Psalm 78
November 12, 2023
Father, give us ears, to hear your words as we come before you in prayer. Open our hearts to let the rhythm and melody of your wisdom penetrate our souls. For Like your people from long ago, we are a people prone to forget, neglect, and rebel.
In thinking of my own life, I have been such a person more often than I like to admit. In difficulty times I have lost focus and chased after dreams that just vaporize. Sadly, this pattern still tends to creep back into my life.
In this song Asaph reminds us of the significance of recalling your mighty acts. In them we again gain perspective and a sense of your presence. Help us remember the works of your mighty hand. Those that have happened long ago and those from our own lives.
Thankfully you are a God of compassion, slow to anger, and overflowing with enduring love, that also atones for our iniquities. Mercifully you remember that we are flesh.
Although we did not read the other stanzas of this Psalm, they remind us that to Israel you gave a lot, of teaching to be taught, that you performed many wonders and showed yourself to be wise, righteous, and just.
We don’t want our generation to be known as those, “those whose hearts went astray.” But the frequency of those words in Psalm 78 reminds us that we need to be diligent in seeking you. Give us rich moments of reflection as we meditate on your past actions. May these times of reflect functions as beacons to guide us.
Grant us the will to keep your holy ways. Help us overcome our personal weaknesses and genuinely desire you.
As we consider your work in our lives and think about our personal journeys can be reminded of tough times. It is not so long ago that K and S faced the heartbreak of losing S. But we rejoice with them today as they have welcomed A into their home. Thank you for that new life.
As Pastor David comes now to lead us in our study of Acts, we are going hear the context that sets up Peter and John’s bold announcement – “we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”
Help us to live in faithfulness – displaying your steadfast love to the wayward world around us. Father, you have been doing wonders from generation after generation. You chose king David to shepherd your people, and he was a good shepherd. And then you gave us his descendant Jesus Christ, the perfect shepherd king.
Keep us from going astray, so that we more purposefully set our hope in you.
These things we pray trusting in you, Amen.