Thank God! He deserves your thanks.
His love never quits. (Psalm 136:1, MSG)
God is my Creator and Father.
His love never quits!
God is my Lord and Savior.
His love never quits!
God is my Comforter.
His love never quits!
Thank the God who created the earth.
His love never quits!
He flung stars into the universe.
His love never quits!
He created the tiniest single cell organism.
His love never quits!
He ridged America's greatness with rugged mountains.
His love never quits!
Ocean waves crash on rocky shores in the north.
His love never quits!
He was on the moon before the first landing.
His love never quits!
That God watched over my beginnings.
His love never quits!
He watched over me when my father left.
His love never quits!
When my cry reached God's ears, He shouted, "No more!"
His love never quits!
My uncle disappeared into the mists of memory.
His love never quits!
God's glory rang through Bach's preludes and fugues.
His love never quits!
Debussy painted pictures of God's glory.
His love never quits!
All 500 hymns of my hymnal testified to God's glory.
His love never quits!
God went ahead of me and sought out teachers.
His love never quits!
God softened their hearts and opened their wallets.
His love never quits!
God took me, a nobody on welfare,
His love never quits!
And made me valedictorian.
His love never quits!
He took the awards meant for others and gave them to me.
His love never quits!
God remembered us when we were down.
His love never quits!
When Grandma had died and Mom couldn't work.
His love never quits!
He took care of us in our time of need.
His love never quits!
Thank God, who did it all!
His love never quits! (Psalm 136:26, MSG)
I, too, give witness to the greatness of God,
our Lord, high above all other gods.
He does just as he pleases—
however, wherever, whenever. 135:5- 6
God, your name is eternal,
God, you’ll never be out-of-date. 135;13
His love never quits - 26 times in Psalm 136
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Friday, August 30, 2013
NIGHTWATCH (Psalm 134)
You priests of God, posted to the nightwatch in God's shrine, lift your praising hands to the Holy Place, and bless God. (Psalm 134:2, MSG)
I'm blessed. I've never had to work the night shift. Never even once, as far as I can remember. Nightly I give thanks for those aides and nurses who do work overnight.
Last night, I was in more pain than usual; they had run out of my muscle rub and I ached all over. The med aide not only brought medicine. She refreshed my sweating neck with a cool, damp washcloth. She washed my aching legs. She brushed my hair back from my face while she urged me to take slow, deep breaths.
Oh, the human touch. The pain didn't completely go away, but I relaxed, knowing someone cared, and I eventually fell asleep.
Someone who works in a place like this and uses her hands for comfort and healing--she was praising God through her touch.
Several times throughout Psalms, I have run across references to praising God at night. I have to wonder if David suffered from insomnia, if his joints and muscles ached from battle injuries. I shut my ears to most of the references. When I lie awake, praising God is not on my mind. Once or twice I have tried my alphabet game. The last time, I couldn't get past God is Amazing.
Those priests assigned to the nightwatch might have wished they were home with their families. They might have battled sleepiness. They probably made regular rounds of the Tabernacle (later the Temple), checking for safety and problems with the animals, making sure the lights remained lit.
David added another responsibility: spend your hours in praise. Lift your hands and sing God's praise. Bless God with thoughts and mind and hands.
Today's favorite verse adds another layer: their nightly uniform. Justice. Or, in the words of other translations, righteousness. Keep their relationships in order, both vertically, with God, and horizontally, with other people.
Lord, help me praise You during the nightwatch.
Get your priests all dressed up in justice; prompt your worshipers to sing this prayer. (Psalm 132:9, MSG)
I'm blessed. I've never had to work the night shift. Never even once, as far as I can remember. Nightly I give thanks for those aides and nurses who do work overnight.
Last night, I was in more pain than usual; they had run out of my muscle rub and I ached all over. The med aide not only brought medicine. She refreshed my sweating neck with a cool, damp washcloth. She washed my aching legs. She brushed my hair back from my face while she urged me to take slow, deep breaths.
Oh, the human touch. The pain didn't completely go away, but I relaxed, knowing someone cared, and I eventually fell asleep.
Someone who works in a place like this and uses her hands for comfort and healing--she was praising God through her touch.
Several times throughout Psalms, I have run across references to praising God at night. I have to wonder if David suffered from insomnia, if his joints and muscles ached from battle injuries. I shut my ears to most of the references. When I lie awake, praising God is not on my mind. Once or twice I have tried my alphabet game. The last time, I couldn't get past God is Amazing.
