#823 Thanks and Winter

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,

to sing praises to your name, O Most High;

2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning,

and your faithfulness by night,

3 to the music of the lute and the harp,

to the melody of the lyre.

4 For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;

at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

5 How great are your works, O Lord!

Your thoughts are very deep!

6 The stupid man cannot know;

the fool cannot understand this:

7 that though the wicked sprout like grass

and all evildoers flourish,

they are doomed to destruction forever;

8 but you, O Lord, are on high forever.

9 For behold, your enemies, O Lord,

for behold, your enemies shall perish;

all evildoers shall be scattered.

10 But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox;

you have poured over me fresh oil.

11 My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;

my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.

12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree

and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

13 They are planted in the house of the Lord;

they flourish in the courts of our God.

14 They still bear fruit in old age;

they are ever full of sap and green,

15 to declare that the Lord is upright;

he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him. Psalm 92 ESV

A Psalm or song for the Sabbath Day.

It is good to give thanks to the Lord - Given the title, it reminds me of Sunday worship at my church. I use to look for every and any excuse to stay home, and all of us that are this way have many reasons that we give when asked why we don't attend. I was sick, but always recovered in time to go fishing or out with a friend. There were too many hypocrites, and I preferred solitude over company. The word of God does not back my disenchantment with the body, but says not to forsake, and it is enough here that it says it is good to give thanks. For all the many reasons I didn't give thanks or cared to spend time with other believers doing so, they were all rooted in pride. The next time I do something so marvelous as creating the heavens and the earth, hold back my wrath from those who have lived in constant offense to my holiness, and then provide an infinitely pure and just sacrifice to save those who I have called from eternity, then I shall not speak from the dark. I was called and so I give thanks, I was created and so I give thanks, I was sustained and so I give thanks. Meditating on my problems, my wants, my desire to be recognized and esteemed by men, to be thought clever and deep, to impose my will, this left no room to thank God for all I could see was myself. If the church could not entertain me, provide me with self fulfillment, euphoria, and moving experiences, then what good was she? It is a sin against God and nature, God, for He is worthy above nature, and nature, because she is His handiwork, and even her rocks cry out, glory to the Most High, there is nothing that was not made.

To declare Your steadfast love in the morning - Chase all else away, every temptation, every road to nowhere, and as the sun rises so let my praise. Early will I seek You, O God of my salvation, let me start each day in Your presence and walk in Your shadow at home, at work, at church, everywhere. Thank you for another day, another opportunity to know more of You, to be bathed in Your word, illuminated by Your Spirit, thank You for Your mercy and Your unfailing love toward me.

And Your faithfulness by night - I have much to bring to You by the end of the day, and mostly not good, so I have much to confess, but You are faithful and just to forgive. Lord, don't let the sun go down upon a hardened heart. Help me to forgive those that have trespassed against me, to not return insult for insult, injury for injury. Forgive me for those sins which I knew to be so and committed anyway, for those I thought, for those I sought to justify because of someone else's behavior, and for those sins of omission that I have not yet come to see. Give me Thy peace, O Lord, let me rest in Thee.

The stupid man cannot know - This is not against the simple, but against the arrogant, those that think they are too smart to believe in God, or believe there is a Creator, yet worship themselves instead. No one seeks the truth, no one can find God on their own. He is known because He makes Himself known, reveals Himself to the blind and deaf. We are born dead in our trespasses and sins, no one raises themselves from this state. Without Him I have no righteousness in myself, I labor in vain. Thank You for making Yourself known to me, writing the story about Your Son, and drawing me by Your Spirit.

- So far from paying respect to great thinkers who will not own the glory or being of God, we ought to regard them as comparable to the beasts which perish, only vastly lower than mere brutes, because their degrading condition is of their own choosing. O God, how sorrowful a thing it is that men whom thou hast so largely gifted, and made in thine own image, should so brutify themselves that they will neither see nor understand what thou hast made so clear. Well might an eccentric writer say, "God made man a little lower than the angels at first, and he has been trying to get lower ever since." C. H. Spurgeon

Your enemies shall perish - The time for their self exaltation will come to an end. Those that lift themselves up, who carry their egos, haven't a shoulder left for the cross. They did not want You, and so they hate reason, shun humility, and in the end they have what they wanted all along, separation from You, but what a sad state.

…10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one. 11 There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away; they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.… Romans 3: 10-12

You have poured over me fresh oil - Taken from what men did not esteem, a lowly beginning, a nobody, and yet Your mercy covers me, Your grace anoints my head, and I am adopted into a royal family forever. 

My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies - Look down the road, this is a blessing of God's word, that you can see so much farther than before. There are only two possible ends for my enemies, that they come to know God and become therefore my family, or they die in their sin and come to know God's judgment. I pray the former, but trust God either way, for only He knows, and He knows best. Help me to deny myself in this, O God, leave me innocent of their blood, that I have told the truth, loved my enemy, and prayed for those who have mistreated me. You have done all that and more for me, so thank You once again and forever.

They are planted in the house of the Lord - Grass is a shallow thing, it withers easily, but the righteous are like trees, planted in the soil prepared by the Lord, nourished by His every Word. The root runs deep, and the heat of the sun does not burn it away.

They still bear fruit in old age - Let my later years far outshine today. Let everyday bring me the joy of Your salvation, Your praise upon my lips, and the gospel to share with others. I am watching winter come upon two people even now, and Lord I have looked hard, but I have not seen the fruit of Your Spirit. There is nothing about them that is not self serving and yet I would be an ungrateful servant if I did not love them the way You have loved me. Can I be so bold to appeal to the story of the thief upon the cross? Greater than the parting of the sea, or water from the rock, Lord those are but shadows, and I would ask to see the greatest miracle of all, there is nothing more beautiful than a dead soul being raised unto life. "Remember me when You enter Your kingdom." God, save my parents, for I do not know. Everyone tells me that doctrine is not important, that we can hold on to bad Theology and still be saved, as if that were the goal, to not know Who You are, Who Christ is, or that I am a sinner whose works cannot save. Please keep me from error, from saying things without love and compassion, from saying what You wouldn't say. Thank You for Your word and let it stand as my light and measure, keep me hungry and ever growing in the knowledge of Your truth. Help me forsake the desire to be liked, to cave in, but let me instead stand firmly on Your Word. 

…24 And a servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, and forbearing. 25 He must gently reprove those who oppose him, in the hope that God may grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth. 26 Then they will come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, who has taken them captive to his will.… 2 Timothy 2: 24-26

…15 Be diligent in these matters and absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. 16 Pay close attention to your life and to your teaching. Persevere in these things, for by so doing you will save both yourself and those who hear you. 1 Timothy 4: 15-16

…15 But in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that you have. But respond with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who slander you will be put to shame by your good behavior in Christ. 17 For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.… 1 Peter 3: 15-17