DAY ONE HUNDRED-FORTY TWO
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May 21
Devotional
For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, the sheep under his care. Today, if you hear his voice: Psalm 95:7 CSB
The Bible was written in a specific time, in a specific place, to a specific group of people. Those who were living in the time and place of the Bible would have been familiar with imagery that is described in today’s verse. They lived around and were engaged in the work of caring for sheep. The connection is made between what they know — sheep, pasture, and shepherd — and a spiritual connection between God and His people. Think about the gift of the relationship that is described as the shepherd caring about His sheep. The God of all creation cares about you. God is watching over you. The immediacy of this relationship is made clear when the verse speaks of “today.” God has provided the way for you to be connected and under His care each and every day. What does it look like for you to respond to His care? It includes both gratitude for what has been given and also a response of obedience to listen and obey His voice.
Psalm 95 CSB
Worship and Warning1 Come, let’s shout joyfully to the Lord,
shout triumphantly to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let’s enter his presence with thanksgiving;
let’s shout triumphantly to him in song.
3 For the Lord is a great God,
a great King above all gods.
4 The depths of the earth are in his hand,
and the mountain peaks are his.
5 The sea is his; he made it.
His hands formed the dry land.
6 Come, let’s worship and bow down;
let’s kneel before the Lord our Maker.
7 For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
the sheep under his care.
Today, if you hear his voice:
8 Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah,
as on that day at Massah in the wilderness
9 where your ancestors tested me;
they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
10 For forty years I was disgusted with that generation;
I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray;
they do not know my ways.”
11 So I swore in my anger,
“They will not enter my rest.”
Psalm 97 CSB
The Majestic King1 The Lord reigns! Let the earth rejoice;
let the many coasts and islands be glad.
2 Clouds and total darkness surround him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes before him
and burns up his foes on every side.
4 His lightning lights up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax
at the presence of the Lord—
at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness;
all the peoples see his glory.
7 All who serve carved images,
those who boast in worthless idols, will be put to shame.
All the gods must worship him.
8 Zion hears and is glad,
Judah’s villages rejoice
because of your judgments, Lord.
9 For you, Lord,
are the Most High over the whole earth;
you are exalted above all the gods.
10 You who love the Lord, hate evil!
He protects the lives of his faithful ones;
he rescues them from the power of the wicked.
11 Light dawns for the righteous,
gladness for the upright in heart.
12 Be glad in the Lord, you righteous ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
Psalm 98 CSB
Praise the KingA psalm.
1 Sing a new song to the Lord,
for he has performed wonders;
his right hand and holy arm
have won him victory.
2 The Lord has made his victory known;
he has revealed his righteousness
in the sight of the nations.
3 He has remembered his love
and faithfulness to the house of Israel;
all the ends of the earth
have seen our God’s victory.
4 Let the whole earth shout to the Lord;
be jubilant, shout for joy, and sing.
5 Sing to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and melodious song.
6 With trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn
shout triumphantly
in the presence of the Lord, our King.
7 Let the sea and all that fills it,
the world and those who live in it, resound.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands;
let the mountains shout together for joy
9 before the Lord,
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world righteously
and the peoples fairly.
Psalm 98 CSB
The King Is Holy1 The Lord reigns! Let the peoples tremble.
He is enthroned between the cherubim.
Let the earth quake.
2 The Lord is great in Zion;
he is exalted above all the peoples.
3 Let them praise your great
and awe-inspiring name.
He is holy.
4 The mighty King loves justice.
You have established fairness;
you have administered justice
and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Exalt the Lord our God;
bow in worship at his footstool.
He is holy.
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests;
Samuel also was among those calling on his name.
They called to the Lord and he answered them.
7 He spoke to them in a pillar of cloud;
they kept his decrees and the statutes he gave them.
8 Lord our God, you answered them.
You were a forgiving God to them,
but an avenger of their sinful actions.
9 Exalt the Lord our God;
bow in worship at his holy mountain,
for the Lord our God is holy.
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