The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 77:1-20 (day two)

 I shall remember the deeds of the Lord; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old. V. 11

This is the pivot verse of Psalm 77. This is the moment after the psalmist has drained himself of all the things weighing on his heart and mind; and he takes a breath, and remembers. This is such a beautiful and instructional model for our prayers. It is a reminder to talk honestly with the Lord, even when it is uncomfortable. Hold nothing back, empty yourself of your hurt, your fear, your anger, and frustration so there is nothing left except to remember. When your mind and heart are not clouded by the obstacle in front of you, you can look back at the unfailing mercy and goodness of our Lord. I’m not sure we get to this point enough. Either we aren’t being honest with ourselves, and therefore, the Lord, or we are afraid to be that vulnerable. His goodness is patient, but he wants all of you. Empty yourself and remember.

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 113:1-9 (day seven)

He makes the barren woman abide in the house
As a joyful mother of children.
Praise the Lord! vs 9

Today we celebrate Motherhood. I’m not going to pretend like this day is an easy day for every woman out there. This can be a day that causes pain, resentment, and doubt for many whose earliest memories include dreams of being a mom. Women, moms, men, dads, whatever your role, whatever your plight, let this passage bring you hope: God sees you, God hears you, and God brings you life.

Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Hannah, Elizabeth and other women found in Scripture resonate deeply with this verse. It’s not just a miracle; it’s a validation. God saw their plight, God heard their cry, and God met them with compassion. He brought them life.

Jesus does the same for every single one of us! Did you know He sang this Psalm the night before He was crucified? (See the Hallel) How sweet and poetic that Jesus brought to life the Psalm that he sang while surrounded by friends in the upper room through his death on the cross and an empty tomb. We are all the barren woman, desperate for a home. Jesus sees our plight, Jesus hears our cry, and Jesus meets us with compassion! Jesus brings us new life!

Happy Mother’s Day to everyone!

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 113:1-9 (day six)

Psalm 113 lifts our eyes to a God whose glory (kavod) is His weighty, reality-defining presence. A black hole possesses such immense mass that it bends space, time, and light around itself. In a similar way, the glory of God bends everything around it. When we encounter Him, we don’t simply observe; all of who we are is reshaped by the immense gravity of His glory.

Western culture would lead us to believe that there is nothing to behold beyond ourselves; that we are the architects of our own lives. But God’s glory reintroduces transcendence. It invites us to “stay enchanted,” to seek, see, and receive the weight of His presence, a reality greater than ourselves.

It is the confession of John the Apostle: “We beheld His glory.”

And when we do, everything begins to bend toward Him.

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 113:1-9 (day five)

“Blessed be the name of the Lord From this time forth and forever.”
Is there ever a time or moment when God could/should not be praised?  Not according to Psalm 113. Maybe asking that same question in a positive perspective would be better. When could/should God be praised?  According to Psalm 113, always. The intent of the psalmist is to Bless/Praise the Lord always (moving forward).  He then describes life from two extremes. When the world seems right… God is on His throne. He is in charge and ruling with keen awareness. When the world seems broken… there is suffering, sadness, and hardship. Each extreme and all of life in between, offer opportunities and perspectives to see and experience the power and presence of God. When all I see is the difficult and the demands of life, I could/should praise Him for His promised presence. When I can’t or don’t, that says more about me than Him. If He really is worthy, then maybe like the psalmist, we should be more intent and determined to Praise Him and Bless Him “from this time forth.” I wonder what life would look like and feel like if we did. I really want to find out!  Praise God!!

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 113:1-9 (day four)

The breadth and depth of God’s power and love are on display in this Psalm. It begins by declaring that God is powerful – he is mighty over all of heaven and earth, The Lord is high above all nations; His glory is above the heavens. That would be enough to inspire worship in us, wouldn’t it? When we consider God’s power over the earth and every system and institution we encounter in this world, it leaves us no other response but to worship this powerful God.

But the psalmist doesn’t stop there. He moves from examining the breadth of God’s power to celebrating the depth of his love for his creation. He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the needy from the ash heap…He makes the barren woman abide in the house As a joyful mother of children. This all-powerful God loves his creation so much that he enters into the ash heap of the poor and lifts them out of it, reestablishing them as his very sons and daughters, as “princes.” He does not allow his power and glory to keep him from personal care and attention for his creation; he cares even for the womb of the hopeful mother, the most intimate of places. Only in our God can such power and might abide with such care and love. Worship is our only possible response.

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 113:1-9  (day three)

⁵ Who is like the Lord our God,
who is seated on high,
⁶ who looks far down
on the heavens and the earth? (vv. 5-6, ESV)

This Psalm reminds us that the Lord our God takes a vested interest in the happenings of this world. While He is seated on His heavenly throne, He is not sitting back simply ignoring the things He has created. He is taking part in and watching over that which He made. His involvement is much more than just watching. He lifts up the poor and needy, brings comfort, provides, protects, guards, blesses, makes new ways where there are not ways, performs miracles, maintains His Creation, and so much more. This list could be exhaustive, and we will have all of eternity to praise and thank Him for these things and so much more!

Our God is a hands-on, caring God and there is no other like Him. I hope that brings you joy this week. How have you seen Him taking an active role or part in your life? He is there! Take time today to take note of God being active in your life and praise Him all the more for it!

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 113:1-9 (day two)

 From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the Lord is to be praised. v. 3

Last week we looked at the mandate to sing, to worship, to praise the Lord. No one is exempt; we are all created to worship the Lord. This week’s passage makes it seem like we get to do nothing else. Even for a musician like me, that seems like a daunting task. What can this possibly mean? Are we supposed to sit in church singing all day every day? I would love to say the answer to that is yes; however, I think it is much more than just singing. How we live our lives is a reflection of our love, devotion, and worship of God. We are to consider every moment as an opportunity to reflect the nature of our creator to the world. That is no less a daunting task than sitting and singing all day, but it certainly gets us out of the pew! A friend recently sent me this passage from Brother Lawrence that I think applies to our reading of Psalm 113:

Simply living and moving in His presence is an acceptable sacrifice.
There is nowhere He is not, no darkness He has not already sounded, nowhere I can go outside His presence.
I may simply live there, be there… and if I don’t know what to say, I can turn the dirt of my garden, I can breathe in and out, I can make breakfast.

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 96:1-13 (day seven)

For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the Lord made the heavens.

Splendor and majesty are before Him,
Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Psalm 96:5-6

Sometimes the English language doesn’t fully capture the richness found in Scripture. Especially as we read poetry. The word for idols (elilim) is a play on the word for gods (elohim). Elilim actually translates most closely to “nothing.” What people call “gods” are, in reality, nothing at all. You can try to compare them to God, but they pale in comparison to the splendor and majesty of the Creator of the Universe!

We might not think that we create idols because we don’t have graven images in our households, but the gods of the peoples of today are just as prevalent and dangerous. We worship with our time, energy, and money. If we were to follow the trail of those things in your life, would it lead us to God or would it lead us to something else? Work, family, hobbies, comfort, success, possessions? These are the idols of today. Wait, those can be good things, can’t they?

Strength and beauty are the characteristics of the things found in the presence of God. When God is the center of our worship, we find strength and beauty in those good things, but when those “good” things become the center of our worship, we become drained and burnt out because our energy has been spent doing nothing.