Today's Reading:O.T. - Psalm 80 - 83
N.T. - Revelation 19
Focus Verses:
Psalm 79:9-10 1Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob! 2Begin the music, strike the tambourine, play the melodious harp and lyre. - - - 6He says, "I removed the burden from their shoulders; their hands were set free from the basket. 7In your distress you called and I rescued you, I answered you out of a thundercloud..."
Revelation 19:6-7a 6Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. 7aLet us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!"
Insight:
God delivers and restores those who cry out to him. Deliverance and restoration call for loud songs of praise. Those who are saved shout aloud! They strike tambourines, strum melodies, and raise their voices in thunderous "Hallelujahs!" God hears and rescues them, so they rejoice in gladness and give him glory.
Response and Action:
My faith in God's salvation moves me to rejoice and praise him today. My loud shouts of thanks and adoration are witnesses to my faith. My voice raised in worship today is a rehearsal for the final day when I will raise my voice in the thundering multitudes of all the redeemed who shout out "Hallelujah!" Because I am living by faith, I will worship God today and raise my voice to praise him. I live my life as a spiritual act of worship and commit my energy and actions toward God's purposes to rescue and restore.
O God, the world is filled with injustice and sin. We need you to rescue and deliver us. I'm praising you today, Lord, for the many ways you save and restore us right now. I'm praising you because I believe your promise to reconcile all things and restore all creation. Save me and use me today, O God, as an instrument of your peace, your power to save, and your restoring love. Amen.
Proverbs: 15:24
“The path of life leads upward for the wise to keep him from going down to the grave.”
Resources:
The Dangerous Act of Worship: Living God's Call to Justice
by Mark Labberton
