praise the lord

The Loud Family

Posted on by Betsy

I once dated a young man in college who came to my house for Thanksgiving to meet my parents. As soon as we walked in the front door I yelled, “I’M HOOOOME!” From the basement my father bellowed, “I’LL BE RIGHT UUUUP!” and my mother shouted, “I’M COMMMMING!” from a back bedroom. As my date rubbed his ears he quietly said, “Good Lord. I’m dating the Loud Family.” He married me anyway. Truth be told, my father was a wonderful baritone in a Barbershop Chorus and my Mom was a school business administrator who volunteered as the band announcer. We were a family who was trained to be heard. It is no wonder that I ended up in the pulpit.

Psalm 81 encourages us to join the Loud Family. With words like “out loud, shout, and open mouths,”we get the clear message that our response to God should be forthright and audible.

Psalm 81 was written by Asaph for a festal event, most likely the Feast of Tabernacles. This celebration commemorated God’s saving act of bringing the Hebrew nation out of slavery in Egypt. Part of remembering the wilderness journey included a reading of the Law and an invitation to renew the covenant they made to be God’s people. It was good for them to recall and renew. Can you remember a time when God lifted a burden from your shoulders? Do you give loud praise for your deliverance? It is good for us to remember and renew as well.

Psalm 81:1, 6-10
1Rejoice out loud to God, our strength!
    Shout for joy to Jacob’s God!

6 “I lifted the burden off your shoulders;
    your hands are free of the brick basket!
7 In distress you cried out, so I rescued you.
    I answered you in the secret of thunder.
    I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah

The celebration included a warning. Having been tested and trained during the hard journey, God now reminded them that they were prohibited from taking on the false idols of their neighbors. So in addition to the instruction to shout out loud, they were also told to listen.

I think it must be quite a challenge for God to get our attention, given the cacophony of noise we surround ourselves with on a daily basis. Do you spend time in deliberate silence each day, just listening? It is the best way to know God.
8 Listen, my people, I’m warning you!
    If only you would listen to me, Israel.
9 There must be no foreign god among you.
    You must not bow down to any strange deity.
10 I am the Lord your God,
    who brought you up from Egypt’s land.
    Open your mouth wide—I will fill it up!

We are assured that God hears us in our loud cries for deliverance and deserves our loud proclamations of praise. And in the silence of presence, God will speak words of instruction and hope for the future. Open your mouth wide, and let God fill you with words of wonder, awe, and reverence today. Then go and shout it from the rooftop.

Get Loud by Becca Ziegler

Party Hats

Posted on by Betsy

A year ago my husband and I scheduled a trip that fell on my dog’s birthday. Not that she knew, mind you, as she can’t read a calendar, but I felt a little sad when I realized that we wouldn’t be home to wish her a happy 15th birthday. Fifteen is a big number for a large purebred dog who tips the scales at 100 pounds, so it is certainly a milestone to celebrate. When she was a puppy, the vet told us that her life expectancy was eight to twelve years, so we know we are living on blessed time.

Her dog sitter Teresa is her best friend. She brings Georgia’s second best friend when she comes to take care of her. He is a little mixed breed named Teddy, and he weighs about five pounds. I am always worried that Georgia will inadvertently sit on him, but so far they have managed a wonderful Mutt and Jeff friendship. Teresa has known Georgia all her life and was happy to learn that she would be staying in the house over Georgia’s birthday.

Imagine my surprise and delight when I began to receive birthday party pictures on the night of her birthday. But it was not just any celebration: It was a full-blown party with all my neighborhood crowded around my dining room table wearing festive party hats and holding up birthday banners. The table itself was laden with birthday cake, snacks, colorful plates, matching napkins, cards, and presents. Georgia and Teddy were given special cupcake-shaped dog biscuits and a grand time was had by all. Teddy didn’t want his, so Georgia got two. I laughed myself silly as each picture revealed more and more of the celebration. I truly have the best neighbors, don’t I? And God has blessed me with the best friend and dog sitter that a girl could ask for. And no, you can’t have her phone number.

Today’s psalm is a celebration of joy. David was in Judah and reflected on the goodness and provision of God. You may be surprised to see that I am using The Message translation this morning, which I do not usually do for the Psalms. But my browser was open to The Message, and somehow the phrases “prime rib and gravy” and “free to run and play” made me think that if Georgia could write a psalm, this is what it would sound like.

