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Listen while you read: "Come Let Us To The Lord Our God"1 (Lyrics) |
While cleaning out some long-undisturbed cupboards in the church basement, members of my congregation unearthed a pile of disused hymnbooks and gave them to anyone who wanted one. I claimed The Book of Praise, printed in 1918. Though it is mended and has yellowed pages, I have enjoyed the poetry of the hymns, penned by great Christian writers such as Sir Isaac Watts, Fanny Crosby, and John Wesley. The English is often archaic, but the expressions of praise and worship are timeless, and my heart has been blessed by reading the verses. Let me share some verses by John Newton (1725-1807):
- Great Shepherd of Thy people, hear;
Thy presence now display.
As Thou has giv'n a place for prayer,
So give us hearts to pray.
Within these walls let holy peace,
And love, and concord dwell;
Here give the troubled conscience ease,
The wounded spirit heal.
May we in faith receive Thy Word,
In faith present our prayers,
And in the presence of our Lord,
Unbosom all our cares.
What words of comfort and assurance during these troubled times!
King Jehoshaphat and the kingdom of Judah faced imminent invasion by three enemy armies. In their fear and confusion, they turned to the Lord for salvation. Their prayers echoed what John Newton penned so many years later, but God's response was sure and mighty to save.
2 Chronicles 20:17 – You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you. (ESV)
In the most amazing military victory in the Bible, the choir led the army into battle, praising God and saying, "Give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever." Then God raised an insurrection among the enemy armies, and they completely destroyed each other.
Our world is experiencing unprecedented uncertainty and confusing times. Take comfort in the faith and praises in the Scriptures, the hymns of previous generations, and contemporary worship songs. The same God who rescued Judah and Jerusalem is mighty to save His people today. Be among those who go out and praise!
Prayer: Today, dear Lord, we give thanks to You, for Your steadfast love endures forever. Thank You for the faith expressed in the praise of Bible heroes and previous generations of Christian poets and writers, and for the encouragement that still rings out for us today. Amen.
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Tuesday, April 16, 2024 – In Peru — Please pray for this summer season at our beach-town home to be a blessing to the little Fellowship we have started and that the Lord would "add to our numbers those who are being saved".
Housing: "Update April 14, 2024; Please pray extra fervently for tomorrow when she and her son will be going..." 
Thank you.
Amen, Shirley!
Yes, the wisdom of the ages still holds true! Thanks!
Thank you, Shirley, for this reminder and encouragement to praise.
Dear Shirley, Thank you for your positive devotional in these times. Blessings.
O YES, Shirley! Helps me. Thanks for a heart-strengthening message at a time of need.
Dear Shirley,
How I enjoy your inspirational and edifying devotionals! Today’s devotional provides us with just what we need and want to hear.
Blessings and Gratitude,
Dear Shirley,
Thank you for historic and contemporary truths well-put.
We pray for those working toward the development of anti-viral med or injection to counteract the C-virus.
Amen.
Keep writing.
Shirley, Thank you for your devotional and sharing about the old hymnals and their treasurers. We need to treasure some of that poetry as well as the good tunes that go with them. We have many old hymnals as well as some of the newer ones but can’t find publication of some of songs sung in worship today. Blessings.
Hello Shirley,
Thank you for submitting this devotional today. Today’s world is certainly in need of the reassurance and encouragement of those words in our bibles and hymn books. We can remain strong in knowing that our loving Lord is ever watching over us as we seek His guidance and be grateful for His everlasting care.
Blessings for your writings and may you stay healthy thru the coming days.
(B.C.)
A blessed Sunday afternoon. We were not able to go to our nor any other church in our area, but we had church on FB that goes around the world!!! Our church goes out every Sunday. Today the Praise Team was there to lead the singing of choruses and hymns.
Thank you so much for your message. We all need the Message of the Cross more than ever before all around the world. In our small isolated city, we have a large hospital and so far, no virus, hopefully and prayerfully will be free. And may you and your loved ones be free too. How I would have been there to have seen the old hymn books.
Thank you for the special blessing.
(California)
Good morning Shirley,
Thank you for your devotional, very good. I usually don’t open the computer on Sunday, but as we are stuck in the house, I thought I would. Printed it off and we used it as our devotional in the morning.
Blessings