give praise to the Lord

Psalm 147

1 Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.
2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.
6 The LORD lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground.
7 Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre!
8 He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills.
9 He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry.
10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
11 but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.
12 Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he blesses your children within you.
14 He makes peace in your borders; he fills you with the finest of the wheat.
15 He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.
16 He gives snow like wool; he scatters hoarfrost like ashes.
17 He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs; who can stand before his cold?
18 He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.
19 He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and rules to Israel.
20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his rules. Praise the LORD!

This psalm begins and ends with praise to the Lord. In between this there are repeated calls to give praise to God and many of the reasons for this praise are given.
 
His calling- Spurgeon wrote: “Spiritually we see the hand of God in the edification of the church, and in the ingathering of sinners. What are men under conviction of sin but outcasts from God, from holiness, from heaven, and even from hope? Who could gather them from their dispersions, and make citizens of them in Christ Jesus save the Lord our God?” For this, we should give praise to God, for He has called us out of darkness and into the light.

His mercy- we have in this psalm a promise that God will build up Jerusalem but we also have the promise that God will not only heal the city but the inhabitants as well. Those that are brokenhearted in their sin can come to God in full assurance that the great physician will heal their wounds. It is because God is merciful to us that we should give Him praise.

His power- With all the advances that have taken place in my lifetime, it is easy to become confident in the flesh. We have a sober reminder here that God is far greater than anything we can imagine. He not only established the stars but gave them their names. His understanding is beyond measure. Recognition of this should lead to the humility that is necessary to give Him the praise.

His providence- Praise to Him who provides for us. God not only has provided for us but also for the lowly cattle of the earth. If He has taken such care to provide for the beast of the field and the bird of the air, how much greater care has He taken in providing for us who have been created in His image? It amazes me sometimes to think that the only being capable of expressing gratitude and recognition for this provision is also the only being that curses the One who gave him that ability. Praise His name!

His word- Finally and perhaps most appropriately we praise Him for His Word! The written word that tells us of His commands that we might know how to live. The written word that speaks of His glory. The written word that speaks of His son. The living word that gives life to those that read it. The living word that is able to save. The word made flesh that comforts our souls and heals our hearts and makes us whole. Give praise to His name. Amen.

We have a God that hears us

Psalm 142:1-7

(1)  A Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer. With my voice I cry out to the LORD; with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD.
(2)  I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him.
(3)  When my spirit faints within me, you know my way! In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me.
(4)  Look to the right and see: there is none who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for my soul.
(5)  I cry to you, O LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”
(6)  Attend to my cry, for I am brought very low! Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me!
(7)  Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks to your name! The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me.

A maskil is a psalm that is meant for instruction. The reader should be attentive in reading a maskil to learn what it is that the writer is intending to teach them. In this psalm we have a simple message that is worth examining and repeating.

1. No matter how dire our circumstances may seem, there is no depth to which we can go where God can not hear us. Notice that David cried out with his voice. The believer should be quick to give voice to his concerns for we have a God who hears us. We have the promise in scripture that if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us (James 4:8).
2. Even when the direction for our lives is unclear to us we have a God who is sovereign and knows the paths before us. Psalm 139 tells us that God searches out our paths and is acquainted with all our ways. This is of great comfort to the believer in times of uncertainty.
3. The humble man knows that our refuge is in God. We should not trust in the protections that this world can provide. Notice that David was hidden in a cave but he did not trust in the refuge that the cave provided. Any comfort or protection that we find in this world is merely temporary but the refuge we have in God is eternal. This gives us true joy in our times of trouble for our deliverer is there for us.
4. Finally, note that David prays for deliverance. He does not ask so that he can avenge his enemies. He does not ask so that he can increase his kingdom. He does not ask for any personal reasons. He wants to be delivered so that he can give praise to God for the mighty works He has done.

When we have our faith in God and recognize our low position, we can not help but voice our prayers and concerns to Him. For we know that only He can deliver us from this world and for that we give Him all the thanks and praise.

call upon the promises of God

A Song of Ascents.
1 Remember, O Lord, in David’s favor,
all the hardships he endured,
2 how he swore to the Lord
and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
3 “I will not enter my house
or get into my bed,
4 I will not give sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
5 until I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

6 Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah;
we found it in the fields of Jaar.
7 “Let us go to his dwelling place;
let us worship at his footstool!”

