Psalms – Prayers of Honesty
How many times have you purchased an appliance, small or large and something went wrong 24 hours after the warranty ran out? How many times have people proclaimed love for you and said they wanted to be your friend…until you disappointed them in some way…and they walked away? How many times have you needed help from those you helped but they didn’t have the time for you? How about the car dealer who promises help 24/7 (ridiculous sounding as I write this but it was said to me) for the vehicle you are buying only to find out there are restrictions in the fine print of that promise? And those restriction typically are what will go wrong! With the right lawyers, any contract can be declared null and void. Is there anything we can depend on? Is there anyone left we can trust completely?
YES!“Our God forever, who guides us till the end of time.”
Wait, what?
“Our God forever, who guides us till the end of time.”
His love never changes and never ends. Our God does not need rest so He is ready to help and guide. God is God and we are not. There is no one like our God!
It’s time to stand still, focus and just praise our great God!
Psalm 48, The Message
A Psalm of the Sons of Korah
1-3 God majestic, praise abounds in our God-city!
His sacred mountain,
breathtaking in its heights—earth’s joy.
Zion Mountain looms in the North,
city of the world-King.
God in his citadel peaks
impregnable.
4-6 The kings got together,
they united and came.
They took one look and shook their heads,
they scattered and ran away.
They doubled up in pain
like a woman having a baby.
7-8 You smashed the ships of Tarshish
with a storm out of the East.
We heard about it, then we saw it
with our eyes—
In God’s city of Angel Armies,
in the city our God
Set on firm foundations,
firm forever.
9-10 We pondered your love-in-action, God, waiting in your temple:
Your name, God, evokes a train
of Hallelujahs wherever
It is spoken, near and far;
your arms are heaped with goodness-in-action.
11 Be glad, Zion Mountain;
Dance, Judah’s daughters!
He does what he said he’d do!
12-14 Circle Zion, take her measure,
count her fortress peaks,
Gaze long at her sloping bulwark,
climb her citadel heights—
Then you can tell the next generation
detail by detail the story of God,
Our God forever,
who guides us till the end of time.
SOMETHING TO CHEW…Believers, who have received Jesus as Savior and Lord, today are citizens of the Zion that is above (Gal. 4:21-31; “…like Isaac, we are children of The Promise! Heb. 12:18-24; “…city of the living God” Phil. 3:20; “our citizenship is in heaven…”) and rejoice that the Lord cares for us even as He cared for His ancient people Israel.
The people praise God for all He has done, is doing and will do. Forever love, mercy and grace. Forever help and guidance. Hallelujah! What a mighty God we serve!
HEART CHECK:
God is always with us. He provides us with a lifetime warranty of love, mercy and grace. He waits for us to call on Him for guidance. Those who seek Him find Him. That is promise that will not be broken by the One who loved us first and best and who has the best for us.
The pilgrims immediately went to the temple to worship the Lord, to meditate on His faithfulness, and to joyfully praise Him. Worship is the proper human response to divine mercies. Note how the fame of the Lord spread from the city itself (v. 11a) to the towns of Judah that Sennacherib had plundered (v. 11b; Isa. 36:1) and then to the ends of the earth (v. 10). So may it be with the message of the gospel (Acts 1:8)! When the Lord Jesus Christ returns to defeat His enemies and establish His kingdom, His glory and dominion will be from sea to sea.
What is our response to all God has done, is doing and will do? Think about it. Stop and praise God now.
Who do you really trust?
Who do we tell?
The greatest danger a nation faces is not the invading enemy on the outside but the eroding enemy on the inside–a people gradually turning away from the faith of their fathers. Each generation must pass along to the next generation who the Lord is, what He has done, and what they must do in response to His goodness and faithfulness. God’s plan is to make Jerusalem a joy to many generations (Isa. 60:15).
To trust and obey a Lord who is “our God” and “our Guide” is to have a future that is secured and blessed.
Who is your lifetime warranty?
Dear Heavenly Father,
You are God and we are not. In a confusing world of opinion, selfishness and pain, You are there. You have the answer that we need to hear. You are Savior and You are Lord. Guide us still as You have from the beginning of Creation. Be with us. Change our minds to desire all of you and what You have for us. We praise You for all you are and all you have done to bring us this far. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
In Jesus Name, Amen
