Psalms 111-118 are called hallelujah psalms because they praise the Lord. I grew up in a home where praise was rarely given. Giving praise does not come naturally to me. Church growing up was a solemn event, at least that was my perception. We do need to be reverent and we do need to be corrected for when we do wrong, but it is also good and right to be happy and praise for what IS good. I hope for those who think like me, we spend the next few days learning to give more praise to you and about you.
Psalm 111 - the theme is all the good things that God does. All he does is good.
Verse 1 New Living Translation says Praise the Lord with all my heart as I meet with his godly people. This takes me out of the church walls doesn't it? We can praise God with fellow believers any time any place.
I am going to list what God has done for us in the rest of psalm 111.
Great are Gods works.
Glorious and majestic are his deeds
His righteousness endures forever
The Lord is gracious and compassionate
He feeds the poor to those who fear him
He remembers his covenant forever
God has shown the power of his works
The works of his hands are faithful and just
Gods commandments are steadfast forever
And we follow Gods commands with faithfulness and uprightness
God has redeemed his people forever
Holy and awesome is his name!
Verse 10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Fearing God means to revere God); all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise. The fear of the Lord .... This is expanded in Proverbs 1:7-9.
Psalm 112 - is a personal application of all the good things God provides for us when we have faith in God.
Verse 1 Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands.
I find a sense of peace in following Gods commandments. I can barely watch the reality show about people who hoard. I watched a one hour program the other night, and when I found out second hour was coming on I just couldn't watch another show. Their homes are chaotic out of order. The good news is the hoarder CAN get help. Hoarding is a mental disorder and through counseling they bring can back order in their lives. We all have hoarding issues in our lives.We may not fill our homes with stuff but what if we emptied all the thoughts in our minds and visually laid them out all around us? What would we see? Sin, anger from something that has happened to us in the past, unable to forgive ourselves long after God has forgiven us, maybe we even fear God won't forgive us for what we have done. God willingly allows us to come to him just as we are right now. This instant! With God's help, he is slowly sweeping out the unhealthy hoarding issues in my life. I strive to follow his commands because they are good, right and just.
And here is the list of good things that happen when we delight and follow his commands:
Our children will be mighty in his land
The upright will be blessed
Wealth and riches
Righteousness endures forever
There is light in the darkness
We will be generous, gracious and compassionate
Goodness comes to those who are generous and gives freely
Evil will not overcome us
A righteous man will be remembered forever
We will not fear bad news
Our hearts will be steadfast trusting in the Lord
Our hearts will be secure
We will have no fear
We will triumph over our enemies
We will scatter gifts to the needy
We will be remembered for what we have done
We will have influence and power
Verse 10 - the response to the wicked will see this and be infuriated. They will grind their teeth in anger, and slink away, their hopes and dreams will be ruined.
Father God, we thank you today for the psalmist words showing us that praise is an important part of our relationship with you. We praise you for all that you have done for us, and we praise you for all the good you bestow on us when we are faithful and follow your commandments. As I have been writing this - this morning I have been listening to Christian radio and I thank you for all the wonderful songs of praise I have heard this morning. Through song, reading your word, and prayer I can praise you in many ways for all you have done for me. Let me not forget to praise you. I can even praise you through this blog! In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
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