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| Near the head water of the Jordan River - Israel. |
When the Israelites escaped from Egypt—when the
family of Jacob left that foreign land-- the land of Judah became God's
sanctuary, and Israel became his kingdom. The Red Sea saw them coming and
hurried out of their way! The water of the Jordan River turned away. The
mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs! What's wrong, Red Sea, that
made you hurry out of their way? What happened, Jordan River, that you turned
away? Why, mountains, did you skip like rams? Why, hills, like lambs? Tremble,
O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob. He
turned the rock into a pool of water; yes, a spring of water flowed from solid
rock. Psalm 114:1-8
Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your
name goes all the glory for your unfailing love and faithfulness. Why let the
nations say, "Where is their God?" Our God is in the heavens, and he
does as he wishes. Their idols are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by
human hands. They have mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see. They
have ears but cannot hear, and noses but cannot smell. They have hands but
cannot feel, and feet but cannot walk, and throats but cannot make a sound. And
those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them. O
Israel, trust the LORD! He is your helper and your shield. O priests,
descendants of Aaron, trust the LORD! He is your helper and your shield. All
you who fear the LORD, trust the LORD! He is your helper and your shield. The
LORD remembers us and will bless us. He will bless the people of Israel and
bless the priests, the descendants of Aaron. He will bless those who fear the
LORD, both great and lowly. May the LORD richly bless both you and your
children. May you be blessed by the LORD, who made heaven and earth. The
heavens belong to the LORD, but he has given the earth to all humanity. The
dead cannot sing praises to the LORD, for they have gone into the silence of
the grave. But we can praise the LORD both now and forever! Praise the LORD!
Psalm 115:1-18
I love the LORD because he hears my voice
and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long
as I have breath! Death wrapped its ropes around me; the terrors of the grave
overtook me. I saw only trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the
LORD: "Please, LORD, save me!" How kind the LORD is! How good he is!
So merciful, this God of ours! The LORD protects those of childlike faith; I
was facing death, and he saved me. Let my soul be at rest again, for the LORD
has been good to me. He has saved me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet
from stumbling. And so I walk in the LORD's presence as I live here on earth! I
believed in you, so I said, "I am deeply troubled, LORD." In my
anxiety I cried out to you, "These people are all liars!" What can I
offer the LORD for all he has done for me? I will lift up the cup of salvation
and praise the LORD's name for saving me. I will keep my promises to the LORD
in the presence of all his people. The LORD cares deeply when his loved ones
die. O LORD, I am your servant; yes, I am your servant, born into your
household; you have freed me from my chains. I will offer you a sacrifice of
thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD. I will fulfill my vows to the
LORD in the presence of all his people—in the house of the LORD in the heart of
Jerusalem. Praise the LORD! Psalm 116:1-19
Praise the LORD, all you nations. Praise
him, all you people of the earth. For he loves us with unfailing love; the
LORD's faithfulness endures forever. Praise the LORD! Psalm 117:1-2
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His
faithful love endures forever. Let all Israel repeat: "His faithful love
endures forever." Let Aaron's descendants, the priests, repeat: "His
faithful love endures forever." Let all who fear the LORD repeat:
"His faithful love endures forever." In my distress I prayed to the
LORD, and the LORD answered me and set me free. The LORD is for me, so I will
have no fear. What can mere people do to me? Yes, the LORD is for me; he will
help me. I will look in triumph at those who hate me. It is better to take
refuge in the LORD than to trust in people. It is better to take refuge in the
LORD than to trust in princes. Though hostile nations surrounded me, I
destroyed them all with the authority of the LORD. Yes, they surrounded and
attacked me, but I destroyed them all with the authority of the LORD. They swarmed
around me like bees; they blazed against me like a crackling fire. But I
destroyed them all with the authority of the LORD. My enemies did their best to
kill me, but the LORD rescued me. The LORD is my strength and my song; he has
given me victory. Songs of joy and victory are sung in the camp of the godly.
The strong right arm of the LORD has done glorious things! The strong right arm
of the LORD is raised in triumph. The strong right arm of the LORD has done
glorious things! I will not die; instead, I will live to tell what the LORD has
done. The LORD has punished me severely, but he did not let me die. Open for me
the gates where the righteous enter, and I will go in and thank the LORD. These
gates lead to the presence of the LORD, and the godly enter there. I thank you
for answering my prayer and giving me victory! The stone that the builders
rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the LORD's doing, and it is
wonderful to see. This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be
glad in it. Please, LORD, please save us. Please, LORD, please give us success.
Bless the one who comes in the name of the LORD. We bless you from the house of
the LORD. The LORD is God, shining upon us. Take the sacrifice and bind it with
cords on the altar. You are my God, and I will praise you! You are my God, and
I will exalt you! Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love
endures forever. Psalm 118:1-29
The
Hallel, Psalms 113-118, is a Jewish Prayer of praise that is read or recited
each day of the Feast of Tabernacles, while shaking the four species of trees
in each direction, north, south, east and west. I love these scripture
passages. Praise the LORD! …To Your name
goes all the glory for Your unfailing love and faithfulness….You are a good,
kind, merciful and protecting savior, answering my prayers and giving me
victory. You are my God, and I will
praise you! Your faithful love endures forever (from Psalms 113-118). Such
comfort, strength and reassurance of God’s love, faithfulness and presence in
our lives are found in those verses. No wonder that Jews have recited them
during the Feast of Tabernacles for hundreds of years. Their God is my God…and
I will praise Him—not only during this Feast of Tabernacles time…but every day…forever.
How about you?
Prayer
~ This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Please,
LORD, please save us. Please, LORD, please give us success. Bless the one who
comes in the name of the LORD. We bless you from the house of the LORD. The
LORD is God, shining upon us. Psalm 118.
Daily
Bible Reading: John 5
©
2017 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.
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