Those priests assigned to the nightwatch might have wished they were home with their families. They might have battled sleepiness. They probably made regular rounds of the Tabernacle (later the Temple), checking for safety and problems with the animals, making sure the lights remained lit.
David added another responsibility: spend your hours in praise. Lift your hands and sing God's praise. Bless God with thoughts and mind and hands.
Today's favorite verse adds another layer: their nightly uniform. Justice. Or, in the words of other translations, righteousness. Keep their relationships in order, both vertically, with God, and horizontally, with other people.
Lord, help me praise You during the nightwatch.
Get your priests all dressed up in justice; prompt your worshipers to sing this prayer. (Psalm 132:9, MSG)
Thursday, August 29, 2013
HARNESSED? (Psalm 129)
Their plowmen plowed long furrows up and down my back;
Then God ripped the harnesses of the evil plowmen to shreds. (Psalm 129:3-4, MSG)
"Harness" brings vivid images to my mind.
You see, one of the TV series that I watch is TNT's scifi, "Falling Skies." (I know, I watch too much television.) The premise is that not too far in the future, aliens have conquered the earth and the "second Massachusetts regiment" are leading a valiant resistance movement.
The aliens capture as many human children as possible and put them into a "harness" attached to their backbones. The harness controls their behavior. In one riveting episode, Mason (played by Noah Webster)watches a line of children march by, all in harness, oblivious to the presence of the adults nearby. His son Ben is among them, but he is unable to rescue him at that time.
When they do rescue Ben, they face a bigger challenge: undoing the harness from the back. It's more than a mechanical device; it's a living organism that binds with the host and turns them into "skitters." Even after the harness is removed, Ben is tempted to return to the Skitters. The tendrils remain in place, and he must choose to resist.
Combining the Falling Skies mythology with the verse in Psalm 129, my mind teems with analogies. The enemy, Satan, attached his harness to my back, training to give in to my evil desires.
At Salvation, God tears off that harness. It was ripped to shreds at Calvary.
And yet . . . in spite of my new life in Christ. . .The tendrils continue to tempt to return to an old allegiance. With God's help, I can resist. But I must choose, on an daily, hourly, minute-by-minute basis.
Praise God for His radical surgery.
Today's favorite verse: If you, God, kept records on wrongdoings, who would stand a chance? As it turns out, forgiveness is your habit, and that's why you're worshiped. (Psalm 130:3-4, MSG)
Then God ripped the harnesses of the evil plowmen to shreds. (Psalm 129:3-4, MSG)
"Harness" brings vivid images to my mind.
You see, one of the TV series that I watch is TNT's scifi, "Falling Skies." (I know, I watch too much television.) The premise is that not too far in the future, aliens have conquered the earth and the "second Massachusetts regiment" are leading a valiant resistance movement.
The aliens capture as many human children as possible and put them into a "harness" attached to their backbones. The harness controls their behavior. In one riveting episode, Mason (played by Noah Webster)watches a line of children march by, all in harness, oblivious to the presence of the adults nearby. His son Ben is among them, but he is unable to rescue him at that time.
When they do rescue Ben, they face a bigger challenge: undoing the harness from the back. It's more than a mechanical device; it's a living organism that binds with the host and turns them into "skitters." Even after the harness is removed, Ben is tempted to return to the Skitters. The tendrils remain in place, and he must choose to resist.
Combining the Falling Skies mythology with the verse in Psalm 129, my mind teems with analogies. The enemy, Satan, attached his harness to my back, training to give in to my evil desires.
At Salvation, God tears off that harness. It was ripped to shreds at Calvary.
And yet . . . in spite of my new life in Christ. . .The tendrils continue to tempt to return to an old allegiance. With God's help, I can resist. But I must choose, on an daily, hourly, minute-by-minute basis.
Praise God for His radical surgery.
Today's favorite verse: If you, God, kept records on wrongdoings, who would stand a chance? As it turns out, forgiveness is your habit, and that's why you're worshiped. (Psalm 130:3-4, MSG)
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
PLANTING IN DESPAIR (Psalm 126)
And now, God, do it again--bring rains to our drought-stricken lives
So those who planted their crops in despair will shout hurrahs at the harvest.
