Psalm 96

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.

Sing a new song to the Lord! Everyone on this earth, sing praises to the Lord, sing and praise his name.

Day after day announce, “The Lord has saved us!” Tell every nation on earth, “The Lord is wonderful and does marvelous things! The Lord is great and deserves our greatest praise! He is the only God worthy of our worship. Other nations worship idols, but the Lord created the heavens. Give honor and praise to the Lord, whose power and beauty fill his holy temple.”

Tell everyone of every nation, “Praise the glorious power of the Lord. He is wonderful! Praise him and bring an of fering into his temple. Everyone on earth, now tremble and worship the Lord, majestic and holy.”

Announce to the nations, “The Lord is King! The world stands firm, never to be shaken, and he will judge its people with fairness.”

Tell the heavens and the earth to be glad and celebrate! Command the ocean to roar with all of its creatures and the fields to rejoice with all of their crops. Then every tree in the forest will sing joyful songs  to the Lord. He is coming to judge all people on earth with fairness and truth.

Even today, when our world appears to be on shaky ground, when politicians, lawmakers, physicians, kings, business leaders, or even clergy believe they are the answer, we say, “No! God is our only hope. God is the One True God. God is the judge. He will set everything right.”

Here is today’s prayer from Psalm 96:

God. Abba. Father.

We sing a new song to you today! With each new dawn there is an opportunity to praise you! We worship you from north to south and east to west. We declare your greatness because you have saved us! May every people group throughout the globe hear that God is wonderful. He is good. He is great! He is worthy of our praise! He is the Creator, not the created. So, we give Him honor today.

He made the heavens. He made the oceans. He made the mountains. He made the meadows. He made the forests. He made the plains. He made the deserts. And he made each person who walks this Land. So, we shout from the bottom of our hearts: “The LORD, Yahweh, reigns! He is King! He rules the world!”

Even today, when our world appears to be on shaky ground, when politicians, lawmakers, physicians, kings, business leaders, or even clergy believe they are the answer, we say, “No! God is our only hope. God is the One True God. God is the judge. He will set everything right.”

And we thank you, Father, for wiping the slate clean. Yes, because of the sacrifice of Jesus once and for all, our sins are forgiven, and everyone of us has been granted access to your throne of grace. Thank you! Yes, you are the only way to seeing justice and freedom delivered to the nations and given to each of us personally.

So, let the trees of the forest sing for joy! And we will join in the chorus as well. You are the great I Am, the great judge. You rule the world!

Because of Jesus,

Amen.

(c) 2021. Rich Ronald.

Psalm 95

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.

Sing joyful songs to the Lord! Praise the mighty rock where we are safe. Come to worship him with thankful hearts and songs of praise.

The Lord is the greatest God, king over all other gods. He holds the deepest part of the earth in his hands, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The ocean is the Lord’s because he made it, and with his own hands, he formed the dry land.

Bow down and worship the Lord our Creator! The Lord is our God, and we are his people, the sheep he takes care of in his own pasture.

Listen to God’s voice today! Don’t be stubborn and rebel as your ancestors did at Meribah and Massah out in the desert. For forty years they tested God and saw the things he did. Then God got tired of them and said, “You never show good sense, and you don’t understand what I want you to do.” In his anger, God told them,
“You people will never enter my place of rest.”

Why do we sing? Because you oh great King are the One True God. There is none like you.

Psalm 95

Here is today’s prayer from Psalm 95:

God. Abba. Father.

We sing with great joy before you today! You are our rock. You are our salvation. Why do we sing? Because you oh great King, are the One True God. There is none like you. You are the Creator. Every single blade of grass gets its life from you. Every drop of saltwater in the oceans fell at your command. Every mountain goat that scampers to the highest peak does so because you gave it the ability to skip with firm footing.

Why do we sing? Why do we worship and, yes, even fall on our knees before you? Because you oh great King gave us breath. You formed us. You have guided us. You have been our shepherd to lead us to streams of living water for refreshment and meadows of green for rest. We are being cared for each and every day by you, God — the mighty and great LORD. And we are humbled by your love for us, your children.

