you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 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 23:5-6]
take some time today and worship the Lord in this rendering of psalm 23:
take some time to worship, crying out to the Lord the final refrain:
“surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and i shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever!”
where is your identity?
do you believe that even though there are those who would demean you or persecute you for your faith, you will attend the wedding feast of the Lamb?
then i heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,
“hallelujah!
for the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns.
let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready;
it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
and the angel said to me, “write this: blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” and he said to me, “these are the true words of God.” [revelation 19:6-9]
do you believe that you are anointed, chosen from the foundation of the world?
even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. [ephesians 1:4-6]
do you believe that God works all things for your good?
and we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. [romans 8:28]
do you believe that you have been shown mercy?
but God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— [ephesians 2:4-5]
do you believe that one day in the presence of the Lord is better than anything else that this life could offer?
for a day in your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere. [psalm 84:10a]
do you believe we will be with him forever?
for the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. and the dead in Christ will rise first. then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. therefore encourage one another with these words. [1 thessalonians 4:16-18]
refresh yourself in the Lord today, stand in these promises, and whenever you feel weak or weary, go to the one who is worthy of praise!
~ce