So those who went off with heavy hearts will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing. (Psalm 126:4-6, MSG)
This verse brings two things to mind.
I live in Oklahoma, the heart of America's Dust Bowl years. Talk about planting in despair! For years farmers had planted in faith in next year's harvest, which would grow and pay the bank--at least enough for another growing season. Many of them never got to shout hurrahs at the long-delayed harvest. Perhaps a few of the ones who left with heavy hearts did return home with armloads of blessing. I don't really know about Steinbeck's Okies or the transients depicted in the movie Seabiscuit at the end of the Great Depression.
The other thing that springs to mind is the cliche, attributed to the Bible but not written there, "God helps those who help themselves."
Because. . .in spite of despair, in spite of the lack of any real hope, some continue to plant crops. Hmm, that reflects my early years of writing. I wrote for ten years without any real affirmations. I reached a point where I was published regularly--one short piece a year. I had no good reason to think I would ever see any of the six books I had written ever published. Until Barbour bought Romanian Rhapsody from me in 2003 (published in 2005).
Once again I am writing a book without any definite hope it will be published. I'm not (quite) in despair, but if it does sell, you bet, I'll be shouting hurrahs at the harvest. Along with my agent and all my friends who have encouraged that my writing life isn't limited to Heartsong (as much as I love writing those books. They suit me.)
Now, perhaps the despair is whether the physical therapy will ever give me some of the freedom that I crave. Freedom to leave, freedom to spend more time with my family, perhaps to attend an occasional writers' meeting or church service. If--when--that day comes, I must shout wth hurrahs.
Those farmers couldn't cheer if they hadn't planted. Planting crops in despair is the essence of faith. God, in His time, sends the seasons of rains to bring those dreams to life.
Today's favorite verse: Stand in awe of God's Yes. Oh, how he blesses the one who fears God! (Psalm 128:4, MSG)
So those who planted their crops in despair will shout hurrahs at the harvest.
So those who went off with heavy hearts will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing. (Psalm 126:4-6, MSG)
This verse brings two things to mind.
I live in Oklahoma, the heart of America's Dust Bowl years. Talk about planting in despair! For years farmers had planted in faith in next year's harvest, which would grow and pay the bank--at least enough for another growing season. Many of them never got to shout hurrahs at the long-delayed harvest. Perhaps a few of the ones who left with heavy hearts did return home with armloads of blessing. I don't really know about Steinbeck's Okies or the transients depicted in the movie Seabiscuit at the end of the Great Depression.
The other thing that springs to mind is the cliche, attributed to the Bible but not written there, "God helps those who help themselves."
Because. . .in spite of despair, in spite of the lack of any real hope, some continue to plant crops. Hmm, that reflects my early years of writing. I wrote for ten years without any real affirmations. I reached a point where I was published regularly--one short piece a year. I had no good reason to think I would ever see any of the six books I had written ever published. Until Barbour bought Romanian Rhapsody from me in 2003 (published in 2005).
Once again I am writing a book without any definite hope it will be published. I'm not (quite) in despair, but if it does sell, you bet, I'll be shouting hurrahs at the harvest. Along with my agent and all my friends who have encouraged that my writing life isn't limited to Heartsong (as much as I love writing those books. They suit me.)
Now, perhaps the despair is whether the physical therapy will ever give me some of the freedom that I crave. Freedom to leave, freedom to spend more time with my family, perhaps to attend an occasional writers' meeting or church service. If--when--that day comes, I must shout wth hurrahs.
Those farmers couldn't cheer if they hadn't planted. Planting crops in despair is the essence of faith. God, in His time, sends the seasons of rains to bring those dreams to life.
Today's favorite verse: Stand in awe of God's Yes. Oh, how he blesses the one who fears God! (Psalm 128:4, MSG)
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
BEING GOOD (Psalm 125)
Lord, do good to those who are good, to those who are upright in heart. (Psalm 125:4, NIV)
A few days ago I looked at who God is and what He does. He is good and He does good. The Bible makes it clear that no human is good. We all sin
So the prayer here surprises me, because it asks God to do good to those are good. The parallelism of the verse connects with being good with being upright in heart.
Come to think of it, I am good in Christ. His goodness, or righteousness, has been credited to my account. And unlike my local bank, no amount of debits--sins--can decrease the value to zero. I am now and always will be counted as good because God saved me.
