Tag: praise

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12 Days of Christmas Devotionals

Twelfth day of Christmas

cross

And she conceived again, gave birth to a son, and said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she named him Judah. (Genesis 29:35)

Judah’s name sounds like the Hebrew word for “praise.”

Yes, I know, Judah was the fourth of Jacob’s 12 sons. But considering that it was through Judah that Jesus came, it seems appropriate to end this way.

With the birth of Judah, for a short time anyway, Leah took her eyes off her misery and stopped trying to fill the hole in her heart with Jacob. Instead, she turned her heart to God in worship.

So this year, let us do Leah did. Not just for a day, or a week, or a month. But every day, let’s lead our hearts, taking our eyes off of ourselves and our troubles and instead look to Jesus, saying each and every morning, “Today, today, I choose to praise the Lord.”

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Psalms Devotionals

Commanded to rejoice

Psalms

Verses 4-5 of Psalm 81 were very interesting to me when I read them.

In verses 1-3, Asaph says things like, “sing aloud,” “shout for joy,” and “raise a song” to God.

Then he gives the reason in verses 4-5. It is a statute, a rule, a decree. One which God gave the Israelites after he rescued them from Egypt.

Why was it important to God that they did this? So that they would remember all he had done to save them. How he had lifted away their burdens, delivered them from slavery to Egypt, and led them through the desert to the promised land.

In the same way, God commands us to rejoice as well.

Rejoice that he has lifted from us our burden of sin and set us free from Satan’s kingdom. Rejoice that he is always with us, leading us to his eternal kingdom.

Why is it so important for us to remember that? So that we will trust him, obey him, and open our mouths wide to his Word (verse 10, see also Ezekiel 3:1-3 and Jeremiah 15:16).

And as we do that, we find his blessing in our lives (16).

How much more would we trust and obey him if we would remember he loves us and desires to bless us.

And how much more would we remember that truth if we remembered what he did to save us and rejoiced in it?

That’s one reason why communion is important. It’s a time to remember and rejoice.

I know in this time of pandemic, many churches haven’t been able to do that. I’m looking forward to remembering and rejoicing with all God’s people in that way again.

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Psalms Devotionals

Remembering to praise our King

Psalms

We live in a world now where it is so easy to get caught in our worries and complaints.

It is especially in these times that we need to remember to worship God.

That is, in fact, the point of our this whole psalm.

Clap your hands, all you peoples;
shout to God with a jubilant cry. (Psalm 47:1)

And,

Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our King, sing praise! (6)

That’s four calls to praise God in just one verse.

Why should we, though? Why praise God?

For the Lord, the Most High, is awe-inspiring,
a great King over the whole earth. (2)

And again,

…for God is King of the whole earth.
God reigns over the nations;
God is seated on his holy throne. (7-8)

When we focus on our problems, we lose perspective. Our problems seem like immovable mountains.

But when worship God and remember who he is, we regain our perspective. And we remember, “He is the King! And he is in control.”

So let us get our eyes off our problems and on to God. And if we do, all our problems will seem but mere shadows in the light of him.

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James

A faith that prays

praying faith

As I said before, a lot of James at first glance seems disjointed, but the more that I’ve read this book, the more I’ve come to see the overall flow of it.

And here James comes back to an idea that he started in chapter 1, prayer in the midst of trouble.

In chapter 1, he said that if you are going through trial to ask God for wisdom, but to ask in faith. Faith that God is good. Faith that God’s way is best.

Now he comes returns to this thought, saying,

Is any of you in trouble? He should pray. (James 5:13)

Pray for what? Pray for wisdom and pray for help. But again, we need to pray believing in the essential goodness of God. Because if you doubt that, your prayers will be totally ineffective. (1:5-6)

But we shouldn’t just pray when we’re in trouble. James tells us,

Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.

It’s easy to remember God in our times of trouble. But do we remember him in the good times as well?

Do we thank him for his goodness? That’s part of faith too. Believing that every good and perfect gift comes from him. (1:17)

James then returns to the idea of praying through trials, saying,

Is any of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.

And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. (James 5:14-15a)

This is no guarantee of healing, no matter what some people may say. Paul himself prayed for people who didn’t get well. (II Timothy 4:20, for example).

But nevertheless, if we are sick, James says to pray and to have the leaders of the church pray for you as well.

The oil was either a symbol of the Holy Spirit’s work in healing, or it was used as an ointment for healing.

