April 1, 2015 PRAY

Psalm 95:

O come, let us sing to the Lord;
   let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! 
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
   let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! 
For the Lord is a great God,
   and a great King above all gods. 
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
   the heights of the mountains are his also. 
The sea is his, for he made it,
   and the dry land, which his hands have formed. 

O come, let us worship and bow down,
   let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! 
For he is our God,
   and we are the people of his pasture,
   and the sheep of his hand. 

O that today you would listen to his voice! 
   Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
   as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, 
when your ancestors tested me,
   and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. 
For forty years I loathed that generation
   and said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray,
   and they do not regard my ways.’ 
Therefore in my anger I swore,
   ‘They shall not enter my rest.’

Judging by their history Psalm 95 was a much needed reminder to the Israelites, when it was written, and to all believers now that God is all-powerful. The first part of the psalm calls on me and all other believers to be mindful of and thankful to the Lord for his may gifts and blessings. It calls on us to acknowledge them to the Lord in prayer. For all believers the psalm concludes with a very comforting verse; it is a metaphorical representation of God as the shepherd and his people as his flock safely in his care.

Prayer: Heavenly Father we pray that you, as our shepherd, will keep us forever in your steadfast care and when we stray forgive us and return us safely to your care.  Amen

Shared by Paul Doster