June 1 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Psalm 81:

¹Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.
²Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.
³Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.
⁴For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob.
⁵This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not.
⁶I removed his shoulder from the burden: his hands were delivered from the pots.
⁷Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah.
⁸Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me;
⁹There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god.
¹⁰I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.
¹¹But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.
¹²So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels.
¹³Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!
¹⁴I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.
¹⁵The haters of the LORD should have submitted themselves unto him: but their time should have endured for ever.
¹⁶He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.

Devotional

True Christians are people that can sing, and do sing. No, they may not always feel like singing, and sometimes they may ask, "How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?" But, nevertheless, they always have reasons to sing, and should sing. The captives in Babylon had the promise of deliverance, and therefore reasons to rejoice and sing, and so has every Christian. Believers do sing in the midst of tribulation. And the reason is, that God is their strength, "Sing aloud unto God our strength." "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid, for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation." Jesus knew what was before him, and he had told his disciples what awaited them; but before they went out to the Mount of Olives they sang a hymn. The apostles, Paul and Silas, after they had been beaten with many stripes, were cast into prison, and their feet were fastened in the stocks. But at midnight they prayed and sang praises unto God. Truly God "giveth songs in the night."

May the Lord, who gives songs, give us strength to sing them during the day and also in the night. May we "sing forth the honor of his name, and make his praise glorious."

"O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; show forth his salvation from day to day."

Prayer

Come, thou Fount of every blessing,
   Tune my heart to sing thy grace;
Streams of mercy never ceasing,
   Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
   Sung by flaming tongues above;
Praise the mount — I'm fixed upon it,
   Mount of Thy redeeming love. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: Ps. 137:4; 81:1; Isa. 12:2; Matt. 26:30; Acts 16:25; Job 35:10; Ps. 66:2; 96:1, 2.

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