Worship Devotional XXXVII
Originally posted to the Facebook group on 8/22/2020.
Worship Devotional for 8/23/20
How do we stand when the whole world is shaken? When the systems we rely on day by day in this life begin to fail, do we rise or fall? Do we lose hope and get swept away in the tide of turmoil along with those who have no faith in God? Or do we rise, stand firm, and press on even in the face of great adversity while those who have nothing to stand on mock, insult, and make threats against us? If you find yourself drifting away, being pulled apart by the deception and chaos and evil that is raging in the world right now, perhaps you were placing your hope and trust in things other than God. I say this because God — who is always faithful and who cannot lie — has made this promise in Isaiah 28:16 to those who are believers in Him:
"Therefore the Lord God said: 'Look, I have laid a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will be unshakeable.’”
So we are the ones who are not shaken, even when all the world is. Our lives may be ever changing in these strange and uncertain times, but our hope remains the same — if we hold fast to faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, then we have eternal life in Him.
This week's songs are about how we can only stand in the end by the faithful love of our God and the strength He gives. He will lead us through the darkness and into His glorious light. He will provide for all our needs and satisfy our deepest desires. His love will defend and protect and keep us until at last we see His face and all pain and suffering and death are no more. He will be with us to the end as He promised, and He will bring to completion the work He began in us. Let us live with faith, hope, and resounding joy because we have such amazing promises from a perfectly faithful and loving God!
Psalm 36:
"An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked person: There is no dread of God before his eyes, for in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to discover and hate his sin. The words of his mouth are malicious and deceptive; he has stopped acting wisely and doing good. Even on his bed he makes malicious plans. He sets himself on a path that is not good and does not reject evil.
Lord, Your faithful love reaches to heaven, Your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains; Your judgments, like the deepest sea. Lord, You preserve man and beast. God, Your faithful love is so valuable that people take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They are filled from the abundance of Your house; You let them drink from Your refreshing stream, for with You is life's fountain. In Your light we will see light.
Spread Your faithful love over those who know You, and Your righteousness over the upright in heart. Do not let the foot of the arrogant man come near me or the hand of the wicked one drive me away. There the evildoers fall; they have been thrown down and cannot rise."
Here are the songs:
1) The Lord Our God by Kristian Stanfill
Philippians 1:6:
"I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
Thank God that to succeed and stand victorious for His glory in the end depends on His strength and working in us, and not on us! We must keep believing and trusting in Him and not ourselves, following His Spirit's leading. We must wait on Him to move and act so that He moves in and through us, and so that He gets the glory. This gives us both peace and strength — peace in knowing that He will do the work, and strength in knowing that we cannot fail with His Spirit in control of our lives.
2) Your Love Defends Me by Matt Maher
Everybody has to face struggles and difficulties in life. There is a big difference though in what that means for those who believe in God and those who do not. Those who are unbelievers may be overtaken and destroyed by what they face in life. And even if they are not, they still don't have any lasting hope. Without God, death is all any of us have to look forward to.
We, however, are no longer condemned to die with the wicked and unbelieving. We are believers, born again as children of God Himself, inheriting eternal life through Jesus. We are never alone, because His presence is with us and in us always, guaranteed by His promise. We don't have to be afraid anymore, because His perfect love defends our hearts and minds.
3) You Never Let Go by Matt Redman
With God holding onto us and His presence with us and His Spirit in us, what do we have to fear? What can stop the power of His great love? Nothing! We praise His name as we declare this wonderful hope we have in Him. Even in the darkest valleys and the fiercest storms of this life, He is with us to lead us and carry us until at last we are with Him for eternity in heaven.
4) You Are My Strength by Hillsong
Nothing compares to the strength and hope we have in God. This is all because of His faithful love for us. Therefore we sing joyful songs about the heights and depths and power of His love, His faithfulness, His grace, and His power and authority.
Scriptures:
Psalm 16, 23, 27, 36, 118
Romans 8
Philippians 1:6, 4:4-9
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
Hebrews 13:5-8