Author: emmanuelpcgateshead

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Daily Devotion April 28th

TUESDAY 28th

Acts 2:14-47 – Power

Luke who has written this historical account for us, continues the story. From the thousands that were out in the streets, there had been a mixed reaction. Some were amazed and perplexed at what they were seeing and hearing, others decided to mock them, suggesting it was as a result of having too much wine to drink, even though the evidence was there, that in the tongues that were being spoken the people understood them and heard them describing the mighty works of God.

As a response to the reaction of the crowd, but more importantly, as a result of the Pentecostal Power and the Holy Spirits Infilling, Peter stood up with the other eleven and began to address the crowd. It was only a few weeks earlier they were locking themselves away for fear of the Jews, (John 20:19) but now, what a transformation. When the Holy Spirit comes and fills with power, he also gives spiritual boldness and spiritual strength, and Peter, who blatantly denied Jesus three times (John 18:15-27) is now boldly proclaiming him.

In verses 15 – 36 we have the first sermon preached after the inauguration of the Church, and what a sermon. It wasn’t a motivational talk, it wasn’t a series of quick steps to make yourself feel better about yourself, it wasn’t a half hour talk that tickled the fancy of the hearers, it was a proclamation of the truth, it expounded and verified that what was happening was a fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy,(vv16-21 and Joel 2:28-32) it declared the truth concerning who Jesus was, and that though his life, death and resurrection God was at work, (vv22-28) it was a declaration of the Lordship of Jesus Christ, (vv29-36) it exposed the sins of the hearers, for at the same time as the Holy Spirit anointed Peter to preach the sermon, the Holy Spirit was also at work in the hearts of the crowd, for we read in v37 that they were cut to the heart, conviction had gripped them as they realised the reality of their sin and their need for the Saviour. They responded, ‘What shall we do?’ and Peter answered, ‘Repent and be baptised, everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the Holy Spirit.’ 

We need to know again the Holy Spirits anointing on the preaching of the Word of God, I confess, that I need to know the anointing, I need to know the equipping power, those of us who preach in Churches today need to know what it is to not pussy foot around trying to pamper, but to preach with authority and in power the whole counsel of God so that conviction will fall upon the hearers. In the words of the famous William Booth hymn, ‘We need another Pentecost, send the fire today’ I need it, we all need it, may God visit us again with Pentecostal power and anointing.

The end of the sermon is not recorded for us, as it says that after giving the command to repent and to be baptised, in verse 40 ‘And with many other words, he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying save yourselves from this crooked generation.’ ‘With many other words’ he continued, but the exciting part is there in verse 41, ‘So those who received his word were baptised and there were added that day about three thousand souls.’ What a baptismal service it must have been and imagine the rejoicing that must have been taking place in heaven. And why did it happen? Because they were obedient to the command to wait, and as a result of their waiting they were filled with the Holy Spirit and they preached with power and with authority the Lord Jesus Christ.

In verse 39 we read ‘For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are afar off, everyone whom the Lord calls to himself.’

The ‘for you’ was the crowd that were listening to Peter preaching, the ‘for your children’ was to be the next generation, the ‘for all who are afar off’ includes every succeeding generation, the ‘everyone whom the Lord calls to himself’ includes every man, woman, boy, girl who comes to faith during the period which we call the day of God’s grace. This includes you and me, the promise is for us today. What is the promise? ‘You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’ Can I re-echo what I was asked on the edge of Lough Neigh, (Monday 27th) ‘Have you received the Holy Spirit?’

I pray that God will create an inner desire, thirst, hunger within us to want more of God, to know what it truly means to be filled so that in whatever capacity we may function within the Church we seek to do it under the Holy Spirit’s anointing.

O God of burning cleansing flame:

Send the fire!

Your blood-bought gift today we claim:

Send the fire today!

Look down and see this waiting host,

And send the promised Holy Ghost;

We need another Pentecost!

Send the fire today!

Send the fire today!

God of Elijah, hear our cry:

Send the fire!

And make us fit to live or die:

Send the fire today!

To burn up every trace of sin,

To bring the light and glory in,

The revolution now begin!

Send the fire today!

Send the fire today!

It’s fire we want, for fire we plead:

Send the fire!

The fire will meet our every need:

Send the fire today!

For strength to always do what’s right,

For grace to conquer in the fight,

For power to walk the world in white:

Send the fire today!

Send the fire today!

To make our weak hearts strong and brave:

Send the fire!

To live, a dying world to save:

Send the fire today!

Oh, see us on Your altar lay,

We give our lives to you today,

So crown the offering now we pray:

Send the fire today!

Send the fire today!

Send the fire today!

William Booth CCLI 788682

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Daily Devotion April 27th

MONDAY 27th

Acts 2:1-13 – Receive

This is one of the pivotal chapters in Scripture, it is a moment of infilling, of impact and of outreach.

The disciples had been obedient to the instruction that Jesus had given them in the previous chapter 1:4, and they waited, and they prayed until the Day of Pentecost arrived ‘and suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.’

