Let everything that has breath praise the LORD Praise the LORD! (Psalm 150:6)
Psalm 150 ends with a crescendo of praise to the Creator. Because God made the heavens and the earth, all of creation has purpose: to glorify God. Humanity strayed from that purpose when our first ancestors decided to shift from God as the center or their lives to making themselves the center of their lives. They replaced the worship of God with the worship of His creation. This deadly exchange led to the broken world we live in. When humanity chose to use their lives (breath) for their own glory, it led to our relationship with God being hostile, our relationships with other humans being fractured and our relationship towards the created world being disordered. We got what we deserved.
But, God in His great mercy, came to us as a human. Jesus taught us what it means to live life for the praise of the Father. Not only was He an example of the perfect human, but on the Cross the Son of God took the punishment for our rebellion against God, sins against others and the world. He rose again from the dead to give us new life in the Spirit, who enables us to once again praise God with our lives. Finally, we anticipate the day when Jesus returns to make everything right, so that creation along with all of God’s people will together praise the Lord in all things. Today, let us anticipate that day by living Spirit-empowered lives that glorify Him!
For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation. (Psalm 149:4)
You probably believe that God loves you, but do you believe that He likes you as His child? Maybe we have a broken view of God. We believe He loves us because He gave us His one and only Son to die for our sins. But we also think He simply puts up with us because we are not perfect like Jesus. Maybe your view of God is distorted because you read your earthly parents’ relationship with you into your relationship with God. If you parents simply “put up” with you, that’s how you think God views you. Yet, the psalmist praises God because He takes pleasure in His people.
Maybe the thought of God delighting in us is still hard to believe. Zephaniah 3:17 records, “He will rejoice over you in gladness.” Can you imagine God filled with so much delight in you, that He sings over you? Why can we be certain God delights in His children? It’s not because we have earned it. It’s because Jesus did. Because we have received Jesus perfect record of living through faith, our sin stained record is now replaced with Jesus’ one. So just as the Father declared over the Son when Jesus was baptized, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we too receive that declaration over us because we are in Christ.
As we grow in believing this truth of God’s delight for us, the insecurities that we face and the need for others’ approvals become less attractive and loses its grip on us because we have all the acceptance we need in God.
Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven. (Psalm 148:13)
Maybe today you find yourself in a time of apathy towards your relationship with God. There aren’t many times at all during the day that you find yourself praising Him for who He is. Perhaps your time worshipping God with other believers seems mechanical as you simply go through the motions. In these times, you need to experience God’s greatness once again.
There’s a drastic difference between reading about a majestic beach and actually playing in it. Or seeing a picture on social media of an epic hiking trail and actually walking it. Or reading about God’s greatness in the Bible and relating personally to Him. It’s the difference between hearing others talk about their relationship with Jesus and you personally experiencing His saving work and strength in your life (v14).
If you find yourself lacking a gratitude and praise towards God, confess to Him your need for a fresh encounter with Him through His word.
His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love. (Psalm 147:10-11)
As the weekend quickly closes out, maybe you are feeling the weight of this upcoming work week. Perhaps you are part of the mass of people going back to school as workers or students, and you are already dreading tomorrow. Maybe you have been feeling the daily pressures of taking care of your family and engaging in various relationships, and you feel like you’ve come to the end of yourself. There’s good news! God delights when His people turn away from their own sinful dependency on themselves and look to Him for strength.
In this psalm, the writer reminds us of our insufficiency to hold up our own lives and God’s total sufficiency to sustain all He has made. J I Packer describes it like this, “If we think of ourselves or others as achievers, creators, reformers, innovators, movers and shakers, healers, educators, benefactors of society in any way at all, we are at the deepest level kidding ourselves. We have nothing and have never had anything that we have not received, nor have we done anything good apart from God who did it through us.”
To combat this lie that we can sustain our own lives, the psalmist reminds us that it is God who heals the brokenhearted (v3), has authority over the environment (v8), and cares for the animals of the world (v9). He alone provides for our families and communities (v13-14). As you reflect deeply on God’s great care over everything He has made, ask the Spirit for strength to look to Him in the work and opportunities that you will have this upcoming week to love God with your entire being and to love your neighbor as yourself. Know that He delights when you hope in Him in all that you do!
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, (Psalm 146:5)
In the Old Testament, God’s people have been tempted to trust in their surrounding nations when faced with invasion from their enemies. Whether it’s the Egyptians, Syrians or Assyrians Israel’s kings made alliances with other countries as a quick fix to their problems. It seemed to make sense. These countries had wealth, power and could offer military support. The results ended tragically. God’s people would depend on other nations rather than the Lord and end up in a worse position, sometimes even enslaved and exiled.