Upright in heart suggests it's more than my behavior. It's what motivates me, what dictates my actions.
Recently someone told me, "you're the nicest person I know." I wanted to look over my shoulder (check who else she meant to send the email to, instead of me!). But of course she was talking to me.
Now, I know how selfish and self-centered I am. I know the times when I am anything but a testimony to my Lord and Savior. When I am definitely NOT "doing" good.
But I still AM good, because I have been born again, with God as my Father. And somehow people see that in me, in spite of the times I don't do good. Maybe because, like David, I go after God with my whole heart. Perhaps I am "upright in heart."
Because I am--because we are--good in Christ, we can come before God with confidence, imploring Him to "do" goodness for us.
Amen.
Today's favorite verse: God's strong name is our help, the same God who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 124:8, MSG)
A few days ago I looked at who God is and what He does. He is good and He does good. The Bible makes it clear that no human is good. We all sin
So the prayer here surprises me, because it asks God to do good to those are good. The parallelism of the verse connects with being good with being upright in heart.
Come to think of it, I am good in Christ. His goodness, or righteousness, has been credited to my account. And unlike my local bank, no amount of debits--sins--can decrease the value to zero. I am now and always will be counted as good because God saved me.
Upright in heart suggests it's more than my behavior. It's what motivates me, what dictates my actions.
Recently someone told me, "you're the nicest person I know." I wanted to look over my shoulder (check who else she meant to send the email to, instead of me!). But of course she was talking to me.
Now, I know how selfish and self-centered I am. I know the times when I am anything but a testimony to my Lord and Savior. When I am definitely NOT "doing" good.
But I still AM good, because I have been born again, with God as my Father. And somehow people see that in me, in spite of the times I don't do good. Maybe because, like David, I go after God with my whole heart. Perhaps I am "upright in heart."
Because I am--because we are--good in Christ, we can come before God with confidence, imploring Him to "do" goodness for us.
Amen.
Today's favorite verse: God's strong name is our help, the same God who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 124:8, MSG)
Monday, August 26, 2013
MOONSTROKE (Psalm 121)
God's your Guardian, right at your side to protect you--
Shielding you from sunstroke, sheltering you from moonstroke. (Psalm 121:5-6, MSG)
All three of today's psalms are familiar, including the "I will lift up my eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help." One that always makes me smile, since I lived in Colorado for two decades.)
But reading it in the Message brought the above verse to my attention. How is one sheltered from "moonstroke"? What is moonstroke, anyways?
God shielding me from sunstroke, now that makes sense. Colorado's higher altitudes and thinner air made sunburns a constant danger for anyone with pale skin (me).
But moonstroke makes me think of Morticia and Gomez Addams moon-gazing; or vampires who venture out at night. How about Cher's Oscar turn in the movie by that name?
I turned to the King James to see if I had lost some obvious meaning in the Message. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. Okay, the translation substitute modern poetry for King James's style, but we still have a moon striking us.
But even if I'm in no danger from moonburn, the cycles of the moon definitely impact my life.
First of all, the obvious. I'm a woman; and like everyone else of my gender, my life has been ordered by my monthly "friend," heavy bleeding, anemia, pregnancy, childbirth, surgery. . . And the mood swings that accompany it.
Either you are female--or you're connected to someone who is. We're all affected by the hormone changes and emotional swings connected with the menstrual cycle.
I've never heard it called "moonstroke" before, but the term works.
Nowadays, here in the nursing home, on an especially bad day, someone will remark, "Is it full moon?"
Patients with dementia may act out at any time with little provocation--but they are rarely all screaming, crying, or fighting at the same time. Except during a full moon. I don't know any scientific explanation, but I have seen plenty of "moonstruck" people under a full moon.
So . . . God is my guardian. He will protect me physically--from sunstroke. He will protect me emotionally--from moonstroke.
Praise God that He cares about our emotional lives as well as our physical bodies.
Today's favorite verse: He guards you when you leave and when you return, he guards you now, he guards you always. (Psalm 121:8, MSG)
Shielding you from sunstroke, sheltering you from moonstroke. (Psalm 121:5-6, MSG)
All three of today's psalms are familiar, including the "I will lift up my eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help." One that always makes me smile, since I lived in Colorado for two decades.)