8 Arise, O Lord, and go to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.
9 Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,
and let your saints shout for joy.
10 For the sake of your servant David,
do not turn away the face of your anointed one.

11 The Lord swore to David a sure oath
from which he will not turn back:
“One of the sons of your body
I will set on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant
and my testimonies that I shall teach them,
their sons also forever
shall sit on your throne.”

13 For the Lord has chosen Zion;
he has desired it for his dwelling place:
14 “This is my resting place forever;
here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
15 I will abundantly bless her provisions;
I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16 Her priests I will clothe with salvation,
and her saints will shout for joy.
17 There I will make a horn to sprout for David;
I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.
18 His enemies I will clothe with shame,
but on him his crown will shine.”

- Psalm 132

We see in this psalm a call to God to remember the suffering of His servant David. This plea is made by Solomon and he is counting on the covenant that was made between David and God. We know that God honors His covenants and He always remembers those that honor Him. He remembered Noah and calmed the floodwaters. He remembered Rachel and Hannah and sent them children. He remembered Abraham and delivered Lot from destruction in Sodom. It is because of this that Solomon can make his plea with confidence that God will remember His servant David.

We who are Christians should be emboldened by this psalm to call upon the promises of God made to His children who have trusted in His Son. For if God honored and remembered the covenants He made with men, how much more will He honor and remember the covenant made in the name of His Son?

If the afflictions that David suffered on behalf of God are worthy of an entreaty for provision, how much more worthy are the afflictions of Jesus? As the author of Hebrews writes: “Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” (Heb 12:3). We have in Christ a promise that is based in His perfection and not in our striving. We do not grow weary because He bears our burdens for us.

So many times in scripture our faith is likened to a race. In a race it is easy to become discouraged because of the size of the task in front of us. Sometimes it becomes easy to doubt that we have the ability to complete the race. That is okay for Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith and it is He who has already won the race for us. If we can simply remember as Solomon did to call upon the promises of God and trust that He will remember His covenant we can have the confidence we often lack.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Heb 12:1-2)

Standing in the Gates

A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1 I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
2 Our feet have been standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem!

3 Jerusalem—built as a city
that is bound firmly together,
4 to which the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord,
as was decreed for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
5 There thrones for judgment were set,
the thrones of the house of David.

6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
“May they be secure who love you!
7 Peace be within your walls
and security within your towers!”
8 For my brothers and companions’ sake
I will say, “Peace be within you!”
9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your good.

- Psalm 122

Every year around the holidays I return to my father’s house and look forward to it very much. I think that all good children enjoy the prospect of returning to their home where they are loved. We can see in this psalm that David was glad merely at the invitation to go to the Lord’s house. We as brothers and sisters in Christ should rejoice when a sibling invites us to go where our desires already lie. But I must wonder how much greater our joy will be when we actually arrive there.

When I step into my father’s house, the joy that I had anticipated has been realized. No longer am I merely contemplating what it will be like; I am now fully realizing the joy that I had looked forward to. I wonder if we can say the same when we enter our worship halls today.

It is not a stretch to reckon Jerusalem to be the church today. We should be praying for peace within her walls. We should long for security within her walls and towers. We should be praying for and seeking the good for our brothers. However, that is not the main purpose of our return to our true home. No, it is to give thanks to the Lord.

There is a picture of unity in the first verse that I can not help but notice. Let us go to the house of the Lord. We have been longing to go and we are anxious to bring Him the praise. Perhaps if we remember this first we can better serve together with the unity of this psalm. Our feet may be standing within her gates but we are not fully there yet.

A Short Reminder

1 Praise the Lord, all nations!
Extol him, all peoples!
2 For great is his steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!

- Psalm 117

This is the shortest psalm in the Bible but the reader can still be benefited greatly by it. Note the simple command given by the psalmist. Sometimes we miss the simplicity of a verse because we read through it too quickly. Sometimes we miss the meaning of a verse because of the presuppositions we have and sometimes we miss it because of our New Testament mentality. When reading this psalm we must remember that the Israelites were the exclusive people of God at the time of the writing. Yet, the command is not to the Israelites (alone) but to all people. It is directed to all nations to praise the Lord.

How often do we have the mentality that salvation is for us- that we are the exclusive people of God and that others are not bound by the commands of God? The second verse reemphasizes this by using the inclusive term “us”. The danger for us today is that we may fall into the same mentality as the Israelites. That God is our God and ours alone is something that we should not hold on to. He is the God of all peoples and His praises will be sung by all as emphasized in Philippians 2:9-11.