The psalmist warns us not to put our ultimate trust in the hands of other humans (v3-4). This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have friendship and family in whom we trust in. But rather, no one is capable to be “God” in your life except God. When we look to others to be our ultimate satisfier, provider and defender, we are unfairly putting them in a role they were not created to fill. The psalmist calls those who trust in God “blessed.”
Maybe during these days, you are looking to people, pleasures or pursuits to save you from the the chaos in your life. Or maybe you are looking to these things to simply find a way to escape your current pressures from work and relationships. Instead of looking to a temporary fix that will let you down, turn to Jesus who is totally sufficient to help you in your time of need.
One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. (Psalm 145:4)
God’s goodness and greatness is meant to be experienced and shared from one generation to another. We thank God for the parents at our church who do their best to teach their kids the Scriptures. We praise God for the many aunties and uncles who volunteer at the church to service our keiki. Their smiles and care radiate the love of Jesus. We are grateful for our Gospel-community groups where people from various ages and stages of life encourage one another with God’s word. They are all commending God’s works from one generation to another.
As much as the effects of COVID-19 has scattered us around the island, we still need one generation to commend God’s works to another. Yes, we have to get creative at times, but we need one another. Maybe you are looking for others to encourage you in your relationship with Jesus. Or you are looking to encourage other followers of Jesus but don’t know how. Email us at info@harborhawaii and we will get you connected with other followers of Jesus where we can celebrate and grow in our relationship with God.
Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle; (Psalm 144:1)
Scripture describes life as a war. In this psalm, David literally fought battles and wars with human enemies. By God’s grace, he survived attacks from his former boss, King Saul, and led God’s people to defeat surrounding enemies. So skilled and successful was David that songs were sung of his success (1 Samuel 18:7).
In many ways, David’s life points to the Son of David, Jesus Christ. David was king of Israel, but Jesus is the King of all creation. David’s defeated physical armies and opponents like Goliath. But Jesus defeated sin, death and the devil through His death (Hebrews 2:14, 1 John 3:8).
We live in the aftermath of Christ’s victory. Although sin is still present in our lives, we are no longer slaves to our sinful passions and desires. Although we face the reality of physical death, death is a door that brings us into the very presence of God. Although Satan still roams seeking to steal, kill and destroy, his time is limited and he fights as a defeated foe who cannot steal your life with God. Because the Son of David won the war, we engage in everyday battles against our flesh, the worldly system that is against God and Satan as victors in Christ. We look forwards to the day Jesus will return top off His victory when He does away with all sin and evil.
I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands. (Psalm 143:5)
In the last psalm, we were encouraged to bring our cares and complaints to God when we are in the low points of our lives. In this psalm, we are instructed to fill our minds with God-thoughts. In yet another desperate psalm, David was faced with enemies who sought his life. On top of that, David was keenly aware that he does not deserve God to save him (v1-2, 11). So as David waited for the Lord to deliver him, he actively thought about the works of God.
Often in our prayers we bring our requests and hurts to God, but then we end up stewing on our circumstances which foster greater anxiety and fear. Instead by God’s Spirit, we are free to actively fill our minds with God-thoughts. For example, as we think deeply about how great God is in His creation and sustaining the world, we are reminded of how powerful He is. When we reflect on the Cross and His resurrection, we remember how loving and just He is.
So as you go to God with your cares, praise Him and fill your mind with the many acts He has done in the Scriptures and in your own life. The apostle Paul put it this way, “whatever is true whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him. (Psalm 142:2)
Psalms like this one train us to worship God in the most difficult of times. According to the inscription, David is hiding in a cave, which was when David was running for his life. His once boss turned enemy was seeking to strike him down because Saul was envious of David.
From David’s prayer, we learn how to respond when we are in our lowest moments in life. We can talk to God when we feel overwhelmed. We can boldly bring our complaints to God and be comforted in knowing that He cares for and hears us (v2). We can trust that God will not leave us forever in the “cave” we are in (v7). In turning to God, we glorify God because instead of turning to others to save us, we are looking to God as our true “refuge” (v5).
Do not let my heart incline to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds (Psalm 141:4a)
Just as light reveals what is hidden, difficult times can reveal the sin that is in our hearts. In this prayer of desperation, David urgently pleaded for God’s help (v1). And in his prayer, he asked God to guard his lips (v2), protect his heart (v3) and turn him away from pursuing evil desires (v4). David is aware that in hard times there is a temptation to turn to speaking evil against one’s enemies and envying their life and experiences.
In our struggles, the tendency is the same. We may want to verbally blast those who we are in conflict with. Or we may crave the perceived pleasure and experiences of those who do not follow Jesus. We may even notice our desires and daydreaming gravitate towards experiencing “their delicacies” at the expense of dishonoring God.
Like David, we need God to intervene as we look to Him (v8) as our greatest delight and Savior. Don’t run away from God with your struggles but run to Him with it. He is more than sufficient to save you!