But reading it in the Message brought the above verse to my attention. How is one sheltered from "moonstroke"? What is moonstroke, anyways?
God shielding me from sunstroke, now that makes sense. Colorado's higher altitudes and thinner air made sunburns a constant danger for anyone with pale skin (me).
But moonstroke makes me think of Morticia and Gomez Addams moon-gazing; or vampires who venture out at night. How about Cher's Oscar turn in the movie by that name?
I turned to the King James to see if I had lost some obvious meaning in the Message. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. Okay, the translation substitute modern poetry for King James's style, but we still have a moon striking us.
But even if I'm in no danger from moonburn, the cycles of the moon definitely impact my life.
First of all, the obvious. I'm a woman; and like everyone else of my gender, my life has been ordered by my monthly "friend," heavy bleeding, anemia, pregnancy, childbirth, surgery. . . And the mood swings that accompany it.
Either you are female--or you're connected to someone who is. We're all affected by the hormone changes and emotional swings connected with the menstrual cycle.
I've never heard it called "moonstroke" before, but the term works.
Nowadays, here in the nursing home, on an especially bad day, someone will remark, "Is it full moon?"
Patients with dementia may act out at any time with little provocation--but they are rarely all screaming, crying, or fighting at the same time. Except during a full moon. I don't know any scientific explanation, but I have seen plenty of "moonstruck" people under a full moon.
So . . . God is my guardian. He will protect me physically--from sunstroke. He will protect me emotionally--from moonstroke.
Praise God that He cares about our emotional lives as well as our physical bodies.
Today's favorite verse: He guards you when you leave and when you return, he guards you now, he guards you always. (Psalm 121:8, MSG)
Sunday, August 25, 2013
PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING (Psalm 119)
You are right and you do right, God; your decisions are right on target. (Psalm 119:137, MSG)
I taught children's Sunday school for 35 years. When it came to teaching about prayer, I often used the prayer hand: Prayer involves 1. Praise 2. Adoration 3. Confession 4.Pray for others 5. Pray for yourself.
Praise refers to talking about who God is. God is amazing, beautiful, Comforter, Desire of the Nations, eternal . . .
Thanksgiving refers to talking about what God does for us. God made the earth. He saved me. He held me during the days of pain this past week.
I've never seen it spelled out so clearly in the Bible. And the obvious conclusion: God does right because He is right. That means His will is right.
By God's will, I mean both His word--always right and true--as well as His will for my days, weeks, years. I can trust God to do the right thing with me because of who He is and what He does. He is never wrong. He has kept the universe spinning for thousands of years; I can trust Him with little ol' me.
Another verse that speaks of how God's actions toward us grow out of his character: In your love, listen to me; in your justice, keep me alive. (Psalm 119:149, MSG) Love and listening, justice and life..
So today let's think on the ways God IS right and the ways He DOES right.
Today's favorite verse: a Christian's answer to praying toward Mecca: Seven times each day I stop and shout praises for the way you keep everything running right. (Psalm 119:164, MSG) Hmm, I hear another devotional stompeding through my mind. . . think about the meaning of seven in the Bible.
I taught children's Sunday school for 35 years. When it came to teaching about prayer, I often used the prayer hand: Prayer involves 1. Praise 2. Adoration 3. Confession 4.Pray for others 5. Pray for yourself.
Praise refers to talking about who God is. God is amazing, beautiful, Comforter, Desire of the Nations, eternal . . .
Thanksgiving refers to talking about what God does for us. God made the earth. He saved me. He held me during the days of pain this past week.
I've never seen it spelled out so clearly in the Bible. And the obvious conclusion: God does right because He is right. That means His will is right.
By God's will, I mean both His word--always right and true--as well as His will for my days, weeks, years. I can trust God to do the right thing with me because of who He is and what He does. He is never wrong. He has kept the universe spinning for thousands of years; I can trust Him with little ol' me.
Another verse that speaks of how God's actions toward us grow out of his character: In your love, listen to me; in your justice, keep me alive. (Psalm 119:149, MSG) Love and listening, justice and life..
So today let's think on the ways God IS right and the ways He DOES right.
Today's favorite verse: a Christian's answer to praying toward Mecca: Seven times each day I stop and shout praises for the way you keep everything running right. (Psalm 119:164, MSG) Hmm, I hear another devotional stompeding through my mind. . . think about the meaning of seven in the Bible.
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