Again, though, the idea is that through prayer, we express our faith in God. By praying, we put ourselves in the hands of God to heal…or not, trusting that whatever he chooses to do is best.

There are times, however, when sickness is the result of sin. And so James says,

If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other that you may be healed. (James 5:15-16)

It calls to mind the time Jesus healed the paralytic in Mark 2. Before dealing with his physical ailment, Jesus dealt with his sin.

I’m not saying that all sickness is the result of sin. But there are many people, for example, who have suffered physical ailments because of bitterness and unforgiveness in their hearts. And by dealing with their sin first, their physical ailments were also healed.

That’s another reason James says to pray when you are sick or troubled. Prayer can reveal these kinds of spiritual issues and bring healing to them.

He concludes by saying,

The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man like us.

He prayed earnestly that it would not rain and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. (James 5:16-17)

In short, never think prayer is a waste of time. That it is ineffective.

Even for the “ordinary” person, if we come to God in faith, prayer can accomplish great things. Not because we’re speaking some magic formula or incantation. But because the God we pray to is great.

And when we trust him, he can accomplish great things in us and through us.

How about you? Do you sometimes think prayer is a waste of time? Or do you have the faith to pray in the good times and bad?

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Psalms

A time to sing, a time to fight

Psalms

I must admit that upon first reading, Psalm 149 can be a bit disturbing, particularly from verses 6 on.

It is a psalm that first calls on God’s people to praise him.  To rejoice in him because he is our Maker and our King.  It then says to praise him with dancing and musical instruments.

It’s always cool for me to see people praise God through dance, although personally it’s not something I think I could ever do.  But to see the joy of people as they dance is such a blessing for me just watching them.

And to hear the beauty of instruments played for the glory of God helps draw me close to God as well.

At our church, we sometimes have a professional violin player join in with the worship band, and it really adds something to the experience that I can’t properly express in words.

But as much as I delight in these things, God delights in them even more.  Even for those who can’t keep a tune, or play an instrument, or dance, the psalmist says,

The LORD takes delight in his people;
he crowns the humble with salvation.  (Psalm 149:4)

The Lord doesn’t delight so much in what we can do.  He delights in what he sees in our hearts.  When he sees people who love him and rejoice in him, that’s what he takes pleasure in.

And when we humble ourselves before him, putting our trust in him, he crowns us with his salvation.

The psalmist tells us that we should rejoice in this honor he has given us.  Though we deserve nothing from him, he has given us life.

But then comes the disturbing part.  For while the psalmist calls people to worship, it also calls them to war.  To war against those who would set themselves against God and carry out his judgment.

Now for the Israelites coming into Canaan, that is exactly what God called the people to do.

For years, God waited with patience for the Canaanites to turn from their sin, but instead the situation became worse and worse.

And when they reached their “full measure of sin” (Genesis 15:16), God sent his people to exercise his judgment on them.

But we are not the Israelites, for whom this psalm was originally written.  So what does this mean for us?

The thing we need to remember is that we are in a spiritual war.  And as I’ve mentioned before, our battle is no longer against flesh and blood.  People are not our enemies.

But there are spiritual powers and forces out there using people as their pawns.  This is what we are fighting.

And ours is not a literal two-edged sword that we hold, but rather the two-edged sword of the Word of God, a sword that,

penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  (Hebrews 4:12)

We use it not to fight against people, but to fight for their souls that they may be saved.

And we bring a message of salvation and judgment.

To those who believe, Jesus has given us the authority to proclaim their forgiveness in his name.

To those who reject his word, he has given us the authority to proclaim their coming judgment if they do not repent.  (John 20:23).

So let us never forget.  We are called to worship, that is true.  But we are also called to fight.  To fight for the lives of those who are lost.

So as I’ve said before, let us run to the battle.

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Psalms

A call to worship

Psalms

There’s a song by Tommy Walker that I love called “All the Saints Join in” which is basically Psalm 148 set to modern music.

The psalm and song are essentially a call to all creation to praise its Creator.

From the angels, to the sun, the moon, and all the creatures in the sky, on the earth, and in the ocean; from the kings and princes, to the ordinary people young and old, adults and children.  All are called to praise the Lord.

Why?

For his name alone is exalted;
his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.  (Psalm 148:13)

In short, all glory belongs to him; and if all his creation is glorious, how much more glorious is he, and so worthy of our praise.

