Sing!

Read 1 Chronicles 16:23-27

"Sing psalms to Him; talk of all His wondrous works!" —1 Chronicles 16:9

Reflection of Tommy:

At times, life's cruel and unforgiving circumstances rob us from the joy and peace we have in God. It's hard to sing praises and be thankful when everything around us doesn't seems to turn out the way we wanted them to be. We questioned why God allows these things to happen and not sparing us from the pain of going through them.

As we reflect on today's passage, we see how we can still give praise to our God during difficult times. Because of what He has done for us through His Son, we can always proclaim the good news and have the reason to be thankful and grateful for despite the circumstances in our lives.

Dear Father, thank You for Your grace and mercy that I can have a close personal relationship with You. Forgive me of my disobedience and slow in listening and learning Your ways. Forgive me also of not being sensitive in allowing the Holy Spirit to work in me, changing me to be more like Christ each day.

Father, I pray that You will change this heart of mine, make it truly repented of my old ways, and resubmit my all to You. In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

Celebrating Disappointment

Psalm 30

A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple. Of David. ^[a]

1 I will exalt you, O LORD,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.

2 O LORD my God, I called to you for help
and you healed me.

3 O LORD, you brought me up from the grave ^[b] ;
you spared me from going down into the pit.

4 Sing to the LORD, you saints of his;
praise his holy name.

5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.

6 When I felt secure, I said,
"I will never be shaken."

7 O LORD, when you favored me,
you made my mountain ^[c] stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
I was dismayed.

8 To you, O LORD, I called;
to the Lord I cried for mercy:

9 "What gain is there in my destruction, ^[d]
in my going down into the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your faithfulness?

10 Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me;
O LORD, be my help."

11 You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

12 that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.

Reflection of Bee:


Dear Lord,
Thank You for turning my wailing into dancing too.
Thank You for removing my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.
Thank You for opening so many doors for me when one is closed.
Thank You for leading my life and guiding my career path.
Thank You for preparing me for greater works ahead.
All the thanks I give to You will never be enough to thank You.
May all glory and praise be to You through the works You have done in me.
In Your wonderful name I give You thanks. Amen.




Reflection of Tommy:

Sometimes God has to ‘punish’ us because of our stubbornness to change or deliberately ignoring His commands. He may use difficult, painful or uneasy situation to discipline or wake us up from our wrong ways. God also uses it to help us grow to be a more mature Christian. He does that because He loves us and wants to help us from getting into bigger trouble later.

As we read in verse 5, the discomfort of God’s anger towards us will lasts only a moment but the good effects will go on for a long time. Be thankful to our merciful God that at times His teaching maybe like a sharp painful shot given by a doctor, but it is always for our own good. It warns us to turn away from sin and helping us to grow to be a more obedient disciple of Christ.

Dear Father, thank You for Your lesson to change me when I’m disobedient. Forgive me of my ignorance to Your commands sometimes, doing the very thing You asked me not to. Forgive me and help me to always keep my ways right with You, to be a true follower of Christ. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Keep On

Psalm 66:1-10

For the director of music. A song. A psalm.
1 Shout with joy to God, all the earth!

2 Sing the glory of his name;
make his praise glorious!

3 Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power
that your enemies cringe before you.

4 All the earth bows down to you;
they sing praise to you,
they sing praise to your name."
Selah

5 Come and see what God has done,
how awesome his works in man's behalf!

6 He turned the sea into dry land,
they passed through the waters on foot—
come, let us rejoice in him.

7 He rules forever by his power,
his eyes watch the nations—
let not the rebellious rise up against him.
Selah

8 Praise our God, O peoples,
let the sound of his praise be heard;

9 he has preserved our lives
and kept our feet from slipping.

10 For you, O God, tested us;
you refined us like silver.

Reflection of Bee:

Tonight's devotional title, "Keep on", and the article that followed it struck me hard. For they echoed my thought today and was inspired to write my poem "Stay Strong In The Rain".

Very often, we may crumble when the 'rain' of broken hopes, dreams, trust, love, friendship, or relationship falls on us. We tend to see all things we do in life as "meaningless" just like what Ecclesiastes 1 says. Yet despite the 'rain', despite the fact that our pains mean nothing to anyone, and no one care about us, we have to "keep on" and "stay strong in the rain".

Some Christians may become too 'heavenly' or 'spiritual' that they do not feel their own or others' pains anymore. Instead of being in touch with their own emotions or that of others, they begin to quote scriptures to tell themselves and others that they shouldn't feel sorrowful about the pains and hurts they or others experienced.

Tonight's devotion shows us that God is the one who "preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping". That means, we do go through times of doubts and sadness. He is the one who "tested us" and "refined us like silver" (v9 , v10). We should be able to feel our emotions and that of others, but we take heart that all trials are under God's control.

