Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Tue.’s Devo - The Ascent to the Lord

Read: Ps. 120-126
Today we start reading the songs of ascent or Songs of Degrees as they are sometimes called. They include Psalm 120-134, fifteen in all. The Lord required all the Jewish men to come to Jerusalem and bring their offering at the different feasts three times a year. These were the songs they would sing as they traveled. The first psalm seems to be the song of a person coming from a far off country where their faith is not practiced so widely. He laments that he hates living so far from the presence of God with a people who hate peace.
Psalm 121 seems to be his answer. His help comes from the Lord who watches over him and will not let him stumble or be harmed. The closer they get to Jerusalem, the more excited they seem to become. They keep the mountain of the Lord in their view and continue to encourage one another to look up and trust in the Lord.
In Psalm 125 their faith has grown to proclaiming their security to be in the Lord who will be good to them. They remember the deliverance of the Lord when he brought them back from captivity to Jerusalem and look forward to their fortunes being restored.
How true is this of us when we find ourselves feeling far away from God. We can look to the heavens and praise him as we journey back to the place of intimacy with the Lord. We might weep as we plant our seeds of prayer and faith, but we will sing when the harvest comes.
Lord, we wait for your harvest to come in. Let us be ever walking toward your presence and ever singing your praise.

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