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Hallelujah! It's a good thing to sing praise to our God; praise is beautiful, praise is fitting. God's the one who rebuilds Jerusalem, who regathers Israel's scattered exiles. He heals the heartbroken and bandages their wounds. He counts the stars and assigns each a name. Our Lord is great, with limitless strength; we'll never comprehend what he knows and does God puts the fallen on their feet again and pushes the wicked into the ditch. Sing to God a thanksgiving hymn, play music on your instruments to God, Who fills the sky with clouds, preparing rain for the earth, Then turning the mountains green with grass, feeding both cattle and crows. He's not impressed with horsepower; the size of our muscles means little to him. Those who fear God get God's attention; they can depend on his strength. Jerusalem, worship God! Zion, praise your God! He made your city secure, he blessed your children among you. He keeps the peace at your borders, he puts the best bread on your tables. He launches his promises earthward - how swift and sure they come! He spreads snow like a white fleece, he scatters frost like ashes, He broadcasts hail like birdseed - who can survive his winter? Then he gives the command and it all melts; he breathes on winter - suddenly it's spring! He speaks the same way to Jacob, speaks words that work to Israel. He never did this to the other nations; they never heard such commands. Hallelujah! (Psalm 147:1-20 The Message)
Nothing can brighten our day like singing. The kind of singing that comes from a joyful and blessed heart. For the last seven years I spent a lot of time on the road, usually with my bride at my side, and there were moments when a song would come to one of us (usually a hymn) and we would start to sing. It was praise and it blessed our heart. The psalmist loved to sing and to write songs of praise. He had a favorite theme: The awesomeness of God and most of the psalms reflect that. And he would usually invite those who heard these psalms to join him in praising God. Praise is about saying, God, you're so good and you have blessed us in so many ways and because of that I am singing!
Singing is like flipping a light switch and blasting away the darkness, and Lord have we seen darkness! But it's also about having seen God's light in so many places and so many different ways and we praise Him!
Singing is also about getting God's strength back into us. And it's not about carrying a tune, it really is about making a joyful noise unto the Lord. God accepts off-key as well as on-key; just open your mouth and start singing!
PRAYER: Lord, we needed this message about Your love and strength. Make bright our day with Your love and fill my heart with a song that will blast away the darkness in my life or the lives of those around me. Grant to me Your strength and help me to carry on; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Sing a song today even if it's just in your heart!
Eradio Valverde
PRAYER JOYS AND CONCERNS: Nellie and I sing a song of praise for the birth of our firstborn on this day some years ago. Incredible how the years have flown by and more incredible how wonderful our daughter is. Happy Birthday Nellie Garcia! We pray today for those battling dementia and those who care for them. We pray also for those fighting cancer; may God defeat that disease is our prayer. In Jesus' strong name, amen.
