1 Chronicles 16:34
Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
In our weakness He is strong. In our weakness we can admit that we do not always know the answers but we know that He does. In our weakness we can remember how faithful He has been to us and trust Him, the rock of our salvation. Abraham’s faith was counted to him as righteousness. No place on earth is beyond His claim. To borrow from my favorite song…All my life You have been faithful. All my life You have been so, so good. With every breath that I am able I will tell of the goodness of God! Carla
Psalm 105:1-4
1 Oh, give thanks to the Lord!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!
2 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works!
3 Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!
4 Seek the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face evermore! NKJV
Psalm 105, a psalm of praise, focuses on the positive experiences of Israel in their early history. Contrast Psalm 106, which reviews the same period of history but with an emphasis on the faithlessness of the people. This poem celebrates God’s faithfulness to His covenant with Abraham in the lives of His people. The people needed to remember to be faithful to God, who had never forgotten to be faithful to them.
The psalmist calls to memory what God did for His people in fulfillment of the covenant with Abraham. Remember is the key idea of the psalm: the psalmist wanted to remind God’s people of His goodness. The NKJV Study Bible
Give thanks refers to glad remembrance of Yahweh’s actions. Tell of all his wonderful works focuses on Yahweh’s excellence and moral goodness displayed in His actions. Faithlife Study Bible
Psalm 145:11–12
They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom,
And talk of Your power,
To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts,
And the glorious majesty of His kingdom.
Isaiah 12:4
And in that day you will say:
“Praise the LORD, call upon His name;
Declare His deeds among the peoples,
Make mention that His name is exalted.
1 Chronicles 16:8–22
Oh, give thanks to the LORD!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!
Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works…
Psalm 27:8
When You said, “Seek My face,
“My heart said to You,
“Your face, LORD, I will seek.”
In a world were life feels dismaying, and yes, unnerving, emotional armor is tempting, even consoling. I can tell you that my heart gives way to tears, anger, exasperation. And too often, I do not have the words.
It is no surprise that we easily forget that we still do have the power of choice. We are not “at the mercy of”.
Where to begin? Today, I needed a story to say “no” to the armor, and reconnect with my heart. And yet. Our world worships and venerates power.
It is paradigm shift time.
Let us listen to Jesus’ reminder, “Blessed are the meek.” (Matthew 5:5)
Blessed are the humble, and the gentle. (One writer referred to meekness as "strength under control". It is not weakness, it is not cowardice; meekness is a conscious decision to refrain from arrogance, vengeance, or violence.) Who knew? Humility is a profound strength—the gift of being at home in our own skin, because our contentment and self-worth is not dependent on validation. (I heard someone say, “True humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.”) Plato’s reminder, “What is honored will be cultivated.” Excerpts from “Sabbath Moments”
“Strong people don't put others down. They lift them up.” Michael P. Watson
The hope of the gospel goes beyond freedom from sin in this life; it extends even beyond our current reconciliation to God and our empowerment by the Holy Spirit. God's glorious promise sustains us in our pain today and stretches to someday "wipe away every tear" (Revelation 21:4). The Greek verb for "wipe away" doesn't just describe consolation for tears that will inevitably return. It means "cancel" or "erase." More than just drying our eyes, God will abolish sorrow itself. The Topical Lexicon explains that the cross of Jesus is "both the pen that signs our pardon and the eraser that removes our guilt" and our grief forever.
Because there's no death in eternity, we will overflow with life. Because no sorrow exists, our gladness will be unimaginable. Our laughter must abound if our tears are absent. Where pain once was as prevalent as oxygen, joy will become the air we breathe.
When He lived on earth, even Jesus wept in grief (John 11:35; Luke 19:41) ... but His tears were not the end of His story. He has risen victorious over sorrow and death, never to mourn again. And one day we will join Him in that joy, our tears forever wiped away. First5
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