Worship Devotional XXIV
Originally posted to the Facebook group on 5/9/2020
Worship Devotional for 5/10/20
~ Mother's Day ~
Psalm 145:8-9:
"The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and great in faithful love. The Lord is good to everyone; His compassion rests on all He has made."
This week we are singing about the grace, tenderness, and love which God has shown to us in Christ Jesus. It is the nature of God to be kind, tender, and compassionate toward His creation. Isn't it amazing how the Creator of all things, who is mighty, holy, and just — unmatched and incomparable in power and authority and greatness — would look down on us, a people who have rebelled and sinned against Him countless times over again, and yet choose to show us mercy, kindness, grace, and eternal love? The word "amazing" hardly even begins to describe the wonderful gifts we have as those who believe in the name of Jesus. As we come together on a day that we celebrate mom's and motherhood, let us praise the name of the Lord our God, who created us in His image and formed us in our mother's wombs, giving us the wonderful gifts of life and love, nourishment and care, kindness and tenderness, and grace and mercy. He is our firm foundation, our steady anchor, our true refuge, and our perfect source of comfort, in whatever trials and hardships we face.
*Also shout out to you moms! Thank you for all you do, for the love and care that you demonstrate toward your children, which is a reflection of the love and care we have from God. You do an awesome and extremely important job, and we couldn't survive let alone thrive without you! :)
Here are this week's songs:
1) Psalm 139 (Far Too Wonderful) by Shane & Shane
Psalm 139 tells us of the sovereignty and omnipresence of God. He is in control and has a plan for all of our lives. He is the Creator who formed us in His image. And wherever we are, He is there with us. Knowing that He is with us and He sees us wherever we are, we ought to realize that the proper response to this astounding truth is to give Him the praise He is worthy of and to pray what David prayed in Psalm 139:23-24:
"Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.”
2) This Is Amazing Grace by Phil Wickham
This song talks about how the King of glory, who is mighty and powerful and holy, would take our place and bear our cross and lay down His own life for us. The sacrificial work of Jesus is what reveals the amazing grace and unfailing love of God to us. This is what gives us reason to sing and rejoice.
3) The Lord Is Gracious And Compassionate by Graham Ord
Psalm 103:8-12:
"The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and rich in faithful love. He will not always accuse us or be angry forever. He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our offenses.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His faithful love toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us."
Hallelujah!
4) Jesus Messiah by Chris Tomlin
All the grace and goodness we've ever known comes from one Source: Jesus Christ. We must praise His name as we recall all that He has done for us, for He is worthy of all praise. His name is above all names. And all our hope is in Him.
5) In Tenderness by Citizens & Saints
We were guilty of sin against a holy God. We deserve wrath and punishment. And yet God loved us. Instead of dealing with us as our sins deserve, He chose to win us back through the sacrificial work of Jesus. When we all like sheep had gone astray (see Isaiah 53), He sought us in tenderness, and brought us home to His pastures by His grace.
Scripture references:
Psalms 23, 24, 68, 103, 139, 145
Luke 15 (esp. vv. 1-7)
John 10:1-18
2 Corinthians 5 (esp. v. 21)
Philippians 2:1-11
1 John 4:7-19
Revelation 4-5, 19:11-16
May we praise the God who is gracious and tender toward us with all our hearts. We now can be called children of God as those who believe in His name because of His grace and love. Hallelujah!