Psalm 107

Posted on by richlyspeaking

We’re reading through, and with intentionality, praying through the Psalms during this school year. There are 150 Psalms, divided into 180 different readings. See this post for more info.

Here is today’s prayer, preceded by the text from the Contemporary English Version, copyright 1995, by the America Bible Society:

_____


Shout praises to the Lord! He is good to us, and his love never fails. Everyone the Lord has rescued from trouble should praise him, everyone he has brought from the east and the west, the north and the south.

Some of you were lost in the scorching desert, far from a town. You were hungry and thirsty and about to give up. You were in serious trouble, but you prayed to the Lord, and he rescued you. Right away he brought you to a town. You should praise the Lord for his love and for the wonderful things he does for all of us. To everyone who is thirsty, he gives something to drink; to everyone who is hungry, he gives good things to eat.

Some of you were prisoners suffering in deepest darkness and bound by chains, because you had rebelled and refused his advice.  You were worn out from working like slaves, and no one came to help. You were in serious trouble, but you prayed to the Lord, and he rescued you.  He brought you out of the deepest darkness
and broke your chains.

You should praise the Lord for his love and for the wonderful things he does for all of us.  He breaks down bronze gates and shatters iron locks.

Some of you had foolishly committed a lot of sins and were in terrible pain.  The very thought of food was disgusting to you, and you were almost dead. You were in serious trouble, but you prayed to the Lord, and he rescued you.  By the power of his own word, he healed you and saved you from destruction.

You should praise the Lord for his love and for the wonderful things he does for all of us. You should celebrate
by offering sacrifices and singing joyful songs to tell what he has done.

Some of you made a living by sailing the mighty sea, and you saw the miracles the Lord performed there. At his command a storm arose, and waves covered the sea.  You were tossed to the sky and to the ocean depths,
until things looked so bad that you lost your courage. You staggered like drunkards and gave up all hope. You were in serious trouble, but you prayed to the Lord, and he rescued you.  He made the storm stop and the sea be quiet. You were happy because of this, and he brought you to the port where you wanted to go.

You should praise the Lord for his love and for the wonderful things he does for all of us. Honor the Lord when you and your leaders meet to worship.

If you start doing wrong, the Lord will turn rivers into deserts, flowing streams into scorched land, and fruitful fields into beds of salt.

But the Lord can also turn deserts into lakes and scorched land into flowing streams. If you are hungry, you can settle there and build a town.  You can plant fields and vineyards that produce a good harvest. The Lord will bless you with many children and with herds of cattle.

Sometimes you may be crushed by troubles and sorrows, until only a few of you are left to survive. But the Lord will take revenge on those who conquer you, and he will make them wander across desert sands.
When you are suffering and in need, he will come to your rescue, and your families will grow as fast as a herd of sheep. You will see this because you obey the Lord, but everyone who is wicked will be silenced.

Be wise! Remember this and think about the kindness of the Lord.

 When we cry out to you, oh Lord, you save us!

Psalm 107

Here is today’s prayer from Psalm 107:

God. Abba. Father.

We give you thanks today, for you are good and your love never runs out. Never! When we ponder just that single thought, we are in awe. You love us no matter where we live. You love us no matter our background. You love us, even no matter our poor choices. We can always run to you and you will have open arms for us. Thank you.

Thank you for meeting our daily needs… food, shelter, water. Thank you for coming to set the captives free. Thank you for coming to bring sight to the blind. Thank you for coming to heal the brokenhearted.  When we cry out to you, oh Lord, you save us! You continue to bring us salvation. Day after day. Lord, when we make decisions that are not honoring to you, nor to us, and when we finally come back to our senses and lift our heads to heaven, when we get ourselves in trouble, you save us from our distress. Thank you!

Yes, we thank you and proclaim your goodness to the whole earth. Your love never fails. We sing and rejoice!

We rejoice for you make a way for us when we are journeying through times of wilderness or desert life. We rejoice for you calm the waves when we are in the middle of a raging storm. Even storms of financial distress, illness, or broken relationships. When we look to you in our personal disasters, you bring calm, you bring peace. Yes, you are our peace. You always lead us to safe harbors. We rejoice and thank you!

When we were poor and suffering, you were our rescuer. You are kind and full of provision and grace. Oh, how we appreciate your great love for us.

We thank you, always, in the name of our Messiah, Jesus.

Amen.

(c) 2021. Rich Ronald.

Psalm 106

Posted on by richlyspeaking

We’re reading through, and with intentionality, praying through the Psalms during this school year. There are 150 Psalms, divided into 180 different readings. See this post for more info.

