Our psalm reading today, for this third week of Lent, is one of both praise and thanksgiving to God, and also a warning to all those who read. Let’s start with praise to God (vs 1 - 3). Joyful and thankful hearts will sing. Some people have been blessed with wonderful singing voices. God wants everyone, whether those with a good voice or not, to sing to Him, thus the call to make a joyful “noise” to Him. We cannot properly worship unless we have a joyful and thankful heart. Sometimes we might become so overwhelmed with a problem in our life, and it is difficult to pray. When this happens it is good to turn from our prayer of petition to a prayer of thanksgiving to God , putting our focus off our problems and onto the Problem-solver, thanking Him.
In verses 4 and 5 we see the psalmist focusing our attention to God as the Great Creator. Most of the false gods of the surrounding heathen nations were local gods, and their supposed “power” or “sphere of influence” was also limited to a local area. Yahweh, the one and only true God, reigns over the whole earth. He created the world, from the lowest depths of the oceans to the highest mountain tops.
Knowing this, we should come and bow before Him in worship, in a humble posture (vs 6 - 7). He is our Creator. He is not just our Creator, though, He is our Shepherd, and we are His sheep. Sheep are very dependent animals, and will get in trouble or danger if left on their own. All through the Scriptures, God portrays Himself as our Shepherd, one who loves us, His sheep.
The remainder of this Psalm, verses 8 - 11, is reminiscent of my previous meditation on Exodus 17:1-7. As we saw there, the children of Israel were turning against God, complaining that they didn’t have any water, and they were tired of the quail and manna every day. The psalmist is reminding us here to not grumble and complain against God about situations in our life. In several places in the Bible, God has likened man to clay, often calling Himself the Potter. To be used, clay needs to be soft and pliable. A hard lump of clay is useless. We must guard our hearts from becoming hardened, like a hard lump of clay. The Children of Israel were stubborn, with hardened hearts, unable to be used by God. He let them wander in the wilderness until they died, and the younger generation entered the Promised Land. Their behavior kept them from receiving God’s blessing. As we read about the Hebrew people, we should learn from their example and not follow their bad example of grumbling, complaining, being ungrateful, and unthankful. This is a lesson that I know I need to keep learning. As I frequently read this Psalm, I take careful notice of this warning, and check my attitude.
Thank you, Sarah, for a great reminder that we ought to be thankful in ALL things. I tend to complain when things aren't the way I want them to be. I don't have what I desire, but that has to all relate to God's timing; because, He said that His timing is PERFECT! So I sit and wait. In the meantime, I remain hopeful and thankful for His never ending blessings to come my way. My continued prayers to you and your family.
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ReplyDeleteYes Sarah we should be praying prayers of Thanksgiving, but sometimes our trials hinder us from seeing all the good in our lives. Enjoy your thoughts! Love and Light. Cherie
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