Today's Reading July 26

This has been a week. Monday morning I set off on the 400-odd mile drive to the other side of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I'd never been there before. Had a good meeting Monday morning, nice people, nice operation. Then I got back in the car and drove back another 400 miles.
Yesterday morning I got back in the car and drove 200 or so miles to the area of Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Never been there before either, I kept looking for Lynnard Skynnard signs but must have missed them. Anyway, a good meeting with some really neat people, but it was heading towards 6pm when I left and it's a l-o-n-g drive home. After traveling to Dallas and Houston last week, far northwest Tennessee the week before, and a threatened trip to northeast Kentucky Real Soon Now, it's getting wearying. And the stress of the situation is doing My Beloved no particular good.
When I write that God's Presence, and the words of the Bible have been a great comfort to us in times of great trial, it's not an exaggeration. We have certainly been through it.
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The morning's passage from the Old Testament turns now to Psalms 47, 48, and 49. These are Psalms written down by persons other than David, there are actually quite a number of them. Singing praises to the Lord, proclaiming His greatness, relating what He has done for us, are things that ALL of us can do, and should. I'm not as eloquent as David, but that's OK.
These have always seemed to me to be more aimed at public worship than accounts of private struggle. Your mileage may vary.
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The evening's passage, Acts chapter 26, contains one of the saddest phrases in Scripture, one that has led to many sermons and prayers. Paul is using the occasion of being called to account by the Roman officials, and, having a captive audience, proclaims the Gospel. And the response,

28 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian

. There is a hymn in some of the hymnbooks to this day - Almost Persuaded. What a sad statement!