GOD IS BEHIND EVERY EVENT
OF OUR LIVES
Psalm 118:1
Oh give thanks to the
LORD, for he is good;
for his steadfast love
endures forever!
As we read this psalm, we
see a familiar theme repeated. We remember, of course, that the psalms were meant
to be sung by the children of Israel
The LORD is good. We know
it and we say we believe it, but every time we complain, every time we are
bitter, every time we are upset, every time we are unhappy, every time we are
angry, our actions and reactions are really stating that God is not good to us.
James 1:16-18
Do not be deceived, my
beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming
down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to
change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we
should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
It is incomprehensible to
us that God has loved us from eternity past, He is loving us now, and He will
love us forever. His love was not initiated by what He saw we would be or
become. His love for us today is not based on our behavior, and His love will
not be based on the measure of faithfulness we will demonstrate in the future.
God loves us and will love us forever, because of a unilateral and undeserved
decision He made in eternity past.
Psalm 118:4
Let those who fear the
LORD say,
“His steadfast love
endures forever.”
If we know God, if He is
our Savior and Lord, then praise should be our continuous response. I know that
my thoughts and my words would be much different, if I had a continuous
awareness of the presence and powerful care of God for me. My lack of awareness
does not change the fact He is loving me, but it does change my disposition and
behavior.
God’s careful love,
however, does not imply a lack of difficulties and problems for me.
Psalm 118:5-7
Out of my distress I
called on the LORD;
the LORD answered me and
set me free.
The LORD is on my side; I
will not fear.
What can man do to me?
The LORD is on my side as
my helper;
I shall look in triumph on
those who hate me.
God both ordains and
orchestrates all events, so that we will become more and more dependent on Him.
Our fear of man or of circumstances is out of order, in view of the fact that
the LORD, the creator of the universe, the sustainer of all, is on our side.
The sovereign God is our helper; we have no reason to fear. Our situation has
not escaped His good and perfect oversight. We should not look anywhere other
than the LORD for comfort or help.
Psalm 118:8-9
It is better to take
refuge in the LORD
than to trust in man.
It is better to take
refuge in the LORD
than to trust in princes.
We may be disappointed
with the actions of men or the behavior of governments, but they have no
ultimate power to control our lives. We are not their victims, nor should we
look to them as our ultimate source for help.
As the psalmist describes
the actions of men in the next verses, the image is vivid, but the response of
God is reassuring.
Psalm 118:13
I was pushed hard, so that
I was falling,
but the LORD helped me.
When our problems are real
and are hard, they seem to be more than we can handle, but the Lord is there to
help us.
Psalm 118:14-16
The LORD is my strength
and my song;
he has become my
salvation.
Glad songs of salvation
are in the tents of the
righteous:
“The right hand of the
LORD does valiantly,
the right hand of the LORD
exalts,
the right hand of the LORD
does valiantly!”
We need to stop and
recognize the work of God in our lives. We need to gain our strength from Him.
The LORD is our salvation; our hearths and mouths should be overflowing with His
praise.
Our lives need to be
different today, in light of the God who loves us and is good to us. The psalm
continues with its rich reminder and instruction. We will conclude it next time,
Lord willing.
Our hearts – reactions – words – all of these reveal
whom we are trusting!
No comments:
Post a Comment