Psalm 81 (The Message)
Imagine, you've been a slave for years, working for a king. In blistering heat you would be forced to work as a manual labourer for free for many hours at a time.
Hopeless, no escape in sight, this has become your meaningless existence.
Has God abandoned us, would be your cry?
Then comes the day that God sends a man Moses to set His people free.
He sends plagues to kill your and His enemies, He sends a pillar of fire to free your escape and hold back the enemy. He then sets the seas apart for you to escape across and brings the mighty waters down on your enemies.
You then in the desert are provided with manna from heaven.
God cares, God saves, God Rescues, God Liberates, God Provides, and the people rejoice.
1-5 A song to our strong God! a shout to the God of Jacob!
Anthems from the choir, music from the band,
sweet sounds from lute and harp,
Trumpets and trombones and horns:
it's festival day, a feast to God!
A day decreed by God,
solemnly ordered by the God of Jacob.
He commanded Joseph to keep this day
so we'd never forget what he did in Egypt.
Three times a year the people of God would rejoice and give thanks through the festival of Bread and in this case wine, remembering all that God did for them, freeing them from Egypt.
The reality is when we think of what our God has done for us, we rejoice, and it's important to set time aside to do so as we see in this psalm.
But as we know from the story the people of God, soon turned from rejoicing and began to worship other gods, they did not remind themselves of what God had done. They grew weary with the desert and lost perspective.
11-12 "But my people didn't listen,
Israel paid no attention;
So I let go of the reins and told them, 'Run!
Do it your own way!'
This last week I've been doing a study on fear and why people fear for work. As Christians we fear because we lose perspective, we may draw away from God rather then pressing into Him and rejoicing for what He has done.
We forget the truth of His word (as I'm sure Israel did in the desert) - the promises of God.
It's good to set time aside to remind ourselves of all God has done and has promised us is to come.
This way we will not lose heart, we will not stray away.
God is worthy of all our praise, surely we should give Him it.
The challenge is to set a reminder, time aside to bring our thanksgiving to God for all that He's done and yet to come.
Thank You Lord for all that you've done and all that's to come. For you're promises, for the Hope we have in you. Help us to keep perspective, to not loose heart, to abide to You.
Imagine, you've been a slave for years, working for a king. In blistering heat you would be forced to work as a manual labourer for free for many hours at a time.
Hopeless, no escape in sight, this has become your meaningless existence.
Has God abandoned us, would be your cry?
Then comes the day that God sends a man Moses to set His people free.
He sends plagues to kill your and His enemies, He sends a pillar of fire to free your escape and hold back the enemy. He then sets the seas apart for you to escape across and brings the mighty waters down on your enemies.
You then in the desert are provided with manna from heaven.
God cares, God saves, God Rescues, God Liberates, God Provides, and the people rejoice.
1-5 A song to our strong God! a shout to the God of Jacob!
Anthems from the choir, music from the band,
sweet sounds from lute and harp,
Trumpets and trombones and horns:
it's festival day, a feast to God!
A day decreed by God,
solemnly ordered by the God of Jacob.
He commanded Joseph to keep this day
so we'd never forget what he did in Egypt.
Three times a year the people of God would rejoice and give thanks through the festival of Bread and in this case wine, remembering all that God did for them, freeing them from Egypt.
The reality is when we think of what our God has done for us, we rejoice, and it's important to set time aside to do so as we see in this psalm.
But as we know from the story the people of God, soon turned from rejoicing and began to worship other gods, they did not remind themselves of what God had done. They grew weary with the desert and lost perspective.
11-12 "But my people didn't listen,
Israel paid no attention;
So I let go of the reins and told them, 'Run!
Do it your own way!'
This last week I've been doing a study on fear and why people fear for work. As Christians we fear because we lose perspective, we may draw away from God rather then pressing into Him and rejoicing for what He has done.
We forget the truth of His word (as I'm sure Israel did in the desert) - the promises of God.
It's good to set time aside to remind ourselves of all God has done and has promised us is to come.
This way we will not lose heart, we will not stray away.
God is worthy of all our praise, surely we should give Him it.
The challenge is to set a reminder, time aside to bring our thanksgiving to God for all that He's done and yet to come.
Thank You Lord for all that you've done and all that's to come. For you're promises, for the Hope we have in you. Help us to keep perspective, to not loose heart, to abide to You.
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