When we are told here that the ‘Day of Pentecost’ arrived it is referring to one of the feasts of the Children of Israel, which they observed throughout the year. It was also known as the Feast of Weeks (Leviticus 23:15-16)

But now it was going to take on a more significant meaning, it was to be the moment in which the promised Holy Spirit would arrive and infill the waiting disciples / believers. Pentecost means ‘fiftieth’ and on this day, the fiftieth day after the resurrection a new Pentecost takes place. It is the pivotal moment when we can say that the Church was born, the moment when Jesus began to build his Church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18)

I think that it is quite clear that Jesus intended and expects his Church to be Pentecostal, Spirit filled and Spirit empowered. Remember his instruction, they were not to leave Jerusalem until they had received power and the power would arrive when the Holy Spirit came upon them. (1:8)

We see the initial effect upon the waiting disciples in 2:3-4 ‘And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were ALL FILLED with the Holy Spirit and begun to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ They were filled and they spoke in other tongues. It is important to realise here, that they weren’t making up gibberish sounds, they weren’t uttering unintelligible sounds, (even though they themselves may not have understood) they were speaking in other known languages which they themselves didn’t know, languages different to their own language. Such is the incredible power of the Holy Spirit. We know this because of what it says in verses 6-7. ‘And at this sound the multitude came together (Because the Feast of Pentecost was taking place, Jerusalem would have been filled with visitors from afar) and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them (those filled with the Holy Spirit) speaking in his own language. (Italics mine) And they were amazed and astonished, saying, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own language?’ And the account lists many of the regions and languages. WOW, what an incredible moment in time, what an incredible scene to have witnessed, what a mighty demonstration of the power of God. What a shift in the plan and purpose of God, in a period of 50 days, Jesus had died, had been buried, had risen again, had appeared many times, had returned to heaven and now a movement was born, the Church of Jesus Christ, inaugurated by the coming of the Holy Spirit, infilled with the power of the Holy Spirit and ready to go and infiltrate the kingdom of darkness and to see many delivered from it and brought into the kingdom of light.

They had waited, they had been filled, the power promised had been received, and as a result the disciples were ready to be propelled as witnesses, first into Jerusalem, then into Judea, then into Samaria and then to the end of the earth. Fulfilling the commission given to them by the Lord Jesus Christ. The story continues, two thousand years later and this devotion continues, tomorrow.

The whole wide world for Jesus!

This shall our watchword be,

Upon the highest mountain,

Down by the widest sea.

The whole wide world for Jesus!

To Him shall all men bow;

In city or in prairie,

The world for Jesus now.

The whole wide world, the whole wide world!

Proclaim the Gospel tidings thro’ the whole wide world!

Lift up the cross of Jesus, His banner be unfurled,

Till every tongue confess Him thro’ the whole wide world.

The whole wide world for Jesus!

Inspires us with the thought

That every son of Adam

Hath by His love been bought.

The whole wide world for Jesus!

O faint not by the way!

The cross shall surely conquer

In this our glorious day.

The whole wide world for Jesus!

The marching order sound;

Go ye and preach the gospel

Wherever man is found.

The whole wide world for Jesus!

Our banner is unfurled;

We battle now for Jesus,

And faith demands the world.

Catherine Johnson CCLI 788682

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Daily Devotion April 26th

Sunday 26th

Acts 1 – Wait

During this week we will look at some portions of Scripture in the book of Acts, concerning Pentecost and the subject of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and conclude with some verses from 1 Corinthians 12 and Galatians 5.

As a local Church in Gateshead, our name ‘Emmanuel Pentecostal Church’ identifies us as being a Pentecostal Church, which in turns identifies us as being a people of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we should not only be Pentecostal in title but in practice as well.

A few weeks back in the devotions, I highlighted some of the ministries of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. (April 2nd) As we look in the book of Acts during this week we will enlarge further, but for today a brief introduction.

Acts chapter one, starts by informing us that Jesus made many proofs to the disciples of his resurrection by appearing to them over a period of forty days. During this time, he instructed the disciples that they were not to depart from Jerusalem until they had received the Holy Spirit.

In verse 6 the disciples were more interested in the kingdom of Israel being restored to which Jesus replied (in my own words) ‘You don’t need to be concerned about these things, it’s all been sorted and arranged by my Father. What is important for you though is this, wait and when you have been baptised in the Holy Spirit you will receive power and you are going to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, then in Samaria and to the end of the world.’

Is it possible that like the disciples, we too can be preoccupied with other matters instead of the priority of Pentecost in our experience?

Immediately after Jesus had said this, he was taken up from out of their sight and a cloud took him up and back to heaven. This is what we refer to has the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, he had accomplished what he had been sent to do, and now he was returning, back to his Father.

The next verse is an encouraging verse because it confirms to the disciples what Jesus had already told them, (in John 14:1-3) 1:11 ‘This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.’ This was good news for the disciples, and it is good news for us today, it is good news, full-stop, but in the trouble-some days in which we are living, it is comforting and reassuring news, that the day is coming and it may be sooner than we realise when this same Jesus who the disciples saw being taken up into heaven is going to come again, and when he does we who are watching and waiting will be taken up so that we will forever be with our Lord. When Paul touches on this same subject in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 he adds at the end in verse 18 ‘Therefore encourage one another with these words.’ May we be encouraged ‘He is coming again’, Amen, even so come Lord Jesus.

The rest of chapter one continues with the disciples returning to the upper room, (v13) they spend a period of time in united fellowship, in one accord with others, including Mary the mother of Jesus and his brothers (120 people altogether) devoting themselves to prayer. It was also there in the upper room, during this time of waiting that they appointed Matthias to replace Judas.

And there they waited, and there they prayed until we get to chapter two and verse one which says, ‘And when the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly . . .’

You may recall I talked about a ‘suddenly’ moment in an earlier devotion, (March 26th) when Paul and Silas were praying and singing at midnight and ‘suddenly’ there was an earthquake. (Acts 16:26) Well, here in Acts 2 there is a ‘suddenly’ moment, and this ‘suddenly’ moment was going to transform the disciples, they were about to receive and to be filled with the promised Holy Spirit and as a result things would never be the same again. But that is the subject for the rest of this week and I pray it is a subject that will not be contained within the boundaries of this week and our devotions but will be the ongoing experience for us as a Church, as a Pentecostal Church as we move forward with God into the future he has prepared for us until that moment when he comes again.

