DATE POSTED: Sunday, 2023-03-12
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 144:1-4
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹ Bless the Lord who is my immovable Rock. He gives me strength and skill in battle. ² He is always kind and loving to me; he is my fortress, my tower of strength and safety, my deliverer. He stands before me as a shield. He subdues my people under me.
³ O Lord, what is man that you even notice him? Why bother at all with the human race? ⁴ For man is but a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.

OBSERVATION: I pray that most of you will find your way to the house of God to worship today. Who you will worship, and why you will worship, will depend on your relationship with Jesus, God’s Son over the past week. I believe you can tell from today’s Scripture that David had a very intimate relationship with God, and because of that, he could describe the personal attributes he experienced with his God. If we could identify with David, then I believe we might be truly ready for worship. Be blessed as you enter into God’s house of worship today!

APPLICATION: In verses 1 and 2 we can allude to the fact that David was prepared for worship, and although nothing indicates that David was about to visit a church, yet in his mind, he had every reason to lift up holy hands and worship the God of this universe. In today’s environment, we tend to run through our week with total dedication to our secular jobs, with some attention to raising a family and strengthening our family ties. For those who feel committed to their relationship with God, they may knock the dust off their Bibles and read a few verses to satisfy the request of our Sunday School teacher last week. But if we are not careful, we may be challenged to respond honestly to the question “Why are you going to church today?” or “From your interpersonal experience with Jesus this week, what attributes can you use to celebrate Him today?”. After learning the heart of Dr. Tony Evans through several of his books and studies, I always admire his explanation of Bible passages! Here’s what he said about this Scripture today: David’s descriptions of God show us two things clearly. First, he considers God the definitive source of security. The Lord is a rock . . . fortress . . . stronghold . . . deliverer . . . shield, and refuge. To put this in football terminology, we would say that God is the ultimate defensive line. No opposition can break through. No other source of protection is as reliable. And the second thing that Tony drew to our attention is the evidence that David didn’t use these descriptions from a book he read, or from something he heard a recognized pastor or priest say, but in each description, David gave them his very personal touch – my rock, gives me strength and skill, kind and loving to me, my fortress (protector), my tower of strength, my safety, my deliverer, etc. Now, for you and I as we head out to worship today, we can borrow these descriptions from David, but to worship YOUR God, it sure would be more meaningful to reflect on God’s interaction with you this week and glorify Him from the personal feelings you felt in response. Remember as you head out to church, you are going to worship. Not just to show off your newest outfit; not just to hear your Sunday School teacher explain the Word of God – even though that would be a big plus; not just to fellowship with other believers – although that serves an awesome purpose; Not just from years and years of habit in checking off the box that says you attended church, even though that might be one of the best tasks you could repeat all week; Not just to keep the pastor off your back in following up on you for not attending church; etc. Try saying to yourself ‘because God has……, I will gladly go to His house and worship Him together with all my fellow worshippers. I will sing praises to my King because….., I will tell of His goodness because….. Friends, I serve an awesome God, and because this culminates a week of blessings, a week of identifying His will for my life, a week of Him healing my illnesses, a week of Him directing my paths, and a week of Him protecting me in my travels, I will go to His house and worship Him. He’s my God, and He treats me as His child. Nothing can compare to His goodness in anything else that I do. Dear ones, please remember the Lord your God, with all your heart, soul and mind and worship Him today in the holiness that describes Him totally and completely.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Because of Your grace, Your power, Your goodness and Your holiness, who am I, no, who is mankind that You would love us, provide the means for our salvation, and prepare a place for us to be with You in Heaven one day?

PRAYER: Oh Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all that You have done for me. You have blessed me this week more than I could ever imagine or ask for. I worship You Lord! You are holy and righteous, and Your power is greater than anything or than anyone else could even imagine. Thank You for accepting me as Your child and blessing me in such awesome ways. Please also touch the lives of Christians today as they prepare for worship services, and for the unsaved as they consider attending church services. May this be the day of salvation for them oh Lord. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!