Glorify the Lord – Psalm 145

May 2, 2024

A Psalm of Praise, of David.

I will extol You, my God, O King,
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised,
And His greatness is unsearchable.
One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.
On the glorious splendor of Your majesty
And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.
Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts,
And I will tell of Your greatness.
They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness
And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.

The Lord is gracious and merciful;
Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.
The Lord is good to all,
And His mercies are over all His works.
10 All Your works shall give thanks to You, O Lord,
And Your godly ones shall bless You.
11 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom
And talk of Your power;
12 To make known to the sons of men Your mighty acts
And the glory of the majesty of Your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.

14 The Lord sustains all who fall
And raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to You,
And You give them their food in due time.
16 You open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

17 The Lord is righteous in all His ways
And kind in all His deeds.
18 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He will also hear their cry and will save them.
20 The Lord keeps all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
And all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever.


As the Spring of 2024 continues, I am surrounded by constant reminders of the glory of God: the budding flowers, the busy bees, the gentle rain, and the list goes on and on. To our God alone, the One David praised in this Psalm, does all the glory and honor belong. His kingdom is everlasting and He is righteous in all of His ways.

In a world that is becoming increasingly Godless, I can’t help and thank God for all of the many blessings I have. There are several places in scripture that mention that “the earth is wearing out like a garment.” Psalm 102 states:

25  Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.

26  They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment.

In Isaiah, 15 we are reminded that even though the earth will wear out God’s salvation will last forever:

 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath;

for the heavens vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment,

and they who dwell in it will die in like manner; but my salvation will be forever,

and my righteousness will never be dismayed.

And yet, while this earth that the Lord created remains, we will continue to see His glory in His creation. May our Lord bless you and your family in the Spring of 2024.

cr

Photo by Wild Pixar
on Pixabay

THOU ART FROM EVERLASTING

November 19, 2013

“Thou art from everlasting.” Ps 93:2

Christ is EVERLASTING. Of him we may sing with David, “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever.” Rejoice, believer, in Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and for ever. Jesus always was. The Babe born in Bethlehem was united to the Word, which was in the beginning, by whom all things were made. The title by which Christ revealed himself to John in Patmos was, “Him which is, and which was, and which is to come.” If he were not God from everlasting, we could not so devoutly love him; we could not feel that he had any share in the eternal love which is the fountain of all covenant blessings; but since he was from all eternity with the Father, we trace the stream of divine love to himself equally with his Father and the blessed Spirit. As our Lord always was, so also he is for evermore. Jesus is not dead; “He ever liveth to make intercession for us.” Resort to him in all your times of need, for he is waiting to bless you still. Moreover, Jesus our Lord ever shall be. If God should spare your life to fulfill your full day of threescore years and ten, you will find that his cleansing fountain is still opened, and his precious blood has not lost its power; you shall find that the Priest who filled the healing fount with his own blood, lives to purge you from all iniquity. When only your last battle remains to be fought, you shall find that the hand of your conquering Captain has not grown feeble. The living Saviour shall cheer the dying saint. When you enter heaven you shall find him there bearing the dew of his youth; and through eternity the Lord Jesus shall still remain the perennial spring of joy, and life, and glory to his people. Living waters may you draw from this sacred well! Jesus always was, he always is, he always shall be. He is eternal in all his attributes, in all his offices, in all his might, and willingness to bless, comfort, guard, and crown his chosen people.

C.H.Spurgeon

 


HOPE FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS

June 30, 2013

“When Your Concern For Your Nation Intensifies” was the title of a sermon I heard today.  The sermon was presented by Pastor Mark Cain of Village Bible Church.

So what do we do about all of the things in our society that sadden us?  Pastor Mark mentioned many of the issues that can make one wonder just where we are headed: lack of morality, abortion, ungodly living arrangements, euthanasia, etc.

The answer Pastor Cain gave was not surprising.  It came from the Bible.  Isn’t that where we are supposed to look for our answers? He found a great answer.

“When your concern for America intensifies, calm that concern through the theology of Psalm 46.” (I took the liberty to make two changes and add a link to Pastor’s statement. At the top of the link is a description of the comic strip that Pastor Mark shared. Click on the pic to enlarge it.)

Here is your answer:

Psalm 46

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

God the Refuge of His People.

For the choir director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah, [a]set to Alamoth. A Song.

46 God is our refuge and strength, [b]A very present help in [c]trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the [d]sea; Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. [e]Selah.
 
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her [f]when morning dawns. The [g]nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He [h]raised His voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.
 
Come, behold the works of the Lord, [i]Who has wrought desolations in the earth. He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire. 10 [j]Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the [k]nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” 11 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 46:1 Possibly for soprano voices
  2. Psalm 46:1 Or Abundantly available for help
  3. Psalm 46:1 Or tight places
  4. Psalm 46:2 Lit seas
  5. Psalm 46:3 Selah may mean: Pause, Crescendo or Musical interlude
  6. Psalm 46:5 Lit at the turning of the morning
  7. Psalm 46:6 Or Gentiles
  8. Psalm 46:6 Lit gave forth
  9. Psalm 46:8 Or Which He has wrought as desolations
  10. Psalm 46:10 Or Let go, relax
  11. Psalm 46:10 Or Gentiles (1)

Pastor Mark calls the Psalms “God’s Pharmacy.”  This Psalm shows why.

The Psalm is a song or poetry set in three stanzas.  Each stanza ends with the word “Selah.”  As the good pastor stated, no one knows for certain what the word means.  Many feel that “Selah” is word that means pause.  Pausing is always good for reflection.

Dr. Cain broke the Psalm into two sections.

1. (vv. 1-3) GOD IS (a way of saying “theology”) so personally present there is no reason to fear the cataclysmic chaos.

2. (vv. 4-11) God is so powerfully present He can overrule any national threat.

The conclusion:

“Peace and security are not the absence of threatening circumstances, but the close presence of our powerful, personally involved God.”

I appreciate men who are not afraid to dig for God’s nuggets.  I am fortunate to know Christian leaders of integrity, men who are not afraid to talk about moral issues that enter the political arena, in my community.  I must list a few: Pastor Doug Jones of The First Free Will Baptist Church (and head of The Watchmen of Garland County), Pastor Ken Carney of The First Church of the Nazarene, Pastor Bill Carter of Antioch Baptist Church, and Pastor Larry Spader of Living Faith Church.  These are a few of the twenty or so pastors that I have met in my county who are men of God.  Guys like this are getting harder to find.  I am grateful to God for His faithful servants.

The sermon reminded me of THIS POST about a great man of faith who gave his life for his convictions.

Our nation’s celebration of Independence is not far off.  God has richly blessed our nation in the past.  Psalm 46 is a great scripture upon which to dwell in the present.

CR

(1) http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2046&version=NASB