For today, as we embark on this week concerning the Holy Spirit, I jump forward to Acts 19 and ask the question that Paul asked the believers who he met with in Ephesus, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’

I was brought up in a Pentecostal Church, and when I was 18, I went to stay with a friend in Belfast, NI and while there I made contact with one of my dad’s cousins, David Greenow, who lived there and was a full time Evangelist, I knew him well as he frequently returned to Hereford to visit his family and to preach in the Church. We connected for a day and he took me to a few places, but there was one place and one moment that impacted me, it was like a bolt out of the blue. We went to Lough Neagh and as we stood looking across the lough, he turned to me and said, ‘Have you received the Holy Spirit? If not, why not, you belong to a Pentecostal Church.’ It was one of those moments where I knew that God by his Spirit was challenging me concerning my walk and relationship with him. Shamefully I had to reply, ‘No’ and he prayed with me and from that moment on I was desperate to seek and to be filled. I cannot point to a definitive moment when I received, until a while later at a youth conference while seeking the baptism of the Holy Spirit someone praying with me just simply said, I believe you have already been filled, just be released and it happened, I began to speak with tongues as the Holy Spirit gave me the ability. Did something happen at the Lough?

How about you? The disciples had to stay at ‘home’ till they received, wouldn’t it be wonderful if during this time while we have to stay at ‘home’ we were filled either for the first time, or afresh by the Holy Spirit so that when gathered church happens again we will be equipped by the Holy Spirit’s power to take us forward.

They were gathered in an upper chamber,

as commanded by the risen Lord,

and the promise of the Father

there they sought with one accord,

when the Holy Ghost from heaven descended

like a rushing wind and tongues of fire:

so dear Lord, we seek Thy blessing,

come with glory now our hearts inspire.

Let the fire fall, let the fire fall,

let the fire from heaven fall;

we are waiting and expecting,

now in faith, dear Lord, we call;

let the fire fall, let the fire fall,

on Thy promise we depend;

from the glory of Thy presence

let the Pentecostal fire descend.

As Elijah we would raise the altar

for our testimony clear and true,

Christ the Saviour, loving Healer,

coming Lord, Baptizer too,

ever flowing grace and full salvation,

for a ruined race Thy love has planned;

for this blessed revelation,

for Thy written word we dare to stand.

‘This the covenanted promise given

to as many as the Lord shall call,

to the fathers and their children,

to Thy people, one and all;

so rejoicing in Thy word unfailing,

we draw nigh in faith Thy power to know –

come, O come, Thou burning Spirit,

set our hearts with heavenly fire aglow.

With a living coal from off Thy altar

touch our lips to swell Thy wondrous praise,

to extol Thee, bless, adore Thee,

and our songs of worship raise;

let the cloud of glory now descending

fill our hearts with holy ecstasy,

come in all Thy glorious fullness,

blessed Holy Spirit, have Thy way

H Tee CCLI 788682

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Devotions

Daily Devotion April 25th

SATURDAY 25th

Psalm 34

V18 ‘The LORD is near to the broken hearted and saves the crushed in Spirit.’

We are many weeks into a period of uncertainty, a period the like of none of us have never been through before on such a large scale. To date (25th) There are 2.7m confirmed cases of Covid-19 world-wide, with 195,920 deaths. In the UK 143,464 cases and there have been 19,506 deaths. Thankfully many have and are recovered or are recovering.

Death has come suddenly, almost with either very little or no warning. Yes, we all know that we will die one day, but out of these present figures so many will have died unexpectedly, that is one of the reasons why the authorities have put in place many procedures to try to halt the spread and to eventually, hopefully wipe it out.

The Bible tells us that death has come as a result of the entrance of sin into the world. Death is no respecter of persons, it comes to all, and not always when we are old in age, sadly it calls from every age group. Any death is a sad time, any funeral service is a place where we would rather not attend. One of the saddest I’ve attended was when a previous school friend of our daughter died of Meningitis. She was just 11 years old, we had moved away, but for our daughter we travelled the 275 miles back to Great Cornard, Suffolk to enable her to join with all the other class-mates at the funeral, it was such a heart-breaking time. After the funeral I had a conversation with the vicar who I knew from our time living there, and he confided with me with some news that only he and his wife knew at the time, of which they were not disclosing yet owing to the events of the day. That same morning before he had had to officiate at the funeral, their own daughter just a few years old had been diagnosed with cancer, sadly just a year or two later, their daughter had also died. At the other end of the extreme I went to a funeral around the same time of an aunt of mine, she was 101.

We don’t like to talk about death, but we need to constantly remind ourselves as believers that we have as we considered on Tuesday, a Shepherd who is with us. But there is something else that we are reminded about in our Scripture today, the Shepherd also comes near to the broken hearted. Picture this: as the Shepherd is going through the valley of the shadow of death with a dying soul, transporting them into his eternal presence and home, he is at the very same time drawing close to the bereaved to minister to their broken-heartedness. What a wonderful Shepherd we have.

We can know a broken heart in many ways, it can come through a relationship breakdown, it can be as a result of devastating news but more commonly as already mentioned, we know broken-heartedness at the loss of a loved one when death has come and taken them. And many are experiencing this at this moment, the whole world over. There are many broken-hearted people in this world today. Death is awful in that it brings separation, as a loved one is taken, but perhaps it is made even the more difficult today in that we are constantly being reminded that such is the risk of contamination, that loved ones are sadly being left to die alone. Couples who may have been together for many years, unable to embrace, hold hands and to be a comfort to each other because of the potential and dangerous risk of getting the virus.

We can take many steps to help in this period, we can pray, we can ensure we follow the guidelines, we can ring, encourage etc. but we can also be the means through which the healing of the broken heart can take place as we allow God to use us to minister his grace to any that we know who may be hurting. Not just as a result of the virus, but any that are going through a period of loss. Elaine and I lost three of our parents in a month, three funerals in the space of 27 days, and we thank God that while we were grieving there were many in our Church family who were praying for us, getting in touch with us and just being there for us, but above all we thank God that our Shepherd was with us helping to heal our broken-heartedness.

