“Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD: that He looked down from His holy height; from heaven the LORD looked at the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die, that they may declare in Zion the name of the LORD, and in Jerusalem His praise, when peoples gather together, and kingdoms, to worship the LORD.” Psalm 102:18-22
Devotional Thought For The Day
God has delivered His people, His dear children. This is the record of Holy Scripture, a book like no other. He delivered Adam and Eve from eternal death – the wages of sin. He delivered Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, all of Israel in the Exodus, the confederation of the tribes through the Judges, David, and the kings and people of Israel throughout the sordid history of that nation – a history not unlike that of every nation that has ever existed, and not unlike our personal history. Finally, He has delivered all of mankind – of every tribe, and tongue, and nation – in the gift of His own beloved Son, our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. He looked down from heaven upon us and He heard our groans and cries, we who were doomed to die. He did it all that we might truly know Him, and turn back to Him, to learn of His love and to be renewed in His image. The highest blessing we can know as His human beings is to know these things so that we put our faith and trust in Him alone, and rejoice to declare His Name, His praise, and gather together to worship the LORD.
God is our deliverer and Savior – that is Who He is and what He does. Yes, there are times when He allows dangers, troubles, trials, and tribulations to come near us and upon us. If we are able to clearly see what kind of wretched and destructive evils are all around us, it is truly amazing how little of it is able to impact us. He sends His angels to watch over us and protect us, to deliver us from evil and keep us from temptation. He draws us gently and winsomely from the evils that we would perpetrate, and renews us in His love, His steadfast patience and mercy. He does this to set us free – from our slavery to sin and death. He sets us free to truly love and care for others, to put our lives into the service of good and the welfare of others. All of this is happening throughout the world, wherever His Word is calling people to repentance and faith, to the knowledge of Himself, to know Him as the God of Love, Who saves and delivers His people. He does this quietly and softly, through resistible means that can be despised by people – in the midst of the darkness and wretchedness of this fallen world. The darkness can be embraced, and is by the many, but the darkness cannot overcome the Light of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ.
And all of this is recorded “for a generation to come.” We were as of yet uncreated when the psalmist penned these words, and His love has come to us through this written record so that we also praise the LORD. It is our privilege to continue exalting the record – and pressing it forward upon others – that even more of our generation, and more generations to come, may know the glory of our Heavenly Father and His blessed Son, Jesus our Savior, that His praise continue forever. It is sometimes hard for us to see the reality clearly – there is so much of our sin and weakness that obscures our sight and vision. Faith is tested when our troubles reveal our weaknesses, and we tend to focus on the threat rather than on God, Who He is, what He has done for us, and what He has promised for our future. But ultimately the testing of our faith strengthens us and draws us even deeper into God’s love. This leads to greater praise of God, greater love for Him, and greater blessedness of being. This is the real story of humanity – not the moral squalor and wretchedness, but what God has been able to accomplish in the lives of millions of sin-flawed and doomed human beings, ourselves included. That history is still being created by God, and recorded in His own books, and one day we will all see our own names in that history [Rev. 20:12]. And His praise, honor, glory, and worship will continue forever – thanks and praise be to God!
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for revealing the Father to us, and drawing us back to God through Your deliverance and salvation. Thank You also for Your great patience with us, for overcoming our resistance to Your wisdom and guidance, even though such progress comes slowly and haltingly. Thank You for the blessedness of being part of Your holy history, granted to us by Your grace and the power of Your love. Keep us forever as Your cherished and beloved children, that in time we also give You the worship, honor, and glory that befits You. Amen.