Psalm 63 (The Message)

God—you’re my God!
    I can’t get enough of you!
I’ve worked up such hunger and thirst for God,
    traveling across dry and weary deserts.

2-4 So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open,
    drinking in your strength and glory.
In your generous love I am really living at last!
    My lips brim praises like fountains.
I bless you every time I take a breath;
    My arms wave like banners of praise to you.

5-8 I eat my fill of prime rib and gravy;
    I smack my lips. It’s time to shout praises!
If I’m sleepless at midnight,
    I spend the hours in grateful reflection.
Because you’ve always stood up for me,
    I’m free to run and play.
I hold on to you for dear life,
    and you hold me steady as a post.

We’re mid-way through Lent and today is a good day to pause and count our blessings. I definitely count my dog sitter and neighbors as huge blessings in my life. What can you praise God for this morning? Can you bless him today? What praises would you offer, even in the midst of what you are going through?

Hold on to God for dear life and remember he holds you steady as a post. So take some time today to run and play!

Fit for a Queen by Teresa Holloway

Dependence

Posted on by Betsy

Can dogs tell time? I think they can. Every evening at exactly 6:00 my very large Labrador Retriever named Georgia arises from her nap and stares me down until I get up and feed her dinner. Exactly at 6:00! Georgia and I have a mutually dependent relationship. I depend on her for her unconditional love expressed through tail wags, and she depends on me for everything in her life: her health and well-being, her sustenance, her shelter, her playtime … just as I depend on God for these things. The first line of Psalm 104, attributed to David, says it all. “All your creations wait for you to give them their food on time.” David was a keen observer of the nature that surrounded him. This verse made me laugh, thinking of how our pets know it’s time to eat. Does your pet do that?

Psalm 104 (Common English Bible)

All your creations wait for you
    to give them their food on time.
28 When you give it to them, they gather it up;
    when you open your hand, they are filled completely full!
29 But when you hide your face, they are terrified;
    when you take away their breath,
    they die and return to dust.
30 When you let loose your breath, they are created,
    and you make the surface of the ground brand-new again.

A better translation of “on time” in verse 1 is “in God’s timing.” This alludes to the fact that we are completely dependent on God to provide for us, and it only happens in God’s time. That is an important concept to understand as we mature in our faith. Our daily bread will always be offered to keep us going, but there are other things that we need to wait on God to provide, such as resolutions to our conflicts, answers to prayer, and receiving provision only when we are able to manage it. And sometimes that provision comes in ways we didn’t expect. In those moments we must allow God to be God and give us what we need rather than what we want. When we pray for healing and it comes in the form of death, this is a bitter pill to take. When we pray for help with a marriage that is falling apart and God delivers us through divorce, we have to accept God’s wisdom. When we pray for things we can’t handle, God’s withholding is for our own good.

Verse 28 reminds us that when God provides, we are called to “gather it up.” Like chickens in the barnyard who scatter at the farmer’s feet to receive the corn, we have to come to God in an attitude of humble gratitude for whatever God sees fit to provide. We need both wisdom and effort when it comes to receiving our Lord’s merciful gifts, knowing that everything we are being given comes from God’s goodness and God’s wisdom, which is much higher than our own.

Recognizing our dependance on God is a reason to sing. The Spirit is ready and able to create new things in us and for us with every breath. May we sing to the Lord as long as we live, and may our whole beings bless the Lord.

31 Let the Lord’s glory last forever!
    Let the Lord rejoice in all he has made!
32 He has only to look at the earth, and it shakes.
    God just touches the mountains, and they erupt in smoke.

33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
    I will sing praises to my God while I’m still alive.
34 Let my praise be pleasing to him;
    I’m rejoicing in the Lord!
35 Let sinners be wiped clean from the earth;
    let the wicked be no more.
But let my whole being bless the Lord!
    Praise the Lord!