But more than that,

He has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his saints, of Israel, the people close to his heart.  (14)

The horn is a symbol of power and strength in the Bible, and so it’s talking here about how when we are cast down, because we are close to his heart, he strengthens us and delivers us through all of our troubles.

This was seen in David’s life.  This was seen also in God’s restoration of Israel after their exile into Babylon.  It was also seen in the more modern restoration of Israel as a nation in 1948.

But this is perhaps best seen in how he sent Christ to be the horn of our salvation.  (Luke 1:69).

And when we were trapped in our sins, headed for eternal death, God sent his Son out of his great love for us.

Because we were close to his heart, he sent his Son not only to live on this earth and reveal himself to us, but to die on a cross and take the punishment for our sins.

And because he has done so, our sins have been forgiven, and we’ve been given new life.

God is truly worthy of all praise.  So let us all join in along with all creation, and as the psalmist exhorts us, praise the name of our Lord.

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Psalms

When we put our trust in him

Psalms

In Psalm 146, we see a God who is worthy of our trust.  In this psalm, we see the results of trusting in him.

As I mentioned in the blog on Psalm 146, for years, the Israelites had rebelled against God, failing to trust in him, and putting their trust in themselves, in other gods, and other people.

The result?  A broken and ruined nation.

But now the people under Ezra, Nehemiah, Zechariah, and Haggai were slowly turning their hearts back to God.  And because of that, the healing process had begun.

The psalmist writes,

The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the exiles of Israel.

He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.  (Psalm 147:2-3)

He then reminds the people of the greatness of God, and just why he is worthy of our praise.  Namely, that he is the one that created and sustains all things.  (5-9)

He then reminds the people that God doesn’t delight in the strength of men nor their animals that they have tamed for their own use.  Rather,

The LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.  (11)

And so the psalmist exhorts the people to praise and exalt God in their lives, remembering that he is the one who strengthens the gates of the city, and brings blessing in their lives.

He is the one who brings them peace, and provides all that they need.

Finally, he reminds them of the blessing that God had given them simply by revealing himself to them, when he had done so directly for no other nation.

The writer of Hebrews tells us, however, that God has not just revealed himself through the prophets and the words they wrote, but now he has revealed himself through Jesus.  And now, we can all have access to the Father through him.

More than that, because God became man in Jesus, he understands us completely and has great compassion for us.

So let us draw near to him with confidence.  Let us put our trust in him.  And if we do, we will find healing, restoration, blessing, and peace.

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Psalms

Our infinite, personal God

Psalms

I was reading a book by Paul Miller this morning called A Praying Life.  I highly recommend it.

In one chapter, he emphasizes two things about God.  He emphasizes his infiniteness, but also just how personal he is to us.  And when we forget to keep a balance of both perspectives in our lives, it affects our prayer life.

If on one hand, we forget he is infinite, we limit in our minds what God can do.

If on the other hand, we forget how personal he is to us, we start to limit what we pray to him because we think he doesn’t care about the “minutia” in our lives.

And yet God cares about everything we do.  If you have any doubt about that, just reread Psalm 139 again.

But here in Psalm 145, we see that David had no problem maintaining this balance of perspectives.  He talks about God’s greatness, singing,

Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.

One generation will commend your works to another;
they will tell of your mighty acts.

They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.  (Psalm 145:3-5)

Yet time and again, he talks about how personal he is to us.

The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.  (8)

And in verse 9,

The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.

He goes on in verses 13-16,

The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.

The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.

The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.  You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

And in verses 18-20, he sings,

The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.

The LORD watches over all who love him…

Is it no wonder that David starts this psalm by singing,

I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.

Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.  (1-2)

How about you?  Do you believe that God is infinite?  That he can deal with whatever mountain may be standing in your life?  That he can deal with any enemy that may come against you?

And do you believe that he actually cares enough about you that he would actually act on your behalf?

Let us never forget the infiniteness of God, but also just how personally he cares for us.

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Psalms

The God who brings us victory

Psalms

Psalm 144 was likely written just before a battle that David was facing.  And it’s interesting to me that he begins it with praise.

Most times when we face a difficult battle or situation, we usually start by asking for help.  But David starts by singing,

Praise be to the LORD my Rock,
who trains my hands for war,
my fingers for battle.  (Psalm 144:1)

It kind of reminds me of the battle Jehoshaphat fought in which he didn’t put the soldiers at the front of the line.  Rather, he put the singers out at front, singing,

Give thanks to the LORD,
for his love endures forever.  (2 Chronicles 20:21)

But here in this psalm, we see David acknowledging his reliance on God’s help in battle.  And he looks not to his own shield or army for his protection, but rather God, singing,

He is my loving God and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield, in whom I take refuge,
who subdues peoples under me.  (Psalm 144:2)

He then picks up on a theme from Psalm 8, wondering that God would care for him.