Here is today’s prayer, preceded by the text from the Contemporary English Version, copyright 1995, by the America Bible Society:

We will celebrate and praise you, Lord! You are good to us, and your love never fails. No one can praise you enough for all of the mighty things you have done. You bless those people who are honest and fair in everything they do.

Remember me, Lord, when you show kindness by saving your people. Let me prosper with the rest of your chosen ones, as they celebrate with pride because they belong to you.

We and our ancestors have sinned terribly. When they were in Egypt, they paid no attention to your marvelous deeds or your wonderful love. And they turned against you at the Red Sea.

But you were true to your name, and you rescued them to prove how mighty you are. You said to the Red Sea, “Dry up!” Then you led your people across on land as dry as a desert. You saved all of them and drowned every one of their enemies. Then your people trusted you and sang your praises.

But they soon forgot what you had done and rejected your advice. They became greedy for food and tested you there in the desert.  So you gave them what they wanted, but later you destroyed them with a horrible disease.

Everyone in camp was jealous of Moses and of Aaron, your chosen priest.  Dathan and Abiram rebelled, and the earth opened up and swallowed them. Then fire broke out and destroyed all of their followers.

At Horeb your people made and worshiped the statue of a bull, instead of you, their glorious God.  You worked powerful miracles to save them from Egypt, but they forgot about you and the fearsome things you did at the Red Sea. You were angry and started to destroy them, but Moses, your chosen leader, begged you not to do it.

They would not trust you, Lord, and they did not like the promised land.  They would not obey you, and they grumbled in their tents. So you threatened them by saying, “I’ll kill you out here in the desert! I’ll scatter your children everywhere in the world.”

Your people became followers of a god named Baal Peor, and they ate sacrifices offered to the dead. They did such terrible things that you punished them with a deadly disease.  But Phinehas helped them, and the sickness stopped. Now he will always be highly honored.

At Meribah Spring they turned against you and made you furious. Then Moses got into trouble for speaking in anger.

Our Lord, they disobeyed you by refusing to destroy the nations. Instead they were friendly with those foreigners and followed their customs.  Then they fell into the trap of worshiping idols. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons and to the gods of Canaan. Then they poured out the blood of these innocent children and made the land filthy.  By doing such gruesome things, they also became filthy.

Finally, Lord, you were angry and terribly disgusted with your people. So you put them in the power of nations that hated them. They were mistreated and abused by their enemies, but you saved them time after time. They were determined to rebel, and their sins caused their downfall.

You answered their prayers when they were in trouble.  You kept your agreement and were so merciful that their enemies had pity on them.

Save us, Lord God! Bring us back from among the nations. Let us celebrate and shout in praise of your holy name.

Lord God of Israel, you deserve to be praised forever and ever. Let everyone say, “Amen! Shout praises to the Lord!”

You answered their prayers when they were in trouble. You kept your agreement and were so merciful that their enemies had pity on them.

Psalm 106:44

Here is today’s prayer from Psalm 106.

God. Abba. Father.

We thank you for you are good, and your love endures forever. It never fails us. Ever. No one can praise you enough! You bless those who are honest and fair. Help us to be people where honesty and justice flow from our actions.

Thank you for showing us your kindness. We join the ranks of those who celebrate you, and those who follow you.

We confess our sin, and those of our ancestors, even those who turned their backs on you and your grace. We remember the true stories of the exodus of your chosen people. We see the circle of their actions: embracing your love, then complaining, then turning their verbal criticism into sin, before finally embracing your love once again. We confess that it is easy for us to repeat that same cycle. Help us to see your love and act accordingly every day. Help us to be strong and courageous, boldly believing who you are without a doubt. Let us be people of faith and people of action.

Save us! Thank you for answering our prayers, even when we are in trouble. Thank you for keeping your promises to us. We are undeserving of your great grace and love!

We sing praises to your name forever! You are our God. From everlasting to everlasting.

We sing Hallelujah!

In the name of Jesus.

Amen.

(c) 2021. Rich Ronald.

Isaiah 65. Blessings Abound for the Chosen — Us!

Posted on by richlyspeaking

Because of the importance of Israel and its people, and my personal love for The Land, I’m inviting you to join me through the key Old Testament book of Isaiah.  Each day I’m posting some simple thoughts about this complex prophet.

Isaiah 65.

Bad news for the sinner — that’s us.

Good news for the chosen ones — that’s us too!

