Psalms of Honesty and Truth
I read our next, very short psalm and I think…What is taking over my life right now? If I could trade something in my life right now that is overbearing, unmanageable, capturing my thought life more than I like, what would that be? What would happen if we let the powerful love of God take over every part of our lives…ALL of it. What if we didn’t compartmentalize God’s love, but let His unconditional and powerful love seep into our being and permeate every cell that has life in us?
An anonymous writer composed the shortest psalm and in three brief sentences encompassed the whole world. The psalm is an invitation to people everywhere to turn to the Lord and join with believers everywhere in praising Him. Three words leap from the page: Praise, love, faithfulness.
Reading our next psalm through the paraphrase of Eugene Peterson’s, The Message states, “His love has taken over our lives”. What a statement that grabs my thought life this morning.
Psalm 117, The Message
Praise God, everybody!
Applaud God, all people!
His love has taken over our lives;
God’s faithful ways are eternal.
Hallelujah!
What do we learn?
–As this Psalm opens and closes with praise, may our days extol the Lord in bookends of praise for every one of our 24 hours given to us!
–Praise God, EVERYBODY! God is for everyone who believes! God’s love is for everyone who accepts this phenomenal gift!
–We can trust and depend on God’s powerful love for us. We have been saved by grace, not by our good works (Eph. 2:8-9), and were it not for God’s merciful loving kindness, we would still be in darkness and death.
–We are saved by grace and we live by grace, depending wholly on the Lord’s generosity in Jesus Christ.
–God is faithful…forever faithful!
–We can rest on His blessed, divine assurance. Yes, God’s people are saved by faith and live by faith, but our faith would mean nothing were it not for His faithfulness that “endures forever.”
–The word translated “truth” or “faithfulness” means in Hebrew “to be firm, to be unshakable.” God’s character cannot change, and His promises will not change, so why are we fretting about the feelings within us and the circumstances around us? Why do we hesitate to obey Him when He abounds in faithfulness (Ex. 34:6)? If God calls us to do something, He is faithful to help us do it (1 Thess. 5:24).
–To rely on our faith is to put faith in faith, but to rely on God’s faithfulness is to put faith in the Lord. Our assurance is in the Word of God and the God of the Word.
Wow, the shortest Psalm packs a big punch! Take time, as much time as you need, to think about His love…and let Him take over!
In Jesus Name, Amen I believe.
Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus) 