TO COME
Opening Prayer
Lord, help me to know when You are speaking to me through
the words of others.
Read Psalm 47
Psalm 47[a]
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1 Clap your hands, all you nations;
shout to God with cries of joy.
2 For the Lord Most High is awesome,
the great King over all the earth.
3 He subdued nations under us,
peoples under our feet.
4 He chose our inheritance for us,
the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.[b]
5 God has ascended amid shouts of joy,
the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the King of all the earth;
sing to him a psalm of praise.
8 God reigns over the nations;
God is seated on his holy throne.
9 The nobles of the nations assemble
as the people of the God of Abraham,
for the kings[c] of the earth belong to God;
he is greatly exalted.
Footnotes:
a Psalm 47:1 In Hebrew texts 47:1-9 is numbered 47:2-10.
b Psalm 47:4 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
c Psalm 47:9 Or shields
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Whom do you love most in the world? Call to mind their face, their voice, and thank God for them – and, as much as you already love them today, ask him to help you love them more.There is a wonderful diversity of people in this psalm – count up how many times it says ‘all’ and ‘the nations’. Does your church reflect something of this diversity?
Frequently in the Old Testament, God – or one of his prophets – reminds the people that they were chosen, not because they were particularly beautiful or special or righteous, but because God loved them (eg v 4; Deuteronomy 7:7,8). How frequently God’s people have shown themselves undeserving of that love!
One of my favourite hymns begins, ‘My song is love unknown … love to the loveless shown, that they might lovely be’ (Samuel Crossman, 1623–83). How deeply do you believe that truth? Do you try to prove yourself, to earn God’s love, to show yourself to be beautiful and deserving of his love? Can you accept that God doesn’t love people because they are beautiful, but makes people beautiful by loving them? And he doesn’t only love people like us. In verse 9, who assembles to exalt God? Perhaps this is why God called Daniel to serve even proud and stubborn kings – for he loved them, too.
Apply
If God makes you beautiful by loving you, how can you, in a small but important way, love others in turn – even those not like you? Think of someone who doesn’t yet know God – how can you show them God’s love?
Closing prayer
Lord, I pray for those around me who do not have faith in Christ. May they find their hope in Jesus.
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