So what can we learn from this psalm? We need to be on guard not to adopt the attitude of the other brother in the parable of the prodigal son. There is no person who is so far fallen that they are beyond the grace of God. Because of this, we should be more encouraged to proclaim His glory to all the nations in the hope that some will come to recognize the steadfast love that He has for us. Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord

1 Praise the Lord!
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
who greatly delights in his commandments!
2 His offspring will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness endures forever.
4 Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
5 It is well with the man who deals generously and lends;
who conducts his affairs with justice.
6 For the righteous will never be moved;
he will be remembered forever.
7 He is not afraid of bad news;
his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.
8 His heart is steady; he will not be afraid,
until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.
9 He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever;
his horn is exalted in honor.
10 The wicked man sees it and is angry;
he gnashes his teeth and melts away;
the desire of the wicked will perish!

- Psalm 112

In this short Psalm the reader can note three things. First is the exhortation to praise the Lord. This is followed by the blessings of the righteous. The psalm ends with the condemnation of the wicked.

Three simple words- praise the Lord! This is both a command and an exhortation. It can not be stated too often in the life of a believer. As a command, it is a reminder to all that praises are due to the one who created us. Praise Him for His holiness. Praise Him for His righteousness. Praise Him for His mercy. Praise Him for His love. Praise Him for who He is. As an exhortation, it reminds the believer to return the praises to God that He deserves. How often do we sing our own praises for the good things in our lives? Perhaps it is telling that this exhortation is followed by a list of blessings. We often depend on God in our times of need but when things are going well we have a tendency to rely on our own provision.

The list of blessings encompasses most of the psalm. There are several things that stood out to me in this list. First is the promise to the believer. The believer can know that he will be blessed. This reminds me of Romans 8:28-30. Although I am not a believer in material blessings that were a sign of God’s blessings in the Old Testament for the New Testament believer, I can still take comfort in the fact that God is His infinite wisdom will provide me with blessings. Note that the mention of blessings even in this psalm are of eternal nature and not temporal. The second thing that stands out to me is the mention of light dawning in the darkness. How appropriate for the believer who has been called out of darkness into the light. It is a new dawn indeed. The third thing that stands out to me is the trust in God and not in the temporal as noted in verse 7. Even in times of trouble the believer can hold fast to the hope of Him who has called Him and to the promises noted above.

Finally we come to the condemnation of the wicked. Having spent considerable time witnessing to atheists on internet forums I can testify to the truth of the hatred that they have for those who have been called by God. Yet even when confronted with this, it is our duty to continue to proclaim the wonder of Him who called us out of darkness and into the light. I for one, since I formerly walked in darkness, pray for the calling of those that continue to walk there. My hope is that the Spirit will convict them of the truth that changed my life. Praise the Lord continually.

an exhortation to praise

1 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
whom he has redeemed from trouble
3 and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.

4 Some wandered in desert wastes,
finding no way to a city to dwell in;
5 hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them by a straight way
till they reached a city to dwell in.
8 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
9 For he satisfies the longing soul,
and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

10 Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
prisoners in affliction and in irons,
11 for they had rebelled against the words of God,
and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12 So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor;
they fell down, with none to help.
13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
and burst their bonds apart.
15 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
16 For he shatters the doors of bronze
and cuts in two the bars of iron.

17 Some were fools through their sinful ways,
and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;
18 they loathed any kind of food,
and they drew near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
20 He sent out his word and healed them,
and delivered them from their destruction.
21 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
22 And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!

23 Some went down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the great waters;
24 they saw the deeds of the Lord,
his wondrous works in the deep.
25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26 They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;
their courage melted away in their evil plight;
27 they reeled and staggered like drunken men
and were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
29 He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad that the waters were quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven.
31 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

33 He turns rivers into a desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
34 a fruitful land into a salty waste,
because of the evil of its inhabitants.
35 He turns a desert into pools of water,
a parched land into springs of water.
36 And there he lets the hungry dwell,
and they establish a city to live in;
37 they sow fields and plant vineyards
and get a fruitful yield.
38 By his blessing they multiply greatly,
and he does not let their livestock diminish.

