Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Oh, Praise Him.

I just began a devotional in my Bible app by "She Reads Truth" on prayer. Woah. Just letting these passages sink in this morning. So thankful for the beauty of The Word and convicting reminder. He is worthy of my praise and His goodness should be continually on my lips. 


1 Chronicles 16:7-36

English Standard Version (ESV)

Then on that day David first appointed that thanksgiving be sung to the Lord by Asaph and his brothers.

David's Song of Thanks

Oh give thanks to the Lord;call upon his name;
    make known his deeds among the peoples!
Sing to him, sing praises to him;
    tell of all his wondrous works!
10 Glory in his holy name;
    let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
11 Seek the Lord and his strength;
    seek his presence continually!
12 Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
    his miracles and the judgments he uttered,
13 O offspring of Israel his servant,
    children of Jacob, his chosen ones!

14 He is the Lord our God;
    his judgments are in all the earth.
15 Remember his covenant forever,
    the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
16 the covenant that he made with Abraham,
    his sworn promise to Isaac,
17 which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
    to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
18 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan,
    as your portion for an inheritance.”

19 When you were few in number,
    of little account, andsojourners in it,
20 wandering from nation to nation,
    from one kingdom to another people,
21 he allowed no one to oppress them;
    he rebuked kings on their account,
22 saying, “Touch not my anointed ones,
    do my prophets no harm!”

23 Sing to the Lord, all the earth!
    Tell of his salvation from day to day.
24 Declare his glory among the nations,
    his marvelous works among all the peoples!
25 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
    and he is to be fearedabove all gods.
26 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
    but the Lord made the heavens.
27 Splendor and majesty are before him;
    strength and joy are in his place.

28 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!
29 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    bring an offering and come before him!
Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;
30     tremble before him, all the earth;
    yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice,
    and let them say among the nations, “The Lordreigns!”
32 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
    let the field exult, and everything in it!
33 Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy
    before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth.
34 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    for his steadfast love endures forever!

35 Say also:

“Save us, O God of our salvation,
    and gather and deliver us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
    and glory in your praise.
36 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting!”

Then all the people said, “Amen!” and praised the Lord.

Psalm 100

English Standard Version (ESV)

His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

A Psalm for giving thanks.

100 Make a joyful noise to theLord, all the earth!
    Serve the Lord with gladness!
    Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the Lord, he is God!
    It is he who made us, andwe are his;
    we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
    and his courts with praise!
    Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the Lord is good;
    his steadfast love endures forever,
    and his faithfulness to all generations.


My view from the plane on the way to Ethiopia in June.

Monday, July 22, 2013

What's that you say? People are real?

So there's a little bit of my heart over at The Forsaken Children's blog today. Thankful for the opportunity to share some of the thoughts God's been stirring in me lately and praying anyone who reads will hear Him speaking and not my feeble words.

Here's a snippet from my post:
It was in the airports that I finally realized something : people are real.
I know, hold the phone, right? Yes, people are real. I’d been hearing about TFC and Ethiopia and these street kids for three years now. A couple in our “Sunday School” class is involved with TFC and have been on several trips, so I’d heard their testimonies, seen their pictures, read their blogs, and, most importantly, seen their lives change as a result of their experiences in Ethiopia. God had been spurring me towards missions, both locally and globally, for a while, and He began using this couple to prick my heart for this place. BUT, however passionately they spoke and however heart-tugging their photos were, Ethiopia and its seas of precious children living on the streets was not really real to me.
You know how this is, don’t you? You hear about this beautiful destination from a friend, but, until you see it for yourself, it just seems like a dream. Or everyone tells you how having a child will rock your world, but you don’t really “get it” until the nurse puts that baby in your arms for the first time or you’re up at 2 a.m. with him/her screaming their lungs out. Or you see the commercials for sponsorship of starving, hopeless children in impoverished countries, and they seem like characters in a movie until one of them is glued to your lap and puts his finger on your chest and says, ...
You can click the ellipsis above to continue reading.


All's grace,

rachael
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...