Ever-Active

“Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
    I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

Put not your trust in princes,
    in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
    on that very day his plans perish.

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who made heaven and earth,
    the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
   who executes justice for the oppressed,
    who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets the prisoners free;
   the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
    the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the sojourners;
    he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
    but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

The Lord will reign forever,
    your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!” Psalm 146

Helps. Makes. Keeps, executes justice, feeds. Sets free, opens eyes, lifts up, loves. Watches over, upholds. Reigns forever. Every part of thought is energized, every limb moves at benevolent work, all prepositions are engaged in the Lord’s tending to His own. Nary a nod to rest, never a blind eye or chilly heart, He keeps His watch and to His work. His word runs through His activity to perform His bidding. (Psalm 121:2-4; Jeremiah 1:12)

The aware believer cannot ignore the incessant, divine activity of our Lord. Are we watching, wondering? While we have our being, will we also praise? Because of His careful tending, we can live with vitality in hope, strength, peace, and delight.

God’s vibrant presence compels us to live in kind. Do I offer my body a living sacrifice to be busy about His work and will? Do I ask Him to harness my mind and direct my thoughts? How intent am I on using the gifts, the time, the opportunities He has entrusted to me for His kingdom good? How joyfully, purposefully, industriously do I perform His directed duties?

How will my life, reflecting the image and power of Christ within, be spent honoring Him and serving His will, His people, His world?

“Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee.
Take my moments and my days;
let them flow in endless praise,
let them flow in endless praise.

Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
swift and beautiful for thee,
swift and beautiful for thee.

Take my voice and let me sing
always, only, for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
filled with messages from thee,
filled with messages from thee.

Take my silver and my gold;
not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
every power as thou shalt choose,
every power as thou shalt choose.

Take my will and make it thine;
it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart it is thine own;
it shall be thy royal throne,
it shall be thy royal throne.

Take my love; my Lord, I pour
at thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for thee,
ever, only, all for thee.” ~Frances Ridley Havergal (1874)

Amen.