In the New Testament, we read of the moment when Jesus arrived at the grave of Lazarus, even though he knew what he was about to do, he connected with the broken-heartedness of the two sisters and he wept. We must and should never be afraid of tears, again the Scripture says that when one rejoices, we rejoice with them, when one suffers, we suffer with them. We need to learn the art of connecting and caring! The need to enter what another person is going through, to be able to give them succour and support.

In Isaiah 61:1-2 we read ‘The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favour.’

In Luke 4, Jesus stood up in the temple and took the Scroll of the prophet Isaiah and when he found these verses, he read them out concluding at the end, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’

Yes, Jesus came to be the Saviour, he came to seek and to save the lost, he came to reconcile and to redeem, he came to give abundant and eternal life. But, among so many other things as well he came to bind up, or to heal the broken hearted.

The Psalm for today, is a reasonably well-known Psalm, meditate upon it, but if at this moment are down-hearted or broken-hearted allow the Saviour to lift you up, allow him to replace your sorrow with joy.

Psalm 147:3 ‘He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds.’

He gives beauty for ashes

Strength for fear

Gladness for mourning

Peace for despair

When sorrow seems to surround you

When suffering hangs heavy o’er your head

Know that tomorrow brings

Wholeness and healing

God knows your need

Just believe what He said

He gives beauty for ashes

Strength for fear

Gladness for mourning

Peace for despair

When what you’ve done keeps you from moving on

When fear wants to make itself at home in your heart

Know that forgiveness brings

Wholeness and healing

God knows your need

Just believe what He said

I once was lost but God has found me

Though I was bound I’ve been set free

I’ve been made righteous in His sight

A display of His splendor all can see

CCLI788682

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Daily Devotion April 24th

FRIDAY 24th

Psalm 123

This isn’t a very long Psalm and perhaps you are wondering why I have chosen it, it’s not because it is one of my favourites, but as I was going through the Psalms for this week the first verse caught my attention. ‘To you I lift my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens!’

It then gives an illustration in verse 2 of the eyes of the servant looking towards their master, and the eyes of the maidservant towards their mistress. This gives us a picture of our dependency toward God.

We depend on many things in our lives, especially in modern living with the technological era in which we live – we depend on our electric supply (and gas and water), we depend on our fridges, freezers, micro-waves, kettles, washing machines, our cars or public transport, and today we seem to be unable to cope without a particular device called a mobile phone or laptop computer. Imagine how different our day would be by trying to manage without each of these things I have mentioned.

Over the last months we have become even more aware of so much that we have taken for granted, everyday things we do, activities we do etc  like shopping, meeting with family or friends, going out in the car, maybe the gym, or even popping out for a meal with others.

Things which we have built our lives around and of we have become dependent upon. Suddenly we have been stripped of these things and have had to re-manage how we live and organise our lives. There are many ways in which we can react, we could become angry, we could become rebellious, we could be resourceful etc. but one thing we can all be is pro-active. We can be determined to make the most out of a difficult situation. But there is something else that we who are believers can do, it is that we can take stock. We can take the situation and the time it gives us to re-evaluate our lives and in particular our relationship with God. As we think of all the things in this life that we have become so dependant upon how many of them have become an hinderance to us in our walk with and our dependency upon the Lord Jesus Christ without our realising it?

Let’s go back to the first verse, ‘To you I lift my eyes.’ Our eyes are incredible organs, they are very delicate and yet extremely powerful, it is with our eyes we have vison, through our eyes we see everything around us, it is through our eyes we can focus on things that are close or far away. Sight is precious. Every day, we who have our sight are looking, watching, and as a result are absorbing, taking in and learning. Every day we are seeing and as a result feeding our minds which in turn feeds our desires. There is a challenge here, as to how much of our time is spent using our eyes to watch, read, see things that are not really of any value, more so of any spiritual value?

Some modern smart phones give you a weekly report on your screen time, whether you have spent more screen time or less screen time in a week compared to the previous week. I wonder what the weekly report would be on how much time we have given to the Word of God and the things of God? It’s a challenge to me.

 ‘To you I Lift my eyes’ speaks of our dependency toward God, the other familiar Psalm 121, says ‘I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?  My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.’ We need to remember that these words are not just for the difficult and tough times, they are applicable for every moment of our lives. We need his help regardless of what our circumstances are because in this modern age, there is so much than can distract us and cause us to lose our dependency upon him.

There is one well known New Testament Scripture that talks of where our eyes should be looking, and with this scripture I will conclude this devotion, it’s in Hebrews 12:1-2 ‘Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.’

I lift my eyes

to the quiet hills

in the press of a busy day;

as green hills stand

in a dusty land

so God is my strength and stay.

I lift my eyes

to the quiet hills

to a calm that is mine to share;

secure and still

in the Father’s will

and kept by the Father’s care.

I lift my eyes

to the quiet hills

with a prayer as I turn to sleep;

by day, by night,

through the dark and light

my Shepherd will guard his sheep.

I lift my eyes

to the quiet hills

and my heart to the Father’s throne;

in all my ways

to the end of days

the Lord will preserve his own.

 Timothy Dudley-Smith (b. 1926) CCLI 788682

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Daily Devotion April 23rd

THURSDAY 23rd

Psalm 100

There are some Psalms that perhaps we can recall being used more frequently than others in Sunday morning worship services, and for me, when I hear particular Psalms, my mind immediately remembers individuals who I can recall who used to regularly read them or they take me back to a particular time  – they were the favourites. Psalm 8 immediately reminds me of a lovely lady called Sonia that worshipped in the Church in Wrexham. Psalm 103 reminds me of an elderly man who used to make us smile as youngsters because he always used to say Psalm one ought three instead of one hundred and three.

