Slices
Prepare
John was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day (1:10). Allow the Holy Spirit to fill you afresh as you come to God’s Word.
Bible passage
Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous;
it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
2 Praise the Lord with the harp;
make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
3 Sing to him a new song;
play skilfully, and shout for joy.
4 For the word of the Lord is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does.
5 The Lord loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of his unfailing love.
6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea into jars;
he puts the deep into storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord;
let all the people of the world revere him.
9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
10 The Lord foils the plans of the nations;
he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
11 But the plans of the Lord stand firm for ever,
the purposes of his heart through all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people he chose for his inheritance.
13 From heaven the Lord looks down
and sees all mankind;
14 from his dwelling-place he watches
all who live on earth –
15 he who forms the hearts of all,
who considers everything they do.
16 No king is saved by the size of his army;
no warrior escapes by his great strength.
17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
despite all its great strength it cannot save.
18 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
19 to deliver them from death
and keep them alive in famine.
20 We wait in hope for the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
22 May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,
even as we put our hope in you.
Explore
Being grateful is one of the best ways to lift your spirit when the going is tough. Resilient people know that giving thanks in the midst of difficult circumstances lifts your spirit, gives glory to God, and enables you to keep going. Search this psalm for reasons to be glad today. Here are some ideas.
For the character of God – who is faithful in all he does (v 4). Consider the ways in which he has shown himself to be faithful to you.
For the word of the Lord – by which the heavens were made (v 6). Why not make time today to look up and see the beauty of the sky or stand outside when it is dark and see the universe that he brought into being?
For the reliability of the purposes of God (v 11). Even now, his plans are being worked out in the world, and his plans for your life will come to pass in his good time. Why not express your trust in him?
For the care that God has for us (vs 18,19), watching over us and providing for us. Thank him for his unfailing love. Remember times when God has clearly helped or protected you.
Respond
Make this prayer your own today, repeating it slowly several times: ‘May your unfailing love rest upon me, O Lord, even as I put my trust in you’ (based on v 22).
Deeper Bible study
‘Let all the world in every corner sing, “My God and King!”.’1
The psalms express the many different experiences and moods of the life of faith, but they rest on certain foundational beliefs concerning the God who has revealed himself to Israel. Today’s psalm is an uninhibited song of praise to the Lord, giving expression to the reality that God is trustworthy and reliable and that his ‘unfailing love’ (v 5) guarantees the security of his worshippers. This poem was clearly intended for public worship, as the opening summons to ‘sing joyfully’ to the accompaniment of an impressive praise band indicates.
The language of the psalm celebrates God’s awesome creative power (vs 6–9), but also confesses his work in the sphere of human history (vs 10–16). Israel is blessed to worship such a God and to be able to recall his intervention in their past history, yet the Lord’s purposes extend beyond this nation and he ‘sees all mankind’ (v 13). While the focal point of the psalm is the blessing which the Lord has bestowed upon the chosen people, the wider context of the whole world and other nations is never forgotten and the psalmist knows that Israel’s faith and obedience to its Lord forms part of his purpose of grace for those other peoples.
Elsewhere in the psalms we find a contrast to the untroubled praise of this poem in the expression of what has been called a spirituality of disorientation. However, in those dark times the ability to recall faith’s foundations and the joy known in celebrating God’s ‘unfailing love’ (v 22) can bring renewed courage and hope. The beautiful closing verse of this psalm perfectly captures ‘the way in which God’s grace and man’s faith mutually respond to each other’.2
Meditate on that final verse and make it your heart’s prayer.
1 George Herbert, 1593–1633 2 Artur Weiser, The Psalms: Old Testament Library, Westminster Press, 1962, p295
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Exodus 39,40; Acts 4
Pray for Scripture Union
SU Finland is looking at different possibilities for new material for Bible reading. Pray that they will have wisdom to understand which materials would be most effective in helping people to read and understand the Bible.
