Forward Movement is an official, non-profit agency of the Episcopal Church whose mission is to create compelling content for Christian living. Since 1935 we have published the quarterly devotional Forward Day by Day, as well as pamphlets, booklets, and books that encourage and nourish people in their lives of prayer and faith.
FRIDAY, May 27
Psalm 106:1-18. Who can declare the mighty acts of the Lord or show forth all his praise?
Hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions are classified as “acts of God” by insurance companies but they are really “acts of nature.” When the psalmist praises the mighty acts of the Lord, it is acts of liberation, judgment, and redemption that the singer has in mind: the promise made to Abraham and his descendents, the release from bondage in Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea, the revelation of the Torah on Sinai, the healing miracles of Elijah and Elisha, the promise of restoration and renewal whenever Israel found itself in exile or despair.
For Christians, add the mighty act of self-emptying that allowed an all-powerful God to dwell among us in the person of Jesus Christ, to live and die as one of us, and to rise from the dead as a sign of our own reconciliation with God and with each other. For such mighty acts our praise is inadequate, as the psalmist knew, but as we say in Holy Eucharist I, “It is meet and right so to do.”
God is not a cosmic bellboy for whom we can press a button and get things.
—Harry Emerson Fosdick
PRAY for the Diocese of Northern Malawi (Central Africa)
Ps 106:1-18 * 106:19-48; Wisdom 16:15—17:1; Romans 14:13-23; Luke 8:40-56
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We say, "Let us praise the Lord" but, when do we actually do it.
Our language is no help. Saying, "I praise you Lord" isn't really praise.
Praise is a state of mind.