This Psalm for today, Psalm 100, takes me back to my childhood Church in Madley, a little village in Herefordshire, the same place as Mr one ought three attended. I can remember verse 2 being displayed on the wall as a motto, ‘Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!’

This Psalm like many other Psalms, calls us to ‘come and to worship the Lord’.

Come with a joyful noise – that means that not all noise is joyful!

Come with singing, there is something powerful about song, and I believe that there is something especially powerful about congregational singing.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, we of all people should be a thankful people when we think of what God has done for us.

Enter his courts with praise, his praise should always be on our lips.

It gives to us the core for a worship service. Joyful noise, singing, thanksgiving, praise and blessing. But it also says serve the LORD with gladness, everything we do in the service of the Church should be done unto the Lord with gladness and in verse 3, ‘Know that the LORD, He is God!’ We come together in worship to KNOW the Lord, I believe worship should draw us closer to the Lord, and also expand our understanding of who he is and of what he has done and is doing and yet will do for us. Worship should excite us, but it should also ignite us, because the more we worship in spirit and in truth, the greater should be our awareness of God in our lives and the stronger our desire should be to get to know him more.

Returning to verse three, it also says. ‘It is he who has made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.’

When we come to worship, we are coming to bow down before the great Creator. He not only deserves our worship, but he has the right to demand it! He has made us, we are his, this reminds me of 1 Corinthians 6:20 ‘For you were bought with a price, so glorify God in your body.’

We don’t belong to ourselves; we belong to God we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. There is a personal challenge to each of us here, as to glorifying God, in that we need to be careful that we don’t dishonour God through our actions, in the things which we do and the things we say each day.

Psalm 95:6-7 says, ‘Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.’

Then the final verse (100:5) reminds us ‘For the LORD is good, his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.’ 

This is why we worship, why we praise, why we bring joyful noise / songs, and serve with gladness because the LORD who has made us is a GOOD God, he loves us with enduring love and he is faithful to all generations – as he was faithful 4000 years ago, 3000 years ago, 2000 years ago, 1000 years ago so he still is today and will be in 1000 years, 2000, 3000, 4000 . . . . Lamentations 3:22-23 ‘The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.’

Why should we make, serve, come, know, enter and give – for many thousand reasons but in particular because of Gods steadfast love and faithfulness.

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father

There is no shadow of turning with Thee

Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not

As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be

Great is Thy faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness

Morning by morning, new mercies I see

All I have needed Thy hands hath provided

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest

Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth

Thine own great presence to cheer and to guide

Strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside

Thomas Chisholm CCLI 788682

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Devotions

Daily Devotion April 22nd

Wednesday 22nd

Psalm 42

In this Psalm we have the narrative of an individual who it seems to use a modern phrase to be ‘down in the dumps’ spiritually. He seems to be low in spirit, we see this in verses 5 and verse 11 ‘Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?’

I think that we would all admit that sometime or other we have found ourselves in this place. Maybe more often than we would like to admit, we may have gone through a trying experience, we may have been faced with difficult circumstances, it may have been sickness, unemployment, feelings of rejection, the loss of someone, a marriage problem, the list could almost be endless and during those moments which seem to last for eternity we have gotten into a place of hopelessness and of feeling that it’s never going to end. Depression sets in, both an emotional and a spiritual depression and we find ourselves where the psalmist is, cast down, with an inner turmoil. In verses 9-10, the psalmist even questions the presence of God – have you been there? – maybe you are in that place at the moment – note what he says, ‘I say to God, my rock: “Why have you forgotten me?” he then gives us a little detail about what has caused his downcast soul, “Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? As with a deadly wound in my bones, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”’

In the middle of his turmoil, depression, whichever label we want to give it, he feels that God has forgotten him. He feels all alone, he feels trapped within himself. Possibly thinking that his whole world was going to collapse in upon him or all around him, but, there is a glimmer of hope, even though his soul is downcast, even though he feels that God has forgotten him, the glimmer of hope is there like a flickering candle burning its last bit of wick, and twice he says ‘Hope in God, for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.’ (verses 5 and 11). His focus was turning from his hopelessness to the certainty of God’s help.

The spark would return, the joy would return, the hopelessness would be replaced with hope again, the turmoil will be replaced with peace again, the depression will lift and his spirit would soar again, because however deep into depression he went, even though he felt he’d been forgotten by God, he still clung onto God, even if from his point of view it may only have been by his finger-tips. For God was there, God hadn’t forgotten him.

Yesterday we considered Psalm 23 and the confidence we have that the Good Shepherd will be with us as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, can I suggest to you today, that the same Good Shepherd will also be with you if you ever have to walk through the valley of depression, and if you are walking through that valley at this moment of time, there is hope, there is a way out, keep clinging onto the Shepherd.

My intention for todays devotion was actually to deal with verses 1-3, but as you can see I’ve not done that, somehow, and I can only believe it was the prompting of the Spirit the devotion has become what it is. I have a very strong conviction that God wants to speak into someone’s life, maybe that someone is you, you are struggling in the pit of depression, understand this, God is there and he wants to lift you up and bring you out. Reach out. Instead of clinging on with the tips of your fingers, place your hand firmly in His hand, it is a strong hand, it is a hand that will not let you go, it is a hand that wants to lead you forward into all that he has planned for you. Take the psalmists words and apply it to your own life, ‘Hope in God; for I shall praise him, my salvation, my God.’

