Day Eighteen – Psalm 147
- 20/20 Vision
- Day One - Psalm 27
- Day Two - Psalm 16
- Day Three - Psalm 40
- Day Four - Psalm 73
- Day Five - Psalm 34
- Day Six - Psalm 25
- Day Seven - Psalm 29
- Day Eight - Psalm 23
- Day Nine - Psalm 103
- Day Ten - Psalm 42
- Day Eleven - Psalm 31
- Day Twelve - Psalm 91
- Day Thirteen - Psalm 8
- Day Fourteen - Psalm 51
- Day Fifteen - Psalm 139
- Day Sixteen - Psalm 77
- Day Seventeen - Psalm 139
- Day Eighteen - Psalm 147
- Day Nineteen - Psalm 37
- Day Twenty - Psalm 100
NOVEMBER 18, 2017
For your convenience, we have added a soundtrack to the background as you meditate on the word of God. You are welcome to keep this playing in the background that will end after 20 minutes followed by closing prayer.
Download Today’s Devotional: Day – 18 – Psalm 147 – Your Focus Determines Your Direction
Have you ever had something go the opposite of the way you hoped and planned? And when you look back on the event, you’re not really sure where it took the turn in the wrong direction? Today we’re going to seek to understand why.
Let’s go to the Father in prayer:
Heavenly Father, I come to you this morning to receive insight and instruction from your word. I want to learn to identify thoughts or actions that take off my desired path; away from my intended goals. Give me understanding, renew my mind with truth. I ask this in the name and authority of your son Jesus Christ, Amen.
As we meditate on Psalm 147 this morning, I want you to pay particular attention to the psalmist’s focus. He beings the psalm with the exhortation to praise God. Why? Why praise God before everything else? Because nine out of ten times, it is your focus that determines your outcome. It is not your intentions, it is not goals, but rather your focus. The Bible tells us that those who keep their mind focused on the Lord will have perfect peace[1]. Not just peace, but perfect peace! The psalmist centers himself on God; as an act of his will, he turns his thoughts on God in recollection of his nature. He turns his emotions to God in acknowledgment of His great deeds. And he defines his circumstances based upon his relationship with God. He ends the psalm by stating that what God has done for him, He has done for no other peoples. God chose you. He sought you out in the depths of your sin and darkness and paid a great price to have a relationship with you. That fact should influence every decision you make about yourself and others. It should be the source of peace in spite of any situation. It should be the deep still river that anchors you in any storm.
Psalm 147
1 Praise the Lord! How good to sing praises to our God! How delightful and how fitting! 2 The Lord is rebuilding Jerusalem and bringing the exiles back to Israel. 3 He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds. 4 He counts the stars and calls them all by name. 5 How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension! 6 The Lord supports the humble, but he brings the wicked down into the dust. 7 Sing out your thanks to the Lord; sing praises to our God with a harp. 8 He covers the heavens with clouds, provides rain for the earth, and makes the grass grow in mountain pastures. 9 He gives food to the wild animals and feeds the young ravens when they cry. 10 He takes no pleasure in the strength of a horse or in human might. 11 No, the Lord’s delight is in those who fear him, those who put their hope in his unfailing love. 12 Glorify the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion! 13 For he has strengthened the bars of your gates and blessed your children within your walls. 14 He sends peace across your nation and satisfies your hunger with the finest wheat. 15 He sends his orders to the world – how swiftly his word flies! 16 He sends the snow like white wool; he scatters frost upon the ground like ashes. 17 He hurls the hail like stones. Who can stand against his freezing cold? 18 Then, at his command, it all melts. He sends his winds, and the ice thaws. 19 He has revealed his words to Jacob, his decrees and regulations to Israel. 20 He has not done this for any other nation; they do not know his regulations. Praise the Lord! [2]
[2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Ps 147). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.