Focus

Stop and thank God for being present with you today. Ask for God’s guidance as you hear God’s voice through scripture and the writer.

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Read

Psalm 47 (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.
He subdued peoples under us,
and nations under our feet.
He chose our heritage for us,
the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah

God has gone up with a shout,
the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.
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

Entering worship, we expect a blessing, an inspiration, an insight, an uplifting experience. Ours is a an attitude of consumerism. When our expectations aren’t met, our response is often, “I didn’t get anything out of the worship service.” Perhaps a refocus is in order. What did God receive from me? We have a wandering mind, a half-hearted mouthing of the hymns, a rote repetition of the confessions and prayers with little thought to what we are saying.

Scripture reveals two aspects of God—a God beyond our comprehension whose eye is on the sparrow and a God whom, through Jesus Christ, we can know in a very personal way. Psalm 47 points us to a God who is king of all kings, whose reign is universal, the God of the ungodly as well as the godly. The psalm declares that our God is an awesome God. Our proper response to such a God is expressed through our joyful worship, praise, and song. Our focus should clearly be on God, not ourselves.

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Pray

Forgive us when our attitude is one of selfish interest and expectations. Create in us an exciting awareness of your awesomeness. We praise you, Lord, from whom all blessings flow. Amen.

Go with God.