With that in mind, he prays that God would intervene in this battle, and deliver him from his enemies, so that his children and his people would be safe and prosperous.

Having prayed all this, he concludes this psalm by singing,

Blessed are the people of whom this is true;
blessed are the people whose God is the LORD.  (Psalm 144:15)

What battlefields are you heading into today?  It might be at work.  It might be at school.  It might even be at home.

Remember to start your day not with your worries or your concerns, but rather with praise.  Rest in the knowledge that God cares about you and then ask for his help.

If there’s discord around you, pray for God’s peace to exude from you and through you.

And pray that the battle you’re facing would somehow turn into great blessing for all involved, even for those whom you may consider your enemy.

After all, people are not our enemies.  They are souls for whom Christ died.

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Psalms

The God of gods

Psalms

Psalm 135 starts out pretty much as Psalm 134 does, with a call to worship, and you also see elements of Psalm 115 in this psalm as well.

But the main theme of this psalm is the greatness of our God, and how all the other “gods” are nothing compared to him.

We see this starting in verse 5, where the psalmist sings,

I know that the LORD is great,
that our Lord is greater than all gods. (Psalm 135:5)

He then talks about how God is greater than any other so-called “god.”

That God is all-powerful, the ruler of creation.  That for the sake of Israel, he cast down Egypt and its gods, and crushed two other kings that came against his people.

He then directly compares God to the idols of other nations.

While God is creator of all, the idols are creations of men.

While they have eyes, they can’t see; while they have ears, they can’t hear; and while they have mouths, they can neither speak nor breathe.

And so the psalmist mocks those that would follow the creation of their own hands, saying,

Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.  (18)

He then calls on all peoples to praise God who is truly over all.

But if there’s one thing that I really like about this psalm, it’s found in verse 4, where he psalmist says,

For the LORD has chosen Jacob to be his own,
Israel to be his treasured possession.  (4)

God did indeed call Jacob to be his own, and for Israel to be his treasured possession.  And even now, though Israel has rejected his Son, they still are.  For as Paul said,

God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.  (Romans 11:29)

God’s not through with Israel yet, but now God looks at us who believe in Christ, and says the same thing of us that he once said of Israel.  Peter said of us,

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  (1 Peter 2:9)

Note here that we were chosen and made his people that we might declare his praises to those around us.  And as we do so, they too will be called out of darkness into his wonderful light.

So as the psalmist writes,

O house of Israel, praise the LORD;

O house of Aaron, praise the LORD;

O house of Levi, praise the LORD;

You who fear him, praise the LORD.

Praise be to the LORD from Zion, to him who dwells in Jerusalem.

Praise the LORD.  (Psalm 135:19-21)

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Psalms

The God on high, who stooped down

Psalms

Probably the most incredible thing about God is that as great and awesome as he is, he cares about us.

Psalm 113 starts with a call to worship, as the psalmist sings,

Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord, you his servants;
praise the name of the Lord.

Let the name of the Lord be praised,
both now and forevermore.

From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
the name of the Lord is to be praised.  (Psalm 113:1-3)

He then sings,

The Lord is exalted over all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.

Who is like the Lord our God,
the One who sits enthroned on high…  (4-5)

In other words, “God is great!  He is awesome!  Who is like him?  Give praise to him, for he is worthy of it.”

But in the very next verse, he says,

…who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?  (6)

He then talks about how God takes those who are despised, the poor, the needy, the childless woman (this was a matter of great shame in those days), raises them up, and blesses them.  (7-9)

But not only did God stoop down to look, not only did he reach down from heaven to touch us, he actually came down among us and became one of us.

As Philippians put it, he emptied himself, taking our likeness.  (Philippians 2:6-7)

And because he did, he truly understands us.

More than that, he saw our greatest need and died on the cross, taking the punishment for our sins.

He didn’t have to do that.  He didn’t deserve to die.  But though he was on high, he loved us enough to come down and do so anyway.

So from the rising of the sun to its setting, let us praise his name both now and forevermore.

