“Let me tell you…” when one of my extended family members who loved directing our whole family would begin her next tirade with these words, we knew to either slink away, run or sit there and take what was about to passionately flow from those red lips.  If she had a “bee in her bonnet” about life, we were all going to hear about it.  “Let me tell you…” and the life lesson would begin.  Her opinion mattered greatly to her, but not so much to us because of the way it was delivered.  I prayed not to be like her when I grew up.  I wanted to be an encourager.  David shows us a better way.

“Let me tell you what God did for me!”, shouts David from the rooftops of his mind, from the depths of his love and from the innermost parts of his soul for God.  David writes a song of praise with gratitude for not only his past, present and future, but for all of God’s people!  “Let me tell you” …about all that God is doing and has done!  This is David’s passionate mantra for life with God!  David has a completely different focus.  I want that kind of focus!  Don’t you?

Worship and Wisdom, Psalms and Proverbs

Psalm 66, The Message

^1-4 All together now—applause for God!
    Sing songs to the tune of his glory,
    set glory to the rhythms of his praise.
Say of God, “We’ve never seen anything like him!”
    When your enemies see you in action,
    they slink off like scolded dogs.
The whole earth falls to its knees—
    it worships you, sings to you,
    can’t stop enjoying your name and fame.

^5-6 Take a good look at God’s wonders—
    they’ll take your breath away.
He converted sea to dry land;
    travelers crossed the river on foot.
    Now isn’t that cause for a song?

⁷ Ever sovereign in his high tower, he keeps
    his eye on the godless nations.
Rebels don’t dare
    raise a finger against him.

^8-12 Bless our God, O peoples!
    Give him a thunderous welcome!
Didn’t he set us on the road to life?
    Didn’t he keep us out of the ditch?
He trained us first,
    passed us like silver through refining fires,
Brought us into hardscrabble country,
    pushed us to our very limit,
Road-tested us inside and out,
    took us to hell and back;
Finally he brought us
    to this well-watered place.

^13-15 I’m bringing my prizes and presents to your house.
    I’m doing what I said I’d do,
What I solemnly swore I’d do
    that day when I was in so much trouble:
The choicest cuts of meat
    for the sacrificial meal;
Even the fragrance
    of roasted lamb is like a meal!
Or make it an ox
    garnished with goat meat!

^16-20 All believers, come here and listen,
    let me tell you what God did for me.
I called out to him with my mouth,
    my tongue shaped the sounds of music.
If I had been cozy with evil,
    the Lord would never have listened.
But he most surely did listen,
    he came on the double when he heard my prayer.
Blessed be God: he didn’t turn a deaf ear,
    he stayed with me, loyal in his love.

TRUTH: “Take a good look at God’s wonders—they’ll take your breath away.”  Stop and list all the ways God has helped you, is helping you now and probably will help you in the coming days.  Have you told anyone about the wonders of God, about His saving grace through Jesus, His Son, or about the peace we can have through anything that will happen in this world?  Let me tell you…

Proverbs 21:4-8, The Message

Arrogance and pride—distinguishing marks in the wicked—
    are just plain sin.

⁵ Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run;
    hurry and scurry puts you further behind.

⁶ Make it to the top by lying and cheating;
    get paid with smoke and a promotion—to death!

⁷ The wicked get buried alive by their loot
    because they refuse to use it to help others.

⁸ Mixed motives twist life into tangles;
    pure motives take you straight down the road.

WISDOM: “Pure motives take you straight down the road.”  God is the purifier of our hearts when we give control over to Him through Jesus Christ is Son.  Let me tell you what God has done to consistently take away all that is not Him in me.  I once was blind but now I see all that God has for me and it is good.  Do all for God and He will always be there for You. 

Abba Father,

Let me tell You…I have decided to follow you, seek your wisdom and learn Your ways.  Obedience to you is what you desire most from me.  Pure motives in doing anything with or for you is what makes you smile.  You see our hearts, know our minds and cherish our souls.  At our request, you remove all that is not You.  Thank you, Lord for your continuing purification process that helps me live well for you.  I mess up, forget or get lazy from time to time, but you are there to pull me back in and teach me what is best for my life.  You are life to me!  I will tell, write, sing and shout of your greatest my whole life long.  Yes, and Amen! 

In Jesus Name, Amen