Perspectives

Psalm 147 – 1-7… 1) I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. 2) Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. 3) Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. 4) One generation commends your works to another they tell of your mighty acts. 5) They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty; – and I will meditate on your wonderful works. 6) They tell of the power of your awesome works – and I will proclaim your great deeds. 7) They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. (NIV)

I will praise. I will commend. I will tell. I will meditate. I will proclaim, and I will celebrate. What a way to start the day. The Psalmist is trying extremely hard to make a point and I do not think he is happy with just a silent acknowledgment that God is great. I suspect that he wants us to shout it out, even going as far as declaring it openly. How about proclaiming it in a song? There is nothing as beautiful as good old wholesome singing. The Holy Spirit moved the psalmist when he calls all creation to praise the mighty works of God.

Are we careful, watchful, and cautious of what people see and hear when we are in our unguarded, casual, and careless moments? How important is it? Well, if we want to remember something, we will have to observe that which we want to remember. I do not remember what I have never known or seen.

Our Scripture verses speak to us this way. If something important happens and we see it takes place, we shall remember that event. If we hear a sermon, the thing that we remember afterward is the point that most forcibly strikes us while we are listening to the sermon. Whether we use a pencil or not, memory obeys our wish and records it in our memory bank. That moment in time will return to us unexpectedly. It comes and sits there to remind us of that event, whether good or bad.

Sometimes we are so busy we fail to see the needs of other people. We rush about from place to place working hard to complete our mission. We feel like we are always failing because we do not have enough time to complete whatever it is we are trying to accomplish. When I feel this way, I must be careful not to see people as though they are frustrating or getting in my way. But the truth is that God loves each person we rub shoulders with, even those I might think are not that important.

How God interacts with us is very much the same. If I want to remember how great God is, I must allow Him to make an impression on me. That means I must notice it, I will have to consider it, and at my age, I will have to sit back and meditate on it and allow that impression to influence my heart. And when I do that, I shall remember. But it means that I shall always be ready to observe His righteousness.

One never comes through life untouched by countless bumps and bruises. Somehow, we need those bumps and bruises to learn to praise God. I could wish my whole life to be calm and carefree, free of all troubles. I could desire that nothing might ever again disturb my restful spirit. But were it to be so, I suspect I would seldom experience the merciful loving care of my Heavenly Father.

There are countless ways of acknowledging the great goodness of God. He has given us the right and the nature of His Son. He has given us complete forgiveness for all our sins.

Not only has He forgiven us our sins, but also, He does not remember them anymore, they are gone forever! I must believe that and remember that. One more thing, you and I can come to Him in prayer anytime, night, or day, and He will hear our prayers. We cannot add to God’s glory, but we can certainly make it more widely known by simply stating the truth about Him in countless places… To God Be the Glory Great Things He Has Done.

Would you pray with me…? “Lord Jesus, come into my heart. Forgive my sins. I want my life to change. My thoughts and my attitude need to change. I do not have peace in my heart, I really want that peace, joy, and happiness that I long for. Please let the Holy Spirit help me be the kind of Christian that will bring honour to Your Name.” Amen