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Psalms

Pondering the Lord’s works

Psalms

It’s so easy sometimes to ponder over the negative things in life.  To see the bad things that have happened in our lives and to let them dominate our thinking.

Honestly, that’s what I’ve been doing over the past several weeks, with something that happened at work earlier this month.  And I can tell you firsthand that it can lead to stress, especially when you have no control over things.

But in Psalm 111, the psalmist encourages us to ponder over something else.  He sings,

Praise the Lord.

I will extol the Lord with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.

Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them.

Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever.  (Psalm 111:1-3)

In this passage, the psalmist encourages us to ponder who God is, and what he has done.

What kind of God is he?  He is righteous (3), he is gracious and compassionate (4), he is faithful and just, and he and his precepts are trustworthy (7).

What has he done?  He has provided for Israel’s needs in the desert (5), he showed mercy to Israel, making them into a nation and giving them their own land (6), and he provided redemption for them, both in Egypt and in Babylon (9).

What’s more, he does all that for us as well.  He provides our needs daily, he showed mercy to us, redeeming us from Satan’s kingdom, and calls us his own people.  And he’s leading us to the Promised Land to be with him.

This life is temporary.  I’m sure that the things I’ve been stewing over for the last month will be the furthest thing from my mind when eternity hits.

So the question I have to ask myself is why bother?  It only gives me stress that I don’t need.

The psalmist concludes by writing,

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (10).

When we stand in awe of God, all the temporary things of this world pale in comparison.

When we ponder who he is and what he’s done, we realize that the things we’re stewing over most times aren’t worth the stress nor our time.  And when we truly realize this, isn’t this wisdom?

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Psalms

Making music towards God

Psalms

Psalm 92 was written for the Sabbath.  As most people know, the Sabbath was a day that God told the Israelites to set aside in order to worship him.  That’s exactly what this psalm does.

I like verses 1-2.

It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night.  (Psalm 92:1-2)

Proclaiming your love in the morning.

Why is it important for us to do this?  It reminds us that there is hope as we face the day.  That whatever we may face during the day, that God is with us and that his hand is upon us.

Proclaiming your faithfulness at night.

At the end of the day, it’s good to look back on the day and to remember what good things God did for us.  To remember that even through the problems that confronted us, God didn’t leave us behind.  Rather, in love, he carried us through.

The psalmist expounds on this further, singing,

For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord; I sing for joy at what your hands have done.

How great are your works, Lord, how profound your thoughts!  (4-5)

Then similar to Psalm 1, he contrasts the wicked and the righteous.  He says first,

Though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed forever.

But you, Lord, are forever exalted.

For surely your enemies, Lord, surely your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered.  (7-9)

But of the righteous, he sings,

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God.

They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”  (12-15)

I love the latter part of that, especially.  That even into our old age, we will bear fruit, staying fresh and green.

I don’t want to be a withered shell when I grow old.  I want to stay fresh and vibrant, making a difference for God in the lives of everyone I touch.

But that’s what can happen if we fail to constantly make music in our hearts toward God.  If we fail to remember his love, his faithfulness, and his goodness.  If instead we let bitterness, greed, or the things of this world take root in our hearts.

So let us take the time every day to praise him.

Praise him in the morning.

Praise him in the evening.

Praise him every opportunity that you have during the day.

And set apart not only our days for him, but our hearts.

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Psalms

The God who will be praised

Psalms

It has been conjectured that Psalm 76 was written after the incident with Sennacherib, during the time of Hezekiah.

Whether this is true or not, I’m not sure, but it does fit with the events laid out in Kings and Chronicles.

And here we see the psalmist praising God for defending Israel against the enemy.  He sings,

God is renowned in Judah; in Israel his name is great.  His tent is in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion.

There he broke the flashing arrows, the shields and the swords, the weapons of war.  (Psalm 76:1-3)

He then sings about how God brought judgment on those who tried to destroy Jerusalem.

One verse is very interesting.  It says,

Surely your wrath against mankind brings you praise.  (10)

It seems a bit unusual to think of God’s wrath bringing him praise.  But it’s happened more than once.

When Sennacherib mocked God and his power to save, God brought about the praise of Israel by destroying his army.

When Pharaoh said, “Who is this Yahweh that I should listen to him?” God again caused his name to be praised and feared by his actions against Egypt in order to set the Israelites free.

So I think here there is a warning to take from this, as well as a comfort.

