Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from the family group, The Martins, singing the classic praise hymn … The Doxology … poignantly and powerfully singing the praises we all should raise to our Lord for all His wondrous works in our lives.
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Highlight Verse: Nehemiah 12:43 [NKJV] …
43 Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and the children also rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard afar off.
… God’s people offering up songs of praise to reflect their gratefulness to God.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Nehemiah 12:27-43 … USE THIS LINK …
… The Levites gather the people around the walls of Jerusalem to praise the Lord in song loudly to Him and to all who would share in their joy.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : ... Psalm 150 … USE THIS LINK …
… I can just imagine that this may have been one of those songs sung by the Israelite chorus on the walls of Jerusalem being led by Ezra and Nehemiah.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Dave Branon, uses a modern day illustration to teach on how we can/should praise our God. He writes: Walt Disney Studios was the first to introduce a new concept in listening to movies. It was called “stereophonic sound” or surround sound, and it was developed because producers wanted the movie-going audience to hear the music in a new way.
These days “surround sound” is certainly a wonderful way of enjoying the sound of movies or even TV or music in our own home [see attached photo]. But the concept is not a new one; and today’s ODB author goes on to show how the Israelites used “surround sound” to praise the Lord. He wrote: … Thousands of years earlier, Nehemiah introduced the idea at the dedication of the rebuilt wall of Jerusalem. “I had the leaders of Judah go up on top of the wall,” he explained. “I also assigned two large choirs to give thanks” (Neh. 12:31). The two choirs began at the southern part of the wall, at the Dung Gate. One went to the left, one went to the right, and they surrounded the city of Jerusalem in praise as they marched toward the temple (vv. 31, 37–40).
And more personally, I use “surround sound” every day, right here, as part of my devotional discipline, finding a song [usually on YouTube], like the one linked above that illustrates my journaling, putting on my head phones, which produce glorious sound production, and praising God by listening to, and sometimes even singing, the praises I feel in my heart for my God.
And on this day, which happens to be my birthday, I invite any readers to join me in reading the last Psalm, which is a glorious praise song (see Psalm 150); and then put on your headphones or let the stereo speakers from your sound system proclaim the praises of the Martin siblings as they sing The Doxology hymn linked above.
As Dave Branon quotes in the ODB devotional today and I agree, "We can never praise Jesus too much!" … And to that I loudly declare in my own surround sound, … AMEN and HALLELUJAH!!!
My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, I lift my praises to You this day for all the glorious blessings You have brought into my life. Hallelujah and hallelujah!!! ... Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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