Scripture Union Discovery 4 February 2018 Devotional – Pennies Dropping
OPENING PRAYER
God, thank You for a sense of wonder. You have made us able to perceive Your presence and to respond to You.
Read PSALM 95 (New International Version (NIV)
1 Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.
3 For the Lord is the great God,
the great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
6 Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
7 for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care.
Today, if only you would hear his voice,
8 “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,
as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness,
9 where your ancestors tested me;
they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
10 For forty years I was angry with that generation;
I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray,
and they have not known my ways.’
11 So I declared on oath in my anger,
‘They shall never enter my rest.’”
Scripture Union Discovery 4 February 2018 Devotional – Pennies Dropping
Reflect – THINK ABOUT GOD’S VAST CREATION. THINK ABOUT YOUR PART IN THAT CREATION. TAKE TIME TO THANK GOD FOR HIS CARE IN MAKING YOU.
There is a saying, from the early vending machines, that when an idea or connection falls into place, “the penny drops.” In this psalm, some surprising connections become an avalanche of praise.
Firstly, God is real; he is our joy and our Rock (1,2). We relate to him with our praises, delight in his presence among us and build our lives on his promises. The “Rock,” for Israel, is a firm place to stand (Psa. 27:5), a refuge in time of trouble (Psa. 18:2) and a source of miraculous refreshment (Num. 20:11).
Secondly, we are set in a creation, which—from mountain peak to ocean deep—speaks of God’s majesty, creativity, generosity and care (3–5). If we’ve ever made a gift for a loved one, we can begin to imagine how God must feel about creating us.
Finally, we are free to choose whether to commit ourselves to God and his way. In the past, some have missed out—so let us not be among them (10,11).
APPLY
What is your part in God’s world? Ask him to show you what you can do to serve him today.
CLOSING PRAYER
Lord, as You have given everything to me, I offer myself back to You. Thank You that You are always with me.
