His Steadfast Love Endures Forever!

 

Psalm 136:
23 It is he who remembered us in our low estate,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
24 and rescued us from our foes,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
25 he who gives food to all flesh,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.

The psalmist begins and ends with this call to give thanks to God for His steadfast love. He goes through a brief history of God's provision and deliverance to prove that not only is God the only One Who can do these things, but that He is the only One who consistently does them. He is the One and Only, the great Lover of His people, who sticks it out, even when we are often so stubborn.  May we give thanks to Him today at home and with His people. 

What to Cling to...

 

Psalm 119:25 My soul clings to the dust;
    give me life according to your word!
26 When I told of my ways, you answered me;
    teach me your statutes!
27 Make me understand the way of your precepts,
    and I will meditate on your wondrous works.
28 My soul melts away for sorrow;
    strengthen me according to your word!
29 Put false ways far from me
    and graciously teach me your law!
30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
    I set your rules before me.
31 I cling to your testimonies, O Lord;
    let me not be put to shame!
32 I will run in the way of your commandments
    when you enlarge my heart!

David was clinging to the earth, the things of this world and the sorrows it brings. He was run down into the ground.  He needed to let go of all that is false, all that robs of true life, and cling instead to the truth of God's Word. Things having changed a bit. What are you clinging to?

A Psalm of Songs

 Psalm 118:22 The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone.
23 This is the Lord's doing;
    it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the Lord has made;
    let us rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Save us, we pray, O Lord!
    O Lord, we pray, give us success!
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
    We bless you from the house of the Lord.

Some of the Psalms are full of songs.  People have plucked them out of context for just those phrases that stick out. This psalm is a wonderful read for a few reasons. It was sung as people went to worship, making it a song for meditation when we do so. Secondly, as we read we find a number of those well-known verses that have become songs in themselves. Thirdly, of course, this is a psalm with Messianic tones. Take time to read through the whole psalm, both seeing songs you recognize, and maybe finding some new verses to start your day.

What to Do with Wagging Heads...

 Psalm 109:21 But you, O God my Lord,
    deal on my behalf for your name's sake;
    because your steadfast love is good, deliver me!
22 For I am poor and needy,
    and my heart is stricken within me.
23 I am gone like a shadow at evening;
    I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees are weak through fasting;
    my body has become gaunt, with no fat.
25 I am an object of scorn to my accusers;
    when they see me, they wag their heads.
26 Help me, O Lord my God!
    Save me according to your steadfast love!

In many of David's psalms like this one, we find he is facing opposition.  He is weary of the way he has been treated by others. He is worn out and down. He can hear the murmurs and see the shaking heads. What do you do with that? Call out to God for help - based not on how good you are, but how faithful and loving God is. By the end of your prayer, you'll be saying with David: 

30 With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord;

    I will praise him in the midst of the throng.

31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy one,

    to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.

Give Thanks and Praise the Lord 3: The Storm Stiller

 Psalm 107:23 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.

This third consecutive psalm again begins with "Give Thanks to the Lord", and near the end wraps up: "let them praise Him in the presence of the elders." The psalmist again speaks of those who have rebelled against God, only to call out to Him and have Him hear. He truly is the Storm Stiller of our souls. 

Give Thanks and Praise the Lord 2

 Psalm 106:24 Then they despised the pleasant land,
    having no faith in his promise.
25 They murmured in their tents,
    and did not obey the voice of the Lord.
26 Therefore he raised his hand and swore to them
    that he would make them fall in the wilderness,
27 and would make their offspring fall among the nations,
    scattering them among the lands.

Like Psalm 105, this next psalm begins and ends with "Give Thanks" and "Praise the Lord," respectively.  But what we find in between is much different.  Instead of focusing in on how good and faithful God is, we find a lot of how complaining and unfaithful His people can be. The complain about where He takes them, what He feeds them, the water He gives them, and quickly and easily turn to idols, complaining, criticizing, and always wanting more and more. We are called upon to not fall back into those same old spiritual ruts, returning to our old ways and trying to break loose from the hand that gently guides and provides.  What will today be? May it not just begin and end with thanksgiving and praise, but be filled with it in between. 

Give Thanks and Praise the Lord

 

Psalm 105:23 Then Israel came to Egypt;
    Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.
24 And the Lord made his people very fruitful
    and made them stronger than their foes.
25 He turned their hearts to hate his people,
    to deal craftily with his servants.
26 He sent Moses, his servant,
    and Aaron, whom he had chosen.
27 They performed his signs among them
    and miracles in the land of Ham.

This psalm is another of the longer psalms which retells the history of Israel.  The focus is on God bringing a small people from humble beginnings to become a great people delivered from the hands of Egypt and brought into the promised land.  Notice that all along God was at work, though the people could not always see it. They needed to be reminded to look back to see where they had come from and that God was watching over them all the time. The bookends of the psalm are "Give Thanks" and "Praise the Lord!" May that be true of our day, beginning by giving thanks as we look back, and ending our day praising Him.