From Psalm 44...
1 O God, we have heard with our ears,
our fathers have told us,
what deeds you performed in their days,
in the days of old:
It's the weekly day where I reflect back on the past week's devotions. So...here we go.
Day 78--Rescued From the Pit
God hears our prayers. He rescues us from the deep, dark, damp pits that we have dug ourselves into. He is so very gracious. We should praise him unceasingly!
Day 79--Celebrating God
On this day, I re-wrote, in my own words, a portion of Psalm 34. This is how I wrote verse 8..."I have tasted. O my God, I have tasted and you, YOU ARE GOOD! Give me an insatiable thirst for you! Let me run to you and be blessed!" Taste and see. This has been one of my favorite verses in the Psalms for years. It hangs over one of our kitchen doors.
Day 80--A Safe Place To Hide
God is the only place to find real safety and security. "Jacob-wrestling God fights for us, God-of-Angel-Armies protects us." Therein we are safe, eternally. We should practice living in that safety daily. And we should do this verse: "Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me; your High God, above politics, above everything." Yes!
Day 81--Soak Out My Sins
Psalm 51...the one that David wrote after Nathan confronted him about his sin with Bathsheba. David broke some really big ones with this episode.
It's a good psalm of confession. For anyone. Even if you haven't murdered someone because you got his wife pregnant after playing peeping tom with her on the rooftops.
Ultimately, our sins are only against God. But...our love for God is more important than our sin. I truly believe that. It's a radical statement, but I believe it's true. Sin must be dealt with. Yes. But we must carry on, even after we have sinned. We can't let it deter us from loving God.
Day 82--God, Pay Them Back!
Psalm 53. God seeks, but finds no one seeking him. He finds a world that is in so much of a hurry that they treat people like "fast-food meals." But God is a God who turns lives around. "Turned around Jacob skips rope, turned-around Israel sings laughter." I like that phrase..."sings laughter." Have you ever sung laughter? Makes me think of a Disney song...is it from Mary Poppins??
Day 83--Solid Rock Under My Feet
Yes! God is my solid Rock! I had recollections of the huge rocks near my house as a young boy. Carrying back to Day 80...this Rock is safe. Having this firm foundation under our feet gives us safety. Safety from the ever-fluctuating world around us. And I like the phrase in the Psalm..."breathing room for my soul." That phrase just creates relaxation inside me. We all need some breathing room.
Ahhh....
Ok, that's it for today. God bless you all!
For an extra special treat, read these quotes from children about love from Requiel. They are at the same time precious, yet profound. I especially like the one about our name being safe in the mouth of someone who loves us.
Grace and peace...and love!