Monday Devo
Scripture:
Psalm 103
1 Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. 2 Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. 3 He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. 4 He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. 5 He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!
6 The Lord gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly. 7 He revealed his character to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel. 8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. 9 He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. 10 He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. 11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. 12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. 13 The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. 14 For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. 15 Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. 16 The wind blows, and we are gone— as though we had never been here.
17 But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children 18 of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments! 19 The Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything. 20 Praise the Lord, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands. 21 Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels who serve him and do his will! 22 Praise the Lord, everything he has created, everything in all his kingdom. Let all that I am praise the Lord.
1 Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. 2 Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. 3 He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. 4 He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. 5 He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!
6 The Lord gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly. 7 He revealed his character to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel. 8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. 9 He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. 10 He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. 11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. 12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. 13 The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. 14 For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. 15 Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. 16 The wind blows, and we are gone— as though we had never been here.
17 But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children 18 of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments! 19 The Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything. 20 Praise the Lord, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands. 21 Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels who serve him and do his will! 22 Praise the Lord, everything he has created, everything in all his kingdom. Let all that I am praise the Lord.
Commentary:
While other psalms open with a call for the assembled faithful to praise God, the psalmist here urges himself to worship. He desires that his praise not be pro forma, but to emanate from the deepest recesses of his heart (soul/inmost being). Of course, by exhorting himself publicly to praise, he encourages others to join in. To motivate his worship, he cites all the benefits that come to the faithful, in a series of participial clauses in verses 3–5.
Tremper Longman III, Psalms: An Introduction and Commentary, ed. David G. Firth, vol. 15–16, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 2014), 356.
Tremper Longman III, Psalms: An Introduction and Commentary, ed. David G. Firth, vol. 15–16, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 2014), 356.
Questions:
Amber kicked off the sermon talking about being on "auto-pilot"; that feeling you get when you pull into your driveway and suddenly realize you don't remember the last ten miles of the drive! Your body knew what to do, but your brain completely disconnected. We sometimes do the same thing on Sunday mornings. We put on the smile, sing the words, but our minds are a million miles away...
- Have you ever caught yourself in auto-pilot worship, going through the religious motions while totally disconnected from God? What usually starts that mental disconnect for you?
- Amber mentioned that our worship was never meant to be dependent on our changing emotions, but rooted in God's unchanging character. What is an altar moment in your past: a time God clearly provided, healed, or carried you, that you can look back on today to remind your soul of His faithfulness?
- David was speaking directly to his own soul, commanding it to praise the Lord. What does this tell us about the relationship between our emotions, our human will, and worship? Why is it vital to understand that true biblical worship is a choice of obedience rather than just a feeling?
Prayer Topics:
- Ask God to wake up your heart and mind when you enter into worship, pulling you out of "auto-pilot" routines and distractions.
- Pray that the Holy Spirit would bring specific altar moments of His past faithfulness to your mind when you feel overwhelmed by your current circumstances.
- Thank God that worship does not depend on your changing emotions, but on His completely unchanging and trustworthy character.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
6. Is the Bible God's word? Jesus proved He is God by rising from the dead and said the Old Testament was God’s Word and gave authority to the Apostles to write the words of the New Testament, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so that all the words of the Bible are God’s Word.
(Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, 44; John 14:25-26, 15:27, 16:12-13, 17:20; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)
(Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, 44; John 14:25-26, 15:27, 16:12-13, 17:20; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)
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