Worship Devotional XI
Originally posted to the Facebook group on 2/7/2020.
Worship Devotional
Greetings, church! This week we are singing about God's mercy and love. These songs are also about trusting and rejoicing in His faithfulness as we wait for the fulfillment of His promises.
The meaning of "waiting" involves intentionally taking care to be ready for that which is waited for. It is based on trust and belief that what is being waited for will indeed happen. So to wait for something is to prepare yourself for whatever you believe is coming.
Waiting on the Lord is something we have read and heard many times, but it can be difficult to do. His timing is not the same as ours, and His plans much greater than anything we can fathom. We sometimes are tempted to walk in discouragement when things don't work out the way we think they will. It can feel like we are drowning in deep waters and surrounded by darkness when we don't understand why things are happening the way they are. However, God's word meets us in such places with the encouragement and truth we need. In Psalm 130:1, the psalmist says:
"Out of the depths I call to You, Yahweh!"
Yet he confidently declares in verse 7:
"Israel, put your hope in the Lord. For there is faithful love with the Lord, and with Him is redemption in abundance."
Because of the faithful love God has for us, we always have hope—even in the darkest times. We have His instruction and the presence of His Spirit to lead us and carry us through this life. Whatever may be going on in your life, let us join together with the psalmist and declare:
"I wait for Yahweh; I wait and put my hope in His word."
Here are this week's songs:
1) I Will Wait For You (Psalm 130) by Keith & Kristyn Getty
Psalm 130 is one of the songs of ascents that are said to have been traditionally sung by the Jews as they travelled on the uphill road to Jerusalem for their festivals. These psalms (120-134) speak of the many wonderful blessings of the Lord promised to Israel. Psalm 130 resounds with both prophecy and penitence as the psalmist looks to the Lord for forgiveness and redemption from sin, both for himself and for Israel in general. As New Testament believers, we see this psalm fulfilled in Christ. We can confidently sing it, knowing that it's words speak truthfully about what God has already accomplished through Jesus His Son. We can also sing confidently in agreement with the exhortation to wait for the Lord, because we believe and know that Jesus, who is Faithful and True, is coming again to judge the world and establish His kingdom and righteousness forever. The struggles of this life will not last forever. Those who belong to Christ have put their hope in His word, and they will live eternally in the presence of God.
This song simply praises God for His faithfulness and love, which are everlasting. No matter what, God's love remains loyal to His chosen people. Through all of the changes of this life, God's love doesn't change. It is and will always be steadfast and true.
This song calls us to rejoice for the hope we have in Jesus. If we are shown mercy and love by the One who is true and eternal and always faithful, who is greater than anything and everything, then let us rejoice! Let us lift our hands and our voices together in praise to our King for the mercy He has shown, and to our Father in heaven for His great love. We can rejoice because God is holy and He reigns above all things. However, we also are to fear Him because He is holy and reigns above all things. Therefore the song echoes Psalm 2:11, which says:
"Serve the Lord with reverential awe and rejoice with trembling."
4) His Mercy Is More by Matt Papa and Matt Boswell
Finally, we have yet another song of praise for the mercies of God. We know that we are messed up, broken people who don't deserve God's love. However, though our sins be many, the mercy of God is more! Hallelujah!
Here are some of the passages on Scripture which the motivation for choosing these songs as well as the songs themselves are based on:
Genesis 49:18
Psalm 2, 27, 32, 33, 89:1-18, 130
Isaiah 30:18-19, 40:27-31
Lamentations 3:21-26 & 55-58
Micah 7:18-20
Romans 8:35-39
Ephesians 1:17-19
Philippians 4:4
1 Peter 1:3-9
In whatever you're going through right now, the Lord is with you. He is faithful, and He loves us with a love that is eternal and better than life itself. Even in the midst of trials and suffering, we can rejoice knowing that our hope for the future is eternally secure by what Jesus has done. Let us confidently and passionately praise Him for His mercy when we come together on Sunday.