Praise, Ponder, Proclaim

“O God, be not far from me;
    O my God, make haste to help me!
May my accusers be put to shame and consumed;
    with scorn and disgrace may they be covered
    who seek my hurt.
But I will hope continually
    and will praise you yet more and more.
My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,
    of your deeds of salvation all the day,
    for their number is past my knowledge.
With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come;
    I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.

O God, from my youth you have taught me,
    and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
So even to old age and gray hairs,
    O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to another generation,
    your power to all those to come.
Your righteousness, O God,
    reaches the high heavens.
You who have done great things,
    O God, who is like you?
You who have made me see many troubles and calamities
    will revive me again;
from the depths of the earth
    you will bring me up again.
You will increase my greatness
    and comfort me again.

I will also praise you with the harp
    for your faithfulness, O my God;
I will sing praises to you with the lyre,
    O Holy One of Israel.
My lips will shout for joy,
    when I sing praises to you;
    my soul also, which you have redeemed.
And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long.” Psalm 71:12-24a

The psalmist rises out of scorn and calamity to fix his focus on higher ground. His heart is filled to overflow with praise of the God he loves and trusts. Accusers seek his hurt, yet he sings of God’s hope. The more he is hunted and haunted, the more he recounts God’s righteous and mighty deeds. No measure of evil or troubles or calamities can outnumber God’s goodnesses, so rejoice he does! Prayer is a conversation confessing need but with full knowledge of the goodness of the One he addresses. Through every cloud of threat or impossible difficulty, he chooses to speak of God’s limitless power, revival, comfort. His is an honest heart that has chosen joy in every circumstance.

It is natural in the flesh to focus only on our difficulties, the burdens that weigh down our souls or impede our desires progress. Troubles sap strength and time and so they fill our conversation and turn to sour complaint. We may not even realize we live in a sigh, and convey woe to those we are around.

But without any turn in the situation, we can choose to praise, to give thanks for our salvation and God’s constancy. We can determine to take joy in our redemption, and the promise of ultimate redemption it affords. Will we?

When accused or in need of help, when threatened or depressed, how can we direct our pondering? Would we intentionally praise God for who He is regardless of circumstance, and voice a song of gratitude? When we fill our eyes with His magnificence, and shout HIs praise, we will find our hearts lifted and our thoughts lofty, where He dwells in glory.

God mighty and near, keep me praising, pondering, and proclaiming Your greatness all the day.