Read
Worship and Obey the
1Sing joyful songs to the Lord!
Praise the mighty rock
where we are safe.
2Come to worship him
with thankful hearts
and songs of praise.
3The Lord is the greatest God,
king over all other gods.
4He holds the deepest part
of the earth in his hands,
and the mountain peaks
also belong to him.
5The ocean is the Lord's
because he made it,
and with his own hands
he formed the dry land.
6Bow down and worship
the Lord our Creator!
7 The Lord is our God,
and we are his people,
the sheep he takes care of
in his own pasture.
Listen to God's voice today!
8 Don't be stubborn and rebel
as your ancestors did
at Meribah and Massah
out in the desert.
9For forty years
they tested God and saw
the things he did.
10Then God got tired of them
and said,
“You never show good sense,
and you don't understand
what I want you to do.”
11 In his anger, God told them,
“You people will never enter
my place of rest.”
Reflect
Yesterday, I just couldn’t help it.
I got a work related email that offered me an opportunity I’ve been longing for and which has the potential to take me to the next level in what I do. I flew out of my desk chair and shouted at the top of my lungs, “YES LORD, YES LORD, YES, YES, YES!” And then proceeded to run around the house leaping and jumping and praising God. I did keep my clothes on for the most part!
I couldn’t believe it. After much drought, dryness and testing something really good looks like it is lining up. I could see that in God’s hands were the mountains and the seas and the dry land and that YES he is, “…the Lord, the great God…” (v 3).
When I calmed down, about four hours later, I was then ready to “bow down in worship, (and) kneel before the Lord our Maker…” (v 6) to thank him and praise him, “…for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care” (v 7).
I know there will be tough days again, and periods of dryness and disappointment. But I also know that my commitment is to give God continual glory, honour and praise which I think he really likes. And it sure felt great to just let loose with a plunge-of-the-roller-coaster-arms-in-the-air-ribs-hurting type yell of delight and shout out with my loudest voice to the “…Rock of my salvation” (v 1).
Respond
God, You are the rock of my salvation. Thank you for your blessings to me. Keep them coming as I say, “YES, YES, YES” to you and anything you have for me or any way in which you lead me. Thank you, in Jesus’ name, O Lord my maker.
James Paterson
James works as a visual artist. His current body of work is a series of metal wire sculptures called Prayer Machines which are whimsically ambiguous machine-like objects that give expression to mystery. “I love to share the gospel message, using art as a bridge, to encourage people in their relationship with Jesus.” He and Lynn have four young adult children. Publications Jim’s Grandiose Big Bible Picture Book (Bastian Books ,2007)