We are encouraged today to listen to you. To bend our ears to heaven to hear your voice. We pause and silence the clutter of everything else… the dinging texts, the demanding coworker, even the chatter in the next room. We suppress all the noise. We focus on you. We wait patiently and concentrate. Speak to us.

Let us not be like the ancestors of old who hardened their hearts to your grace and provision. No, we open our hands and our souls to all that you have for us.

We worship your holy name because of the most wonderful sound ever heard… the rolling of a rock from the entrance of the tomb. And the footsteps of your Son walking out.

And it is in His name we pray.

Amen.

(c) 2021. Rich Ronald.

Isaiah 66. Walking With God.

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 66.

The last chapter, the final word from this great prophet, is about worship, how we act and His promises to His children who will worship Him once again in Jerusalem.

“The LORD said, “Heaven is my throne. The earth is my footstool.” (v1, CEV). The image is that of a great and mighty king, right?

The Psalmist says, “The LORD says to my lord: sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”  (Psalm 110:1, NIV).

So, how are we to worship Him? “The people I treasure most are the humble— they depend only on me and tremble when I speak.” (v2, CEV). The Message says “a person simple and plain, reverently responsive to what I say.” We worship God not with brash arrogance nor pride that we are called His children. But rather, with our hands and heart open to receive and a posture turned toward honoring our great King.

Listen to the similar words of another prophet: “The LORD has told us what is right and what He demands: see that justice is done, let mercy be your first concern and humbly obey God.” (Micah 6:8, CEV). The NIV says we “are to walk humbly with your God.” I like the picture of walking with God, don’t you?

God promises that the people of Israel will always have a special place in His heart. “As surely as my new heavens and earth will remain, so will you always be my people, with a name that will never disappear,” says the LORD. (v 22, NLT). What great comfort for the Jewish people, and all of us who have been grafted into this wonderful community because of the resurrection of Yeshua Ha’Mashiach, Jesus, the Messiah!

What is the prophet’s final words, the last verse? “My people will go out and look at the dead bodies of those who turned against me. The worms there never die, the fire never stops burning, and the sight of those bodies will be disgusting to everyone.” (v24, CEV).

This is an image of hell, the true image of not walking with God.

But, as for me and my house, I will choose verse 2 over verse 24. Like Joshua rallied the people of God, I, too, will choose the LORD. How about you?

 

Thanks for reading Isaiah with me these past 66 days! I have loved this journey. I trust along the way you have learned a thing or two about God, and His special love for the people of Israel.  I have.

 

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.

Isaiah 18

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 18.

Woe to Ethiopia. This is getting interesting, isn’t it? If you’re following along you’ll note that Isaiah is drawing this circle of countries of woe around Israel. It was Damascus to the north yesterday. Moab to the east earlier. In this chapter it is Ethiopia to the south.

As a part of God’s judgement, “The nation will be food for mountain buzzards during the summer and for wild animals during the winter.” (v6, CEV).

But then…

“Those Ethiopians are tall and their skin is smooth. They are feared all over the world, because they are strong and brutal. But at that time they will come from their land divided by rivers, and they will bring gifts to the Lord All-Powerful, who is worshiped on Mount Zion.” (v7, CEV).

The Ethiopians will bring gifts to the LORD! This may be a prophesy of one of the Magi who brings a gift to newborn Messiah in Matthew 2.  Isaiah is also saying that everyone will worship God on Mt. Zion. Those from Ethiopia and Moab and Assyria. And people from the USA and Japan and Sweden and Russia and Nigeria and… You see, ultimately, every knee will bow before God, the LORD, Yahweh, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Messiah (Isaiah 45, Romans 14 and Philippians 2)! Yes, every nation! Every people group!

“I invite the whole world to turn to me and be saved.  I alone am God! No others are real. I have made a solemn promise, one that won’t be broken: Everyone will bow down and worship me.” Isaiah 45:22-23 (CEV).

Join me in worshiping God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit today.

 

(c) 2020. Rich Ronald.