On to important things.
24 Your procession is seen, O God, the procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary-- 25 the singers in front, the musicians last, between them virgins playing tambourines: 26 "Bless God in the great congregation, the LORD, O you who are of Israel's fountain!"
35 Awesome is God from his sanctuary; the God of Israel--he is the one who gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God!
I went to a Presbyterian church in Fort Worth for a while, back in the 80s. I was mad at the SBC. It was a beautiful sanctuary, cross-shaped like the classic church buildings in Europe, huge pipe organ in the choir loft (at the rear of the room), and a reverb that was astonishing. Every Sunday morning, the service began with a processional. The choir would "process" in, behind some flag bearers. The only musician was the organist, so he had to be upstairs. Hard to carry an organ. We didn't have virgins playing tambourines, but the passage for today reminds me a bit of those Sunday morning processionals. They were majestic and grand!
But they could in no way compare to this processional! God is marching triumphantly into Zion! It's a "victory parade, complete with singers, dancers, and musicians." "...all praising God in the assembly."
This procession closes out with a rousing praise of an awesome God. God is, indeed, awesome in his sanctuary. He gives power and strength to his people!
(Quotes from A Musician Looks At the Psalms, by Don Wyrtzen)
1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation-- 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
From Matthew Henry Daily Readings:
"Evil-speaking is a sign of malice and guile in the heart; and hinders our profiting by the word of God. A new life needs suitable food. Infants desire milk, and make the best endeavors for it which they are able to do; such must be a Christian's desires after the word of God. Our Lord Jesus Christ is very merciful to us miserable sinners; and he has a fullness of grace. But even the best of God's servants, in this life, have only a taste of the consolations of God."
Mr. Henry kind of rambles in this reading, but he makes several good points. One is the first couple of statements. We must watch our tongues! James has some choice words about the tongue in his short letter. But Henry pegs it; when we speak evil of people, we are certainly harboring malice in our hearts. This will hinder not only our relationship with God, but it will hinder what we might learn from the word of God. I have to constantly catch myself when I begin to speak wrongly of people. It is a terrible habit that we have learned, and must put away. Malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. Peter insists that we put all of these things away. Imagine the Church if we could be successful!
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
Focusing on the first part of that verse, Jerry Bridges comments on Paul in Holiness Day By Day. "Paul was conscious throughout his entire ministry of his utter unworthiness to be a servant of Christ." Paul knew he did not deserve his ministry. "He was an apostle only by the grace of God - by God's unmerited favor." But his statement could also be taken to mean "By God's enabling power I am an effective apostle." Grace could mean both things.
Paul "wasn't giving us a technical treatise on grace and distinguishing its finer shades of meaning. Rather, Paul was speaking from his heart, saying that God's grace was sufficient for both his unworthiness and his inadequacy. He was saying, 'I'm an apostle as a result of God's unmerited favor shown to me and as a result of God's enabling power at work in me.'"
Grace...God's favor+God's power! Truly amazing!
I pray, Father, that you would help me to put away malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. I pray that you would help me replace them with patience, compassion, kindness, humility, and gentleness. Let the Holy Spirit catch me before I speak wrongly of my brothers or sisters. And I pray this for all of the Church.
Thank you for the vision of your victory procession in the Psalms. It is scenes like that that give me hope and confidence. I know that, someday, I will be witness to such a parade as I join the rest of the Church in becoming the true Body of Christ. I can't even begin to imagine what we will participate in on that day. And that day will last for all eternity! Hallelujah!
I pray for Christi's follow-up doctor visit today. I pray that she is recovering to his expectations.
I also continue praying for Rick Ashley, who will have another surgery at 1pm today, to try to aleviate spinal fluid leakage. I pray for his recovery and thank you for the news that pathology showed his tumor to be benign!
PRAY FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA AND HIS ADMINISTRATION
Bipartisan criticism of the Justice Department is soaring on Capitol Hill as the executive branch has repeatedly
balked at answering congressional requests for information, according to lawmakers and aides.
OMB Director Peter Orzag has directed non-security agencies to name ways in which they could reduce spending,
primarily by identifying and discontinuing poorly performing discretionary programs.
Pray for improved cooperation among and between the branches of government.
Grace and peace, friends.