April 4
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I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD!
9 There shall be no strange god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god.
10 I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. 11 “But my people did not listen to my voice;
Israel would not submit to me.12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts,
To follow their own counsels.13 Oh, that my people would listen to me,
That Israel would walk in my ways! 14 I would soon subdue their enemies
And turn my hand against their foes.
15 Those who hate the LORD would cringe toward him, and their fate would last forever.
16 But he would feed you with the finest of the wheat,
And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”– Psalm 81:9-16
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This second half of this psalm written by Asaph is a reminder to the Israelites that the Lord is a God who is jealous and wouldn’t want any competition. This psalm recalls the proofs that God presents to his people. Asaph reminds them of what God has done for all of them. He delivered them out of Egypt, fed them and provided their needs. Despite all of what God has done, the Israelites didn’t listen to God and continued to have stubborn hearts and followed their own ways. The Lord turned them over to their hardened hearts. Despite all the promised he gave to his people, they still continued with their disobedience.
How easily do we forget that there is only one powerful God who doesn’t want any other idols consuming his own people. He wants loyalty for he is faithful and steadfast in his love for us. In the midst of a global pandemic, isn’t God admonishing us to heed his call and follow his commands? We have been all so busy with modern day idols that we have forgotten who has given us all things and delivered us from evil.
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ADORATION: Bless the Lord who reproves his people and save them.
CONFESSION: Forgive us for not making you the center of our lives.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for the reproof to heed your call Lord.
SUPPLICATION: May all of God’s people give up stubborn and hard hearts.
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REFLECTION
• Why do humans forget that God is the only one in control of their lives?