Psalm 146, Romans 8:32

What a journey it’s been going through these songs of David. And there’s no better way to end our study than with these final Psalms of praise. Many are the reasons to give God the glory. Creator and Ruler of all things, He champions the weak, fathers the orphans, heals the afflicted, and blesses all who put their hope in Him. Everyday there are reasons to give thanks to the Lord. And God covets the praise of His people. But not for His benefit. For ours.

Why does God tell us to give Him thanks in all things? (1 Thess. 5:18) In memory of Dr. Charles Stanley, I’d like to share some of his wisdom on the subject. “It’s because praise is the clearest and most direct means by which you declare your dependence on God. It repeats your trust in Him in the midst of darkness. It confesses your allegiance and devotion to the One who was crucified for you and to whom you are eternally joined.”

For me, no matter how low I feel or bad the circumstance, nothing soothes my soul like giving glory to God. It brings peace to my troubled mind. Joy to my hurting heart. And brings me close to my Abba, Father, who welcomes me with open arms of love. Most of all praising the Lord humbles me. For it reminds me of how much I fail God daily and still somehow, He wants me anyway. How could such an amazing and unmerited love not make my heart burst with songs of worship and thanksgiving!

There’s no quicker way to grow in our walk with God than to live a life of praise. Because it motivates us to live the way Jesus teaches, makes us desire to put Him first in our lives, and soothes even the deepest of hurts. David was considered a man after God’s own heart because of His devotion to God. In good times and bad, peace and turmoil, sorrow and joy, the first thing David did was seek God. When we too seek God first with everything we have and are, have absolute, unwavering faith, and follow Him joyfully, we will be counted as women after God’s own heart.

Pause and Reflect - 

Why do you praise God? How does praising God help us focus on Him instead of our circumstances? How can praising God help us in times of difficulty or suffering?

Let’s Pray Together,

Our dearest Father in heaven above, Ruler and Creator of all things, hallowed be Thy name. Father, we come before You with humble hearts, recognizing Your greatness and majesty. We thank You for Your faithfulness and goodness, and are grateful for all that You have done for us. Father we praise You for Your infinite wisdom and power, and for Your unfailing love and grace. You are the Creator of the universe, and yet You care for each one of us with a tender and compassionate heart. Finally Father may our hearts overflow with gratitude as we reflect on all that You bless us with, and may our lives be a reflection of Your love and grace. In Jesus precious name we pray, Amen. 

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I can’t wait to hear your thoughts, and I pray your day overflows with love and blessings.

💖 Lisa

 Today's Scripture: Psalm 117 &   1 Thess 4:13-18 

 Did you know Psalm 117 is the shortest psalm and also the shortest chapter in the whole Bible? It is part of what is known as the Hallel of the Psalter. The Psalter has various collections of songs in it, and Psalms 113-118 forms one section known as the Hallel, which means "Praise." These psalms praise God for his salvation from sin and death, and speak of One who will bring this salvation. 

On the surface, Psalm 117 appears to be geared completely toward praising God. But if you take a closer look, you’ll find it has a hidden meaning for everyone.

“Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also, there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God….”

One day, there will be a new heaven and earth, and the new city of Jerusalem will descend from the third heaven where God is. This will be the moment when His salvation plan is completed. His offer of eternal life is for both the Jew and the Gentile (Romans 1:16), and God is making this abundantly clear here in verse 1 hundreds of years before the Messiah appeared, God is revealing His plans for all people.

The Reason for Praise 

For his unfailing love for us is powerful; the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever. Praise the Lord! (117:2)

Following God’s command comes the explanation of His invitation. The psalmist actually gives us two reasons to respond to Him—His merciful kindness is great, and His truth endures forever.

Paul references this one verse several times throughout his ministry to help drive home the point that God’s plan of redemption is for everyone; one example is found in Romans 15:11, but what I found really cool in chapter 15 of Romans is how Paul pulls out other verses from the Old Testament to drive home to his readers that God has always intended to include the Gentles in His plans for redemption:

Romans 15:10/Deuteronomy 32:43: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His servants and render vengeance to His adversaries. He will provide atonement for His land and His people.”

Romans 15:9/2 Samuel 22:50: “Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the Gentiles and sing praises to Your name.”

Romans 15:12/Isaiah 11:10 “And in that day, there shall be a Root of Jesse who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious.”

I have loved so much this week of study, because each psalm that has been posted has reminded us of the importance of praise and worship due to our God!

You probably have a favorite one like I do, because it has accompanied you through very special seasons of your life. And today’s psalm is not an exception.

These are some of the titles for psalm 104 on different Bible versions:

Just by reading these titles we get a glimpse of what David expressed in this Psalm.

Here is an introduction to this psalm by C. H. Spurgeon.

“The Psalm gives an interpretation to the many voices of nature, and sings sweetly both of creation and providence. The poem contains a complete cosmos: sea and land, cloud and sunlight, plant and animal, light and darkness, life and death, are all proved to be expressive of the presence of the Lord.”

