“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.” Psalm 111:1-4
Devotional Thought For The Day
Our lives are filled with all kinds of unpleasant thoughts – all of the problems that we have to deal with, our finances, things that go wrong with our property and equipment, health issues, the conflicts that we have with other people, the things others do that negatively impact our happiness, and all of the trials and problems of others that our empathy and compassion make our own. At times it seems that all we do is go from one fire to the other, trying to put them out or to at least beat down the flames.
So it is that we often have little time to consider the great works of the LORD – to study them, consider them, contemplate them, and integrate them as powerful realities in our thinking. Yet the great works of the LORD insure that nothing of ultimate or eternal harm can befall us, and that there is far more good in the world than bad. I suppose that one could look at it as a matter of being optimistic rather than pessimistic, or being balanced in reality as opposed to swinging from one end of “mania/depression” to the other, but the fact is that it is healthy for us to consider the great works of the LORD, to study them, to recognize the splendor and majesty of them, and to give thanks to the LORD for them. This keeps us in healthy balance – in view of all of the problems and difficulties that we have to endure and deal with.
The psalmist references God’s “righteousness” which “endures forever.” This biblical concept refers especially to that “righteousness” of God which is “accounted” to all who believe in God, who know His love and the salvation He has provided for us in Christ Jesus [Gen. 15:6; Gal. 3:6; Jn. 3:16; Phil. 3:9]. This accounting of God’s righteousness, perfect righteousness and holiness, to all who believe in Him and trust His promises, “endures forever.” This is the greatest, the most splendid and majestic of all His wondrous works, for it gives us assurance that we have peace with God [Rom. 5:1], stand under His blessings [Rom. 8:32], have all things worked together for our good in this life [Rom. 8:28], and have already been glorified in the sight of God [Eph. 2:6; Rom. 8:30]. To see, study, comprehend, and incorporate this blessedness into our being each day makes our difficulties and troubles seem rather miniscule and petty – no matter how daunting they may seem. Indeed we should delight in these wondrous works of God! How can it be that we do not delight in His great works?
The psalmist will also reflect upon God’s earthly blessings in this psalm, and some more in regard to His salvation. He invites us to join him in this study and contemplation. We do have our troubles and struggles, and this should be no surprise to us given the pervasive and powerful presence of sin in the world. What is startling to our poor myopic sinful nature is the pervasiveness of God’s blessings and goodness all around us, and the assurance this brings that good does indeed win over evil, even now. So let us “study” His great works so that rather than languishing in burdens we “praise the Lord” and give thanks to Him! It will greatly improve our perspective on life, and our optimism, and our experience of life. He turns our sorrow into gladness, just by His works, His promises, His blessings, and His presence!
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, forbid that I should forget to look at Your great works, that I should allow the challenges of this life to blind me to the wonders of Your love. Forgive me for the many ways in which I capitulate to depression and despair and forfeit the joy of Your salvation. Keep me studious of Your goodness and love, Your forgiveness and salvation, and Your promises that I shall prevail and be vindicated. So enable me each day to praise You with thanksgiving! Amen.