Devotion - May 3, 2019

Psalm 30

I will exalt you, Lord, for you rescued me. You refused to let my enemies triumph over me.

O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health.

You brought me up from the grave, [a] O Lord. You kept me from falling into the pit of death.

Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name.

For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime!

Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.

When I was prosperous, I said, “Nothing can stop me now!”

Your favor, O Lord, made me as secure as a mountain. Then you turned away from me, and I was shattered.

I cried out to you, O Lord. I begged the Lord for mercy, saying,

“What will you gain if I die, if I sink into the grave?

Can my dust praise you? Can it tell of your faithfulness?

Hear me, Lord, and have mercy on me. Help me, O Lord.”

You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.

You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,

that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.

O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!

Devotion by Chris Shiver

I love music & I especially love worshiping and praising God with songs. But I am a marginal singer & a mediocre instrumentalist (I previously played piano & trombone when I was young). But I know God cares less about the quality of the music and more about the heart & spirit that is behind it. In the Kairos Prison Ministry, which I have been involved with since 2000, we have seen how singing and even acting out joyful, reverential & and sometimes a little silly music can help even the hardest hearts to start to open up to God’s love. Therefore, knowing what God has done for me, my family & our church I am happy to sing praise to him, knowing that even though the sound of my voice may make a few human ears cringe, God is still happy to hear it.

My Prayer:

Jesus, I pray that I will never let anything get in the way of thanking and praising you each day. Amen.