Hi how are you all today? I am well and have had a good week. It is warming up in my country and last Friday I went for a short bush walk. It was great to get out in nature and hear the birds twittering. We did see one snake which I nearly trod on. How was your week?
The last few weeks and months have been hard for some of us. So every couple of weeks, as God leads, I will bring us an encouraging blog. One where we can remind ourselves that God is with us, He hasn’t left, He is still good and He still has a plan.
I just want to remind each of us that nothing that happens in our world takes God by surprise. We might be surprised and even shocked and dismayed but God never is.
So this week, we will be looking at Psalm 100 in the Message Bible. It states:
1-2 On your feet now—applaud God!
Bring a gift of laughter,
sing yourselves into his presence.
3 Know this: God is God, and God, God.
He made us; we didn’t make him.
We’re his people, his well-tended sheep.
4 Enter with the password: “Thank you!”
Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
Thank him. Worship him.
5 For God is sheer beauty,
all-generous in love,
loyal always and ever.
So let’s look at it bit by bit.
It starts off with on your feet now- applaud God. Too many of us are sitting down or even lying down moping and sad about what we see around us. Sometimes it is like we have forgotten God. But it is time to rise up and give God a clap- give Him exaltation for who He is and what He continues to do in our lives and in the lives of others.
The next part is bring me a gift of laughter. When is the last time you and I laughed a real lot? For some of us it may have been a while. In Nehemiah 8:10 it states that the joy of the Lord is our strength. Laughter brings us strength. It releases things in our bodies that make us feel good. So start laughing.
In Proverbs 31:25, it tells us that the virtuous woman laughs without fear of the future. Why? Because she knows God is with her.
Sing yourselves into His presence- worship opens the doors to the goodness of God. It also opens our heart to experience the presence of God. Worship of God also releases the heaviness in our hearts at times as we surrender to God. Worship is powerful.
Verse 3- God is good. If we get that truth in our hearts, it will change the way we view God. He is not up in heaven with a stick but with open arms. It is time to fall into them.
Then we need to remember God created us for the time we are living in. We are not here by accident but on purpose for a purpose. The purpose is not us and our will but God and His will for us.
Thanking God should be part of our daily vocabulary. If we get into the habit of thanking God then fear will flee. It is said that our brains can not be in anxiety and gratitude at the same time. So choose gratitude and think on good things.
The last bit of that psalm reiterates to us some of the attributes of God.
He is sheer beauty- if God is sheer beauty then we are too because God doesn’t create ugly. As we look on Gods beauty in times of prayer, let’s see ourselves the way He sees us- clothed in beauty and strength.
God is generous in love- He never withholds His love for us. We sometimes do but God never does. Don’t think or say nobody loves me because God does. He sent Jesus for you. Think about that for a minute and reflect on how much love that took.
Lastly, God is loyal ever and ever- God will never leave or abandon us- He is there always.
As you go through your week, remind yourself of the truths in this psalm. I will be too.
Have a great week and keep living the life God intended for you.
Bless you
Karen
0 Comments