God Provides by Michelle Robertson

When all Hallel Breaks Loose

Posted on by Betsy

Last evening our dear friends returned to their home next door, and we spent several minutes hugging and talking in our adjoining backyards. We caught up on happy and sad news and made plans to do things together while they are here. In the midst of that joy, my husband suddenly looked past me with a startled look on his face. I followed his gaze and was shocked to see that an entire section of railing and glass slats had fallen from our bedroom balcony onto the middle deck. It was laying across chairs. My heart skipped a beat, remembering that I had let our dog out on that balcony only hours earlier. I had watched her from the bedroom as I put laundry away but could not see the missing panel from that vantage point. I am so glad she plopped down for a rest in her normal sunny spot in the middle and did not try to explore the new opening! We have no idea when it fell and never heard anything. Luckily nobody was sitting in the chairs when it did. Even more surprising is that none of the glass slats broke on impact. Praise the Lord for that!

It is good to praise God in good times and bad. In times of sudden disaster, praising God might not be the first thing that comes to mind, but it is a healthy habit to get into. Praising God in the storms reminds us that God is in the storm with us, and that is something for which to be thankful.

Psalm 113 (Common English Bible)
Praise the Lord!
    You who serve the Lord—praise!
    Praise the Lord’s name!
2 Let the Lord’s name be blessed
    from now until forever from now!
3 From sunrise to sunset,
    let the Lord’s name be praised!
4 The Lord is high over all the nations;
    God’s glory is higher than the skies!

5 Who could possibly compare to the Lord our God?
    God rules from on high;
6     he has to come down to even see heaven and earth!
7 God lifts up the poor from the dirt
    and raises up the needy from the garbage pile
8         to seat them with leaders—
        with the leaders of his own people!
9     God nests the once barren woman at home—
        now a joyful mother with children!

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 113 is the first of the “Egyptian Hallel” psalms. These were so named for their references to God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt during the exodus, and the people’s response of praise (as in “Hallel-uyah”, meaning praise the Lord). Indeed, the word “praise” occurs three times in the first verse. This collection of psalms includes Psalm 113 through 118 and is used by Jews at all major festivals, but especially at the beginning and the conclusion of the Passover. For Christians, Psalm 113 is used for the celebration of Easter. Mark 14:26 tells us that Jesus and his disciples went to the Mount of Olives after “singing songs of praise” at the Last Supper, since it was a traditional Passover meal. It is very likely that Psalm 113 was one of those songs.

Our despair over the inequities of earthly life are answered beautifully with the promise of salvation in the verses 7 and 8: “God lifts up the poor from the dirt and raises up the needy from the garbage pile to seat them with the leaders”. We can almost feel the anticipation of Christ’s Second Coming, when he will return and level out every top-heavy system humanity has created. On days when we despair over what is happening (and not happening) in our own government, we can remember to praise God, even when it seems that all “Hallel” is breaking out. God is still in control, praise be! The promise of redemption is offered to all of God’s people … and that is reason to praise, indeed!

So, take heart. God is with us in every moment. Thanks be to God.

Yikes!

From Sunrise to Sunset

Posted on by Betsy

If you’ve been reading my devotionals for a while, I’m sure you are as enraptured as I am with the photography of Michelle Robertson. Michelle is a friend and a member of my congregation who works in one of our local restaurants. She is not a professional photographer, and I bet that surprises you. Michelle is a faithful sunrise and sunset watcher and used to take pictures just with her cell phone. She had so many people respond to her glorious photos, she decided to invest in a “real camera.” It is undoubtable that Michelle has a gift for photography. You can see it in the way she naturally frames a great shot. Aren’t we all blessed by her work? And I am blessed that I don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn for great photos!

This psalm is a tribute to people who serve the Lord with such faithfulness, like Michelle does. She is up and out of her house every morning in all kinds of weather to capture such beauty, and she has been generous from the very beginning to allow her work to accompany my words. If you go back to my very first devotional, you will see that the picture is one of Michelle’s sunrises.

Psalm 113 (Common English Bible)

 Praise the Lord!
    You who serve the Lord—praise!
    Praise the Lord’s name!
2 Let the Lord’s name be blessed
    from now until forever from now!
3 From sunrise to sunset,
    let the Lord’s name be praised!
4 The Lord is high over all the nations;
    God’s glory is higher than the skies!

Have you ever gone outside for sunrise or sunset just to look at the sky? We get some incredible sunsets on Colington Island, where I live, where the entire sky can suddenly become pink, orange, or red. But you have to stop what you’re doing and leave your house to fully see God’s majesty.

