Prayer – Lord, the earth may be shaking—but this is not an earthquake warning—it is You trying to get the attention of those who claim to be Your followers. Show me what You want me to do to please and honor You.
God is honored in Judah; his name is great in Israel.
Jerusalem is where he lives; Mount Zion is his home. There he has broken the
fiery arrows of the enemy, the shields and swords and weapons of war. Interlude
You are glorious and more majestic than the everlasting mountains. Our boldest
enemies have been plundered. They lie before us in the sleep of death. No
warrior could lift a hand against us. At the blast of your breath, O God of
Jacob, their horses and chariots lay still. No wonder you are greatly feared!
Who can stand before you when your anger explodes? From heaven you sentenced
your enemies; the earth trembled and stood silent before you. You stand up to
judge those who do evil, O God, and to rescue the oppressed of the earth.
Interlude Human defiance only enhances your glory, for you use it as a weapon.
Make vows to the LORD your God, and keep them. Let everyone bring tribute to
the Awesome One. For he breaks the pride of princes, and the kings of the earth
fear him. Psalm 76:1-12
Meditate. Consider what you vow to God—and what God has
promised to you.
Make vows to the LORD your God, and keep them. Let
everyone bring tribute to the Awesome One. For he breaks the pride of princes,
and the kings of the earth fear him. Psalm 76:11-12. When I think of “vows,”
I think of wedding promises, but we make vows to others besides our spouses. We
vow to God that we will obediently do as He asks. Often work ethics take the
form of a promise to the company. Certainly, if you have joined a church or
other organization, there is a promise that is made to uphold the standards of
the association. What have you promised God that you will do for Him, or for
others in keeping with what He expects us to do?
Pure and genuine
religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in
their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. James 1:27
What have you done this week, this month, or this year towards
helping the orphans or widows? Do orphans include those children who are in a
family, but who aren’t properly cared for—or even given three meals a day?
There are many children in the United States…and around the world who don’t
even have one meal a day, unless their school has a free school lunch program.
Taking care of the widows—who are truly widows and have no one to care for them
is a great blessing—and hopefully those widows who do have family, have caring
families who have the resources to take care of them.
When you make a vow
to the LORD your God, be prompt in fulfilling whatever you promised him. For
the LORD your God demands that you promptly fulfill all your vows, or you will
be guilty of sin. Deuteronomy 23:21
Just as this Psalmist wrote… Let everyone
bring tribute to the Awesome One. God is worthy of our praise, honor, and
glory. Let us vow to Him—and bring Him a sacrifice.
This is my vow to our Lord God…to come to Him with a repentant
heart, filled with joyful praise, honoring and serving Him.
Verse of Salvation ~ But I will offer sacrifices to
you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation
comes from the LORD alone." - Jonah 2:9
Memory Verse of the Week ~ But those who trust in the
LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They
will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
Do you feel like you are soaring like an eagle? Did you
memorize this verse?
© 2022 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The
Message (MSG) Copyright ©
1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M. Hunacek
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