Pray Thru the Bible

God Speaks

114¹ When the Israelites escaped from Egypt—
    when the family of Jacob left that foreign land—
² the land of Judah became God’s sanctuary,
    and Israel became his kingdom.

³ The Red Sea saw them coming and hurried out of their way!
    The water of the Jordan River turned away.
⁴ The mountains skipped like rams,
    the hills like lambs!
⁵ What’s wrong, Red Sea, that made you hurry out of their way?
    What happened, Jordan River, that you turned away?
⁶ Why, mountains, did you skip like rams?
    Why, hills, like lambs?

⁷ Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
    at the presence of the God of Jacob.
⁸ He turned the rock into a pool of water;
    yes, a spring of water flowed from solid rock.

115¹ Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
    but to your name goes all the glory
    for your unfailing love and faithfulness.
² Why let the nations say,
    “Where is their God?”
³ Our God is in the heavens,
    and he does as he wishes.
⁴ Their idols are merely things of silver and gold,
    shaped by human hands.
⁵ They have mouths but cannot speak,
    and eyes but cannot see.
⁶ They have ears but cannot hear,
    and noses but cannot smell.
⁷ They have hands but cannot feel,
    and feet but cannot walk,
    and throats but cannot make a sound.
⁸ And those who make idols are just like them,
    as are all who trust in them.

⁹ O Israel, trust the Lord!
    He is your helper and your shield.
¹⁰ O priests, descendants of Aaron, trust the Lord!
    He is your helper and your shield.
¹¹ All you who fear the Lord, trust the Lord!
    He is your helper and your shield.

¹² The Lord remembers us and will bless us.
    He will bless the people of Israel
    and bless the priests, the descendants of Aaron.
¹³ He will bless those who fear the Lord,
    both great and lowly.

¹⁴ May the Lord richly bless
    both you and your children.
¹⁵ May you be blessed by the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.
¹⁶ The heavens belong to the Lord,
    but he has given the earth to all humanity.
¹⁷ The dead cannot sing praises to the Lord,
    for they have gone into the silence of the grave.
¹⁸ But we can praise the Lord
    both now and forever!

Praise the Lord!

Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com

We Respond

Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding each chapter of Psalms 114 and 115:

1. What does this psalm tell me about God?

2. What does this psalm tell me about the human beings He created?

Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.  

Psalm 114

1. The LORD God is the one who brought the family of Jacob (the Israelites) out of slavery in Egypt. The Red Sea and the Jordon River parted at His command. The earth trembled at His presence, and He caused a spring of water to flow from solid rock to quench the thirst of His people.     

2. People are totally dependent on the LORD God for rescue from slavery (to sin, self, and Satan) and to meet our basic needs (water, food, air).

Psalm 115 

1. God is in Heaven and is far superior to any man-made idols or ideologies.

2. People (whoever has breath and is alive) should completely trust, praise, and extol the LORD, especially if they wish to be blessed. 

Prayer:

3. How might I pray regarding Psalm 114 and Psalm 115?  

Dear great and awesome LORD God, thank You for rescuing me from sin, self, and Satan. Your presence makes even the earth shake. Rivers and seas part at Your command. You provide me with all of the essentials of life. May I and all people bring glory to Your name for all Your faithfulness and love. You made the heavens and created the earth. You created the gold and silver of which false gods are made. LORD, You are trustworthy and worthy of all awe and deep reverence. You are the one who blesses me with protection, help, and all that brings me joy. Those who go down to the grave cannot praise You, but I will praise You now here on the earth and in Your presence forever in Heaven (because of what Jesus has done for me). 

Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)

4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Psalm 114 and 115?

• I will take some time out to quietly think about the vastness and power of the LORD God as described in Psalm 114. 
• I will thank Jesus for dying and rising to set me free from sin, self, and Satan. 
• I will, by yielding to the Holy Spirit, strive to live in ways that bring glory to God’s name.
• I will join with others in singing His praises and telling of God’s unfailing love and faithfulness.

Share:

I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.