I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. (Psalm 9:1-2)
In the previous devotion, we addressed the circumstances that may have led to the composition of this Psalm. Assuming that what we discussed previously is accurate, let us consider the magnitude of David’s statement: he chose to praise God and thank Him for all of His works in the face of loss and anguish.
The point is that, like David, we must learn to praise God in all circumstances, good and bad, and acknowledge that anything God allows to touch our lives will, in some way (even if we don’t see it immediately), be for our ultimate good. Furthermore, if we can bring ourselves to thank God with all of our heart in the not-so-good times, it should prove easier to thank God in the good times.
On that note, it is important that we also choose to thank God for the great and the small miracles He provides for us. Most people would have no problem offering thanks unto God for the overt, extraordinary miracles He performs on our behalf but what about the small, seemingly mundane things — i.e. the day to day things that we tend to take for granted? As David expressed thanks for all of God’s marvelous works — the great and small, the obvious and the subtle — we too should be grateful and rejoice for everything He does for us.
It’s almost a given that people would be jubilant at the splitting of the sea and the destruction of our enemies; but shouldn’t we be just as jubilant when He provides our daily bread? Let’s think of it in these terms: when God brings victory to our lives, regardless of how large or how small, it gives us the opportunity to declare His mighty works and sing praises to His Name. And if life deals us a blow that threatens to overwhelm us, even then, we are given opportunity to praise Him with our whole heart — even when it is broken. Actually, what better time to praise the One who “heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3).
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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