If we place ourselves in God’s hand, he will defend and help us.  But if we defy him, there will be judgment.  Either way, his name will be honored.  As Paul put it,

At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  (Philippians 2:10-11)

The only question we need to ask is will we confess this with thanksgiving, love, and praise?  Or will we confess this with anger, frustration, and bitterness?

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Psalms

The God who brings us through trial

Psalms

Nobody likes trials.  At least, I can’t say I do.  But in Psalm 66, we see the rejoicing of God’s people having come through those trials.

The psalmist sings,

Shout for joy to God, all the earth!

Sing the glory of his name;
make his praise glorious.

Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!

So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you.

All the earth bows down to you;
they sing praise to you,
they sing the praises of your name.”  (Psalm 66:1-4)

He then points out the reasons for his rejoicing.  He tells the people,

Come and see what God has done, his awesome deeds for mankind!

He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the waters on foot— come, let us rejoice in him.  (5-6)

The obvious reference is to God’s deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt and how he made a way of escape for them through the Red Sea.

In doing so, he showed his power not only to Israel, but to all the nations.  And so the psalmist warns,

He rules forever by his power, his eyes watch the nations— let not the rebellious rise up against him.  (7)

He then looks back to their time of bondage in Egypt, and perhaps also to their time of wandering in the desert, and as he does, he sees God’s hand in all that happened.  He writes,

Praise our God, all peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard; he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping.

For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver.
You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs.

You let people ride over our heads;
we went through fire and water,
but you brought us to a place of abundance.  (8-12)

It’s interesting to me here that he says it is God that brought about their troubles.  It was he that brought them into prison and let people rule over them.

This is not to say that God is directly responsible for evil in our lives.  Evil is part and parcel of a broken world.

But nothing passes into our lives without passing through the hands of God first.  And God sometimes allows evil to come into our lives.

Why?  Because he hates us?

No.  To refine us.  To purge out of our lives all of our pride and sin in order that we might become the pure and holy people that he desires.

But even through the fire, he never takes his hands off of us.  Rather, he preserves us and keeps our feet from slipping to destruction.  More than that, he will bring us out of our trials victorious.

Having come through the fire, the psalmist then offers his sacrifices of praise to God.  But not only that, he shares his experiences with all those who would hear.  He sings,

Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me.

I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue.

If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer.

Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!  (16-20)

How about you?  What trials are you going through now?  Know that whatever you may be going through, God still has his hand on you.

So don’t lose heart.  Cry out to him.  Pour out your heart to him and you will see his deliverance.

And when you do, be sure to let all those around you know what he has done for you.

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Psalms

Sing and shout!

Psalms

Yesterday morning, I was on the train listening to a worship song and I was really getting into it, singing along.

Of course, I didn’t do this out loud.  I was just mouthing the words, but nevertheless, I noticed a strange look from the person sitting next to me.  (I don’t know.  Maybe people in Japan just don’t do this).

Anyway, I really didn’t care what he thought, so I just kept on going.

On Sunday, our pastor was talking about shouting and singing things with conviction.  He asked, “If you’re at a baseball game, are you going to whisper, “Go team go.”

No, you shout it with conviction.

(Just to give a little background, in Nishinomiya where I live, there’s a baseball team called the Hanshin Tigers, and the fans are crazy.  All game long, they are cheering and singing.  Actually, all Japanese fans do this, but the Tiger fans are especially crazy.)

Anyway, that’s what I thought about as I read Psalm 47.  I don’t think you can just say this psalm in a whisper.  It’s the kind of psalm you have to sing and shout out loud.

Clap your hands, all you nations;
shout to God with cries of joy.  (Psalm 47:1)

And again,

Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.    (6)

It’s hard to miss the exuberance of this psalm.  No less than four times in one verse are we exhorted to sing to our God.

Why all this excitement?  Why all this joy?  For one thing, we praise him for who he is.

For the Lord Most High is awesome,
the great King over all the earth.  (2)

We also praise him for what he has done.

He subdued nations under us,
peoples under our feet.

He chose our inheritance for us,
the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.  (3-4)

In context, this is talking of God bringing Israel into the promised land.

But for us as Christians, God has given us victory too.  Victory over Satan.  Victory over sin.  And ultimately, victory over death.

More, because of his love for us, we have an inheritance waiting for us in heaven.

Not only that, we have a life worth living here on earth as we follow him.  As Paul wrote,

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.  (1 Corinthians 2:9-10)

I don’t know about you, but I think that’s something to sing and shout about.