Focus

Prepare yourself to discern what is and what is not of God today. Still yourself so you can hear how God is calling you.

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Read

Psalm 47:1-2, 6-9 (NRSV)

Clap your hands, all you peoples;
shout to God with loud songs of joy.
For the LORD, the Most High, is awesome,
a great king over all the earth.

…
Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
For God is the king of all the earth;
sing praises with a psalm.

God is king over the nations;
God sits on his holy throne.
The princes of the peoples gather
as the people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
he is highly exalted.

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Reflect

A sixteen-year-old member of my church’s youth group recently had surgery to repair a torn ACL. As he was waking up after the surgery, Chase began to sing a song he had learned years before in VBS: “Father Abraham had many sons, many sons had Father Abraham. I am one of them, and so are you. So let’s just praise the Lord. Right arm. Father Abraham…”

“Sing with me, Grammy!” Chase’s grandmother joined in, and his family watched and laughed together with him as he attempted to do the motions to the song. They all praised God and were happy that Chase’s surgery had been successful.

Praise songs have always been an important part of worship. The psalmist encourages us all to clap our hands, shout with joy, and sing praises to our King. As we teach our children songs such as “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” “Deep and Wide,” and “Father Abraham,” we are embedding the spirit of worship within them. When they are young and as they grow older, this spirit can serve as reassurance to them and to us that our God is an awesome God!

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Pray

Lord, help us to recall the songs of our youth in a spirit of praise. Let us shout to you our cries of joy, and let us exalt your name over all the earth. Amen.

Go with God.