5 Who could possibly compare to the Lord our God?
    God rules from on high;
6     he has to come down to even see heaven and earth!

This next part is a tribute to the work God does on behalf of the people. As you read it, realize that it is our hands, feet, money, time, and talent that God uses to lift up the poor and the needy. Like Michelle’s camera, we are instruments that work in concert with God to pull mercy and grace into focus for all God’s children.
7 God lifts up the poor from the dirt
    and raises up the needy from the garbage pile
8         to seat them with leaders—
        with the leaders of his own people!

Finally, this last verse is nothing short of delightful. The psalmist says that God “nests” mothers with their children … once barren ones at that! It makes me wonder … what thing in your life is God ready to nest in you? What are you lacking that God can provide? Is it peace? Hope? Stability? Joy? We are invited to see God as a loving provider who is ready and able to meet even our most impossible need:
9     God nests the once barren woman at home—
        now a joyful mother with children!

Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord indeed!

The Sun Also Rises by Michelle Robertson

Practice, Practice

Posted on by Betsy

Do know the old joke about how to get to Carnegie Hall?

Question: “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” Answer: “Practice, practice, practice.” The poor guy was looking for directions and he got a lecture.

But this is good advice for those who want to master an artistic, athletic, or academic performance of any kind. Good math requires practice. Good piano playing requires practice. Good ballet requires practice. My inability to do any of those three things is a result of my not wanting to practice!

Have you ever considered that praising God also requires practice? David was surely in the habit of praising God continually. It was a lifestyle for him and when he found himself in a place where his life and his sanity were in jeopardy, his praise practice helped him out:

Psalm 71 (Common English Bible)

I’ve taken refuge in you, Lord.
 Don’t let me ever be put to shame!
2 Deliver me and rescue me by your righteousness!
   Bend your ear toward me and save me!
3 Be my rock of refuge
   where I can always escape.
You commanded that my life be saved
  because you are my rock and my fortress.

The lovely phrase, “Bend your ear toward me” is a beautiful portrayal of our relationship with God. God indeed inclines his ear toward us every time we cry out to him. Like a mother bird feeding her squawking babies, God is ready to supply the need when we ask. He is the rock of refuge where we can always escape.

4 My God, rescue me from the power of the wicked;
    rescue me from the grip of the wrongdoer and the oppressor
5  because you are my hope, Lord.
    You, Lord, are the one I’ve trusted since childhood.

Here we see why it is important to bring our children to church. David writes that he has trusted God since childhood and has depended on him from birth. How will our children have this type of relationship with God if we don’t make the effort to get them to Sunday school and worship every week?

6 I’ve depended on you from birth—
    you cut the cord when I came from my mother’s womb.
    My praise is always about you.
7 I’ve become an example to many people
    because you are my strong refuge.

Now comes the “practice, practice, practice” part:
8 My mouth is filled with your praise,
    glorifying you all day long.
9 Don’t cast me off in old age.
    Don’t abandon me when my strength is used up!

Is your mouth filled with God’s praise, or do you spend time gossiping, cutting others down, or complaining?

10 Yes, my enemies have been talking about me;
    those who stalk me plot together:
11 “God has abandoned him!
    Pursue him!
    Grab him because no one will deliver him!”
12 Don’t be far from me, God!
    My God, hurry to help me!
13 Let my accusers be put to shame,
    completely finished off!
    Let those who seek my downfall
    be dressed in insults and disgrace!

David reminds us that we can also build a relationship with God by “repeating God’s righteous acts and saving deeds all day long.”

14 But me? I will hope. Always.
    I will add to all your praise.
15 My mouth will repeat your righteous acts
    and your saving deeds all day long.
    I don’t even know how many of those there are!
16 I will dwell on your mighty acts, my Lord.
    Lord, I will help others remember nothing but your righteous deeds.

What will come out of your mouth today? Try practicing praise for a change. My guess is that your day will be filled with blessings if you do.

Practice Praise by Michelle Robertson

How Pleasant

Posted on by Betsy

I am in Florida as I write this, and the “real feel temperature” is 36 degrees. What the heck? Part of my reason for being here is to visit family and enjoy long runs in perfect temperatures. If I wanted to run in 36 degree weather I could have stayed home. Plus the winds are almost 20 MPH. NOT pleasant indeed.

