 English Standard Version (ESV)

²³ Some went down to the sea in ships,
    doing business on the great waters;
²⁴ they saw the deeds of the Lord,
    his wondrous works in the deep.
²⁵ For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
    which lifted up the waves of the sea.
²⁶ They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;
    their courage melted away in their evil plight;
²⁷ they reeled and staggered like drunken men
    and were at their wits' end.^[a]
28 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
²⁹ He made the storm be still,
    and the waves of the sea were hushed.
³⁰ Then they were glad that the waters^[b] were quiet,
    and he brought them to their desired haven.