Psalms of Honesty and Truth

Sometimes when I awake in the night, the first song on my heart is often, “How Great Thou Art”. I pray this song in my mind with deep thought for every word of this old hymn of praise.

“O Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder, Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made”…

I stop to realize all His handiwork in our world from blades of grass to intricate, magnificent flowers, to our meticulous made bodies. When fed well, working properly, our bodies are intricately made chemical factories as they breathe in oxygen that gives life and exhale carbon dioxide. I think of the words of psalm 139: “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

“I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed”

It’s not just for me, but for all of us whom God has made. He just wants us to love Him back and to listen and obey His words of His best for us.

“Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art”

This chorus often times brings tears for all kinds of reasons. They are tears of joy. They might be tears of release of all that has caused stress through loss. In the end of the chorus, they are tears of praise and thanksgiving for a Great God who stops to listen to His creation, his beloved daughter who loves Him back with all that is in her.

Psalm 47 is nothing but praise this morning! In the morning when I rise, I give you praise, the psalmist writes. “SHOUT out God-songs…sing your best songs to God!” as Eugene Peterson paraphrases in The Message. It’s all about God…nothing but praise from us…for it’s not about us, but all about God.

Psalm 47, New Living Translation

Come, everyone! Clap your hands!
Shout to God with joyful praise!
2 For the Lord Most High is awesome.
He is the great King of all the earth.
3 He subdues the nations before us,
putting our enemies beneath our feet.
4 He chose the Promised Land as our inheritance,
the proud possession of Jacob’s descendants, whom he loves. Interlude

5 God has ascended with a mighty shout.
The Lord has ascended with trumpets blaring.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises!
7 For God is the King over all the earth.
Praise him with a psalm.[a]
8 God reigns above the nations,
sitting on his holy throne.
9 The rulers of the world have gathered together
with the people of the God of Abraham.
For all the kings of the earth belong to God.
He is highly honored everywhere.

According to the research of Warren Weirsby, this psalm is used in the synagogues on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year’s Day, and in the church, it is used on Ascension Day (see v. 5; 68:18; Eph. 4:8-10). This also makes it a messianic psalm, with an emphasis on the coming kingdom.

“And when I think of God, His Son not sparing
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing
He bled and died to take away my sin”

Tears of gratitude now fall as I think of Jesus dying for my stupid, selfish sins. I am humbled. Then tears of joy flood my soul as I remember that I AM REDEEMED! No matter what happens next, I am redeemed by God through Jesus Christ! He’s coming back for His own!

“Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!”

In Jesus Name, I find hope, rest and encouragement. Amen.