“Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being…
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
The Lord will reign forever,..
to all generations.
Praise the Lord!” Psalm 146:1-2,5-10
The psalmist’s soul wells up and spills over with praise as he ponders the works and ongoing work of his God. Not only had He created the heavens and earth, but He abides, constantly keeping faith, upholding and furthering His promises. As energetic help and hope, He at once executes justice, feeds, frees, illumines, lifts, and loves. He hovers and hems in, watching over to guide and protect, upholding to comfort and sustain. There is nothing the Lord neglects, yet He never wearies nor is confused. What a God! (Isaiah 40:28)
In the mire of conflict and demands, we need daily pause and refocus to take in God’s very present, sublime involvement. There is no urgency He does not see, no catastrophe He does not rule, no problem He cannot solve. He who created the rolling spheres is the Potentate of time and worthy of our trust. (Psalm 46:1)
O Christian, do we realize God’s power and the bounty He affords? Do we relish the security of His keeping, and the nourishment He provides? How freely are we living and serving, unfettered from shame, unweighted by regret? How do His love and lifting buoy our spirits and sustain our hours? Will we trust Him for justice and seek Him for insight? Will we delight in all He is and does and praise Him forever? (Romans 12:17-19; Hebrews 9:14)
How differently can I take on today and assess the future if I trust God’s abiding? For what divine activity will I depend on Him this day? For what will I sing His praise?
“Jesus! what a Strength in weakness!
Let me hide myself in Him;
tempted, tried, and sometimes failing,
He, my Strength, my vict’ry wins…
Jesus! what a Help in sorrow!
While the billows o’er me roll,
even when my heart is breaking,
He, my Comfort, helps my soul…
Jesus! what a Guide and Keeper!
While the tempest still is high,
storms about me, night o’ertakes me,
He, my Pilot, hears my cry…
Jesus! I do now receive Him,
more than all in Him I find;
He hath granted me forgiveness;
I am His, and He is mine!
Hallelujah! what a Savior!
Hallelujah! what a Friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving;
He is with me to the end.” ~J. Wilbur Chapman (1910)
Lord, cause me daily to marvel, praise, go forth, and rest in all You wondrously, faithfully do.
As the rain and snow 