Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Shouting for Joy! Psalms 65-66; First Timothy 2

May the mumbling commence!

Shout for joy to the Lord.  Join all the earth in praising the name of God.  Why praise the Lord?  We have only to remember the wonderful things God has done for us… and shout about them from the rooftops.  Read from Psalm Sixty-six:

Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth! 
Sing about the glory of his name!
Tell the world how glorious he is. 
Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds!
Your enemies cringe before your mighty power. 
Everything on earth will worship you;
they will sing your praises, shouting your name in glorious songs."
Interlude 
Come and see what our God has done,
what awesome miracles he does for his people! 
He made a dry path through the Red Sea, and his people went across on foot.
Come, let us rejoice in who he is. 
For by his great power he rules forever.
He watches every movement of the nations;
let no rebel rise in defiance.
Interlude (Verses 1-7)

This is no whisper.  It is a full-bodied shout.  God is awesome.

Think about the awesome deeds that God has done in our lives.  The Hebrew people had the exodus to remember and relive each year.  What do we have?

We have the exodus from sin rather than from Egypt.  We have the work that Jesus has done for us of reconciliation and peace and salvation.  We have the personal experiences of God caring for us as we walk through the fires of life and swim out into the deep and troubled waters.

Shout about these things from the rooftops to everyone… whether they are likely to listen and understand or not.  It makes no difference.  Allow the Holy Spirit of God to work through you.

In other words, get out of the way and let God be God.  And pray for all people… especially our leaders even when we do not agree with them.  Read from First Timothy chapter two:

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God's mercy upon them, and give thanks.  Pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity.  This is good and pleases God our Savior, for he wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.  For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and people. He is the man Christ Jesus.  He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message that God gave to the world at the proper time. (Verses 1-6)

There it is.  God’s salvation through Christ is for everyone who chooses to accept it.  Let’s pray people into relationship with us and with our Lord!

Enough mumbling for now…


Peace Out

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