The LORD nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance. (Psalms 33:10-12)
Lord, our ways are not Your ways, our thoughts are not Your thoughts.
From eternity past you set Your plans in place. To eternity future, Your plans will stand, Your purpose will endure. Man’s will must bow to Yours. Help us Lord, especially Your people, to remember this truth.
As a nation, as a people, we have turned away from You. We’ve determined that we know best. We have gone our own way, and we are seeing the consequences of our pridefulness. Lord, draw us back. Deliver us from ourselves. Bring us to our knees.
Lord, help me to follow You, to put my trust in You, only You.
Let all the earth fear the LORD; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. (Psalms 33:8-9)
Lord, I want to know, deep within my soul, the awe of You.
You are Lord of all creation, maker of heaven and earth; great and mighty are the works of You hand!
It is my heart’s desire to worship You in a way worthy of Your splendor. But I wonder, is it even possible for a mere mortal, sinful as I am, to honor You as You deserve? Only by the power of Your Spirit and only with the greatest humility. Forgive me Jesus for my air of self-righteousness. Humble me when I dare to come into Your presence with pride of self. Forgive me for failing to acknowledging Your holiness.
Lord, lead me into worship filled with fear and awe of Your majesty.
By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host. He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deeps in storehouses. (Psalms 33:6-7)
Lord, as I think on these words I cannot help but smile.
Your word is the source of all existence. By Your word, all that is came into being. You speak and everything falls into perfect order. You breathed Your spirit into man and he became a soul.
Father, if Your word can arrange the universe, how much easier it is for You to arrange one life. I have perfect peace in knowing that my times are in Your hands. You O God, Lord of creation, giver and keeper of life, thank You that You chose to put Your life in me. You are my God.
For the word of the LORD is upright, And all His work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD. (Psalms 33:4-5)
Lord, I come to You today with both joy and sorrow.
Joy for the gift and beauty of Your word. Joy that Your word is upright, faithful and true. Sorrow that there are so many who reject, distort, and deny the only hope of life.
The evil mind conjures up what the evil heart desires. If only the hearts and minds of man would seek righteousness rather than evil. If only the will of man would be for justice. If only the desire of man would would be for You and Your word.
You gave Yourself. You filled the earth with the gift of Your steadfast love. You ask only that we believe in and follow Your Son, Christ Jesus.
Sing for joy in the LORD, O you righteous ones; Praise is becoming to the upright. Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings. Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy. (Psalms 33:1-3)
Lord, teach me to worship You in a way worthy of Your majesty.
Lord, put a new song of worship in my heart. Lead me in the way of true worship. Worship from a humble heart. A heart that gives praise for all that You have done for me, even me, so undeserving.
Your word tells me I am created for Your good pleasure (although I cannot fathom why such as me, so unworthy). When I think of it all, my heart is filled with shouts of joy! I am Yours! Chosen by You! Accepted by You! Forgiven by You! Loved by You!
Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men! For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good. (Psalms 107:8-9)
“God is So Good”
God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He’s so good to me!
He cares for me, He cares for me, He cares for me, He’s so good to me!
I love Him so, I love Him so, I love Him so, He’s so good to me!
I praise His name, I praise His name, I praise His name, He’s so good to me!
This song was composed to help pass the time on a road trip. The first verse was composed in 1933 by Velna Ledin, or her traveling companions, and many more have been added since.
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
The Lord desires that we should have great certainty concerning His promises. Our God does not want us to be plagued with apprehension concerning the fulfillment of His promises. In all that God has promised, He intends for us to stand in bedrock assurance.
We can have great certainty concerning the fulfillment of God’s promises, because grace and faith are the foundation of our assurance. Grace is the heavenly resource behind all of God’s promises. Faith is the simple means of accessing that grace. These realities make God’s promises certain to all who believe them.
Excerpts from “Day by Day Grace” devotional by Bob Hoekstra.
I have seen a wicked, violent man Spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil. Then he passed away, and lo, he was no more; I sought for him, but he could not be found. Mark the blameless man, and behold the upright; For the man of peace will have a posterity. But transgressors will be altogether destroyed; The posterity of the wicked will be cut off. But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in time of trouble. The LORD helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, Because they take refuge in Him. (Psalms 37:35-40)
Lord, thank you for being my stronghold in times of trouble.
Time and again You have proven faithful to save me from wickedness; wickedness that comes both from within and without. For every need, for every situation, Jesus, You are there. How great is Your faithfulness.
You are my Helper, my Refuge. You are my very present help in times of trouble. When the trials of life seem too hard, when I don’t know what to do, I turn to You. You calm my anxious mind and give me peace.
You are my Savior, my Deliverer. I was lost, You came and found me. I was dead in my sin, You gave me life. I was perishing, You delivered me.
You are my Lord,my King. The One, the only one, who is worthy of my worship. You alone are worthy of all glory, and honor, and praise.
Lord, You well know I am not always an obedient child. Every day I fall short of Your glory. Too often I choose to go my own way rather than Your way; that never ends well. I thank You that, because You are faithful, even when I am not, You are never far from me. When I stray, You redirect my steps and put me back on the right path. When I stumble, You are there to catch me. When I fall (because of my stubbornness), You pick me up and clean me up and let me know You love me.
Wait for the LORD and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you will see it. (Psalms 37:34)
Lord, I long for that day when all wickedness will be cut off.
The thought of no more evil is more than my mind can conceive. No more marriages destroyed. No more families torn apart. No more diseases to drain joy from life. No more atrocities of man against man. No more exploitation of the innocents. No more tears.
We long for that place and time when all our days will be filled with worship! When we will truly worship You in spirit and truth, with pure lips and hearts, for every evil will have been destroyed. We long for that day when the presence of sin and death will be finally, eternally, shattered.
Lord, I wait for that glorious day with eager expectation.
The LORD will not leave him in his hand or let him be condemned when he is judged. (Psalms 37:33)
Lord, I’m struggling.
Keep me reminded that You are mighty and powerful. Even when I can’t see or don’t understand Your plans, help me remember that You are in control. Your word tells me that I may make my own plans, but it is You who directs my steps. Help me Jesus to trust in Your plans. Your plans will not fail.
Because man is just flesh and blood, he sees and judges only that which is right in front of him. He forgets, or even denies, that You Lord, are Supreme Ruler over all creation and You are the final word in every situation.
Out of Your great love, You have made a way; it is a perfect way. My enemies cannot hinder or defeat me because You go before me and make my path safe and my steps sure.
Sandra Bivens Smith 