The power of Praise

READ Psalm 106–112

Reading the OT along with the NT is deeply helpful for daily life. In the Psalms I see the balance of what God has saved and is saving me from, and the riches of His plan for my life. The NT tells of Jesus, the One who came to accomplish it, yet lest I get thinking I have already reached His goals for me, the OT reminds me of the power of sin and that my confidence must always be in Jesus, not in myself. This applies: “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:12)

While this focus often feels like trying to balance on the middle of a teeter-totter, God is showing me both the reasons for remembering the danger of sin — and the way to always rely on the power of God who saves me from it. Praise has a gigantic effect of keeping that balance.

In the OT, God’s people were slow to learn. The psalmist even asks, “Who can utter the mighty deeds of the Lord, or declare all his praise?” (Psalm 106:2) This OT saint continued, remembering his history as he reminds me of mine:

Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness. Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea. Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make known his mighty power . . . . Then they believed his words; they sang his praise. But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel . . . .They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass. They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt . . . . Therefore he said he would destroy them— had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them . . . . Then they despised the pleasant land, having no faith in his promise. They murmured in their tents, and did not obey the voice of the Lord . . . . Then they yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor, and ate sacrifices offered to the dead; they provoked the Lord to anger with their deeds, and a plague broke out among them. Then Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was stayed . . . . Many times (God) delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes and were brought low through their iniquity. Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress, when he heard their cry. For their sake he remembered his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love. (106:6–45)

Little wonder why the “redeemed of the Lord say so” and we can “thank the Lord for his steadfast love” and “his wondrous works.” Little wonder why “I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!” (108:3–5) As I think of my past, both before Christ and after He came into my life, it seems easy to . . .

Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them. Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever. He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful. (111:1–4)

Yet this takes time to learn, to realize how much pride in myself messes up reverence for God. It is in the years of His great blessing that my understanding grows into heartfelt praise.

Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments! His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous. It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice. For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever. He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries. He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn is exalted in honor. (112:1–9)

I’m praying for those who do not know the wonder of God and have no faith in Jesus Christ for eternal life and for His incredible blessings of this life. God, continually “put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God, (that) many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.” (40:3)

 

How to rest on this day of rest . . .

Deuteronomy 26; Psalms 117–118; Isaiah 53; Matthew 1

To keep God and His grace continually before me, I’ve a small book of prayers on my night table. I read one short prayer from it before I get up, later writing it where I will see it often during the day. This prayer is often a focus. Today it was a request for rest, rest from the burdens of the world and the concerns and troublesome things that weigh me down. This is an important and needed request.

Today’s devotional readings add to it. Deuteronomy tells how God’s people were to review their history and give thanks when the entered the promised land. they were to think about the goodness of God and what that meant to their lives. Both Psalms praise God for His steadfast love and faithfulness, giving many examples of why the psalmist can say how the Lord is his strength and source of joy. He declares, “This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24) 

Reading these passages gave me a good idea; I can make this a true day of rest and rejoicing by spending time verbalizing as many of God’s blessings as come to mind, rejoicing in all of them and being thankful. This chases away burdens like no other spiritual activity and brings rest to the soul.

Isaiah helps with that too. Chapter 53 is about Jesus, the Son of God who came into this world. He had no majesty that gave Him prominence but instead was despised and rejected. Yet He became the bearer of our griefs and sorrows, our sins and the punishment we deserved.

But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:5–6)

This is the reason and the source of that ‘rest’ that the Bible talks about. Yes, God is sovereign and knows all things. Christians have the assurance that all the mess and confusion in the world is under His control and He is allowing it, even using it for His purposes. I can put my burdens on His shoulders and experience rest from my concerns. Yet there is another rest, a rest from the threat and fear of death. God put His Son on that Cross to die for me so that when I die, I will enter His promised land — the place where He dwells and will give me rest from all fears, troubles and sorrows. That rest is eternal because of Jesus:

Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:10–12)

His story begins in a humble way. He became a human being, God in human flesh, a baby even . . .

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). (Matthew 1:18–23)

APPLY: Even after years of believing it, this event still seems totally outrageous. What a thing for God to do, yet He did it. And because of His incarnation and His promises, I can lay aside all that weighs me down, the troubles in this world, the troubles closer to home, even my to-do list, and just rest. This is the day the Lord has made for doing just that: remembering and resting.