Devotionals from my Bible app: From Dawn to Dusk (Psalm 113:3)

 Note before sharing the devotional: in the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination on September 10th, and in the midst of the (admittedly unexpected) intense grief I've experienced, despite confidence of his salvation, I felt it was time to spend at least the next several days sharing recent Scriptural devotionals from my Bible app, YouVersion, with you. The call is to preach the Gospel. Honestly, I haven't been doing it that much lately. This is a first step of many to try to correct that. Life is short. At my current age, and in part because of the ups and downs of my health condition, I am far more aware of this truth than ever before. And yet, even now I still have been guilty of forgetting and taking life for granted. So here goes: 

For your own sake, receive Jesus Christ as your Lord, King, and Savior. Ask Him to come into your heart. Dare to trust Him with your whole life, including every aspect of your life. He died for you. He died for me. He may not have technically been assassinated like Kirk was, but He was crucified, which, to find a modern Western society comparison, is very similar to being lynched. He was 100% innocent. He did not get a fair trial. When He was flogged, He wasn't just beaten severely; He had chunks of flesh ripped out of His midsection to the point where many of His internal organs were visible. And then He had to carry a rough, splintered, heavy wooden cross (equivalent to the weight of a billiards or pool table), all while also wearing a crown of thorns that was piercing His head all around. The Sanhedrin didn't care; the Romans didn't care. But He did it anyway. And the fact that He was still able to carry a heavy, splintered wooden object the size of a pool table goes to show that, as the Bible says, He did indeed lay down His life when the punishment of His Father in heaven, and the wrath of God on all humanity, was satisfied. Lesser men, if they had gotten flogged the same way Jesus had gotten flogged, would've died right then and there, and if not, they certainly would not have been able to carry a rough, rugged, splintered, pool table on their backs. They would've died trying. But Jesus didn't die then; He only died once He laid his life down upon knowing that God's wrath was finally satisfied, after three whole hours of abandonment after all the other punishments had been handed out. After all that was done, He rose again from the dead on the third day. He conquered death, so that you and I can live and have that eternal life. Most importantly, Jesus chose this path willingly because He loves you, and because He loves me. He wants you to be in heaven with Him for eternity (in other words, the best place ever, for a very very long time). But you have to reject sin, repent, turn to Him, and let Him be King of your life. And for some, this may require dying a death similar to Kirk's. But heaven awaits afterward, for all those who truly trust and surrender to Jesus totally and completely.

And part of that is reading the Bible and getting to know Jesus personally this way. As such, here is the devotional for today:

From Dawn to Dusk


Close your eyes for a moment. And while you do that, picture this wonderfully diverse planet we call home. (Yes, really.)


Everything you just imagined? God created all of it. And God created all of us to worship Him.


From north to south and east to west. From bustling cities to slow-paced villages. From lifeless deserts to life-packed forests. From the highest mountains to the farthest oceans.

“From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised!”
Psalm 113:3 NIV

The sun “rises” and “sets” on all of us. All people, all languages, all nations. All skin colors, eye colors, and hair colors. All shapes, sizes, and personalities. Rich and poor. Aching hearts and contagious smiles.


An eclectic mix of people from various parts of the world have always been praising God from generation to generation—and it continues to happen now. And we know it will never stop.


In Revelation 7, John has a vision of a “great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb,” who is Christ. They are serving and worshiping, all day and night.


God’s people—past, present, and future—are worshiping people.


We can worship with our songs.
We can worship with our money.
We can worship with our lives.


And one day, when we finally see things clearly, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. But today, we don’t have to wait to worship.


When sunlight streams through your windows, you can worship.
When the evening sky turns orange-ish pink, you can worship.
When you’re in a season of waiting, you can worship.
When you’re in a season of receiving, you can worship.
When your heart is breaking, you can worship.
When your heart is full, you can worship.


From dawn to dusk, let the name of the Lord be praised.


Today, think about this verse and consider what compels you to worship God. Then, shift your heart toward Him and don’t forget to worship.

From the rising of the sun to its going down
The Lord’s name is to be praised.

Psalm 113:3, NKJV

Note after sharing the devotional: one of the questions that came up in the prayer session that followed this particular devotional, which went along the lines of: what are some reasons you can find to praise God today? My immediate response was: music. And I say that this is true because, regardless of whether life is going well, poorly, or in between, I can always use music to praise God. It's the first vehicle He gave to me as a child when I was growing up the Episcopal church choir, and it's a primary vehicle He allows me to still use even today. In the days after the assassination, music, particularly at the keyboard, was a vehicle for me to being to process not only the events but also how I was handling it during my different stages of grief. Charlie Kirk's widow, Erika, gave a moving and rousing eulogy just a couple days after his passing, and her complete and unwavering trust in God's goodness and His plan blew me away. Even in the darkest moment of her life, she still found a reason and a way to praise God, with no reservation. I believe the call is to follow her lead in this, as she follows Jesus's lead.

Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:11, NKJV

Prayer: God, You are good. No matter what goes on around me -- You are good. You are worthy of my praise because You are God. You provide for me, strengthen me, deliver me, and heal me. Even when I don't see You at work in my life, that doesn't change the fact that You are working. There is no one like You. So regardless of what I face today, I will worship You! In Jesus's name, Amen.