Praise to the Lord Who doth prosper
Thy work and defend thee
Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do
If with His love He befriend thee
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
By: Joachim Neander 1680, trans. Catherine Winkworth 1863
Listen to this modern version of this majestic hymn as you prepare to ponder the lyrics. Please make certain to enjoy the podcast below.
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Everyone enjoy this podcast and transcript below! It features meditative music and moments to contemplate the Scriptures and reflections shared.
Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.
As we continue our journey through this hymn ask the Holy Spirit to help you receive and then issue this call to worship. Be sure to find your place in the praise. Let’s think about this.
Sitting with Your Thoughts
Most people do not like to sit with things. Whether it is trying to make a decision between two difficult paths, or finding the best course in a perplexing situation, it is easier to just run headlong into the fray. We wold be better off if we would learn to think a little before making a decision or moving ahead.
This can be difficult. Maybe you feel the pressure to keep things humming. Maybe it is simply trying to gain the approval of some of those involved, or even just one. Sometimes things seem to be swirling out of control and to attempt to stop and think seems impossible.
Many times it might be. But not always.
Thinking on God
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do
But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; Lamentations 3:21-22a ESV
Do you set your mind on these things? Do you allow yourself to sit and ponder the demonstrations of God‘s steadfast love to you every single day? You would be well-served to set aside some time to ponder what God is doing in your life. Nothing will fill you with more hope than that exercise.
What do you think about when you aren’t thinking about anything? When your mind trails off the task that is right in front of you what do you find yourself daydreaming about? What you think about tells you what your value, but you can also teach yourself what is valuable by training your mind to ponder.
RESONATE!
Take a few moments to ask God to think about what God could do in your situation. What situation? That one that came to mind when we asked you to think. Coming to God with those things is a great discipline to develop. Start by making this your simple prayer.”Spirit, help me to routinely call to mind the things of God.”
Need a Hand?
We all need a helping hand some time. What better hand to reach out to than God’s? There is nothing He can not do.
But God does not do everything we want. We might even question whether God does everything I need. He does, but sometimes we just need a little “perspective corrective”.
Put it in the view of the one being helped up here. If he was looking the wrong way, no help. There would also be no help if he was not willing to accept it. What if he just decided to try to jump to the top? He might find it is a long way down. He definitely needs a hand.
We All Do Sometime
You have been there to haven’t you? Truth is, we all have. But we have not always been willing to receive the help that is readily available.
If with His love He befriend thee
…his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22b-23 ESV
His mercies never come to an end. He wants to befriend us with his love. But we have to put ourselves in a blessable state. This requires us to remove some things from our lives and add other things. What needs to be removed or added for you to know the love of God?
Did you notice the word “if”? Is it possible for God to not befriend me? To befriend means to offer help or support. God wants to show his love to all, but not all are ready to receive it. If you have give Him thanks. If you have not ask yourself why.
RESONATE!
Take a few moments and consider your posture. Are you ready to receive the help you desperately need? Do you even realize you have a need? Make this your prayer today, “Jesus, help me to receive your love. “
Lord, thank You for befriending me. Help me to make myself available to You so You can train my mind to ponder the possibilities. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Thoughtful Thinking!
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Podcast 55.3 Transcript
Welcome to Thursday Thoughts at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s think about this.
Praise to the Lord Who doth prosper
Thy work and defend thee
But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 ESV
Either one of these demonstrations of God‘s power are worth their own stanza at the very least, but there is so much that could be said about him that they are simply used as demonstrations of His faithfulness. Which one of them are you more thankful for today?
Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:6 ESV
As we long forward to our eternal home with God, we are confident of his goodness and mercy every day. Are you careful to arrange your days so that you can have this confidence? What are you doing to develop your ability to see his goodness and mercy on display every day?
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do
But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; Lamentations 3:21-22a ESV
Do you set your mind on these things? Do you allow yourself to sit and ponder the demonstrations of God‘s steadfast love to you every single day? You would be well-served to set aside some time to ponder what God is doing in your life. Nothing will fill you with more hope than that exercise.
If with His love He befriend thee
…his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22b-23 ESV
His mercies never come to an end. He wants to befriend us with his love. But we have to put ourselves in a blessable state. This requires us to remove some things from our lives and add other things. What needs to be removed or added for you to know the love of God?
Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has come to your mind, or listen to what He is saying to you, then I will read our text once more.
Praise to the Lord Who doth prosper
Thy work and defend thee
Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do
If with His love He befriend thee
Take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond. Until next time,
Be Resonant.
The post Thinking that Befriends God appeared first on Resonant 7.
Image Attributions
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do –think-mental-work-man-face-black-272677
If with His love He befriend thee –https://pixabay.com/photos/sunset-men-silhouettes-helping-1807524/
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