Good Afternoon...well would be like afternoon if I got up at 3, but God allowed me to go back to bed and sleep in. PTL! Now I feel like I'm running late when actually I am running on our Shepherds time! Amen!
TGIF Thank God I'm forgiven! Man there is so much to be thankful about that! I was reminded on my daily Scripture calendar that being thankful is not a suggestion or a when-we-feel-like-it kind of thing. Be thankful always and be thankful in all things are commands. And starting with for our salvation, forgiveness, new life and gifts along with being thankful for all the facets of who God is should fill notebooks of prayer journals and redirect your thinking from mourning and grief and anger to praise. Try it!
Check out Our Daily Bread below and their reminder of the One worthy of all praise, all glory and all honor! And worship with much ! I spent several hours with this. You can start with 10-15 min and expand as the Spirit leads and great things of God, praiseworthy things, come to mind. Rejoice and be thankful as you draw near and abide in God's love.
When I got up Karen was reading Psalm 19 to me flowing out of her quiet time. She found Psalm 19 listed in ODB. A copy it below. It contains a phrase I often pray, "May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you O God!" Amen! Being thankful always and in all things leads to that heart and repentance and praise refocuses us to God and His love and good ways. Try it and know His peace, joy and love and receive the many blessings that flow from having a thankful heart! Yes, rejoice always! Amen! And TGIF!
Psalm 19
The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The skies display his craftsmanship.
2 Day after day they continue to speak;
night after night they make him known.
3 They speak without a sound or word;
their voice is never heard.
4 Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
and their words to all the world.
God has made a home in the heavens for the .
5 It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding.
It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race.
6 The rises at one end of the heavens
and follows its course to the other end.
Nothing can hide from its heat.
7 The instructions of the Lord are perfect,
reviving the soul.
The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
8 The commandments of the Lord are right,
bringing joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are clear,
giving insight for living.
9 Reverence for the Lord is pure,
lasting forever.
The laws of the Lord are true;
each one is fair.
10 They are more desirable than gold,
even the finest gold.
They are sweeter than honey,
even honey dripping from the comb.
11 They are a warning to your servant,
a great reward for those who obey them.
12 How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?
Cleanse me from these hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant from deliberate sins!
Don’t let them control me.
Then I will be free of guilt
and innocent of great sin.
14 May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing to you,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
ODB:
One Worthy of Worship
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1 Luke 23:44-49
One April afternoon, millions gathered along a mapped arc across Mexico and the United States to witness a rare total solar eclipse. Schools released children, small towns blossomed to receive travelers, and neighbors set up lawn chairs in driveways donning protective glasses to take in the wonder. As television crews documented the countdown to “totality,” the crowd grew silent except for one repeated phrase: “Oh my God!”
That struck me. I don’t know for certain why those observers chose that phrase in the moment, but I suspect that as mortals encountered the rare and the astonishing, they seemed to need Someone to acknowledge. Someone to thank. Someone to worship. When we look heavenward, our response is awe. As David wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (Psalm 19:1).
The gospel writer Luke reports Jesus’ last minutes on the cross. “It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the stopped shining” (23:44-45). Matthew shares a response to this revelation: “When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, ‘Surely he was the Son of God!’ ” (Matthew 27:54). They couldn’t help but acknowledge God as the Someone worthy of worship.
In humble awe, I worship You—my God.
By Elisa Morgan
REFLECT & PRAY
Where have you seen God’s glory and found yourself awed? In what ways can you worship Him in all His awesomeness?
Dear God, You are holy. I worship You in awe!
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
In Luke 23:44-49, the events surrounding Jesus’ death reveal the worthiness of God. Christ’s final words where He entrusts His spirit to the Father (v. 46) show His complete obedience and trust, even in death. As darkness covered the land (v. 44) and “the curtain of the temple was torn in two” (v. 45), creation itself testified that something supernatural was unfolding. These signs moved the Roman centurion, a gentile and outsider, to proclaim Jesus’ innocence (v. 47). His response shows that genuine worship begins when the heart recognizes God’s power and holiness. The crowd, struck with remorse, departed in sorrow (v. 48), while “all those who knew him . . . stood at a distance, watching” (v. 49) as they witnessed the depth of God’s love displayed on the cross. His sacrifice there proved He was worthy of worship not only because of His power over creation but because of His self-giving love.
For further study, read The Thunder of Sinai: Exodus 20 and the Heart of God.
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