By reading the first verses, David invites us to praise our God and recognize some of His attributes:

As we approach Him in worship and praise we must acknowledge like David, that our God is great, and that He is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all!

“⁵ This is the message [of God’s promised revelation] which we have heard from Him and now announce to you, that God is Light [He is holy, His message is truthful, He is perfect in righteousness], and in Him there is no darkness at all [no sin, no wickedness, no imperfection].” (1 John 1:5)

Our Lord Jesus, the Son whom He recognized as His beloved (Luke 5:22), is the Light of the world:

“¹² Once more Jesus addressed the crowd. He said, “^[a]I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” (John 8.12)

In this dark world filled with so many hardships, sin and heresy, only through the Light of Jesus in us can we recognize what David expressed in this psalm that our God :

If our hearts are gloomy (“darkened”) by the troubles and business of this world, we won’t be able to deeply appreciate and express our gratitude and praise for His daily blessings, not to mention the magnificence of His creation!

David was not was not exempt from these situations, but I am sure that he wrote this psalm while he was in His quiet time with the Lord. In a time of reflective contemplation of God’s awesome creation!

We can divide this psalm as follows:

-The creation of heavens and earth, and all the creatures (104:1-9).

⁵ He established the earth on its foundations, So that it will not be moved forever and ever.

-The preservation of nature by God and how it displays its gratitude to Him! (104:10-18).

“He causes grass to grow for the cattle, And all that the earth produces for cultivation by man, So that he may bring food from the earth—¹⁵ And wine which makes the heart of man glad, So that he may make his face glisten with oil, And bread  to sustain and strengthen man’s heart.” (104:14-15)

- Sun and Moon also created for a purpose. (104:19-23).

¹⁹ He made the moon for the seasons; The sun knows the [exact] place of its setting.

-The Sea and Its Inhabitants (104:24-26).

- God’s  Care for all His Creation. (104:27-30).

-Benediction to our God (104:31-35).

Let me ask you:

Do you take “the time to stop and smell the roses”?, that is:

Do you take the time to meditate and contemplate our Lord’s creation in awe and praise? What is it that is or can be distracting you from this?

Let us pray:

Heavenly Father, we humbly come to you recognizing there are times when we don’t take the time to thank you and praise you for all you have blessed us with on a daily basis, and I ask you to forgive us for taking so many of these blessings by granted! May I be able to be attentive and to perceive Your loving Hand in all that surrounds me at the present time and in every moment of my life! We join David in the following Benediction: “May the glory of the Lord endure forever; May the Lord rejoice and be glad in His works— ³² He looks at the earth, and it trembles; He touches the mountains, and they smoke. ³³ I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. ³⁴ May my meditation be sweet and pleasing to Him; As for me, I will rejoice and be glad in the Lord. ³⁵ Let sinners be consumed from the earth, And let the wicked be no more. Bless and affectionately praise the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)” (100:31-35)

Mari

Friday October 7^th

^{Psalm 30}

^{Sing praise to the Lord!}

 

^{Read Psalm 30-II Timothy 1:12}

We all suffer heartbreak. And sometimes the sorrow is so deep and painful, we feel like we can’t take another step. It’s often during these times of trials that we wonder where God is. If He loves us, why does He let us suffer?

King David knew these feelings well. He was God’s beloved, but he still faced many tribulations throughout his life. Yet David sings with gladness and thankfulness to the Lord.

When we are hurting the last thing we want to do is give thanks. But God calls us to do just that.

It’s the best therapy for our pain. When our eyes and hearts are focused on God and all He does for us, our sorrow will be drowned out by His goodness. Our mourning will turn into dancing and our sorrow into rejoicing. God never lets us suffer anything without a purpose. So we can give thanks knowing all things are in His hands and all things are used for our good, even our greatest heartaches. (Romans 8:28)

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:15-16

I am so thankful for a Savior who knows all that we are going through because He experienced the same things.  We can be bold before Him.

He is:

v 1 lifter and deliverer

v 2 answerer of prayer and healer

v 3 preserver and life-giver

v 4 holy name

v 5 favor, comforter, and joy

v 6 provider, prosperity, and security

v 7 protector and strength

v 10 One who hears, has mercy, and helps

v 11 One who turns mourning into dancing and sackcloth to joy

 

Notice that David began the psalm with praise, praised God and gave thanks in the middle, and ended with praise and thanksgiving. In all his trials and adversity he kept his eyes on God.

 

Are you tired and weary?

What is going on in your life that has brought you discouragement?

Are you praising the Lord in this time?

 

Prayer:

Father,  I praise You because I know, You, in whom I believe and I am convinced that You are able to guard what I have entrusted to You. I know that I can trust that all things work together for good because I love You and am called according to Your purpose.  Faithful are You, who has called me and You will accomplish it. I rejoice in You the Holy One of Israel. Holy, Holy, Holy are you Lord God Almighty. In Jesus name, Amen

 

Lyn