Today Daily Devotional

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”
— Revelation 5:13

Maybe you have heard Handel’s Messiah, which includes this song and many others that we find in the Bible. Maybe the music of that stirring oratorio is going through your head right now.Praising God through song is not just a nice thing to do now and then. In this text, singing is shown to be one of the most worshipful things a believer can do. All creation is called to sing to the God who is worthy of “praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”In song we can take part in worship with our whole being. If we are conscious of the words we are singing, our mind is deeply involved. If our emotions are affected by the music and the words, it can feel as if every part of our being is engaged.I have been able to sing in a number of choirs. When I am singing a Christian song with a group of good singers, it can feel as if we are praising God in heaven.Not all of us are good singers or even musically inclined. But we don’t have to have great voices to sing wholehearted praise to our Creator and Savior. We can sing to and for the one true God who deserves all honor and glory and praise. And as our song reaches the Lord in heaven, it is purified, offering a sweet sound to his ear.

“Now blessed be the Lord our God . . . through all eternity; the whole earth let his glory fill: Amen! So let it be.”

They were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.
— Revelation 5:8

Did you know that our prayers are like a scented offering to the Lord? Imagine God sitting on his throne, inhaling all of our prayers. He is surrounded by four creatures that are beyond our imagining, and by 24 elders who represent all of his people redeemed by Jesus, the Lamb of God. The amazing creatures and the elders hold out bowls of fragrant offerings to God, and these represent all of our prayers.We might not usually think of scents when we consider God’s holiness or God’s presence, but perhaps we need to. We know that God created the nose of the bloodhound, which is about 50 times more sensitive than our own. So perhaps we can imagine God deeply breathing in the most attractive scent in the universe— our prayers. He takes a deep breath and smiles. God loves us more than we can imagine, and he delights in hearing whatever we have to say. Whether we express joy or thanks or wonder or sadness or grief or concern or anxiety, the God who loves us is always eager to hear us.We can imagine that our prayers give God a scent more satisfying than fresh-baked bread or fresh-cut flowers. Our prayers are precious scents, offered to God in golden bowls.Did you know that your prayerful thoughts and words are enjoyed as the loveliest of scents in the highest heaven?

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, accept our offerings of prayer. May they be a pleasing scent to you as you sniff out what we truly need. Thank you, Lord, for hearing all our prayers. Amen.

“Far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you.”
— 1 Samuel 12:23

When I was in my twenties and going through some hard times, I asked my mother to pray for me. She said, “Do you mean, in addition to the prayers that began before your birth and have not ceased to this day?” I hadn’t realized that my mom prayed so fervently for me, and that was humbling.Samuel prayed persistently for God’s people, and we do well to follow that example.Are you a persistent and fervent pray-er? I can’t think of anything we can do that is more pleasing to God and useful to others than prayer.Silent, or internal, prayer is a miracle brought about by the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Through the voice of the Spirit, who comes to live within us, our thoughts are heard by the triune God. We can think with and talk to God about anything, at any time, and in any place. Through our thoughts we can connect with the most powerful being in the universe, who loves us more than any other. We don’t even need an introduction; God already knows us intimately.If you are looking for a dialogue with God, turn to Scripture, read a few verses, and pray whatever comes to mind. Any fears, worries, and wrongs you have done can be laid at God’s feet and forgotten.Samuel and my mother were fervent and faithful pray-ers. Knowing that God loves us so much, how can we not pray?

O God, we come to you in prayer through the work of your Spirit in us. We know that you hear us. Guide us to pray faithfully. Please fill us with your grace and peace each day. Amen.

“There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land.”
— Hosea 4:1

Teenagers will often verify that they “know.”• “Aiden, you need to be home by 11:00.” “I know.”• “Sophia, you can’t wear that skirt.” “I know.”• “Jack, that room of yours is a disaster.” “I know.”In situations like these, the facts are not in question. Both the parents and teens “know.” But like many teenagers, we don’t always act on the basis of the facts we know.God’s people had the same problem. Though they “knew,” they did not “acknowledge.” As Hosea pointed out, the people didn’t acknowledge God. They didn’t pay attention to God’s law—his guidelines for daily living in community. Instead, they mistreated each other in all kinds of ways.The people did know that God is loving and just, but they ignored that truth. They did know that following God’s law was the right way to live, but they ignored that truth as well. The results of all this were devastating. God said he would reject his people since they did not acknowledge him.The same process can occur today. Do you “know” that the just and powerful God of the universe sees you? Of course. Do you “know” that following God’s direction is the only way to live in peace with God and neighbors? Of course.If any of us is pretending that we don’t need God or his law in some part of our life, we need to stop and acknowledge the truth.

God, we know that you are faithful, just, and loving. Help us to acknowledge these great truths in our lives today. Amen.

Whatever is true . . . noble . . . right . . . pure . . . lovely . . . admirable . . . excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
— Philippians 4:8

Is your mind filled with things that are true, pure, excellent, and praiseworthy? Or is it distracted by things that are false, polluted, ugly, and dishonorable? We likely have some amount of each, since we are all sinners.Let’s look first at filling our minds with what is true. This can be hard today when there is often little regard for speaking truth on the internet and in the media. We need to ask God to show us what is right and true, recognizing that we can depend on his Word in the Bible and on teachings that are solidly based on all of it.We can also seek what is lovely, good, and praiseworthy. God and his creation are beautiful. God’s love and his salvation are the most beautiful things of all. When we seek the lovely and beautiful, we will find God behind it all.However, if we not only see but also revel in what is ugly, distasteful, violent, or worse, we’ll find ourselves following the way of the devil, who is behind all things that are repulsive and corrupt.Let’s be sure to fill our minds with thoughts that honor God, others, and ourselves. Let’s steer away from thoughts that spread lies, hurt others, drag reputations down, or create cynicism. God knows what we are thinking, and in his strength we can control our thoughts so that they honor him.

Lord, help us to fill our minds with pure, true, wholesome things. Let us not stray into ugly, dishonorable thinking that can lead us to destruction. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.