BTR Weekly eNewsletter: "Learning to Worship - Step #2: Ponder God's Greatness"

Issue #679 ~ August 23, 2021

Dear Friends,

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Christ is All and in All,

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Learning to Worship - Step #2: Ponder God's Greatness

"Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them."

Psalm 111:2

"Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever."

Psalm 111:3

Verse 2: "Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them."

The word translated "pondered" here means to hold, to treasure up, to keep to oneself, to conceal.

It is the word to describe the virgin Mary treasuring the words of the angels in her heart. Elsewhere the psalmist meditates on the great works of the Lord: creation, providence, grace. Throughout the psalms his thoughts turn to the Red Sea, Jericho, Noah and the ark, and countless other glorious manifestation of the great and glorious God.

Psalm 66:5: "Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man's behalf!" (NIV)

Last week in verse 1 the psalmist was praising the Lord for his person. Now, here in verse 2, he is meditating upon God's great works. He says of these great works: "they are pondered by all who delight in them."

Verse 3: "Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever."

Now he begins to focus specific words of praise. There are 2 here in verse 3. They are: (1) "glorious" and (2) "majestic."

He then speaks of his being: "his righteousness endures forever."

One of the most precious times of worship during my seminary years came when Dr. Mitchell taught us the book of Genesis and introduced us to a hymn I had never heard before, "How Great Thou Art." I sensed the presence of the Lord in such a real way that tears blurred my written notes.

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Praises & Prayer Requests

1. Pray: But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.

Luke 2:19 (NASB)

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2. Pray: All mankind will fear; they will proclaim the works of God and ponder what he has done. Psalm 64:9 (NIV)

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3. Pray: May those who delight in my vindication shout for joy and gladness; may they always say, "The Lord be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant." Psalm 35:27 (NIV)

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4. Praise: I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High. Psalm 7:17 (NIV)

5. Pray: We thank God for the opportunity to respond to inmate requests for Bibles and devotionals. Thank you for your prayers and gifts which allow us to provide inmates with the Word of God.

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Welling up in my heart is a song and of course you have already guessed it. Please join me in singing verses 1 and 2 of "How Great Thou Art!":

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder

Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,

Thy pow'r thru-out the universe displayed!

When thru the woods and forest glades I wander

And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,

When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur

And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze,

Refrain

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;