Today’s WORD (Text) Psalm 22:23-31
23/ You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him; stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! 24/ For he did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted; he did not hide his face from me but heard when I cried to him. 25/ From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will pay before those who fear him. 26/ The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord. May your hearts live forever! 27/ All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him. 28/ For dominion belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations. 29/ To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him. 30/ Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord, 31/ and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it.
Today’s Witness
The psalmist calls the nations to render ultimate worship to God. This is like the ultimate worship hymn. Whatever the identity of the nations in relation to Jacob, whether the people are afflicted or comforted, whether poor or enriched, and from every location throughout the earth, all are called upon to stand in awe, to remember and to praise the Lord. Why? Because God has come through for them all in their time of need. Above all, dominion belongs to the Lord who rules over the nations. The psalmist elevates God above all, centers God in the consciousness and awareness of the nations, makes God the object of worship of the dead and the living, of those present and those yet unborn. God is the main character, and all nations are called upon to worship God alone.
Today’s Invitation
As your location and circumstances in life have changed across the years, has your view of God changed? If yes, in what ways has your view of God changed? If your view of God and worship of God have remained constant or unchanged, how do you account for that?
Today’s Prayer
Dear Lord God, we praise you, for dominion belongs to you. Thank you for being an unchanging God, who is faithful and loving towards all people in every generation. You are worthy of the praise no matter our social location, circumstances, or historical predicaments. You are God of all the nations, whatever their history, whether they honor you or not, you are Lord of all. Thank you for the gift of life, and for the knowledge that there is none greater than you. Amen.
The Passionary Intention
Today, I choose to live my life with passion. Today, I intend to follow Christ more nearly, love more dearly and incarnate God’s grace more clearly by asking myself three questions:
- Where will I follow Christ today?
- To whom shall I demonstrate Jesus’ love and justice today?
- How can I play my part in practicing the presence of Christ, right here, right now?
The Passionary Movement Word and Witness devotion is published weekdays (Monday – Friday). Dr. Jeffrey Haggray, Executive Director of American Baptist Home Mission Societies is the author of today’s devotion.
Photo by Xan Griffin on Unsplash
Today’s WORD (Text) Psalm 22:23-31
23/ You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him; stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! 24/ For he did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted; he did not hide his face from me but heard when I cried to him. 25/ From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will pay before those who fear him. 26/ The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord. May your hearts live forever! 27/ All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him. 28/ For dominion belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations. 29/ To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him. 30/ Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord, 31/ and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it.
Today’s Witness
The psalmist calls the nations to render ultimate worship to God. This is like the ultimate worship hymn. Whatever the identity of the nations in relation to Jacob, whether the people are afflicted or comforted, whether poor or enriched, and from every location throughout the earth, all are called upon to stand in awe, to remember and to praise the Lord. Why? Because God has come through for them all in their time of need. Above all, dominion belongs to the Lord who rules over the nations. The psalmist elevates God above all, centers God in the consciousness and awareness of the nations, makes God the object of worship of the dead and the living, of those present and those yet unborn. God is the main character, and all nations are called upon to worship God alone.
Today’s Invitation
As your location and circumstances in life have changed across the years, has your view of God changed? If yes, in what ways has your view of God changed? If your view of God and worship of God have remained constant or unchanged, how do you account for that?
Today’s Prayer
Dear Lord God, we praise you, for dominion belongs to you. Thank you for being an unchanging God, who is faithful and loving towards all people in every generation. You are worthy of the praise no matter our social location, circumstances, or historical predicaments. You are God of all the nations, whatever their history, whether they honor you or not, you are Lord of all. Thank you for the gift of life, and for the knowledge that there is none greater than you. Amen.
The Passionary Intention
Today, I choose to live my life with passion. Today, I intend to follow Christ more nearly, love more dearly and incarnate God’s grace more clearly by asking myself three questions:
The Passionary Movement Word and Witness devotion is published weekdays (Monday – Friday). Dr. Jeffrey Haggray, Executive Director of American Baptist Home Mission Societies is the author of today’s devotion.
Photo by Xan Griffin on Unsplash