Sing To The Lord, Praise his Name
SUNDAY, October 25
Psalm 96:1-9
Occasionally my electrical nervous system gets jolted. Having been recently introduced to the musical group Acappella, my husband purchased one of their cassette tapes. (Yes, I am old!) Fortunately, our vehicle had a tape player, so we didn’t have to rush home to listen to it.
When we turned it on—kaboom! We didn’t realize that the player had been left on full volume. But, oh, what a beautiful rendition of “Sing to the Lord, all the earth; sing to the Lord, praise his name” came blasting into our souls. Today’s passage is a perfect psalm to help our hearts soar on the days when wonder and joy are overshadowed. How many lines of worship songs rang in your mind as you read this passage? Praise his name! Recount personal experiences that exemplify his marvelous deeds, his splendor, majesty, strength, glory, and holiness. What new song pulses through your veins as you recall God’s presence in your life? Such memories cannot help but compel us to ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name.
Prayer
Lord, I praise your name. Help me remember the wonderful ways you have been present in my life. Help me to declare your glory among those in my corner of my universe, however small. Amen.
I Know You By Name
Monday, October 26
Exodus 33:12-17
Our oldest daughter’s name, Amy Katherine, combines Dan’s Irish heritage and my Swedish heritage. Our second daughter, Bethany Dawn, was named at Amy’s suggestion—after her Cabbage Patch doll. We didn’t need to take her advice, but the name fit: Bethany, for the House of Ananias, where God was made manifest; Dawn, for the new light she brought after a difficult pregnancy and loss. She was our rainbow baby. Our son’s name, Jamison Daniel, honors my husband’s ancestor and carries on his father’s family history. Names are important.
Yet, however wonderful it was for God to know his name, Moses wanted more. He said to God, “But you have not let me know” (v. 12). Moses wanted to know who would go with him to lead the Israelites out of captivity. Of course, the biblical record states that his siblings were important companions, but in this case, Moses doesn’t ask for a human being. He asks of God, “Teach me your ways so I may know you” (v. 13). The Lord answers, “My Presence will go with you.”
Prayer
Lord, I am awed by the fact that you know my name. Help me hunger for your presence wherever you lead. Amen.
God Proclaims His Name
Tuesday, October 27
Exodus 33:18-23
Was Moses’s request for God to show him his glory casual or trespassing the bounds? Regardless, the Lord gives Moses a breathtaking experience. What a good and merciful God who reveals himself to us, even as he protects us from knowledge too difficult for us to handle this side of eternity.
A few months after my husband’s death, I was in Toronto for my granddaughter’s eighth birthday. While walking together to church to practice our liturgical dance duet, she sang our chosen song, “I Can Only Imagine.” I said, “You know, Pahti doesn’t have to imagine anymore.”
“Why?” she asked. I responded, “Because he has seen Jesus face to face.”
Some wonderful day we, too, will experience God’s glory face to face. Will I stand in his presence, or will I fall to my knees?
Prayer
O Lord, my soul aches to see you face to face. At the same time, my being shudders with apprehension at the prospect of seeing your glory. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. amen.
My House Will Be Called A House Of Prayer
Wednesday, October 28
Matthew 21:12-17
In Karl Olsson’s By One Spirit, the Criers were children and young people who “fell into trances during which they saw visions of Hell and the coming judgment and out of which, in the most awesome manner, they exhorted their hearers to repentance” (p. 60). In both the Criers’ time and today’s passage, truth was being declared through the shouting and rejoicing of ordinary people, and in both cases, the authorities became concerned. The chief priests and teachers were so desperate to find a way to kill Jesus that they were oblivious to the slandering of the name and purpose of the temple. Even today there is tension regarding what the sacredness of the sanctuary should look like. Perhaps that concern distracts from the core of worship. We revere a holy God, and we also revel in his gracious and joyful care. Both are worship.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I am in awe of your majesty. I am in awe of how you lovingly care for the details of my life. Help me to name and set aside distractions that keep me from authentically worshiping you. Amen.
Summoned By Name
Thursday, October 29
Isaiah 45:1-7
We often associate foreign rulers as being used by God to punish Israel’s sins. In today’s passage God chooses Cyrus to be the path by which the land of Israel will be rebuilt and re-inhabited. Cyrus will know he is victorious because of God’s provision. Other nations will see Cyrus’s victories and will recognize the sovereignty of the God of Israel.
I imagine how the Israelites might have reacted when they heard about this unusual deliverance. “You have got to be kidding!” “Well, we’ll wait to see if it really happens.” “God, why can’t you just raise up leaders from our own ranks?”
In his sovereignty, God may summon you by name. Are you ready to listen? He also may talk to you through someone who is not from your circle of Christian influence. Are you ready to listen? Even more unbelievable, he may talk to you through someone who does not even profess to believe in Jesus. Are you ready to listen?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, we know your promises are true. We pray for the day you will restore all that is wrong in the world. Amen.
Faith In God Known Everywhere
Friday, October 30
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
Earlier this week I shared that occasionally my electrical nervous system gets jolted. As we recall the ways in which our faith in God has become known, I revisit the day my calendar year was permanently altered. In the wee hours of the morning eight years ago on this day, I sat in the waiting room begging God for a miracle that did not come. My husband died unexpectedly. Shortly thereafter, I saw a dark tunnel with a pinhole of light at the end. I was furious. I did not want to see any light. I became even angrier thinking that someday there would be light except for only a pinhole of darkness. I could not sing, “It is well with my soul.” It was not well. Nonetheless, others held me in their faith in God as they wrapped their prayerful arms around me and my family. The darkness is still more than a pinhole, but the light is winning! Thanks be to God.
Prayer
Lord, grant that I may live in such a way that others can name how my faith has become known in such a way that their faith will, in turn, become worthy of imitation. Amen.
Jesus, Name Above All Names
Saturday, October 31
Hebrews 1:1-4
“Jesus, when I close my eyes, I want to see exactly what you looked like.” That was my frequent childhood request as I crawled into bed. Never was that prayer answered. Perhaps his physical appearance is not essential to knowing what Jesus is like. Jesus’s inherited name, the Son of God, as well as his right-hand seat in heaven put him in a singularly special relationship to God the Father.
In the remainder of today’s chapter, the writer of Hebrews elaborates on the position of Jesus relative to that of the angels, citing passages of Scripture (mostly Psalms), to make clear that Jesus is above all other creatures. His glory compels us to worship him with outstretched arms. We end the week where we began—with lines from songs ringing in our ears. “Jesus, name above all names. We see the Lord, he is high and lifted up. He is exalted; the King is exalted on high.”
Prayer
Jesus, I cannot deny that I am longing for the day when I shall see you face to face and worship you with the angels. Amen.
