I’m up here to make peace if it can be done, but when you’ve got a rattler by the tail you’d best stomp on his head before he bites you.”
–Louis L’Amour (Utah Blaine)
“They said, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and forever. Amen!'”
–Revelation 7:12 (NLT)
——————————
Where is your confidence? A poignant question and one that requires an answer. Psalm 146 tells us where we should (and must) find our confidence and hope. It is in the Lord and therefore we should praise Him.
1 — Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!
2 — While I live I will praise the LORD; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3 — Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.
4 — His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; in that very day his plans perish.
5 — Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God,
6 — Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps truth forever,
7 — Who executed justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners.
8 — The LORD opens the eyes of the blind; the LORD raises those who are bowed down; the LORD love loves the righteous.
9 — The LORD watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow; but the way of the wicked He turns upside down.
10 — The LORD shall reign forever–your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD!
John Calvin said that, “The most holy service that we can render to God is to be employed in praising His name.” To do so we must know who He is. We may start off slowly because of our ignorance and praise Him for our salvation, but as we grow so does our praise. “Wherever there is advancement in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, there will be an ever-increasing sacrifice of praise ascending from his heart to the Lord.” (Steven Lawson) Response to spiritual growth is praise; response to any growth should be praise.
The next several psalms are referred to as the “Hallelujah Psalms” and they tell us to praise, how to praise, what to praise for, and to whom praise is due. It is in God’s character to help–He is a helping God. Think of the goodness of the heavenly Father, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:11, NKJV) I like the way the TLB puts this, “And if you hard-hearted, sinful men know how to give good gifts to your children, won’t your Father in heaven even more certainly give good gifts to those who ask him for them?”
Notice the commitment of the psalmist in verse 2. He is determined to praise God. That praise does not depend upon the circumstances, the situation, “it goes far beyond the mood of the moment.” (Lawson) Trust in man (princes, leaders) bah! They will all die. These men need God just like everyone else, just like you and me. They can’t help themselves, so how can they help you? When they die they become clods in the sod; the grave swallows up all their deeds. On the other hand, we serve a God that never dies, never fails, and therefore, we can put our hope in Him. He is the Creator, the Maker of heaven and earth. He, through the death and resurrection of Christ, offers us eternal life. He remains faithful, and I might add, He remains faithful even when we are faithless. The Lord reigns forever–give Him praise!
I remember Annie’s Uncle John. He was a man of praise. One time he was at our home, sleeping, when all of a sudden from his being came a tremendous shout, HALLELUJAH! I don’t know if that came while he was sleeping or if he had just wakened and couldn’t hold it in him. His soul was filled with praise and He couldn’t hold it in; praise was part of his nature. He knew his God! Remember, praise is an act of the will. Lawson tells us, “We must never allow our praise to be controlled by our circumstance. Instead, we must allow our praise to control how we respond to our circumstances.” Praise the Lord…!
“Now are we free–there’s no condemnation,
Jesus provides a perfect salvation;
‘Come unto me’ –O hear His sweet call,
Come, and He saves us once for all.”
–Philip P. Bliss
“They said, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and forever. Amen!'”
–Revelation 7:12 (NLT)
——————————
Where is your confidence? A poignant question and one that requires an answer. Psalm 146 tells us where we should (and must) find our confidence and hope. It is in the Lord and therefore we should praise Him.
1 — Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!
2 — While I live I will praise the LORD; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3 — Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.
4 — His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; in that very day his plans perish.
5 — Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God,
6 — Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps truth forever,
7 — Who executed justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners.
8 — The LORD opens the eyes of the blind; the LORD raises those who are bowed down; the LORD love loves the righteous.
9 — The LORD watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow; but the way of the wicked He turns upside down.
10 — The LORD shall reign forever–your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD!
John Calvin said that, “The most holy service that we can render to God is to be employed in praising His name.” To do so we must know who He is. We may start off slowly because of our ignorance and praise Him for our salvation, but as we grow so does our praise. “Wherever there is advancement in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, there will be an ever-increasing sacrifice of praise ascending from his heart to the Lord.” (Steven Lawson) Response to spiritual growth is praise; response to any growth should be praise.
The next several psalms are referred to as the “Hallelujah Psalms” and they tell us to praise, how to praise, what to praise for, and to whom praise is due. It is in God’s character to help–He is a helping God. Think of the goodness of the heavenly Father, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:11, NKJV) I like the way the TLB puts this, “And if you hard-hearted, sinful men know how to give good gifts to your children, won’t your Father in heaven even more certainly give good gifts to those who ask him for them?”
Notice the commitment of the psalmist in verse 2. He is determined to praise God. That praise does not depend upon the circumstances, the situation, “it goes far beyond the mood of the moment.” (Lawson) Trust in man (princes, leaders) bah! They will all die. These men need God just like everyone else, just like you and me. They can’t help themselves, so how can they help you? When they die they become clods in the sod; the grave swallows up all their deeds. On the other hand, we serve a God that never dies, never fails, and therefore, we can put our hope in Him. He is the Creator, the Maker of heaven and earth. He, through the death and resurrection of Christ, offers us eternal life. He remains faithful, and I might add, He remains faithful even when we are faithless. The Lord reigns forever–give Him praise!
I remember Annie’s Uncle John. He was a man of praise. One time he was at our home, sleeping, when all of a sudden from his being came a tremendous shout, HALLELUJAH! I don’t know if that came while he was sleeping or if he had just wakened and couldn’t hold it in him. His soul was filled with praise and He couldn’t hold it in; praise was part of his nature. He knew his God! Remember, praise is an act of the will. Lawson tells us, “We must never allow our praise to be controlled by our circumstance. Instead, we must allow our praise to control how we respond to our circumstances.” Praise the Lord…!
“Now are we free–there’s no condemnation,
Jesus provides a perfect salvation;
‘Come unto me’ –O hear His sweet call,
Come, and He saves us once for all.”
–Philip P. Bliss