The opening verses (verses 1-4) are the psalmist’s prayer, he wants his desire for God, for the things of God and for the house of God to be re-ignited again. Sometimes it is when we take our focus off God and of who he is that we begin to lose our way. Going through the period of time that we are at present, with restrictions upon us in regard to fellowshipping together, it would be easy to lose our focus, easy to start feeling sorry for ourselves, easy to get into a routine that will be difficult to break when the restrictions are over, may each one of us, be resolute to keep our focus on God, on the things of God and with a determined desire to be found in the house of God when we are able once again to go.

I was going to originally link this Psalm to another Psalm, 63, but I will close todays devotion with the opening verses, ‘O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.  Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.’

A few weeks ago, I was preparing to speak on the hands of Jesus and a song that I discovered at the time blessed me, so I will include it here as my hymn for the day. Feeling hopeless and lost? Place your hand in His hand.

Put your hand in the hand of the man

Who stilled the water

Put your hand in the hand of the man

Who calmed the sea

Take a look at yourself

And you can look at others differently

Put your hand in the hand of the man

From Galilee

When Jesus came into this world to bring salvation,

He grew up in a town with a bad reputation

And he walked among the common people who lived in galilee

And he knows all the troubles of a people like a you and a me

Put your hand

Now there’s more to the story that we can ever understand

Jesus was God in the flesh while walking this land

And he came to die and to rise again to take our fears away

So that we can live with peace and joy everyday

Unknown, Adapted Caroll Roberson CCLI 788682

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Devotions

Daily Devotion April 21st

TUESDAY 21st

Psalm 23

I wonder going back to what I suggested on Sunday morning about listing seven of the Psalms, how many put Psalm 23 down? It is possibly one of the most well known and used Psalms and possibly most used portion of Scripture alongside ‘The Lord’s Prayer.’

And yet the reality is that so many who have used it whether at a wedding, funeral etc. do not actually know the Lord, let alone know him as their Shepherd. See it is a nice psalm, it speaks of nice things, but to know it’s benefits we need to know in a personal way the Shepherd it is referring to.

Can we truly say today that we know the Shepherd so that we can say ‘The LORD is my Shepherd?’

What are the benefits of knowing this Shepherd?

To list them:

We will not want

We lie in green pastures

We are led by still waters

Our soul is restored

We are led in the paths of righteousness

When we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will not fear evil

The Shepherd is with us

His rod and staff comfort us

There is a table prepared before us in the presence of our enemies

Our head is anointed with oil

Goodness and mercy follow us – all the days of our life

We will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

The Psalm covers our pilgrimage as we walk with the Shepherd through life from our getting to know him as our Saviour, that is, our walk with him in the present, and his being with us as we pass through death and into eternity.

In Johns gospel, Jesus says that he is a Shepherd, he uses another word to describe what kind of Shepherd he is – ‘I am the GOOD Shepherd. (John 10:11) In the epistles he is also described as the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4) and as the Great Shepherd. (Hebrews 13:12).

If the LORD is the Shepherd then it also means that we who claim to belong to the Shepherd must be sheep, and not just any sheep but HIS sheep. In Isaiah 53:6 we read ‘All we like sheep have gone astray’ but 2 Peter 2:25 says ‘For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.’  In Psalm 100, one of the songs the Children of Israel sang includes the line, ‘We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture’ thank God because the Good Shepherd came to seek and to save the lost we can now also declare that we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. ‘I was lost, but Jesus found me, Found the sheep that went astray, threw His loving arms around me, drew me back into His way.’

We are familiar with the parable of the lost sheep, (Luke 15:1-7) that parable speaks of where we all were, lost, until Jesus came looking for us and found us and saved us. Perhaps there may be someone reading this today and you are still lost, you are still like a sheep that has gone astray, today you can come in repentance and know forgiveness of sin and be brought into the fold of the Good Shepherd. It was after hearing the parable of the Good Shepherd being preached one Sunday evening that I came to give my life to Jesus.

In deciding what to bring from this Psalm I decided upon v4 ‘Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.’

There are as we noted in the devotion on Sunday 19th April, many blessings attached to knowing Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. This verse, Psalm 23:4 speaks of one of the most comforting blessings that come from knowing the Lord as our Shepherd. To summarize it ‘when we are faced with death be it our own or that of someone who is close to us, we do not need to fear any evil, we do not need to be afraid, and two reasons,

1) Because the Shepherd who hung on the cross for us, the Shepherd who came looking for us, the Shepherd who is walking with us every day will still be with us as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. He made a promise that I will never leave you, even unto the end of the age and he is a promise keeper he will never leave us not even in the dark valley of death.

2) Because the Shepherd who is going to walk through that valley with us, has already been through it himself, and the good news is that by going through the valley of death himself, he conquered it, he destroyed its power. And here is some exciting news, in the book of Revelation we read that John the Apostle saw the risen Christ, our Shepherd, and as he looked upon him, it says, ‘he fell as if he was dead,’ but the Shepherd touched him and gave him some brilliant and exciting news; ‘Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive for evermore.’ Now if Jesus had stopped there that itself would be awesome, but he didn’t stop there, he continued with more amazing news that should bring us comfort and a realisation that we do not need to fear death. What did he say? ‘AND I HAVE THE KEYS OF DEATH AND HADES.’ (Revelation 1) What does this mean for us?

It means that the keyholder of death will have those keys with him as we walk through the valley, therefore we need not fear because he also has the power to grant eternal life to all who have believed on his name. I like to picture walking through the valley of the shadow of death and Jesus is walking with me and every time a door appears with death written upon it, he rattles it and says to me, ‘look it’s locked and I’ve got the key’ and when we get to the other end there is a door that says ‘life’ and he opens it and he takes me through it and into his eternal presence. 

When it comes to the valley of the shadow of death it is something we have no choice over, one day we will all have to walk through it, but be encouraged as I have often said we may fear the way that we will die, its natural as we don’t want to suffer or go through pain, but we don’t need to fear death itself, this is why this Psalm is such a comfort to the believer.

