April 30th - Stating His Sovereignty

Stating His Sovereignty

(Psalm 29; 33; 65; 66; 67; 68)

Psalm 29

Photo by Nickers and Ink

All Rights Reserved

Today marks the end of National Poetry Month in the United States (and Poetry Month elsewhere). It seems appropriate to include a poem in our devotional today, following the acrostic poetry format used so often by the Hebrew psalmists (see Psalms 9, 10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119 and 145).

The following acrostic poem is based on Psalm 29. (CTRL-click here to read “How to Write an Acrostic Poem” in a new window.) Because this passage resounds with the power of the Lord’s Word, the title and theme offer a verbal voice. The British form of the word “verbalise” is used, replacing the American version, “verbalize.”

Value the Lord, and offer Him the honor He deserves.

Every aspect of nature echoes with His glory.

Responding to His call, the sky roars, and the ocean trembles.

Because Jehovah is mighty, His voice breaks mighty forests.

At His Word, the mightiest majestic tree falls to the ground.

Lightning strikes when He but whispers.

Immediately, His instructions are obeyed.

Suddenly, deserts are shaken, and forests felled.

Each aspect of creation hearkens to God’s call. None deny Him.

Will we?

Will you pray with me?

Sovereign Lord

And Mighty Master,

Your power is evident

All around us.

Nature heeds Your voice.

How we deceive ourselves

When we try to ignore Your call

Or twist Your Word.

If we but look around us,

You are there.

If we examine our own hearts,

We may find You drawing us

Ever closer to You.

How may we deny Your existence,

Your power

Or Your presence in our lives?

Tune our ears to hear Your voice.

Open our mouths to answer Your call.

Soften our hearts to invite Your entrance.

Like all of Your Creation,

We belong to You.

Amen.

Posted for a variety of prompts:

Poetic Asides (April P.A.D. Challenge)

Read Write Poem (NaPoWriMo)

Word-Filled Wednesday (Scripture & photo)

Photo prompts

Lens Day (photo/s)

Thursday Challenge (photo/s – “communication”)

Wordless Wednesday (photo/s)

April 29th - Proclaiming with Purpose

Proclaiming with Purpose

(Psalm 8; 9; 16; 19; 21; 24)

The Shofar - Call to Worship

Image Source Unknown

Hallelujah. What a great God. Today’s Psalm readings focus upon the goodness of God and the blessings of trusting and following Him. Jehovah alone is the righteous Judge, rewarding the faithful and punishing the wicked. In His time, He will bring it to pass.

What a blessing it is to belong to the Lord.

Because of God’s great mercy, redeeming us at His own cost, we can stand confidently before Him. Can we ever comprehend the boundless love of our Lord?

God’s mighty messages merit memorization.

Several key verses stand out in today’s Bible readings. Perhaps you have recognized some familiar verses. Maybe you have already memorized some of these Scriptures.

(CTRL-click here to read

“Scripture Memory Techniques: Soak It In”

in a new window.)

Let’s see how many of these wonderful promises the Lord can impress upon our spirits today. May God write His Word upon our hearts, as we look closely at His precepts.

God can fill in the blanks in our hearts.

Grab your copy of The Daily Bible in Chronological Order: 365 Daily Readings or your favorite New International Version Bible, so the wordings will match up. Or look up these passages online, using the links provided below:

Psalm 8:1-4

“O Lord, our Lord,

how ________ is your name in all the ________!

You have set Your glory above the ________.

From the lips of ________ and infants

You have ordained praise

because of Your enemies,

to ________ the foe and the avenger.

When I consider Your ________,

the ________ of Your fingers,

the moon and the stars,

which You have set in place,

what is ________ that You are mindful of him,

the son of man that You care for him?”

Psalm 9:7-10

“The Lord reigns forever;

He has established His ________ for judgment.

He will judge the ________ in righteousness;

He will govern the peoples with ________.

The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,

a ________ in times of trouble.

Those who know Your ________ will trust in You,

for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who ________ You.”

Psalm 16:7-8

“I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;

even at night my ________ instructs me.

I have set the Lord always before me.

Because He is at my ________ hand,

I will not be shaken.”

