Guide Me – Teach Me: Psalm 25:5

Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.
Psalm 25:5 (NKJV)

In this verse, David asks the Lord to guide him in His truth, to teach him His ways. Psalm 25 is a prayer; earlier in the psalm, David describes God’s ways, which include praying, waiting on the Lord, being teachable, humble, and obeying the Lord. It means relying on the Lord to guide and teach, looking to the Lord continually for direction, and trusting with a trust not shaken by worldly circumstances or concerns.
For You are my God, My Savior, and I will wait all day long, trusting, hoping, and relying on You. ⁂

Where do you look for guidance? Do you ask the Lord to guide and teach you?

Prayer; Our Heavenly Father, we thank You for your guidance and love. We ask You to guide us in Your truth and teach us Your ways. Lord, teach us to trust and rely on You. You are our salvation; our hope is in You all day long. Like the balloon flower’s balloon-like buds grow into star-shaped flowers, Lord, guide us to grow in patience and hope. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen

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May the Lord be Praised-Psalm 40:16

May all those who seek you be happy and rejoice in you! May those who love to experience your deliverance say continually, “May the LORD be praised!”
Psalm 40:16 (NET)

May all who seek the Lord rejoice and be glad, be happy, and praise You. God’s love, promises, and truth bring joy and are reasons to celebrate. David wanted people to focus on the goodness of the Lord and rejoice.
Different versions have different worded rejoices; may the Lord be praised, may the Lord be magnified, and let the Lord be exalted, all praising the Lord for all He has done for us.

Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; Let those who love Your salvation say continually, “The LORD be magnified!”
Psalm 40:16 (AMP)

Thanks to our God of all mercies, comfort, and salvation. May the Lord be praised! He has delivered us from slavery to sin and promises to be with us always. May the Lord be magnified! Let us rejoice, for God loves us, has mercy on us, and gives us grace. May the Lord be exalted!

Constant worship clears the debris from our hearts. Praise is the cleansing element that flushes the trash of worry and anxiety.
Max Lucado “Help is Here”

The Lord has given us much to rejoice over and be glad about. Let us remember; to joyfully thank and praise the Lord for all He has done, is doing, and will do. ⁂

Do you take time to focus on the goodness of God and rejoice?

Prayer; Our Heavenly Father, God of grace, mercy, and salvation, we praise You! We exalt you, Lord, and thank you for your mercy, care, and protection. Teach us to be happy and rejoice; in your promises. May the Lord be magnified! As the flowers of the orchid are colorful and spread joy, let us rejoice and declare that the Lord be praised! In Jesus’ holy name. Amen

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Pursue Peace: Psalm 34:14

Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
Psalm 34:14(NIV)

Psalm 34 talks about how to live a good life. Verse 14 encourages us to choose good over evil and peace over sin. Shun sin and turn away from evil, pride, and arrogance. We honor the Lord when we turn from evil.

To honor the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil ways and false words.
Proverbs 8:13 (GNT)

Embrace righteousness, truth, and godliness. Seek and pursue peace; let the peace of Christ rule in your heart.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Matthew 5:9 (King James)

Strive to live in peace and do good. Be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving, as God forgave you. Be rich in good works, generous, and ready to help those in need.

14 Turn your back on sin; do something good.
Embrace peace—don’t let it get away!

15 God keeps an eye on his friends,
his ears pick up every moan and groan.
Psalm 24:14-15 (MSG)

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Is your focus on avoiding evil, doing good, and pursuing peace?

Prayer; Our Heavenly Father, teach us to turn away from evil and do good. Guide us to follow Your will; and practice virtue and righteousness. Let us spread love, do good, and pursue peace. Like the snapdragon is facing forward, teach us to face forward, turn our back on sin, embrace peace, and honor You. In Jesus’ holy and loving name. Amen

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Strength & Joy: 1Chronicles 16:27

Splendor and majesty are in his presence. Strength and joy are where he is.
1 Chronicles 16:27 (GWT)

1 Chronicles 16 is a song, a hymn of thanksgiving. It was sung on the day of the Ark of the Covenant’s arrival in the city of David. The song celebrates and glorifies the Lord and praises and proclaims his miraculous deeds.

8 Give thanks to the Lord!
Call on his name!
Make known his accomplishments among the nations.
9 Sing to him! Make music to him!
Tell about all his miraculous deeds.
10 Boast about his holy name.
Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice
1 Chronicles 16: 8-10 (NET)

Our Lord is majestic; He set in place the planets, moon, and stars; he designed and made all living things. The magnificent beauty and diversity of the world declare His glory. Splendor; describes the Lord’s supernatural glory, His grander, and His moral perfection. The Lord is great; splendor and majesty; are found in His presence.

The Lord is our source of strength and joy; they are His dwelling place. He radiates; strength and joy. When you trust and believe in the Lord, you find strength and hope. Living in faith, living in the presence of God, brings joy. Joy is not dependent on circumstances; joy is internal, a gift from God. Joy is found by walking daily with the Lord, living in God’s presence, and through prayer and rejoicing.

25 And why? Because God is great – well worth praising! No god or goddess comes close in honor.
26 All the popular gods are stuff and nonsense, but God made the cosmos!
27 Splendor and majesty flow out of him, strength and joy fill his place.
1 Chronicles 16:25-27 (MSG)

How majestic is our God; splendor emanates from Him, and He is the source of our joy and strength. ⁂

When you are overwhelmed and feel lost, do you reach out to God, our source of joy and strength?

Prayer; Our majestic Heavenly Father, you are our source of strength and joy. We worship you with song and praise with thanksgiving for your support and care. We thank you for the beauty and splendor of your handiworks; and the diversity of nature. Like the beautiful lilies, glow with your light; let us find strength through you and glow, with joy and light. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen