The Majesty and Glory of Your Name
2010-01-05

Stephanie had another great day at school today. So great, in fact, that I got a call from one of her teachers to tell me how GOOD she's doing!!

*waiting for the shouts of joy to die down*

Of course, the call woke me up, but you know what? I DON'T CARE! I confess, I cringed when I saw the caller ID, too. But it turned out to be marvelous news.



Psalm for Today: Psalm 2

"As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill." I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, "You are my Son; today I have begotten you." (Verses 6-7)

One of my favorite Christmas songs when I was growing up was an arrangement of "Hallelujah" from Handel's "Messiah." The arrangement was by the Harry Simeon Chorale. It featured a male choir, trombones and a trap set. For years, I thought that was how it was supposed to sound. Imagine my surprise when I finally heard the original version. I was, frankly, disappointed. Now, of course, I love them both, equally. The point of all this is a couple of lines in that chorus. "King of Kings and Lord of Lords," and "and He shall reign forever and ever." The majesty and glory of this is overwhelming.

David, the writer of this psalm was, arguably, the greatest king in Israel's history. But his "Son" was the King of kings. "Verses 6 and 7, the centerpiece of this psalm, speak of the coronation of the King and the pledge of adoption given to David's heir."

"As I enter the throneroom of God through this psalm, the nations of the world come into focus and perspective. But in a much more compelling manner, I am overwhelmed by the dignity, solemnity, and majesty of this King of all the universe. May I learn to give Him my full allegiance and loyalty today. May I learn to worship Him, adore Him, glorify Him, and enjoy Him! But may the awesomeness of His majesty not rob me of personal intimacy with Him."

(Quotes from A Musician Looks At the Psalms by Don Wyrtzen)



Matthew Henry Daily Readings

Psalm 106:5 ...that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory with your inheritance.

This reading is taken from Henry's commentary on Job 29.

"Job had comfort in his God. This was the chief thing he rejoiced in, in his prosperity, as the spring of it and the sweetness of it, that he had the favor of God and the tokens of that favor. He did not attribute his prosperity to a happy turn of fortune, nor to his own might, nor to the power of his own hand, but makes the same acknowledgment that David does: 'By your favor, O LORD, you made my mountain stand strong' (Ps. 30:7a)."

"Those only whom God protects are safe and may be easy; and, therefore, those who have ever so much of this world must not think themselves safe unless God preserve them."

I do so enjoy Henry's writing style. This is my first experience with using his writings devotionally. We are, no matter what the outward appearance, "safe" with God. And let us never make the mistake of thinking that anything we have is from our own hands. When I stand up and lead worship every Sunday morning, I acknowledge that the gifts that I share with others did not come from me. Nor was I just "lucky" in obtaining them (no such thing as luck). They are from God. He granted them to me, therefore, I use them to glorify him.



Daily Readings from the Life of Christ~~John MacArthur

John 1:4-5 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The true and holy "life" is also the "light" that is "truth and holiness displayed against the darkness of lies and sin." Jesus declares himself to be the "Light of the world," in John 8:12. "This Light is no less than the manifest life of God shining in His Son."

Consider a dark room. Then consider a small candle lit in the room. It dispels the darkness. It only takes a very small flame to defeat darkness. Imagine the power of the Light that is Jesus Christ. He will completely destroy spiritual darkness.

What effect does Jesus' being "the Light" have on your life? How does He brighten the path you walk? What does His light expose, both in the world and in yourself, refining your approach and strengthening your confidence as you journey through each day?

The effect for me is that my life has Light in it. I know that sounds overly simplistic, but it's the truth. Without Jesus, there would be no light at all. Knowing that I have Christ in my life, makes my path walkable. I may not always be able to tell where the path is leading, but if I am following Christ, at least I can SEE the path! His light also exposes sin, both in me and in the world. As I meditate on the light that is Jesus, I am more able to see what is wrong in me and what is not worthy of my attention in the world.



Father, I thank you for the light in my life. I pray that the light of Jesus will shine brightly in me, through me, and out of me. Let it light my path, and let it light the way for others, as well. I also pray that I will always be sensitive to the light that is in others.

I thank you for your ongoing protection and provision for me and my family. I can say that, even when things don't go the way we think they should. Even when I have to stay up an extra hour in the morning because I ran over a nail somewhere and had to get the tire fixed. What a blessing! That nail could have come out while I was driving to work, and I could have been changing a tire in sub-freezing temperatures last night. I will not complain. Let me never fall into the trap of giving myself credit when the credit is yours. Everything I have is from you! And I will praise and worship you, alone!

I praise and worship your majesty, Jesus! I sing with the choirs, "Hallelujah! King of kings and Lord of lords...you shall reign forever and ever!" I thank you that Handel was inspired to compose the beautiful music for those words. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! The majesty and glory of your name!

Thank you for another good day for Stephanie. I pray for a friend who is losing a job in three weeks. He is being laid off. Please provide for his family and give him another job before this one runs out.



Jesus is the light of the world who shines forth forever and ever. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. All the world will, one day bow down to him and proclaim that he is Lord.

Grace and peace, friends



0 comments so far

hosted by DiaryLand.com