ADORATION – Reflect on God’s Greatness
GOD IS TRUE The God revealed in Scripture is real, and all other gods are idols. The God of the Bible is the one true God and not a god among others. He is the one and only.
Jeremiah 10:10–11 – The Lord is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. . . . The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens.
John 17:3 Jesus says to the Father, “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
Praise God that He is the Only True God.
Praise God that His power is unmatched. Praise God that He is not one of many gods to choose from. Praise God that He has made Himself known and revealed His uniqueness in the bible.
CONFESSION: Confess your sins to God and receive his continued mercy.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
THANKSGIVING: Giving thanks to God for his specific blessings in our lives.
“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 100
SUPPLICATION: Bringing our requests to God.
- Bring your personal prayer requests to God.
- Pray for those in our church who are sick. Ask God to comfort them and heal their bodies. Pray that he would use this sickness for His glory.
SCRIPTURE READING:
Psalm 136 New Living Translation
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His faithful love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords.
His faithful love endures forever.
4 Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles.
His faithful love endures forever.
5 Give thanks to him who made the heavens so skillfully.
His faithful love endures forever.
6 Give thanks to him who placed the earth among the waters.
His faithful love endures forever.
7 Give thanks to him who made the heavenly lights—
His faithful love endures forever.
8 the sun to rule the day,
His faithful love endures forever.
9 and the moon and stars to rule the night.
His faithful love endures forever.
10 Give thanks to him who killed the firstborn of Egypt.
His faithful love endures forever.
11 He brought Israel out of Egypt.
His faithful love endures forever.
12 He acted with a strong hand and powerful arm.
His faithful love endures forever.
13 Give thanks to him who parted the Red Sea.[a]
His faithful love endures forever.
14 He led Israel safely through,
His faithful love endures forever.
15 but he hurled Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea.
His faithful love endures forever.
16 Give thanks to him who led his people through the wilderness.
His faithful love endures forever.
17 Give thanks to him who struck down mighty kings.
His faithful love endures forever.
18 He killed powerful kings—
His faithful love endures forever.
19 Sihon king of the Amorites,
His faithful love endures forever.
20 and Og king of Bashan.
His faithful love endures forever.
21 God gave the land of these kings as an inheritance—
His faithful love endures forever.
22 a special possession to his servant Israel.
His faithful love endures forever.
23 He remembered us in our weakness.
His faithful love endures forever.
24 He saved us from our enemies.
His faithful love endures forever.
25 He gives food to every living thing.
His faithful love endures forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His faithful love endures forever.
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION:
In the second half of this Psalm we are told to remember what God has done in history for his people. Specifically they are to reflect on the great acts of God in Israel’s history that demonstrate that his “covenant love” is something they can rely on. God’s covenant with Israel was the promise to make them into a great nation and to give them a land. God did just that through the Exodus and the Conquest of Canaan. These things unfolded over centuries and it takes historical/intentional reflection to take these historic interventions of God in the past and make them objects of worship in the present. Since God has been faithful to keep his promises in the past then we can be sure he will continue to be faithful today and tomorrow. If you were an Israelite in Egypt, say halfway through their captivity you would have over a hundred years of slavery behind you and over a hundred years in front of you. How difficult would it have been to keep a perspective on God in the day to day drudgery of life? They would have had to hold to his promises over those long years but they would not have the historical evidence that future generations would have of God’s faithfulness. We have the great privilege of looking back and remembering what God has done in the history of his people. We can, if we will remember to do so…use that active remembering to reorient our hearts and minds today. Remember now God’s acts in history. Let that memory help you today.