Think of the things you experience that bring instant pleasure. A great cup of morning coffee, the sound of a friend’s voice in unexpected phone call, a soft, fluffy blanket, the snore of a big yellow Lab who lies contentedly in the sun at your feet….these things are pleasant.

Today we are going to listen to a psalmist talk about pleasant things. I find that in the midst of things that are wholly unpleasant (politics, news, the pandemic, math equations) it is good to take a moment to consider something pleasant. Maybe the yellow Lab has figured something out.

According to Psalm 147, it is pleasant to praise God:

Psalm 147 (New International Version)

Praise the Lord.

How good it is to sing praises to our God,
    how pleasant and fitting to praise him!

We could just stop there. Praising God does many things for us. It takes our focus away from our troubles. It ushers us into his presence. It benefits us by bringing sunlight into our present darkness. But most of all, it is good and fitting to praise him because he deserves it.

The Psalmist goes on to explain why:

2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
    he gathers the exiles of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted
    and binds up their wounds.

We praise God because he brings all of us out of exile and back home again. We praise him because he heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Are you broken hearted today? Are you wounded by someone’s words, actions, betrayals, or dismissal of you?

Praise him anyway.

4 He determines the number of the stars
    and calls them each by name.
5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
    his understanding has no limit.
6 The Lord sustains the humble
    but casts the wicked to the ground.

This Psalm echoes Isaiah 40 by reminding us that God numbers and names the stars. He also numbers and names his people.

7 Sing to the Lord with grateful praise;
    make music to our God on the harp.

8 He covers the sky with clouds;
    he supplies the earth with rain
    and makes grass grow on the hills.
9 He provides food for the cattle
    and for the young ravens when they call.

Everything around us is a gift from God. His care and provision are extended even to the young ravens.

10 His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
    nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;
11 the Lord delights in those who fear him,
    who put their hope in his unfailing love.

The invitation today is to put your hope in God’s unfailing love. Your strength and your self-reliance will never be enough. But with God, you have everything you need. Praise be to God!

Reflections of Praise by Kathy Schumacher

Songs of the Pandemic

Posted on by Betsy

The Psalms were originally written to be sung as songs. They provide a glimpse of ancient Hebrew life when we read them and hear what the people were experiencing. Music has always been a way to record the joys, sorrows, angst, and fears of a generation. In the Psalms, we experience the hope and sadness of that generation, and surprisingly, they translate into songs for our current circumstance as well.

As you read this, think of those who have lost a loved one to COVID 19. Think of the exhaustion of the front line workers who are taking care of us, feeding us, providing services for us, and putting their own lives at risk for us.

Psalm 116 (New King James Version)

I love the Lord, because He has heard
My voice and my supplications.
2 Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.

3 The pains of death surrounded me,
And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me;
I found trouble and sorrow.
4 Then I called upon the name of the Lord:
“O Lord, I implore You, deliver my soul!”

In every circumstance, God’s people have called upon the name of the Lord, and in every circumstance, God has inclined his ear. Wherever we find trouble and sorrow, we also find God, right there in the midst of it.

What shall I render to the Lord
For all His benefits toward me?
13 I will take up the cup of salvation,
And call upon the name of the Lord.
14 I will pay my vows to the Lord
Now in the presence of all His people.

15 Precious in the sight of the Lord
Is the death of His saints.

Many have died. Many more will die. All are precious in the sight of the Lord. We are one day closer to the end of this thing, but we aren’t finished yet. How can we continue to sing in the middle of this pandemic? What should our lyrics be?

I think we should join the chorus of the original Psalmists, and sing praises. We should lift our voices high in harmonies of thanksgiving. Let us simply praise the Lord. Praising God in the storm reminds us of who he is, and whose we are. God loosed our bonds so that we might be free of all fear and sadness. Yes, there is death, but death has no sting. Praise the Lord!

16 O Lord, truly I am Your servant;
I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant;
You have loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And will call upon the name of the Lord.

18 I will pay my vows to the Lord
Now in the presence of all His people,
19 In the courts of the Lord’s house,
In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.

Praise the Lord!

Singing Alone in the Pandemic by Wende Pritchard