We hope this week's devotional will encourage you in your spiritual walk.
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Psalm 145.1-7 (CEB)
1 I will lift you up
high, my God, the true king.
I will bless your name forever and always.
2 I will bless you every day.
I will praise your name forever and always.
3 The Lord is great and so worthy of praise!
God’s greatness can’t be grasped.
4 One generation will praise your works to the next one,
proclaiming your mighty acts.
5 They will talk all about the glorious splendour of your
majesty;
I will contemplate your wondrous works.
Devotional Thought:
Being a parent comes with many joys and challenges. Days like today are full of joy and laughter. It is our daughter’s seventh birthday. She has opened her presents, worn her ‘It’s my Birthday’ badge to school, and when she gets home, we will go have a family meal at the Pancake Pantry (her choice).
Other days are more challenging. ‘Please clean your room. Use a fork. Wash your hands. Don’t talk back to your mother. Just get your shoes on so we can go!’ Any parent, aunty or uncle knows exactly what I am talking about.
But no matter what the day was like, at its end either I or Kat will lay down with our now seven-year-old and we will ask the same question: What are you thankful for today? Sometimes she gives us simple answers: school, church, family. But sometimes she responds to the question with a question: ‘Why can’t I see God? What happens when we die? Are you and daddy going to be with me forever?’ These are the moments in parenting that remind me of our Psalm for today.
The Lord is great and so worthy of praise!
God’s greatness can’t be grasped.
How does a parent explain
this to a seven-year-old? What kind of answers will be sufficient for this
young one’s questions? Often our answers come in the form of verse 4: ‘One generation will praise your works to the
next one, proclaiming your mighty acts.’ Although we cannot fully grasp God’s
greatness; we cannot fully answer the deep theological questions of a
seven-year-old, we can testify to God’s goodness in our lives. Each day we
spend a few moments reflecting on the ways in which God has provided for us,
been near to us, led us, and loved us.
I hope she will continue to ask the big questions, and as a parent, I will do my best to help her discover answers to them, but no matter how big or how difficult, my greatest desire for her is that she will never tire of contemplating the wonderous works of our good God.
May we all be as curious as a seven-year-old.
Prayer:
Our Father, who provides for our needs, loves unconditionally, and is beyond our capacity to fully know or comprehend, we thank you for this day. We offer ourselves to You in response to the ways in which you offer Yourself to us. Whatever our day holds, may we be ever mindful of your goodness and always willing to share this with others. Amen.
Rev. Joseph Wood, PhD
Dean of Students and Lecturer in Theology and Church History