LIFT YOUR VOICE

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in You I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of Your wings until the disaster has passed.

I cry out to God Most High, to God, who vindicates me. He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me — God sends forth His love and His faithfulness.

I am in the midst of lions; I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts — men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth.

They spread a net for my feet — I was bowed down in distress. They dug a pit in my path — but they have fallen into it themselves.

My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.

I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of You among the peoples. For great is Your love, reaching to the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth.

Psalm 57

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Your love, oh Lord
Reaches to the heavens
Your faithfulness stretches to the sky
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains
Your justice flows like the ocean's tide

I will lift my voice
To worship You, my King
I will find my strength
In the shadow of your wings

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEF7IoQ3eUk (watch video here)

One of my favorite groups is Third Day and they have written some great praise and worship songs, including the one above, Your Love Oh Lord. It is a powerful testimony to all we find good about the God who created us and cares for us each and every day.  

The song is based mostly on words from the 57th Psalm, a psalm of David which was written as David fled Saul into the cave to hide. Look at his words:

Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in You I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of Your wings until the disaster has passed.

I cry out to God Most High, to God, who vindicates me. He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me — God sends forth His love and His faithfulness.

I am in the midst of lions; I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts — men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth.

They spread a net for my feet — I was bowed down in distress. They dug a pit in my path — but they have fallen into it themselves.

My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.

I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of You among the peoples. For great is Your love, reaching to the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth.

Yes, Third Day’s song of praise mimicked the praise attitude of the psalm as David gave thanks to God for the following:

1. His protection.

“For in You I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of Your wings until the disaster has passed.

Instead of fear as he was being tracked down by Saul, David placed his trust in God and the refuge he found “in the shadow of (His) wings.” The good news is that this protection is available to everyone who places their faith and trust in the Lord.

2. His salvation.

He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me — God sends forth His love and His faithfulness.

No matter what we go through, we need to remember that God sends us every good and perfect thing from above, fully displaying His love and faithfulness, a faithfulness that is resolute or as Third Day says is like a mighty mountain.  Through His great love for us, God has chosen to save us, rescuing us from death to life through Christ Jesus affirming as David proclaimed that God sends from heaven to save.

3. His glory.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth.

No one is more worthy of our praise than God who displays His great glory over all the earth each and every day as we experience His creation and the almighty works of His hands. Truly, God is to be exalted and that’s exactly what we see when we look at this psalm and in turn Third Day’s song.

All this and more brings us to the place where we feel impelled to lift our voices to the Lord in steadfast thanks and love for the One who has given us, is giving us, and will continue to give us all we need to do His Kingdom work here on earth. We lift our voices to testify of His majesty and we sing and make music to honor Him.

My prayer today is that you’ll lift your voice along with Third Day in this song, and continue to lift your voice in praise as you sing other songs that tell of the goodness of God – of His love and faithfulness and righteousness and justice. If you do, then you’ll always find your heart in the spirit of worship and gain strength to make it through whatever life brings as you dwell in the refuge and shelter of God’s wings.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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