Fear or Praise ...

Thursday, July 18, 2013. Often, we have a lot of challenges in our life. There are challenges in our job or profession. There are challenges with kids or parents. There can be severe challenges with a partnership. Sometimes, everything seems to break down and we fear to end up in a chaos of trouble and broken relationships.

Focus on the Lord, he is great! …

There are different ways to react in the challenges of life. We can work hard. We can try to be sincere and clever. Some try to cheat and push things to where they want them to go. We can be dominant or we can try to pull people by manipulation. There are so many behaviour patterns which people apply to reach goals and to overcome problems!

But the bible offers us another way. It offers us the way of the Lord. We do not need to fight to the end. We do not need to cheat. We do not need to manipulate. We are called to get to know the eternal and fantastic Lord, the living God. We are called to trust him, that he is the powerful, the all-wise father. Nothing is impossible for him.

The Psalms try to pull us into a mode of adoration and praise. They want to pull us into the mode of worship, and thus find the living Lord as well as ourselves …

Psalm 111 …

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1 Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. 2 Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them. 3 Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever. 4 He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful. 5 He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever. 6 He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the inheritance of the nations. 7 The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy; 8 they are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. 9 He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name!

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever! (Psalm 111)

It is a great idea, to go to the Lord, to see his power and majesty, and to trust him with everything we do and need. (Roland Potthast) ... more texts