Day 126 – Psalm 89,96,100-101,105,132

Talking Points

• These are songs of praise, worship, and remembrance. It is only fitting that a great God would be greatly praised! There are calls for singing, shouting, and expressions of gladness. Instruments and voices alike are to ring out in exaltation of God. Thanksgiving is to be offered. “For great is the LORD and greatly to be praised” (96:4).
• A “new” song (96:1) doesn’t mean a song we’ve never heard before. It means, because of the change that is in us, because of the new mercies we’ve received, because of a new heart, we can sing a new song, a song we would never have sung before.
• One act of praise and worship that we might forget is included in these songs: obedient living. As we praise God, it is reflected in our desire and attempt to walk in His ways. We are to hate evil and continually turn from it to Him. Isn’t it empty worship to shout of God’s greatness, yet walk distant from Him?
• God’s promise made to David is remembered. As we see how amazing that promise is, made to a mere man, it’s important to remember all of it was leading to the promised Christ!
• In Psalm 89, we read of the reality of death (47-48). All of us live under the cloud of death. Praise the Lord! Death has been defeated and the grave overcome!

Thoughts

Today has been an exercise in frustration. Do you ever have days like that? Days when everything is just off, and it is overwhelming and exhausting? Days when your patience isn’t seen, your kindness isn’t heard, and the people close to you start asking you, “What’s wrong?” That was today. But, I still had work to do. So, I sat down, in the midst of 4,000 interruptions, with my bad attitude, and my “poor, pitiful me” mentality and tried to read these psalms and write down some thoughts.

And, then, it hit me. I am pretty sure, after reading these songs, that my prayers are lopsided. How often do I burst out in prayer just telling God how amazingly, awesomely, uniquely wonderful He is? I know that there are prayers all through Scripture that voice petitions, cry for God’s mercy, and lament over sin, but it seems the majority of them just tell of God’s character and His deeds. I was flooded with conviction.

So, I tried it. Just a prayer of praise, telling Him how beautiful, how powerful, how righteous, how loving, how merciful, how good, how faithful He is. Oh, wow. It did not take long before I realized He was changing my attitude, shifting my focus, and turning my conviction to gratitude. It’s so crazy, but God’s inspired Word began to work in my heart as I read it. This song of praise to Him led me to praise Him, and it changed everything.

Today, may we grow in our desire to lift prayers to Him that just praise Him, prayers that are worshipful, prayers that are truly sacrifices of praise. And, may we rejoice as He changes us through them.