 Sadly, many are dying at this time, we often hear that many are having to die alone, and we need to pray that in their final moments that men and women will cry out to God for mercy and salvation.

I have a Shepherd, One I love so well;

how He has blessed me tongue can never tell;

on the Cross He suffered, shed His blood and died,

that I might ever in His love confide.

Following Jesus, ever day by day,

nothing can harm me when He leads the way;

darkness or sunshine, whate’er befall,

Jesus, the Shepherd, is my All in All.

Pastures abundant doth His hand provide,

still waters flowing ever at my side,

goodness and mercy follow on my track,

with such a Shepherd nothing can I lack.

When I would wander from the path astray,

then He will draw me back into the way;

in the darkest valley I need fear no ill,

for He, my Shepherd, will be with me still.

When labour’s ended and the journey done,

then He will lead me safely to my home;

there I shall dwell in rapture sure and sweet,

with all the loved ones gathered round His feet

Leonard Weaver CCLI 788682

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Devotions

Daily Devotion April 20th

MONDAY 20th

Psalm 8

This short Psalm ends the same way that it starts, ‘O LORD, our LORD, how majestic is your name in all the earth!’

It is a declaration of who God is – He is the LORD, ‘O LORD’, but it is also a further declaration that he is ‘OUR LORD’ and then a third declaration that is ‘name is majestic in all the earth.’

I can imagine that the psalmist David has stopped wherever he was and with whatever he was doing and looked up into the sky, maybe from a high vantage point, and then looked at all he could see around him and suddenly become overwhelmed with the splendor, majesty, grandeur and greatness of the LORD God. He says, ‘When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers; the moon and the stars, which you have set in place . . .’(v3) In a later Psalm, David declares; ‘The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.’ (Psalm 19:1) In seeing all that God has created, it is as if he sees God’s signature in it all, the very majestic name of God written in everything for all to see.

But then, after trying to comprehend the greatness of God in all that he has seen, imagine it, the beauty of the delicate flower, the incredible wonder of the buzzing bee, the thunderous roar of a waterfall, or gentle flowing of a stream, the incredible vastness of the ocean and the almost unbelievable expanse of the heavens on a clear night where the eye is drawn from one star after another, till if you start to count, well in no time at all you have to give up, because there are so many, he then looks at himself, and he thinks of his fellow human kind and says: ‘What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?’ (v4) The CSB puts it this way, ‘What is a human being that you remember him, a son of man, that you look after him?’ (See also Psalm 144:3-4)

When we stop and think about it, it is a very good question. In the scheme of all that God has created, in the vastness of it all, and we know that scientific technology is getting better all the time, causing man with the use of telescopes to see far further out than ever before, what is man? And secondly that God should be mindful of him or that God should care for him? It’s a big, vast universe God, surely you have got better things to do than to look after me? And the answer would come back ‘No, I care about you and I care for you and I think about you all the time.’ To re-quote a verse I used yesterday, David said in Psalm 139:17-18 ‘How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them.’ He then continues in the next verse, ‘IF I could count them, they are more than the sand!’

Let’s pause there for a moment – as I am preparing these thoughts, I stopped myself and wondered ‘Why am I using this same verse two days in a row, how come the Holy Spirit has led me this way again?’ and this is my answer. Someone needs to hear this, someone needs to be reminded of this very thing – God cares for you, God is mindful of you, and God is thinking about you. I’m reminded of the chorus that goes; ‘I’m special because God has loved me, for he gave the best thing that he had to save me, His own Son Jesus, crucified to take the blame for all the bad things I have done.’ You are special to God – the words he spoke over Israel are words he speaks over his children today -Isaiah 43:1 ‘But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob (REPLACE THIS WITH YOUR NAME), he who formed you, O Israel (REPLACE THIS WITH YOUR NAME): “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.  In the words of Malachi 3:17 (“They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him.) You are God’s treasured possession, the KJV says; ‘my jewel.’

What is man? If we go back to the creation story, we have the various days of creation and as we know it was on the last day, day six that God decided to create man. This is what he said, Genesis 1:26-27 ‘Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.’

Then in the following verses 28-31, ‘And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”  And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.’

These verses indicate that the creation of man was the pinnacle or the high point of Gods creative work. Yes, the heavens and the earth were amazing, the sun and the moon and the stars, the sea and oceans, the rivers and streams, the trees and the flowers, the birds of the air, the fish of the sea and the creatures roaming on the land they were all good and worthy of magnifying the name of the LORD but after God had created man, he gave him dominion over everything, he gave him the responsibility of being the caretaker as it were of the created world all around him, and whereas everything else that God created was good, after the sixth day, when man had been formed and completed the creatives work, God declared ‘it was very good.’

Of course we know that because of the forbidden fruit being partaken of, it all went pear shaped, But although God banished the original pair out of the garden of Eden, he didn’t forget mankind, he immediately put into action the plan he had prepared before the foundation of the world to redeem man back unto himself.

And ever since that sixth day of creation, God has always been mindful of mankind, God has always cared for mankind, God has always worked for and toward mankind both with his common grace towards all and with his saving or special grace toward all who would believe. Yes, in comparison to all that we can survey, we may as individuals seem to be like a tiny spec, insignificant and unimportant, but not to God, he has loved each one of us with an everlasting love. He cares for you, he cares for me.

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder

Consider all the works Thy Hand hath made,

I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,

Thy pow’r throughout the universe displayed,

Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,

How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,

How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

When through the woods  and forest glades I wander

I hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,

When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur

And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze,

And when I think that God His Son not sparing,

Sent him to die – I scarce can take it in,

That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,

He bled and died to take away my sin.

When Christ shall come, with shouts of acclamation,

And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!

Then I shall bow in humble adoration

And there proclaim, “My God, how great Thou art!”