Psalm 19:1-3

“The heavens declare the glory of God;

the ________ proclaim the work of His hands

Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they ________ knowledge.

There is no speech or language

where their ________ is not heard.”

Psalm 19:7-10

“The ________ of the Lord is perfect,

reviving the soul

The ________ of the Lord are trustworthy,

making wise the simple.

The ________ of the Lord are right,

giving joy to the heart.

The ________ of the Lord are radiant,

giving light to the eyes.

The ________ of the Lord is pure,

enduring forever.

The ________ of the Lord are sure

and altogether righteous.

They are more ________ than gold,

than much pure gold;

they are ________ r than honey,

than honey from the comb.”

Psalm 19:14

“May the words of my ________

and the meditation of my ________
be pleasing in your sight,
O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

Psalm 24:1-4

“The earth is the Lord's,

and everything in it,

the ________, and all who live in it;

for He founded it upon the seas

and established it upon the waters.

Who may ascend the ________ of the Lord?

Who may stand in His holy place?

He who has clean ________ and a pure ________

who does not lift up his soul to an idol

or ________ by what is false.”

How did you do? I pray the Lord will impress His Word upon us today and always. Surely He promises blessing to those who will read and heed what He has spoken.

Will you pray with me?

Merciful Maker,

The whole world belongs to You.

How gracious You are,

That You allow us,

Even invite us

To participate in Your purpose

Upon the earth.

Guide our steps.

Teach our hearts to trust You,

And hearken our hearing

To listen to Your Word.

Train us,

Strengthen us,

And equip us

To please You.

We praise Your Name

Above all else.

Amen.

April 28th - A Thousand Thoughts

A Thousand Thoughts

(Psalm 76; 82; 84; 90; 92; 112; 115)

“The way you think determines the way you feel,
and the way you feel determines the way you act.”
Rick Warren

American pastor (Saddleback Church)

and author (The Purpose-Driven Life)

(1954 - )

The Beauty of the Lord

By Bess Bruce Cleveland

20^th Century – Public Domain

How the Psalms stir my heart and soul. I suspect you may feel the same way. God reveals His own heart through the poetic phrasings of the Psalms. Several of the passages we read today were actually sung by the Levite worship leaders, accompanied by their musical instruments, as celebratory praise songs to the Lord.

Can’t you just feel His love and sense His great mercy? Have you caught a longing for His Presence and a hunger for Heaven?

What do these Psalms tell you about the way God feels about you?

How is God touching your heart through His Word today? Is He giving you a glimpse of His great love for you? His love is beyond length and breadth, and His mercy is immeasurable.

How can we not love Him in return?

A Poetry Prompt

Throughout the month of April, creative writers and lovers of literature have celebrated National Poetry Month in the United States (and Poetry Month elsewhere). Marking this momentous month, instead of a sestina or rondo, the Lord has laid a sonnet upon my heart today, based on our Bible readings for the day.

The format matches the meter and rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet. I pray the Lord may touch your heart through the words He gave me this morning.

Elysian Fields

By Carlos Schwabe

1903

“A single day in Your courts

is better than a thousand anywhere else!

I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God

than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.”

(Psalm 84:10, NLT)

Will you pray with me?

Beckoned Homeward

A Sonnet Scripted for the Sacred One

I magnify Your Holy Name. O God,

For You alone may ride upon the clouds.

Your majesty unmatched marks where You trod,

Beyond the bleakness, clad with ragged shrouds.

How lovely is the home in which You dwell.

To stay forever with You my soul yearns.

Your glory is revealed, even to hell,

So for Your favor mortal heart, it burns.

A thousand days of lowly service bests

One single moment in the world’s acclaim.

Your Presence in my personhood attests

That to my life forever You’ve laid claim.

With all I am, my spirit now implores,

May all the glory evermore be Yours.

Posted in response to these prompts:

AC (sonnet)

Easy Street Prompts (“playing instruments”)

In Other Words (Rick Warren quote)

Meme Express (Pick-a-Prompt)

Poetic Asides (April P.A.D. Challenge – sestina or poem about sestinas)

Read Write Poem (NaPoWriMo – “red” – changed to “read”)