Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
“Hallelujah – Praise the Lord”
“Praise the Lord”
The “Psalms” is a collection of poems
and songs of praises to our Lord for His works. The book of Psalms is one of
the most read book, I feel, amongst Christians. Even during our family prayer,
we always turn to a Psalm after reading another portion from the Bible. Why is
that? Most often this is because we feel that a Psalm helps us conclude a
prayer with thanksgiving and praise for the wonderful deeds of our Lord. Psalm
111 is showing us all the reasons why we should praise God. Let us look at
these reasons together. Psalm 111 has ten verses and out of these verses, I
would like to highlight three concepts that I see (1) Look back and
remember, (2) God’s redemptive Love, (3) a holy fear of the Lord
God is asking us to look back and
remember all the good things he has done for us. He is asking us to not just
sing about counting your blessings, but actually remember all of your blessings.
Remember all of the ways He has led us out of “our desert”. In a world filled
with technology, how often do we see ourselves amazed at the newest technology
that is available? Now, how often are we just as amazed at something wonderful
that God has done in our lives? How often are we sharing all the good that God
has done in our lives? How often should the signature in our emails really say
“- Sent from a saved Christian who serves a mighty Lord worthy of praise”. We
are surrounded by so much surplus and luxury that we are getting lost as
Christians. We are forgetting how the rest of the world lives and how our
ancestors survived solely on the grace of God. The Israelites looked to God for
every meal in the desert; it was pure reliance on the goodness and mercy of
God. Let us remember all those times during our day where things could have
gone terribly wrong but didn’t because we have a gracious and compassionate God
(verse 4).
Verse 9 says, “He provided redemption
for His people- He ordained His covenant forever – holy and awesome is His
name”. The fundamental belief behind Christianity is summarized here in this
verse. God’s love has redeemed us as a race. We by nature are sinful and faulty
creatures. Psalm 111 says our God is a righteous God (verse 3); it says our God
is trustworthy and just; our God is faithful and upright (verses 7 and 8). I am
perplexed here when I read this portion because how can a God who is just, look
at my actions and still love me? How can a God of righteousness look at my actions
and still give me His gift of Salvation? That is why it says my dear brothers
and sisters, that our God is love. His grace is what forgives us, His
righteousness is what demanded a sacrifice, and His love is what led His Son to
be crucified for us. Although we do not deserve redemption, although our
actions lack righteousness – our God is holy and awesome for redeeming us. Let
us remember there are many labels floating above our heads – ones that say
“sinner”, “saved by the grace of God”, “unworthy”, “cleanse me” and many more.
What do you want yours to say?
The Psalm right before this one, Psalm
110, is showing a different side of our God. There are mentions of battles, and
mighty scepters, judgment and wrath. Psalm 110 is calling Christians to fear judgment,
to fear the Lord because of His great power. If we turn our attention back to
Psalm 111, we see the other side of the coin. We see the warning of judgment
again – however the psalmist is showing this to us differently here. In Psalm
110, he is showing us all the goodness that is our Lord and Savior. The
psalmist is asking us to love the Lord and be amazed by His works, which should
lead to a holy fear of the Lord. We truly begin to understand our God and how
He wants us to live our life. We begin to see our purpose and our calling. We
begin to see all His wondrous works and fear Him; and fear the day of judgment.
Prayer: Father, we thank the wonderful
blessings that You have given us. We remember Your grace and Your redemptive
love. We are in love, wonder and fear of You. Amen.
Thought for the day: He ordained His covenant forever
Leena
Abraham, St John’s MTC, NY
Theme of the Week: Salvation: the gift of God