Worship Devotional XIII
Originally posted to the Facebook group on 2/20/2020.
Worship Devotional
Psalm 63:1-3:
"God, You are my God; I eagerly seek You. I thirst for You; my body faints for You in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water. So I gaze on You in the sanctuary to see Your strength and Your glory.
My lips will glorify You because Your faithful love is better than life."
There's a reason we come together in our church gatherings every week. There's a reason we sing and preach to make God's message heard. We don't do it out of religious obligation or tradition.
We do it out of love—because we have received the love of God through Jesus Christ His Son.
We live in a world that is full of vanity. So many people look to so many things for lasting satisfaction—but they never find it, having rejected the only One who can give it. But those who believe the gospel of Jesus Christ find a love that truly satisfies, that lasts forever, and that is better than even life itself in a world that is dry and desolate.
We as believers forget sometimes how good we have it—even in the midst of the most trying, painful, and difficult circumstances. The world does not know the goodness of God. Unbelievers think He is just another religious notion among many idols, and that it doesn't matter if you believe in Him or in something else or even in nothing at all. They haven't experienced His love. All they really have to look forward to is death and judgment. They boast about worthless things, thinking the worldly things they have are good and satisfying, only to be disappointed when their false hope inevitably fails.
But we have the true hope that is only found in Jesus.
Romans 5:5:
"This hope will not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
This week we are reflecting on the Lord's faithfulness and love, and how it defines our lives.
Here are the songs:
This hymn, written by Thomas O. Chrisholm and composed by William M. Runyan in 1923, is based on Lamentations 3:22-23, which says:
"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!"
No matter what we go through in this life, whether we are experiencing terrible trials and hardships or wonderful seasons of blessing and fulfillment, or if we are simply going through the motions of day-to-day life, we as Christians always have hope in Jesus! His faithfulness carries us through this life. Let us praise Him wholeheartedly for it as we sing this hymn.
See also: Genesis 8:22, Psalm 19, James 1:16-18
2) The Power Of Your Love by Geoff Bullock
God's love is not just some nice idea. His love is real, and it is powerful. The love of God is able to drive out fear (1 Jn 4:18), to cause God Himself to give His only Son as a sacrifice that the world might be saved through Him (Jn 3:16), to awaken us to love Him (1 Jn 4:19), to cover a multitude of sins (1 Pt 4:8, Pr 10:12), to secure unity (Col 3:14), to fulfill the law (Rom 13:10, Gal 5:14), to keep us alive (Lam 3:22), to keep us safe in Him forever (Rom 8:35-39), and more (Eph 3:20). This song is a prayer that our hearts and minds will be changed and renewed by God's love.
2 Timothy 1:7:
"For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment."
See also: Psalm 86 (esp. vv. 11-13), Isaiah 40:28-31, Romans 12:1-2, Ephesians 3:16-21, James 4:6-8
3) Psalm 63: Better Than Life by Shane & Shane
Psalm 63 was written by David when he was in the wilderness fleeing from Saul (see 1 Samuel 24). In a time of physical discomfort—of hunger, thirst, and fatigue—David expresses his spiritual longing for God in this Psalm. When he feels physical longing, he turns to the Lord, saying, "I thirst for You; my body faints for You in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water" (v. 1b). He praises God for His all-satisfying love, trusts in Him for help and provision, and rejoices in the midst of his trials. Whenever we feel lacking in what we need, we can still praise God and trust Him to satisfy our hearts with His faithful love.
4) Life Defined by Shane & Shane
Shane Barnard talks about the heart behind the song here.
As we finish the month of February—in which we have been focusing a lot on God's love—and head into March and April, we will be focusing a lot on the primary way that God has definitively and ultimately proven His love for us: through the cross of Jesus Christ. This song is a prayer that the glorious truth of the gospel would be evident in our everyday lives:
Galatians 2:20:
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
O God, be my life! I surrender. Let my life be defined by the truth that I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. Help me to live by faith and to follow Your Spirit.
See also: Psalms 42, 43, 84:10-12, 150:6; Matthew 26:41; John 14:26; Romans 8 (esp. vv. 26-27); Philippians 1:21
I'm super excited to sing these songs with you all. See you Sunday!