Psalm 66:1–7

"Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth!
Sing about the glory of his name!
  Tell the world how glorious he is.
Say to God, 'How awesome are your deeds!
  Your enemies cringe before your mighty power.
Everything on earth will worship you;
  they will sing your praises,
  shouting your name in glorious songs.' Interlude

'Come and see what our God has done,
  what awesome miracles he performs for people!
He made a dry path through the Red Sea,
  and his people went across on foot.
  There we rejoiced in him.
For by his great power he rules forever.
  He watches every movement of the nations;
  let no rebel rise in defiance.'"

 

 

A big part of worship is singing praise to God, reflecting on what he's done in the lives of his people and in our own particular lives, and focusing on who he is. What marvelous deeds has he done for you? What do these deeds reveal about his character? Praise him today for his awesome deeds, and lean on his character for all your needs

Isaiah 33:21–22

"The LORD will be our Mighty One.
  He will be like a wide river of protection
that no enemy can cross,
  that no enemy ship can sail upon.
For the LORD is our judge,
  our lawgiver, and our king.
  He will care for us and save us"

 

 

We can trust in God's protection. He will be like a wide river our enemies cannot cross. What enemies threaten you, either from without or within? Remember that the Lord is your Mighty One. He is your judge (who has paid for your sin and who will judge everyone and everything). He is the lawgiver, who made everything to work the way it does. He is your king, ruling over all. This is the One who will care for you and save you.

Isaiah 39: 2, 5–8

"Hezekiah was delighted with the Babylonian envoys and showed them everything in his treasure-houses—the silver, the gold, the spices, and the aromatic oils. He also took them to see his armory and showed them everything in his royal treasuries! There was nothing in his palace or kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.

Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, 'Listen to this message from the LORD of Heaven's Armies: "The time is coming when everything in your palace—all the treasures stored up by your ancestors until now—will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left," says the LORD. "Some of your very own sons will be taken away into exile. They will become eunuchs who will serve in the palace of Babylon's king."'

Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, 'This message you have given me from the LORD is good.' For the king was thinking, 'At least there will be peace and security during my lifetime.'"

 

 

 

God in his mercy spared Hezekiah's life, but because Hezekiah's pride continued, the consequences of his showing the Babylonian visitors his treasures would mean disaster for his descendants. Notice Hezekiah's response to Isaiah's message: outward assent but inward selfishness. He didn't care about his descendants but cared only for his personal peace and security. This attitude permeates our world too. It's the perfect example of how the sinful nature works: I only care abut myself and my own personal peace and security and do not care about the consequences of my actions or decisions for those who come after me.