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Living in Harmony with the Lord
Andrea Lende • September 8, 2021
Psalm 8:9
Living in Harmony with the Lord
You can also listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/He-Will-Establish-the-Righteous-e172pgb
Psalm 8:9
“Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous [those upright and in harmony with You]; for You, Who try the hearts and emotions and thinking powers, are a righteous God.”
It is amazing that King David wrote this so many years ago because it is so relevant today.
Actually, it would be relevant for any time in past, present, or future because it is the story of good versus evil.
David wrote about the Lord establishing His righteous as the victor.
Those who are “upright and in harmony with” the Lord.
In harmony.
What a lovely way to think about those who love the Lord.
Working in harmony with Him.
Google defines harmony as “the combination of simultaneously sounded musical notes to produce chords and chord progressions having a pleasing effect.”
Although this definition is about harmony in music, I love the idea of harmony having a pleasing effect.
When we are in harmony with the Lord it is pleasing to Him and to those around us.
David also wrote the Lord tries our hearts, emotions, and thinking power.
We are His handiwork, and He knows us through and through.
He knows our hearts and thankfully has made a way for them to be purified through His Son.
He knows our emotions.
And He knows our thoughts.
He knows us better than we know ourselves.
And when we surrender ourselves to Him, He works to bring our hearts, emotions, and thoughts back in harmony with Him.
I am thankful we serve a merciful God.
And I’m thankful He doesn’t give up on me when I fail to live up to the righteousness He desires.
I pray He continues to purify my heart, emotions, and thoughts.
Today I choose to meditate on the Lord and wait expectantly as He establishes the righteous in His kingdom.
May you find the Lord is Almighty and has plans to establish His righteous people in His kingdom as He extinguishes the wicked nature of all.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for reminding me You have a plan to establish the righteous as victor. You have a plan to extinguish the wicked and the wicked nature from us all. How I long to be in Your presence and worship at Your feet. I long for the time when all the wicked will be undone and gone from this world. I long for the day when Your Light is all that is needed to light Your kingdom. Until then, help me draw closer to You. Until then, help all people everywhere draw closer to You. Help us learn of You and Your ways. Keep our eyes on You until the day we see You in heaven. Lord, strengthen each of us to do Your will above our own. Help us bless each other this day. Thank You for hearing our prayer.
Answer: I AM the great I AM, and My plan is for the good of all people.
Response: Help us walk into Your perfect will, Lord.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.