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Wednesday, March 1

Psalms 147:1-11 (KJV)

He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.
Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.
The Lord lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.
Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:
Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.
He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.
He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man.
The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.

Devotion

In the past six months, our lives have been blessed by our daughter’s family and granddaughter moving to within a couple miles of our house, and by taking on a new pet puppy.  Joyful, yes, but also hectic.  Today, I woke up with a “to do” list that is an arm’s length with the pressures of outside requests as well as family health needs.  And,  perhaps like others, I tend to get frustrated when it all this mundane “stuff” does not get done according to plan, at times mindless to the greater needs of those suffering in our community.  A sobering thought, upon my reflection.

Psalms 147 praises the Lord and provides comfort in three sections:  verses 2-7 tells us that God delivers to the oppressed; verses 8-11 assures us that the Lord provides for the faithful; and going further, verses 13-20 assure us of the protection of the community of faith (in this case, protecting Israel).  The passage reinforces the messages that God is there not only for us, but others in extraordinarily deep need, and of faith, especially as we commune with one another in this faith.  A wake-up call to my conscience.

Praise to the Lord, indeed!

Prayer

Dear God, help us to see those in need and suffering, both in our community and beyond; to be your instrument to mission to those needs selflessly; and to give grateful praise for your endless love and support along the way.  Amen.

Jerry Kohlenberger