The Lord took me to Psalm 48 this morning. As I read it, I thought about our trip to Israel. In The Passion Translation it reads...
48 1 There are so many reasons to describe God as wonderful!
So many reasons to praise him with unlimited praise!
2 Zion-City is his home; he lives on his holy mountain—
high and glorious, joy filled and favored.
Zion-Mountain looms in the farthest reaches of the north,
the city of our incomparable King!
3 This is his divine abode, an impenetrable citadel,
for he is known to dwell in the highest place.
4–6 See how the mighty kings united to come against Zion,
yet when they saw God manifest in front of their eyes,
they were stunned.
Trembling, they all fled away, gripped with fear.
Seized with panic, they doubled up in frightful anguish
like a woman in the labor pains of childbirth.
7 Like a hurricane blowing and breaking the invading ships,
God blows upon them and breaks them to pieces.
8 We have heard about these wonders,
and then we saw them with our own eyes.
For this is the city of the Commander of Angel Armies,
the city of our God, safe and secure forever!
Pause in his presence
9 Lord, as we worship you in your temple,
we recall over and over your kindness to us
and your unending love.
10 The fame of your name echoes throughout the entire world,
accompanied with praises.
Your right hand is full of victory.
11 So let the people of Zion rejoice with gladness;
let the daughters of praise leap for joy!
For God will see to it that you are judged fairly.
12–13 Circle Zion; count her towers.
Consider her walls, climb her palaces,
and then go and tell the coming generation
of the care and compassion of our God.
14 Yes, this is our God, our great God forever.
He will lead us onward until the end,
through all time, beyond death,
and into eternity!
I believe the Lord took me to this Scripture to remind me of several things.
- to praise Him
- to reflect on our trip to Israel
- to remember He is my Victory
Even though there were men and women carrying automatic weapons when we were in Israel, I still felt at peace. Walking where Jesus walked was an experience I will never forget. When we were down under the Old City and the guide said Jesus had walked in the very place we were, I took my sandal off and touched the ground. Holy Spirit goosebumps went through me. I have never experienced anything like it. When we stood on the Wailing Way praying, I felt closer to God than ever before. The whole trip was one I will never forget. I would love to go back and soak in more of the richness found there. But until that happens I need to live in His richness right where He put me. There is so much history of our great nation in this area. It has been interesting to find out more about our history. But my Christian heritage is so much more interesting. I was thinking this morning about how people go by the little 'prayer chapels' and think they are so cute. But what about how many thousands of prayers that went up in them? How many miracles were realized through those prayers? As people go into churches today to worship, how many prayers will be sent up? How many of those prayers will be answered? How many churches have taken corporate prayer out of their service 'for the sake of time'? How many churches no longer accept prayer requests from the congregation because they 'are just too big' for that to happen? My heart breaks for circumstances such as this. Last night before falling asleep and then during the night as I prayed for pastors, I also prayed for the people who will be sitting in their congregations today. I prayed for pastors to be the leaders God has called them to be and for people to respect them enough to follow God through their teaching. But then God stopped me and told me I needed to pray for those who were not living right and yet leading people. He told me to pray for them to get right with Him so those under their influence would be on the right track. He also had me pray for pastors to realize the need to praise Him. "There are too many pastors who are caught up in themselves and what they want for 'their' church instead of allowing me to work in and through them." God help us all to not have such an attitude! I pray for all pastors, including myself, to make sure God is our focus. I pray for all of us to not allow people or circumstances to get us off track on what God desires of us. My heart breaks to hear of churches being led astray by the very person who they should be able to trust with their spiritual lives. My heart breaks for pastors who have lost sight of what really matters in life. As congregations gather this morning, I pray they will realize the need to praise God. If for no other reason, praise Him to tick the devil off! But when he gets ticked off we must be ready for the battles that will come and come hard. He does not like that we worship God let alone when we praise Him! His retaliation can be hard but what a reward when we stand firm in our faith and knock him down! Victory! Plain and simple! Woo hoo! This victory is only found when we stand upon II Timothy 1:7 in His love and empowerment.
Dear Jesus,
Thank You for directing me to Psalm 48 this morning! Thank You for all the reminders in it! Thank You for empowering me to stand upon II Timothy 1:7! Thank You for giving me exactly what I need, sometimes even before I realize I need it! Thank You for cleansing me so You can fill me today with more of You! The desire of my heart is for people to see/hear You and not me in my actions, words, and attitude. May You be greater, Lord, may You be greater! Father, I don't know what the day holds but I pray it is a better one for Doc. I pray You will empower him with Your strength in a mighty way. We are worn from these 'tough' days. It is hard to not become discouraged when his body is so depleted of energy. Father, we need a miracle and are praising You in advance for providing. Lord, once again I pray for all pastors to be focused on You in a new, different way. May You give all pastors a realization of Psalm 48:1. There are so many reasons to describe God as wonderful! So many reasons to praise Him with unlimited praise! Yes! Thank You Jesus for being My Reason to Praise! Amen.
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