Thoughts in Worship
Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Sabbath, June 8, 2019
Audio Link: http://bit.ly/ThoughtsinWorship
This is devotional thought number 51 in our devotional series titled, “The Faith I Live By”
“The Lord helps all who fall; He raises up all who are oppressed. All eyes look to You, and You give them their food at the proper time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all His ways and gracious in all His acts.” (Psalm 145:14–17, HCSB).
God is good! And the people of God say, “Amen!” It’s true. It is not simply a way to get people to get up out of their seats, dance, jump up until they’re sweaty, bounce till their wigs drop off, or run and scream till their voices don’t work anymore. God really is good. His mercies endure forever. His truth endures through all generations. How? Where do I start this blessed morning? Why don’t we narrow our view to today’s Scripture focus, shall we?
Jesus created the worlds; that which is visible, invisible, principalities, powers, rulers, the laws of nature, and every living creature. That’s a mouthful. All that we see in nature, reveals nature’s Creator when studied with inquisitive, submissive eyes. Therefore, it stands to reason, that if an intelligent and compassionate God created the world and all creatures who live here, that He would also make provisions for all our needs. That’s what a good God does. We need air and He provides it. We need love and He provides it. We need companionship and He provides it. We need sustenance and He provides it. We need a voice to speak up for the downtrodden and oppressed and He provides it. The ecosystem and environment needs predictable laws to govern them so all living creatures can continue to exist throughout the centuries and He provides it. The Bible says it this way, “For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.” (Acts 17:28). Since this is the case, it also stands to reason that we should place our trust in Him. We have the privilege to insulate ourselves against blind worry, which cannot discern the future. Thankfully, God sees all, knows all, and has ways to make provision for His children that are far beyond our ability to comprehend. For these and other blessings we recognize that God is good.
God’s goodness toward us, even amid difficulties should engender deep appreciation and faithfulness. We should give thanks for His mercies, which are new every morning. And when we do so, we can rest assured that God will be ever near and continue to bolster our faith. As we relish all of His benefits, we invariably must welcome others to do the same. God is good, all of the time, and all the time (well, you know the rest).
By God’s grace, this is the faith I live by, let this be the same for you, in Jesus’ name.—L. David Harris (http://bit.ly/BQuotable)
#theprotestisnotover #thefaithiliveby