Worship Devotional LXII
Originally posted to the Facebook group on 2/27/2021.
Worship Devotional for 2/28/21
God is faithful and able to provide for all of our needs. He delights in His children and loves us with an everlasting love which is true and faithful forever. He is able to relate to us in the deepest ways, to meet the deepest longings and needs of our souls. We've sung about the deep and wonderful mystery of who God is as He reveals Himself in His word — that He is love (1 John 4:8), and that He is faithful and true (Revelation 19:11). This week we are singing about who God is in how He relates to us as both our Father and our Friend.
The Father loves, protects, disciplines, and provides for His children. He is seated on His heavenly throne, high above all things, where He reigns in righteousness and justice and truth. He knows us, for He made us, and He meets us where we're at to teach us and to guide us and to lead us further in the ways of His kingdom. He is the only One who is able to meet all of our needs and to satisfy the deepest longings of our souls which He put within us. In love, wisdom, power, authority, and truth He sent His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ, to come to the earth in human flesh, to fulfill His purposes for His glory, and to save mankind from sin and death. Because He came to us in this way, we have not only a Father to reign over us, but also a Friend who knows our every weakness and is able to help us in our struggles. We need a father to guide us and care for us and protect us, but we also need a friend to walk beside us through the things we must suffer in this life.
Hebrews 2:9-18:
"But we do see Jesus — 'made lower than the angels for a short time' so that by God's grace He might taste death for everyone — crowned with glory and honor because of His suffering. For in bringing many sons to glory, it was entirely appropriate that God — all things exist for Him and through Him — should make the source of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For the One who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying: 'I will proclaim Your name to My brothers; I will sing hymns to You in the congregation.' Again, 'I will trust in Him.' And again, 'Here I am with the children God gave Me.' Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through His death He might destroy the one holding the power of death — that is, the Devil — and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death. For it is clear that He does not reach out to help angels, but to help Abraham's offspring. Therefore, He had to be like His brothers in every way, so that He could become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tested and has suffered, He is able to help those who are tested."
John 15:9-17:
"As the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you. Remain in My love. If you keep My commands you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commands and remain in His love. I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is My command: Love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you slaves anymore, because a slave doesn't know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from My Father. You did not choose Me, but I chose you. I appointed you that you should go out and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. This is what I command you: Love one another."
Hebrews 4:14-16:
"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens — Jesus the Son of God — let us hold fast to the confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time."
Without the Son, we would not have access to the Father, because God is holy and just and righteous and true, and we are not. Jesus did the Father's will by giving His own life as a sacrifice so that we could be saved, redeemed by His blood, and made new in His likeness. We now have access to the Father through the Son, and we receive mercy and grace and therefore life instead of condemnation unto death. So we can run to the Father's arms and find refuge and peace! He is with us and walks beside us. Jesus — who is one with the Father and through whom the Father is revealed to us — walked the earth as one of us, so He knows our weaknesses and is able to help us with whatever we are going through right now. Let us trust in God our Father and in Christ His Son, who is a faithful Friend to us.
Here are the songs:
1) Run To The Father by Cody Carnes
Are you struggling right now? Are you suffering, going through hard times, carrying the weight of pain or sorrow or any other burdens of this life? Psalm 62:7-8 says:
"My salvation and glory depend on God, my strong rock. My refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge."
Our God is not distant from us, unconcerned with the struggles we face. Instead He is near and full of love and compassion toward us. Through His Son Jesus we are made new and alive and are called God's children. He is our Father who loved us and predestined each one of us who believe for salvation and life in Him before time began. So whatever you are going through right now, run to your Father in heaven who loves you and who is mighty, strong, and able to provide for all your needs.
Ephesians 1:3-6:
"Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens. For He chose us in Him, before the foundations of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to His favor and will, to the praise of His glorious grace that He favored us with in the Beloved."
John 14:6:
"Jesus told him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
How wonderful and amazing it is that God — the Creator and Judge of all things who reigns in perfect holiness, righteousness, justice, and truth — would love us and give Himself for us by sending His Son Jesus to the earth to take on human flesh and bear our sicknesses and sorrows, all to make a way for us to be reconciled with Him that we may be His children and He may be our Father! This calls for wonder and fear, for rejoicing with trembling. Wonder and joy for how good and awesome God is and all the good things that God has done for us and has given us, and fear because He is holy and we don't deserve any of it at all. Rejoice for His unrelenting love! He has loved us as a Father and as a Friend, so let us come to Him in faith and trust in Him completely to help us and provide for us, and let us give Him praise because He alone is worthy.
3) His Mercy Is More by Matt Boswell and Matt Papa
1 Peter 2:9-10:
"But you are 'a chosen race,' 'a royal priesthood,' 'a holy nation,' 'a people for His possession,' 'so that you may proclaim the praises' of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."
We were dead in our sin and darkness, but because of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross for the glory of God and the salvation of man, we have been shown mercy from God! We now are adopted into the family of God as His children. Let us praise Him with all of our hearts, for even though our sins are many, His mercy is more!
Lamentations 3:22-23:
"Because of the Lord's faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!"
4) What A Friend We Have In Jesus
Matthew 11:27-30:
"All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son desires to reveal Him. Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
It is a wonderful thing that Jesus would call us His friends. There is no friend so faithful who will certainly be for us and with us always, who is able to intercede for us before the throne of God, and whose word and promises are always true and good. Jesus knows every trial and temptation and weakness we face, because He was
"...tested in every way as we are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15).
He will help us to bear every burden, meet us in all our pain and sorrow to give us hope and peace and comfort, and ultimately lead us in the ways of God's everlasting kingdom to obtain a rich and eternal reward. Let us praise Him and give everything to Him who is our faithful Lord and Friend, our shelter and refuge, our Shepherd, our Savior, and our King.
Theme(s): God our Father, Christ our Friend, God's mercy
Scripture references:
Psalms 2, 31, 46, 55, 91
Isaiah 43:25, 53:3-6, 55:6-7
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Lamentations 3:21-24
Micah 7:18-20
Matthew 11:25-30
John 14, 15:1-17
2 Corinthians 5:16-6:2
Ephesians 1, 3:8-21
Philippians 4:4-9
1 John 1:1-4, 3:1, 4:7-19
Hebrews 2-4, 12