Save Us, O Lord!

Today's Reading:
1 Chronicles 9:1 - 10:14
Galatians 5:1-12
Psalm 106:40-48 
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Focus Verses: Psalm 106:47-48
47 Save us, LORD our God, and gather us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise. 48 Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Let all the people say, “Amen!” Praise the LORD.

Insight:
The psalmist cries out to God for deliverance. He asks God to gather in and restore the people of Israel who, because of their unfaithfulness, have been scattered and taken captive by the surrounding nations. He asks God to do this for the glory of his holy name. The psalmist appeals to God with the pledge that the salvation of his people will result in their songs of praise.

Response and Action:I cry out to God for help every day. My prayers for family, friends, church, neighbors, community, and world are too many to count. But when I ask for salvation, is it for me alone or for God's glory? When I pray for deliverance, do I expect the deliverance to result in thanks to God? When I cry out for relief and provision, am I concerned only with temporal needs, or do I want God's name to be praised from everlasting to everlasting?

Instead of my prayers being focused on me, I want them to be rooted in a genuine desire to bring reverence and devotion to God!

Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him.
Let the "Amen" sound from His people again,
Gladly for YES we adore Him.

Spiritual Formation Verses: 1 Peter 1:3-4a
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4a and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.

Resources:
Learning to Pray Through the Psalms
by James Sire