Stuart Hine CCLI788682

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Devotions

Daily Devotion April 19th

Sunday 19th

Psalm 103

Yesterday we looked at a verse from Psalm 91, today and through this week I want to continue in the Psalms. I wonder if you were limited to choosing seven Psalms which ones would you choose? Perhaps that would be a good exercise today, to compile your personal list. I have chosen seven for this week, but I have not particularly chosen what would be my top seven simply because my list would include at least three that we won’t use this week. My list would include Psalm 1, has it’s always been one of my favourites, and Psalm 121 and Psalm 19.

Today I have chosen Psalm 103, verses 1-5. 

These first few verses in this psalm are probably verses that I quote or use more than any other in prayer, especially verse 1, verses 1-5, ‘Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’

Just pause for a moment or two and consider the wonder of these words.

‘Forget not all his benefits’ if I were to give a New Testament comparison, it would be Ephesians 1:3 ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places’ I have already mentioned about listing what would be your top seven Psalms, here is a bigger challenge, how about beginning to list the many benefits or blessings we have received in Christ.

In Psalm 139:17, David says ‘How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them.’ He then continues in the next verse, ‘IF I could count them, they are more than the sand!’ In an earlier Psalm he says, ‘You have multiplied, O LORD my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you!’ (Psalm 40:5) If David could say these things before Calvary has happened, how much more so can we who have known the wonder of Calvary’s love and grace. His blessings towards us are like his thoughts toward us, they are more than the sand. 

‘Who forgives all your iniquity’ read what it says later in the same Psalm, verse 12, ‘as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.’  Re-read this and declare it loud and clear, if we have been to the cross in repentance, our sin HAS been removed and we have been justified by his precious blood! The devil can throw every accusation against us that he wants to, but not one accusation will stand as we remain firm in our position in Christ Jesus, because we have been forgiven and we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus himself,  who is standing in God’s presence on our behalf. 1 John 1:9 ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’

‘Who heals all your diseases’ ‘Oh dear’ this is a tricky one, if he heals all our diseases how come so many of the household of faith are sick and suffering? Well, no it’s not tricky for God does have the power to heal all our diseases – he has healed us from the worse of them all – the disease of sin which had left us spiritually dead and thanks to his death on the cross and the power of his resurrection, by grace we have been saved and we have been made spiritually alive again. (Ephesians 2) But alongside reading Scripture concerning healing we need to remind ourselves that although we have been made alive spiritually or quickened as the KJV says,  we are still living in a fallen world, and we still suffer some of the consequences of the fall, as Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 4:16 ‘So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.’ But thank God one of the blessing of being in Christ is that one day that which is wasting away, perishing, and decaying will be transformed into a glorious new eternal body. Another Scripture that should help us in this is Romans 8:23-25 ‘And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. (See also 1 Corinthians 15:42-49) And although healing can and does take place in the present, the day is coming when all sickness and disease will be done away with – and as a result of what? – Christ’s redemptive work, and so he does heal all our diseases, sometimes it happens in the present but most definitely for every believer it will happen as we enter eternity. As I have said in an earlier devotion, (March 28th) if our healing doesn’t happen today, he gives us his grace to strengthen us in the present and as a sure and certain hope for the future.

‘Who redeems your life from the pit’ In the CSB* the word pit is capitalized to Pit, this then means it is referring to a specific place. It is referring to ‘Sheol’, the place of the dead, or the place where the dead go to. The psalmist is rejoicing that because of his hope and confidence in God, when he dies, he will not go to the place of the spiritually dead, because he has been redeemed from it. So where will he go? Well instead of the Pit those who are spiritually alive will go to Paradise! Remember what the response of Jesus was to the dying thief on the cross? ‘Today you will be with me in Paradise’ In other words instead of the PIT and as a result of Christ’s resurrection, we go to where the Saviour is and perhaps better to put it this way, we go into the PRESENCE of our Saviour. And we who are born again by the Spirit of God have been redeemed from the pit, from the place of the spiritually dead. For the unbeliever the Pit is not good news, because the New Testament enlarges further and talks of the unrighteous dead being raised and cast with the devil and his wicked angels into the Lake of Fire which will be a place of eternal punishment,(Revelation 20:7-15) but for us who are believers, our body may be temporarily placed in the ground, but our redeemed spirit / soul will enter into his presence awaiting the glorious resurrection day. (1 Corinthians 15:50-58)

‘Who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s’. Because of time I will sum these thought up by using Scripture, just ponder upon the wonder that instead of a golden crown studded with diamond on our heads, we have been crowned with something far more precious and valuable – the steadfast love and mercy of God.

Psalm 5:11-12 ‘But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favour as with a shield.’

Psalm 107:8-9 ‘Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.’

Matthew 5:6 ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.’

Isaiah 40:30-31 ‘Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.’

Oh yes, my list which we will look at the rest of this week – Psalm 8, Psalm 23, Psalm 42, Psalm 100, Psalm 123, Psalm 34.

*CSB Christian Standard Bible

Lately I’ve been looking back, along this winding road 

To the old familiar markers of the mercies I have known 

I know it may sound simple but it’s more than a cliche

There’s no better way to tell you, than to say

God’s been good in my life

I feel blessed beyond my wildest dreams when I go to sleep each night

And though I’ve had my share of hard times, I wouldn’t change them if I could

‘Cause through it all, God’s been good

Times replay and I can see that I’ve cried some bitter tears 

But I felt His arms around me, as I faced my greatest fears

You see I’ve had more gains than losses and I’ve known more joy than hurt

As His grace rolled down upon me undeserved

For God has been my Father, my Savior and my Friend

His love was my beginning, and His love will be my end

I could spend forever trying to tell you everything He is

But the best thing I can say is this . . . God’s been good . . .’

Unknown CCLI 788682