Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised!

  

Psalm 48:1-14

 

June 13, 2023

 

Zion, the City of Our God

A Song. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.

Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God!  His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King.  Within her citadels, God has made himself known as a fortress.  For behold, the kings assembled; they came on together.  As soon as they saw it, they were astounded; they were in panic; they took to flight.  Trembling took hold of them there, anguish as of a woman in labor.  By the east wind, you shattered the ships of Tarshish.  As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God, which God will establish forever. Selah

We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple.  As your name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth.  Your right hand is filled with righteousness.  Let Mount Zion be glad!  Let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of your judgments!  Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers, consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation that this is God, our God forever and ever.  He will guide us forever.

 

 

Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised!

For a couple of years, we did not have VBS at our Church because of I’m sure the Covid pandemic.  My bride left knee does not do well running up and down stairs, so we no longer were going to be in an active role of herds a group of 2^nds or third graders all over the complex but we love children.  We were laying in bed Sunday night giving God praise for the report that 1200 children had signed up for VBS.  And Jan said Bob, we should go and see if they need help.  So, we did and we were amazed that so many people had stepped up to fill the roles, what a body of believers.

 

I was told they could use us with the adults coming to pick up their children and to make sure they had the proper paperwork to get the children, you talk about a well-run organization it went like clockwork.  I thought herding adults would be harder than kids but to me my amazement it has been a real joy to allow God to shine through me.  

 

What a joy to be part of something that trains children to look to their Creator, who has such a great love for them, the Theme is Shine, and everywhere I’m looking I see people allowing Jesus to Shine in them. So yes, Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised!

 

The reason I’m so excited is that good news is being given to these children, and is that not how Psalm 48 ended.  That you may tell the next generation that this is God, our God forever and ever.  He will guide us forever.  At Oakwood and all over our Nation's body of 
believers are doing the same equipping children to know that, "Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised."

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice