"Give Thanks to the Lord" Of David.
138 I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
2 I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.[a]
3 On the day I called, you answered me;
my strength of soul you increased.[b]
4 All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth,
5 and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord.
6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he knows from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
and your right hand delivers me.
8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.
Lately I've been a lot more interested in the life of David, especially his life after Nathan convicted him and he confessed of his sin with Bathsheba. After this, and because of his grievous sins, the son born to Bathsheba died and all of his other sons fought against him and most of them died gruesome deaths by the sword. Not only that, but there were nations who were constantly trying to get at him and his kingdom, and so he was constantly fighting battles and shedding blood. Talk about stress.... , and he deserved it.
Still, in the middle of all that trouble and stress, and even after his failures and guilt, he is able to say,
"7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
and your right hand delivers me."
He knew exactly who it was that upheld his life. He knew where his bread was buttered, where his breath came from, and where he was going to get mercy and grace. And so he was able to praise God even in the midst of the most difficult of circumstances. He was able to keep the faith, because the Holy Spirit kept reviving him and strengthening him.
What about you? Can you praise God in the middle of your struggles? Can you see past the pain to the praise? Can your ears and your heart hear God's Word and receive it with thankfulness even when you are going through difficult times?
My prayer for you is that you can take those difficult times in your lives and kick them in the teeth with the blessings of Christ, namely forgiveness, peace, and salvation. My prayer is that you can look back on those difficult times with thanksgiving and joy as times that the Lord grew your faith and sanctified you in both body and soul. My prayer for you and for myself is that we all become a little more like David every day, realizing how poor and wretched sinners we are, and knowing how much God has forgiven us.
Prayer: Lord, when hard times get us down, remind us that you are there and that all the blessings we receive in those difficult times come from you. Amen.
CALENDAR
Tues- Quilters 9-2; Council meeting canceled
Wed- Worship at Oak Pointe 10am
Thurs- Pastor leaves for vacation and is gone till July 2
Sat- Worship 5pm
Sun- worship 8:30; Sunday school 9:45; Worship 11
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WORSHIP WORKERS FOR THIS COMING WEEKEND:
Acolyte- 8:30- John Pezold 11- Jacob Winn
Ushers- George, Gary, and Ben Hoelscher, and Brent Davis
Altar- Set up- Linda Callies; Clean Up- Lois Boeger
Elders- Sat- Roy Bohning; 8:30- Randy Sweet; 11- Jim Rahn
Greeters- 8:30- Jim and Vickie McRae; 11- Steve and Sandy Robine
Lay Readers- Sat- Roy Bohning 8:30- Derek Ebert; 11- Jim Rahn
Organist- Rachel Fisher
Piano- Kathy Barrow
Projectionists: No projection this week
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WORSHIP WORKERS FOR NEXT WEEKEND, JULY 2 and 3
Acolytes- 8:30- Dawn Sherman 11- Hailey Blechle
Ushers- Marvin hendershot, Don Luebke, Dave Callies, Don Nolte
Altar-- Set up- Marilyn Foster and Sue Ruhl; Clean up- Sandy Robine
Elder- ??????
Greeters- 8:30- Don Nolte; 11- Joan Sexton
Lay Readers- Sat- Judy Koprowski; 8:30- Tim Linke; 11- Steve Robine
Pianist- Barb Dreyer
Projectionist- Sat- Toni Mauch; 8:30- Erv Yoder; 11- Gus
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YESTERDAY'S QUIZ: How long did Jehoahaz reign as king?
What happened to a dead man who was thrown into Elisha's tomb? He came back to life
Here's how it works:
