A WORD FOR TODAY, January 7, 2021
Peggy Hoppes
We pray you have been blessed by this daily devotion. If you received it from a friend, you can see other devotions and studies by visiting our website at www.awordfortoday.org.
Blessings. Peg
“I love Yahweh, because he listens to my voice, and my cries for mercy. Because he has turned his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. The cords of death surrounded me, the pains of Sheol got a hold of me. I found trouble and sorrow. Then I called on Yahweh’s name: ‘Yahweh, I beg you, deliver my soul.’ Yahweh is gracious and righteous. Yes, our God is merciful. Yahweh preserves the simple. I was brought low, and he saved me. Return to your rest, my soul, for Yahweh has dealt bountifully with you. For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. I will walk before Yahweh in the land of the living. I believed, therefore I said, ‘I was greatly afflicted.’ I said in my haste, ‘All people are liars.’ What will I give to Yahweh for all his benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation, and call on Yahweh’s name. I will pay my vows to Yahweh, yes, in the presence of all his people. Precious in Yahweh’s sight is the death of his saints. Yahweh, truly I am your servant. I am your servant, the son of your servant girl. You have freed me from my chains. I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call on Yahweh’s name. I will pay my vows to Yahweh, yes, in the presence of all his people, in the courts of Yahweh’s house, in the middle of you, Jerusalem. Praise Yah!
Praise, supplication and thanksgiving: this is how we approach God in prayer. We see this in the psalm for today; it follows a pattern. First the psalmist praised the Lord for listening. Then the psalmist described his difficulty. Finally the psalmist spoke words of thanksgiving and praise. This is a powerful pattern for us to follow. We are to begin with a hope-filled prayer, praising God for His compassionate mercy. This is based on faith and trust that God is present and that He hears, even if it seems He is far away. We know by His promises that He is near and we trust that He hears our cries. Once we worship Him and acknowledge His presence, then we approach Him with our needs. Finally, we sing thanks and praise to God for His mercy knowing that He is faithful.
The psalmist talks of death but death is not always the end of our physical bodies. We all face death in different ways throughout our lives. Broken relationships, unemployment, illness and other difficulties are types of death. We experience a type of death when our circumstances change. Hope can die when nothing is as we think it should be. We often find ourselves crying out to the God who is present, knowing that He is listening to our cry. In praise, supplication and thanksgiving, we trust that God will deliver us from death by His mercy and grace.
Unfortunately, our mouths are not always filled with praise, supplication and thanksgiving. I had a very bad habit when I was a student teacher so many years ago. I tended to get frustrated and angry with my classroom filled with children who were constantly making noise. In anger I would raise my voice and shout “Shut up!” This did not go over well with the teacher who was mentoring me. “Shut up” does not help the situation and yelling is even less helpful. My attitude made the children respond negatively, rather than positively. Instead of getting quiet, they got louder. Instead of listening, they turned on their neighbor. My teacher had a very quiet voice and could somehow calm the chaos with a whisper.
There is a modern day proverb that says, “If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” Those who live by this proverb will do everything in their power to make Mama happy because if we keep her in a good mood, she’ll do the things that make our lives better and we will feel comfortable and satisfied. However, if Mama ain’t happy, she’ll make our lives a living nightmare.
I have begun to think of this proverb in a different way. I have realized that if I am not happy, the atmosphere around me will be unhappy. My attitude affects the world in which I live. So, if I make a willful attempt to be happy, under any circumstance, those around me will feel comfortable and satisfied. If I had learned that lesson earlier in life, I might have had the peace and patience to be a teacher who could calm the chaos with a whisper.
Now more than ever, we need to have an attitude of trust and faith, believing that God is in control even when the world is in chaos. In faith, we approach each moment with praise, supplication and thanksgiving.
God is able to make things right, and He will impact the world through us. It takes prayer, of course, because without Him we can do nothing. We can’t do anything by our strength or knowledge or abilities, but all good things will come by God’s power, word and Holy Spirit. He gives us what we need to do what He is calling us to do. It won’t be easy because we will face persecution, rejection and possibly even death. Unfortunately, we’ll use our mouths in ways that won’t always glorify God. So, let’s live in a way that brings forth blessing and not cursing. The world around us will be better for our good attitudes and the good words we can speak by His power to share the grace of God.
A WORD FOR TODAY is posted five days a week – Monday through Friday. The devotional on Wednesday takes a look at the scripture from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday. A WORD FOR TODAY is posted on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Word-for-Today-Devotional/339428839418276. Like the page to receive the devotion through Facebook. For information and to access our archives, visit http://www.awordfortoday.org.