Amos 5:8 - Pleiades and Orion

He who made the Pleiades and Orion,
     who turns midnight into dawn
     and darkens day into night,
who calls for the waters of the sea
     and pours them out over the face of the land—
     the Lord is his name.

Did you know the Bible mentions constellations? I did not until now. They are also mentioned two times in Job, one verse also mentions the Bear.

Lord, Your Word holds new things for me every day. Please help me to continue to be amazed. Amen.

Psalm 102:25-26 - What is reality?

In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth,
     and the heavens are the work of your hands.
They will perish, but you remain;
     they will all wear out like a garment.
 Like clothing you will change them
     and they will be discarded.

We place a lot of faith in this world, on this earth. We rely on what we see and know, what we can touch and feel. This is reality...for now. But this is not reality for God. God's reality is so much more than we can imagine. This world is just here today and gone tomorrow, like a garment that is worn a while, then thrown out. The questions from here get so big, my brain can hardly formulate them,

Lord, thank you for the mystery of you. Please help us to look beyond our daily reality and know that your reality is more than we can fathom. Amen.

Psalm 97:6 - God made it!

The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
     and all peoples see his glory.

I saw this cartoon posted on Facebook earlier today, then I read my psalm for the day and the two went perfectly together. This psalm mentions the earth, shores, clouds, darkness, fire, lightning, mountains and the heavens rejoicing and proclaiming his name.

Lord, thank you for the gorgeous creation you have made. Please help all to see your hand in the majesty of this earth. Amen.

Psalm 78:4 - Heritage of faith

We will not hide them from their descendants;
     we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
     his power, and the wonders he has done.

The first 8 verses of  the 78th Psalm emphasize the importance of telling the next generation the amazing deeds God has done. As a follower of God, it is our responsibility to continue this "heritage of faith." It is a blessing to our children to teach them the stories of the Bible. We all have stories of the amazing deeds God has done in our lives to share.  How amazing to see our children, or others we have taught, become our brother or sister in Christ!

Lord, thank you for those who shared their faith with us. Please help us to pass it on. Amen.

Psalm 77:12 - When in doubt...

I will consider all your works
     and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”

Psalm 77 begins with doubt. David can't sleep and is in distress. He asks God if he has left. But the remedy to this is to meditate on God's miracles and mighty works. David thinks about the ways in which God has saved his people in the past. We can do the same thing. If we are worried or doubtful, think about the ways he has helped you in the past. Remember a time when he performed a miracle in your life. If you don't have this kind of history with God, find someone who does and allow their faith to teach you and lead you to Christ.

Lord, thank you for giving us a solution for doubt. Help us to meditate on your mighty deeds. Amen.

Psalm 45:4 Jesus, the King

In your majesty ride forth victoriously
     in the cause of truth, humility and justice;
     let your right hand achieve awesome deeds.

Psalm 45 had me stumped.  It sounds like praise to a man, maybe King David, but David wrote the Psalms. I checked with an on-line commentary and got some insight. This is probably a prophetic message referring to the Jesus. When I reread it with that thought, it made much more sense. There is always something new for us to learn in the Bible!

Lord, thank you for your word and it's mysteries. Please help us to read and understand. Amen.

Psalm 40:5 - Praise

Many, Lord my God,
     are the wonders you have done,
     the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
     were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
     they would be too many to declare.

When I pray, I begin my prayers with praise. Sometimes I struggle with what to say, I seem to repeat the same phrases of praise over and over. This verse says there are too many wonderful deeds done by God to declare, so there is unlimited praise material here! When I am not sure what to say next when praising God in my prayers, I will begin to list his deeds and the wonders he has done.

Lord, thank you for all the wonders you have done. Please help us keep our prayers fresh and meaningful, Amen.