Devotion for Saturday 5 June
Dear Readers and Listeners, Friends in Jesus Christ,
Our watchword for today is taken from Psalm 106 verses 45 and 46, “And God earnestly remembered for their sake His covenant according to the abundance of His mercy and loving-kindness. He caused Israel to find sympathy among those who had carried them away captive,” (Amplified Bible). In this psalm, the unknown psalmist asks, “Who can put into words and tell the mighty deeds of the Lord? Or who can show forth all the praise that is due to the Lord?” Throughout the history of Israel the golden chord of God’s loving-kindness and compassion is revealed in the narrative of God’s dealings with his chosen people. He forgives, comforts and restores, even though his children act rebelliously towards him. God waits with his arms wide open for their return. He leads them back to a life of joy and peace once they come to him and cry for help. We are assured that God intervenes and regards his children and their needs when they find themselves in places of sore distress. He is our God, and He cares. His covenant that He made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has been extended to include every nation and every creed on earth, through the work of Jesus on the Cross, for all. We are therefore children of the covenant.
In our application verse in Luke 1 verses 54 to 55, Mary sings to God her Magnificat after the angel announced to her, her blessed estate: She will be the mother of the Lord, the Messiah. “He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever,” (NRSVB). This praise hymn that Mary sang to the Lord is an echo of the Prayer of Hannah who thanked God for her son Samuel, who led Israel and anointed the firsts kings, Saul and David. God does not think or act as humans do. He loves unconditionally. He removes our transgressions from his memory and does not think on these again. It is this God, our forgiving, loving Father, who promises us that He will protect us and cause us to prosper in the face of calamity. He will work on our behalf to soften hearts and reconcile people. We cannot put into words God’s great deeds and the wonders that He works in our lives, but we can put into song our praises.
Father, we praise you, because you have done great things for us. You prepare our paths and you work in and on our behalf so that we can experience your grace and find our faith renewed daily. We come to you and ask that you will give us peace amidst the turmoil of our current situations. Father, we ask for your blessing on us today. This we pray in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