39 When they are diminished and brought low
through oppression, evil, and sorrow,
40 he pours contempt on princes
and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
41 but he raises up the needy out of affliction
and makes their families like flocks.
42 The upright see it and are glad,
and all wickedness shuts its mouth.

43 Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.

- Psalm 107

Upon first reading of this psalm, I could not help but think of all the troubles that the Israelites experienced during the times of the Old Testament. As the psalmist recounts time after time of disobedience followed by punishment followed by repentance and restoration, he continues to give praises to God. Note the recurring line “Let them thank the LORD for His steadfast love, for His wondrous works to the children of man!”

A second reading and I can not help but notice that the psalm is meant to encourage the people and is not simply a psalm of praise for the psalmist. Note how each exhortation is directed outward. There is a recurrence time and again of the pronouns they and them. I wonder how good a job we do of exhorting others to praise? As the author of Hebrews writes:

But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (Heb 3:13)

When I read this psalm a third time with the context of the New Testament, I can not help but think of my own times of rebellion and disobedience. How my own desires had bound me captive to sin and made me a prisoner of the flesh. And yet, in spite of this the Lord reached down and restored me by His grace. Did you notice verse 19 and 20? Read it again with me:

Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction. (Psalm 107:19-20)

He sent His Word and healed them. Wow, what a savior. Let us continually thank the Lord for His steadfast love.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

A Psalm of Affliction

A Prayer of one afflicted, when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the Lord.
1 Hear my prayer, O Lord;
let my cry come to you!
2 Do not hide your face from me
in the day of my distress!
Incline your ear to me;
answer me speedily in the day when I call!

3 For my days pass away like smoke,
and my bones burn like a furnace.
4 My heart is struck down like grass and has withered;
I forget to eat my bread.
5 Because of my loud groaning
my bones cling to my flesh.
6 I am like a desert owl of the wilderness,
like an owl of the waste places;
7 I lie awake;
I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop.
8 All the day my enemies taunt me;
those who deride me use my name for a curse.
9 For I eat ashes like bread
and mingle tears with my drink,
10 because of your indignation and anger;
for you have taken me up and thrown me down.
11 My days are like an evening shadow;
I wither away like grass.

12 But you, O Lord, are enthroned forever;
you are remembered throughout all generations.
13 You will arise and have pity on Zion;
it is the time to favor her;
the appointed time has come.
14 For your servants hold her stones dear
and have pity on her dust.
15 Nations will fear the name of the Lord,
and all the kings of the earth will fear your glory.
16 For the Lord builds up Zion;
he appears in his glory;
17 he regards the prayer of the destitute
and does not despise their prayer.

18 Let this be recorded for a generation to come,
so that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord:
19 that he looked down from his holy height;
from heaven the Lord looked at the earth,
20 to hear the groans of the prisoners,
to set free those who were doomed to die,
21 that they may declare in Zion the name of the Lord,
and in Jerusalem his praise,
22 when peoples gather together,
and kingdoms, to worship the Lord.

23 He has broken my strength in midcourse;
he has shortened my days.
24 “O my God,” I say, “take me not away
in the midst of my days—
you whose years endure
throughout all generations!”

25 Of old you laid the foundation of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
26 They will perish, but you will remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,
27 but you are the same, and your years have no end.
28 The children of your servants shall dwell secure;
their offspring shall be established before you.

- Psalm 102

In reading this Psalm I can’t help but be captivated by the attitude of the psalmist. He is afflicted. His suffering makes me think that perhaps I have never experienced true suffering. Note that his enemies taunt him and that he eats ashes and tears are mingled with his drink. A bleak picture of sorrow and distress is painted for the reader. But even in his distress he calls out to God. The pleas for mercy in verse 2 are so powerful that the reader is left with the impression that the psalmist was insisting that God come to his rescue.

One must wonder just how the psalmist ended up in such a pitiful state. But wait, the psalmist himself tells us. In verse 10 he states that his plight is because of the Lord. It is the Lord’s anger and indignation that has caused the psalmist to fall on such bleak and sorrowful times. He has been cast down by the Lord. Why is it that he has returned to the Lord for help if the Lord is his source of suffering? Could it be that the divine wrath that had been meted out to the psalmist and indeed the entire nation of Israel was justified?

