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.
