Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is your health and salvation!
Come, all who hear; now to His temple draw near,
join me in glad adoration.

Praise to the Lord, above all things so wondrously reigning;
sheltering you under His wings, and so gently sustaining!
Have you not seen all that is needful has been
sent by His gracious ordaining?

Praise to the Lord, who will prosper your work and defend you;
surely His goodness and mercy shall daily attend you.
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,
if with His love He befriends you.

Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that has life and breath, come now with praises before Him.
Let the Amen sound from His people again;
gladly forever adore Him.

Author Joachim Neander   1680

Translator Catherine Winkworth  1863

Loosely based on Psalm 103:1-6 and Psalm 150, with echoes from other psalms, this is a strong hymn of praise to our covenant God, who heals, provides for, and defends us. Let “all that has life and breath” sing praise to the Lord!

The last psalm in the Bible, Psalm 150, ends with this invitation: “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.” German composer Joachim Neander gave us words to do just that when he wrote his most well-known hymn, “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty.” Hymnologist John Julian declares this to be “a magnificent hymn of praise to God, perhaps the finest production of its author, and of the first rank in its class” (Dictionary of Hymnology). And indeed, this is a hymn that has stood the test of time (over 300 years) to remain one of the most beloved praise hymns in the Church. As we sing these words, we join with the voices, in many languages, of millions who have gone before us, and those across the globe, to sing these great words of thanksgiving and honor to the God who created us, protects us, and befriends us.

For an update on Biblical archaeology in Jerusalem, you may want to visit http://www.emic.org

There, from Eagle Mountain International Church, is covered yesterday’s (January 22nd) message, “Uncovering the City of David.” Look for the “Latest Service” on the bottom right hand side of the website. The guest speaker shares information on Jerusalem’s history; and, with accompanying photos, he shares on the present uncovering of the actual Pool of Siloam. Pastor Terri Pearsons, at about 45 minutes into the service, speaks on the significance and importance of Israel and the Jewish people. The main message begins about one hour in. As always, you can enter into the worship at the beginning of the service.

The following is from the book of John, chapter 9:

A Work of God Near the Pool of Siloam

As told in John, chapter 9, Jesus’ disciples questioned Him one day, about a blind man they’d passed by who’d been born that way.

That he or his parents had sinned was their initial thought. Jesus said it was neither, but that a work of God should be wrought.

Then He spoke of doing God’s work before the coming night–and that while He was in the world, He was the world’s light.

After that, Jesus spit on the ground, to make some clay for the man, which He applied to his eyes, as the first step of God’s healing plan.

Then, washing in the pool of Siloam would turn out to be freeing. The man obeyed Jesus and washed there, and he came back seeing!

Those who’d known the man wondered if he could possibly be, the same beggar they had known, who’d been blind, but now could see.

When he said, “I am the one,” they questioned him as to how…such a thing could have happened, for his total blindness to “bow.”

Well, it bowed to “the man who is called Jesus,” was his immediate reply. “Where is He?” they asked; but he didn’t know, for Jesus had passed by.

Then he was brought before the Pharisees.  It was a Sabbath day. He told them, also, about the pool and Jesus having applied the clay.

Because Jesus had done this on a Sabbath, His divinity was dismissed. Keeping that law was a matter on which most of them would always insist.

Other Pharisees said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” So there was a division among them as they considered this in their minds.

Again, they questioned the formerly blind man, calling for his parents, too. The Pharisees doubted he’d been born blind and asked them if it was true.

They confirmed that he was their son who’d been blind from even day one. But how or by whom he’d been freed, they couldn’t say–“Just ask our son.”

They were afraid of being put out of the synagogue by giving laud to Christ. But their son said he only knew this–that Jesus’ healing touch had sufficed.

The synagogue leaders kept questioning him, to the extent that he, in turn, asked if they were wanting to be Jesus’ disciples–a notion which they spurned.

Calling him a disciple of Jesus, they said that they followed Moses of old. At that point, the man who’d been healed made statements that were bold:

“Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes.  We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing, and does His will, He hears him.  Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind.  If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.”

That was enough for the Pharisees to berate him as being a sinful man. “Are you teaching us?” they said, and made him subject to a synagogue ban.

Jesus heard of this and then found him and asked him a question of His own. “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”  But of that title, he hadn’t known.

So he asked the Lord who that was, so that he could, therefore, believe. Jesus said the Son of Man was Himself.  (By God’s Spirit, He’d been conceived.)

“Lord, I believe,” were the heartfelt words of the man who had been born blind. Then he worshiped Jesus, who is the Son of Man and the Son of God combined!

Conclusion:
“Then Jesus told him, ‘I entered this world to render judgment–to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.’  Some Pharisees who were standing by heard Him and asked, ‘Are you saying we’re blind?’  ‘If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,’ Jesus replied.  ‘But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.’”

(Scriptures from John 9, NKJV and NLT)

P. A. Oltrogge

…additionally:

“There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, ‘Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.'” John 3:1-8

Beautiful Savior, King of creation, Son of God and Son of Man. Truly I’d love Thee, truly I’d serve Thee, Light of my soul, my joy, my crown. 

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

Our God, who formed the mountains, also created the many beautiful flowers. The magnificence of either one makes them displays of His mighty powers. Vibrant or pastel, colorful flowers bring us cheer. And they make the truth that there’s a Master Designer of them very clear.

Even greater evidence is when a human life comes into being. Then, at its birth, we know that it’s a work of God that we’re seeing. Planets and the stars, animals, the rainfall and the snow–so many things are evidence that there’s a wonderful God to come to know.

P. A. Oltrogge

“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” John 17:3

“In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:9-11

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105 KJV

Under “Read the Bible” and, then, “Reading Plans,” are several Bible reading paths one can take at: http://www.biblegateway.com

…On this day of the annual March for Life:

“A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.” John 16:21

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”  John 10:10… and “Thou shalt not kill.” Exodus 20:13

The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy–

those who the Master designed to bring joy.

Over 63 million abortions since Roe v Wade–

all have gone against what God forbade.

Life, sweet life, was changed, instead, to death

in defiance of the Creator, who gives us breath.

Through prayer, some children escaped that fate,

by a mother’s change of heart before it was too late.

May those who continue to promote pro-choice

think of their own births, which gave them a voice.

They can be glad their mothers saw things through

to give to them the life that their Creator said was due.

P. A. Oltrogge

“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you…” from Jeremiah 1:5

“For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.” Psalm 139:13-16

…from the March for Life website:

Even with the wonderful blessing of Roe v. Wade being overturned, which allows more freedom at the state level to enact pro-life laws, the necessary work to build a culture of life in the United States of America is not finished. Rather, it is focused differently. Sadly, the number of abortions annually is still well over 900,000 each year, and that number is expected to decrease only by roughly 200,000 each year in a post-Roe America. Many national legislative battles loom, including even keeping longstanding Hyde protections, which limit government funding for abortion on annual appropriation bills. The Hyde Amendment has saved over 2 million lives and is arguably the most impactful pro-life policy in our nation’s history, but now cannot be taken for granted.  Last, our most important work is changing hearts and minds. The goal of the national March for Life is to not only change laws at the state and federal level, but to change the culture to ultimately make abortion unthinkable.

With the role of the states being more important, we are also growing a strong state march for life initiative quickly, however, we will continue to march every January at the national level until a culture of life is restored in the United States of America.

Wonderful true story on adoption versus abortion:
http://www.ilivedonparkerave.com