I would think that if I were in that position my despair would be unending. To whom could I turn if the Lord Himself had left me to be ravaged by other nations? Indeed, where else could one turn but to the only one that could alleviate the suffering? If the Lord has led me into captivity, then I must trust that the Lord will lead me out of captivity. What an amazing promise we have in verses 18-20. The Lord has looked down upon the earth not to see the wonders of man, or the works of His own hands, but to hear the groans of the prisoners. He has come to set free those that were doomed to die.

This is not just a psalm of affliction but the Gospel! We who are held captive by sin must turn to the one who has justly appointed our afflictions. We must join with the saints in groaning to Him for our freedom and return to Him even when (and especially when) it seems that the Lord has appointed us to suffer. Then we too can dwell secure in the hope that is in Him. Praise be to God.

Our God Reigns

1 The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!
2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes before him
and burns up his adversaries all around.
4 His lightnings light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of all the earth.

6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
and all the peoples see his glory.
7 All worshipers of images are put to shame,
who make their boast in worthless idols;
worship him, all you gods!

8 Zion hears and is glad,
and the daughters of Judah rejoice,
because of your judgments, O Lord.
9 For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.

10 O you who love the Lord, hate evil!
He preserves the lives of his saints;
he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
11 Light is sown for the righteous,
and joy for the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy name!

- Psalm 97

In the midst of adversity and troubled times, the believer can take great comfort in the fact that our God reigns. Uncertainty abounds with the various rulers of today. Who can tell what a leader of today will do for or against justice? I see so many Christians today that are upset because a particular leader has come to power. But we have a greater hope in a greater power that should allow us to proclaim, even when we feel threatened, that our God reigns. He is in control. God is not surprised at any particular turn of events. It is up to the believer to trust that He will bring His plan to fruition even when it seems that darkness is all around.

When I read a line such as verse 6, I can not help but think about how orderly the universe truly is. There are laws that govern the very movement of atoms and if God has gone to such great detail for the smallest thing, how much more will He pay attention to the larger things in life? Will God leave crimes unpunished? Heavens no! The heavens declare that His laws govern all things and the actions of man are certainly under His jurisdiction.

So why should the believer rejoice? If justice will be served to the righteous and unrighteous alike, then why is there no sense of impending doom for all? Have we not all fallen short of God’s holy standard? It is because we have fallen short that we have even greater reason to rejoice. For we who were unrighteous in word and deed have been adopted into God’s family and made righteous by Jesus Christ. Because our God is just and Holy and righteous, we can trust that He will never leave us and that He will always be faithful to those that love Him. This is reason to rejoice indeed. Our God reigns. Rejoice, and let the nations be glad.

It is good to give thanks…

Psalm 92:1-15
(1)  A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath. It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
(2)  to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night,
(3)  to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre.
(4)  For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
(5)  How great are your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep!
(6)  The stupid man cannot know; the fool cannot understand this:
(7)  that though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever;
(8)  but you, O LORD, are on high forever.
(9)  For behold, your enemies, O LORD, for behold, your enemies shall perish; all evildoers shall be scattered.
(10)  But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; you have poured over me fresh oil.
(11)  My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies; my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.
(12)  The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
(13)  They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God.
(14)  They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green,
(15)  to declare that the LORD is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

It is good to give thanks to the Lord. It is good on many different levels. It is good because thanks are due to Him for what He has done for us. The praises that we offer are His already and we are just giving the Lord His due. It is good for us for it pleases our hearts to give praises to our King. We have been created for the purpose of bringing glory to God, what can please the soul more than fulfilling its purpose? It is good finally because our praises lead others into praise as well, for it is the reminder of God’s presence and the credit given to Him that results in worship. I can not help but think of the song “Made Me Glad” by Hillsong. It lists some of the reasons why we should give thanks to God:

You are my shield
My strength
My portion
Deliverer
My shelter
Strong tower
My very present help in time of need

If you were in need of reasons to give thanks, the list above should be an excellent reminder.

The psalmist then turns his attention to the wicked. He reminds himself that they are here but for a season and then they will wither like the grass. The Lord’s people though have been anointed with fresh oil. I read a commentary that said a more accurate description would be green oil. What a beautiful thought that followers of Christ have the very hue of life poured over them. We have been planted in the house of the Lord and as long as He endures, we will flourish there and continue to bear fruit. What a beautiful picture to start our day with. We have the joy and pleasure to give thanks to God. Be full of sap today and let the hue of your anointing show through.

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