Wednesday 26 December, 2018

1 Praise the Lord. I will extol the Lord with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly. 2 Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them. 3 Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever. 4 He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate. 5 He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever. 6 He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations. 7 The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. 8 They are established for ever and ever, enacted in faithfulness and uprightness. 9 He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever— holy and awesome is his name. 10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.

This passage is so descriptive of God. It describes what He does (great are His works, glorious and majestic are His deeds) and who He is (He is righteous, gracious, compassionate, He provides, He remembers, He is powerful, faithful, just, generous and trustworthy).

As I focus on who He is and His goodness towards me, my heart overflows with thankfulness! Lord you are to be praised!

It is good for me to be reminded of who God is because there are moments when I feel that some of these attributes of God are not what I experience. I need to keep God as God and believe that He is exactly who He says He is. When I do this I am “fearing the Lord” (v10). This does not mean I am afraid of Him, but that I hold Him in awe and reverence, I hold Him in His rightful place. As I do this I am activating faith. For example, by choosing to believe that God is just when I feel that He is not, I am activating faith as I watch and wait with an expectant heart that I too will experience His justice. As I do, I will gain His wisdom (v10).

Father, I thank you that You are good and faithful to me. I thank you that You want me to know and experience You as You truly are. Thank you for loving me and transforming me as I continue to trust You and walk by faith with You. I bless your name.

Written by Gab Martin