Daily Devotion of Psalm 95

Daily Nugget:
Christians too often get so encumbered with the cares of this world that they forget who they are and what they have. They have the promise of Heaven, a caring heavenly Father, His guidance and protection, hope, blessings none of us deserve, and we know God’s truths (or should). With all we have, we still forget we are on the winning side and how good God is to us.

The well-known Psalm 95:1 is an encouraging eraser for the “woe is me” or “everything is so terrible in my life” attitudes. That verse suggests that instead of complaining, we should “sing” to the Lord.
“O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.” Psalm 95:1

“Sing”, besides singing a song, means to shout aloud for joy, cry out, be joyful, rejoice, and triumph. The negative poor-mouthing we often utter spurns defeat quickly and robs one of hope. However, if we find something to be joyful about and exclaim the victories we have gotten, our attitude will change.

Even singing a hymn will help one return to being grateful and appreciative. The rest of the verse also takes away the excuse from not “singing” because they believe they have an unworthy voice. Verse 1 says make a joyful noise, if that’s all you can muster. It’s not the quality of the “song;” it’s the exuberant, thankful heart that glorifies a great God, and not the stumbling blocks we dote over.

There was a time that I found myself in the dumps. All I could see were the obstacles and defeats that I encountered. To flip the doldrums around, I sat down and made a list. In the blank leaf in the back of my Bible I made a list of victories and things I had. It included salvation, a good wife, a home, a church family, and on and on went my inventory of blessings. After reading what I had written several times, I forgot about all I did not have and was most grateful for God’s goodness in my life. To this day whenever I find myself being ungrateful, I reread that list. It is my “song” that helps me remember how good God is to me.

Today’s Thought:

Count Your Many Blessings

Hymn by Johnson Oatman, Jr.

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done. 

Refrain:

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

Count your blessings, see what God has done!

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

Count your many blessings, see what God has done.

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Words to Understand:
Provocation: provoking, causing another to be angry

Today’s Reading:
Psalm 95
1 ¶ O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
3 For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.
5 The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.
6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.
7 ¶ For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,
8 Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.
10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:
11 Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.