“I, the LORD, will make them pay for their sins and for those of their ancestors… they have disgraced me by burning incense (to idols) on mountains.” (v7, CEV). God calls out those who do religious things just to be religious. For those sins they will have to pay. And, we’re in that category, too, right? Because as Paul notes: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23). And that’s precisely why Jesus had to come and had to pay the price for everyone’s sin. Even those whom God is addressing here in Isaiah 65.

But, good news! “I won’t destroy everyone.” (v8, CEV).

“I am God! I can be trusted. Your past troubles are gone; I no longer think of them. I am creating new heavens and a new earth. Everything of the past will be forgotten.” (v16-17, CEV).

God CAN be trusted. I love that He, infinite God that He is, forgets our past when we confess our sin and trust in Jesus. And, even though He forgets our past, He doesn’t forget the pain we may have suffered or the heart-ache we might have endured. His love and grace wrap around us like a comfortable blanket.

Look how Paul says the same thing: “Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new.” (1 Cor. 5:17, CEV). We are chosen because Jesus went to the Cross, and rose again, on our behalf.

Isaiah concludes this chapter with blessings that abound for the chosen ones:

“My people will live long lives and in their own homes.”

“My people will harvest and enjoy their own crops.”

“Your work won’t be wasted.”

“Your children and grandchildren will be blessed.”

“I will answer their prayers before they finish praying.” (parts of v21-24, CEV).

Don’t you just love that? He will answer our prayers even before we finish offering them! What great promises are in store for us, because we are chosen! We are chosen only because of the grace and love of Jesus:

“But God was merciful! We were dead because of our sins, but God loved us so much that he made us alive with Christ, and God’s wonderful kindness is what saves you. God raised us from death to life with Christ Jesus, and he has given us a place beside Christ in heaven.  God did this so that in the future world he could show how truly good and kind He is to us because of what Christ Jesus has done. You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve. This is God’s gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own.” (Ephesians 2:4-8, CEV).

Can we thank Him for His good gifts to us… the blessings we are promised in Isaiah and receive through Jesus, the Messiah?

If you’re new to this journey through Isaiah, you can start here.
(c) 2020. Rich Ronald.

Isaiah 38. Changing God’s Direction? Yes.

Posted on by richlyspeaking

Because of the importance of Israel and its people, and my personal love for The Land, I’m inviting you to join me through the key Old Testament book of Isaiah.  Each day I’m posting some simple thoughts about this complex prophet.

Isaiah 38.

What an interesting and encouraging story! We can change God’s direction through our prayer!

This chapter opens with our friend Hezekiah gravely ill. In fact, he is told to put the affairs of his house in order for he will surely die soon. He begs God: “Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” (v3, (NIV). He weeps before God as the prophet ponders that his work on earth might be finished.

The Lord’s answer? “I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life.” (v5, NIV). And the sunlight went back 15 steps on the stairway!

About his near-death illness, he says: “Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back.” (v17, NIV).

“In your love…”

Can I tell you dear child, how much God loves you? How much He loves us all? Yes, He does things that we don’t understand, but they are for our benefit. Our gratefulness for those things is a blessing for our future.

It is up to us to share what God has done with our children: “Only the living can thank you, as I am doing today. Each generation tells the next about your faithfulness.” (v19, CEV).

“The Lord will save me, and we will sing with stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the temple of the Lord.” (v20, NIV).

Worship Him with Hezekiah… today and every day! And tell your kids about God’s trustworthiness. For He has saved you in His great love!

 

If you’re new to this journey through Isaiah, you can start here.

(c) 2020. Rich Ronald.

Advent Day 25, the Gift of Prayer

Posted on by richlyspeaking

December 25, 2011

The Gift of Prayer

 

This Advent Daily Devotional is focusing on the gifts God gives us, as uncovered in the book of Ephesians. 

Paul’s final gift for us this Advent is the Gift of Prayer.   Ephesians 6: 18 says, “pray at all times in the Spirit” and Verse 19 “pray for me.”

Pray at all times.  Sounds remarkably like 1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing” Doesn’t it?

Pray in the Spirit.  That sounds a lot like Romans 8:26, which says that when we don’t know how to pray or what to pray, the Spirit helps us in our weakness and prays for us with groaning too deep for words.

Is there any greater gift to open on this Christmas Day, other than gift of the Christ-child Himself, than the ability to be able to connect with Holy God in prayer? 

And it’s a gift to be able to offer prayers on behalf of others.

Continue reading Advent Day 25, the Gift of Prayer