April 21, 2013
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 30
OBSERVATIONS
This is David’s testimony, a song written to inspire people to praise God. He tells his story, how in a time when he was sick and dying, he cried out to God and God came through. God turned things around for Him, from grief to joy, from misery to hope.
This song was written for the dedication of the temple. Since David did not live to see the temple, he prepared it in advance. He knew that the Temple would be a place where people came to God for help, and where people came to God to worship.
God’s ‘house’ was intended to be a place of healing and prayer for the nations, David wanted to make sure that was what happened there.
”Sing to the Lord, you who are faithful to him. Praise him, because his name is holy.” Maybe he anticipated that a time would come when people would forget (see Mark 11:15-17).
God is love, God is not anger. His anger is an expression of His love, but it is momentary, while His love endures forever. Our anger is usually define by our self-love, but God’s anger is always defined by His selfless love.
David does not know what comes after death, all he knows is that death ends this life, and that this life is when we are to praise him. He is praising
What do you notice in this passage?
APPLICATION
The OT ‘house’ was an actual temple building; today, we are that temple, where we praise God. Wherever we are, whoever we are with, we are too worship God, to call on His Name for help. We may have a building where we gather with other believers (mistakenly called a church), but God wants us to dedicate out lives to worship and witness! People will meet God through us.
Do we worship, do we witness, or have we forgotten? The kind of worship and witness David is talking about is not singing from a hymn book port on the ppt screen led by an organ or praise team. He is talking about real sharing, real-life stories of healing and help and hope. We seem to have forgotten this.
Could I share my own story, is my worship an expression of my real life experience of God in my life? How had God helped you? Who have you told about it? Does your church give you an opportunity to share God’s grace and goodness in your life?
How can or church do a better job of this?
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, I will give you honor. My heart will sing to you. I can’t keep silent. Lord, my God, I will give you thanks forever.
Jesus follower
trying to find His way
On at last. No internet in the AM since the inverter is broken. Ugh!
Observations:
The Lord answered His prayer with healing. Life instead of death. Sing praises. God’s people need to sing praise. Each day is a new day for rejoicing and that rejoicing can last a lifetime. By ourselves we are we yet with God we stand strong. Proclaim His faithfulness! God is my helper for He has turned my sadness into joy and I must tell and sing that story of His faithfulness to me.
Application:
I have a video series for children entitled ‘the StoryKeepers’ and Ben the baker does just that. I need to do that also – tell of my story and of God’s goodness to me. I have opportunity to do just that in the classroom sharing bits and pieces of my journey with my risen Saviour with my classes so that they to – another generation will hear that God is alive and He is my daily Help.
How am I today? Super – because He has given me another day to tell the Story.
Prayer:
Lord, give me the strength and courage to tell the Story giving reason of the joyfulness I have in Christ Jesus.
I love to tell the story of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love.
I love to tell the story, because I know ’tis true;
It satisfies my longings as nothing else can do.
Refrain
I love to tell the story, ’twill be my theme in glory,
To tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love.
I love to tell the story; more wonderful it seems
Than all the golden fancies of all our golden dreams.
I love to tell the story, it did so much for me;
And that is just the reason I tell it now to thee.
Refrain
I love to tell the story; ’tis pleasant to repeat
What seems, each time I tell it, more wonderfully sweet.
I love to tell the story, for some have never heard
The message of salvation from God’s own holy Word.
Refrain
I love to tell the story, for those who know it best
Seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest.
And when, in scenes of glory, I sing the new, new song,
’Twill be the old, old story that I have loved so long.