However, knowing this fact does not make us 'robot' and have no feeling for others since God will be caring for them. In fact, a truly spiritually matured Christian is one who is able to empathize with others. Jesus was 'earthly' and human when He was on earth. He could empathize and weep with those who felt hurt and sad. He did something about their sorrows and not just tell them not to feel sad.

So what is meaningful in life? Ecclesiastes 12 concludes that....

1 Remember your Creator
in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble come
and the years approach when you will say,
"I find no pleasure in them"-

13 Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.

14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.

Dear Lord,
Thank You for helping me find back my soul instead of just pretend to be 'heavenly'. As I begin to feel my emotion once again, I remember I need to rely on You. Thank You for keeping me from falling and moulding my life. Your "tests" helps me understand others better so I can console them when they need a listening ear and a shoulder to cry. Give me a heart of compassion always.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.



Reflection of Tommy:
It is always easy to complain what thing doesn’t go the way we wanted it. We seldom see God working in us through our trials; to refine and build our character and to help us to grow. Very often trials bring us a new and deeper wisdom, which helps us to discern truth from falsehood. It also gives us the discipline to do what we know is right.

Dear Father, thank You and I continue to praise You for both the good and bad things. Although there are still things I yet to truly understand but I trust You to make them clear to me one day. Meanwhile, give me Your strength, peace and wisdom to obey and surrender my all to You. Lord, guard also my heart and mind that I may always walk in Your ways. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Dial 9 For Worship

Psalm 9:1-14

For the director of music. To the tune of "The Death of the Son." A psalm of David.
1 [a]I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonders.

2 I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

3 My enemies turn back;
they stumble and perish before you.

4 For you have upheld my right and my cause;
you have sat on your throne, judging righteously.

5 You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;
you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.

6 Endless ruin has overtaken the enemy,
you have uprooted their cities;
even the memory of them has perished.

7 The LORD reigns forever;
he has established his throne for judgment.

8 He will judge the world in righteousness;
he will govern the peoples with justice.

9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.

10 Those who know your name will trust in you,
for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

11 Sing praises to the LORD, enthroned in Zion;
proclaim among the nations what he has done.

12 For he who avenges blood remembers;
he does not ignore the cry of the afflicted.

13 O LORD, see how my enemies persecute me!
Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,

14 that I may declare your praises
in the gates of the Daughter of Zion
and there rejoice in your salvation.

Reflection of Bee:

The above Psalmist praised God even in the midst of troubles. We can learn from him to do likewise when we feel dry or don't feel like worshipping God:

Open your heart (v.1). Let praise roll forth!
Review all the things He has done for you (v.1).
Rejoice! Be glad! Sing! (v.2)
Acknowledge that He defends you (vv.3-5).
Go to Him for refuge (v.9).
Talk about what He’s done for you (v.11).
Receive His mercy and rejoice in His salvation (vv.13-14).

Dear Lord,
Teach me to open my mouth to praise You in in all circumstances.
Even when things don't go my way, I will praise You.
When people misunderstood me, I will praise you.
When I lose the people I loved, I will praise You,
When I am sick and feeling weak, I will praise You.
When it's time I leave this earth, I will praise You.
For You are worthy to be praised in all circumstances.
Amen.



Reflection of Tommy:

If we do take the time to think about each aspect of God’s divine nature, we will understand, greatly appreciate and be grateful of whom He is. Although our lives may not be free from injustices, rejection, loss, pain or suffering; but God’s presence, promises and attributes enable us to trust and surrender to Him like a child. He provides us the strength, peace, hope and confidence to hang on and move on when we feel like quitting the race.

Dear Father, I thank You and praise You for who You are. I thank You that because of You I have the peace and be free from unnecessary worry of how others perceive or treat me. Thank You also that You will never forsake me if I earnestly seek You and Your kingdom first. Guide me to have the right motive always when praying to You, that they will always be to bring You glory and honor. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

The Lord Is My Rock

Psalm 18:1-3
For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD. He sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:

1 I love you, O LORD, my strength.

2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn [a] of my salvation, my stronghold.

3 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.

Footnotes: Psalm 18:2 Horn here symbolizes strength.

Bee's Thoughts:

"The heart has reasons that reason does not know."
- Blaise Pascal, French mathematician and theologian

"A picture is worth a thousand words." Images remain in our minds when all else is forgotten - Today's Daily Bread

I always love to read Psalms. They could describe my feelings very well... feelings of joy or sadness, victory or defeat, gladness or distress, comfort or loneliness, and more.

I could identify myself with the feeling of David in the above Psalms. Every word speaks of what I want to tell God.

Why do I love the Lord?

For He is my...
strength - when I am weak,
rock - when I have sinking feeling,
fortress - when I need a place to hide,
deliverer - when I am down and out,
shield - when I need protection.

Yes, when "I call to the LORD... I am saved from my enemies".

.......the devotion of Bee