GRATEFULNESS MUST FUEL OUR WORSHIP

PRAISE GOD FOR THE PAST, THE PRESENT, AND THE FUTURE

Psalm 149

Praise the LORD!

Sing to the LORD a new song,

his praise in the assembly of the godly!

Let Israel be glad in his Maker;

let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!

Let them praise his name with dancing,

making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!

For the LORD takes pleasure in his people;

he adorns the humble with salvation.

Let the godly exult in glory;

let them sing for joy on their beds.

Let the high praises of God be in their throats

and two-edged swords in their hands,

to execute vengeance on the nations

and punishments on the peoples,

to bind their kings with chains

and their nobles with fetters of iron,

to execute on them the judgment written!

This is honor for all his godly ones.

Praise the LORD!

The psalmist is praising the LORD of his salvation. God has always saved those who humble themselves before Him. Israel rejoices in the midst of the godly, as they recognize God as their Maker and Savior.

The psalm divides itself between praise based on what God has already done, and praise for what is expected in the future. One day, the Lord will reign physically over all the nations. His judgment on them has already been written and declared, for the sake of His godly ones.

All those who know the LORD should praise Him for the works He has already accomplished and, by faith, trust in His promises.

As believers, we know that our salvation begins when we humble ourselves before God.

Matthew 5:3-7

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

        “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

        “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

        “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Jesus made it very clear that the blessed are those who have recognized their position and mourn for their sin. They recognize their great need of forgiveness and, as they are being transformed, they desire righteousness and show mercy to others.

Every one who has by grace through faith, truly experienced the transforming work of God, should gratefully praise the Lord.

Living in a sinful world, our hearts should long for the day when the Lord will establish His kingdom and reign here on earth. All those who are godly should praise God, in whom they have set their hope.

We set our hope in the Word of God.

1 Peter 1:22-25

        Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for

        “All flesh is like grass

                and all its glory like the flower of grass.

        The grass withers,

                and the flower falls,

        but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

        And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

We rejoice and praise God for the Word that was preached to us and has transformed our lives. We have hope because it remains forever.

Dear friends, the complete trustworthiness of the Word of God continually gives me much peace. I can look at every event and every situation in life, knowing that I can evaluate them all in the light of the Word of God. It is there where I find out about the character of God; it is there where I learn to trust in the wisdom of the Lord; it is there where I find peace in understanding the power of God; and it is there where I am amazed and assured by the love of God.

Ephesians 3:14-19

        For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

       

As you take time today to thank the Lord for what He has done in your life, take time also to pray that these verses will also become effective in the souls of those whom God has placed in your life.