Slices
Prepare
‘Shout to the Lord, all the earth, let us sing power and majesty, praise to the King.’* Use this song, or another that praises God joyfully, to acknowledge his greatness and come into his presence in worship.
*‘My Jesus, My Saviour’, Darlene Zschech, © 1993, Wondrous Worship.
Bible passage
For the director of music. A song. A psalm.
1 Shout for joy to God, all the earth!
2 Sing the glory of his name;
make his praise glorious.
3 Say to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power
that your enemies cringe before you.
4 All the earth bows down to you;
they sing praise to you,
they sing the praises of your name.’
5 Come and see what God has done,
his awesome deeds for mankind!
6 He turned the sea into dry land,
they passed through the waters on foot –
come, let us rejoice in him.
7 He rules for ever by his power,
his eyes watch the nations –
let not the rebellious rise up against him.
8 Praise our God, all peoples,
let the sound of his praise be heard;
9 he has preserved our lives
and kept our feet from slipping.
10 For you, God, tested us;
you refined us like silver.
11 You brought us into prison
and laid burdens on our backs.
12 You let people ride over our heads;
we went through fire and water,
but you brought us to a place of abundance.
13 I will come to your temple with burnt offerings
and fulfil my vows to you –
14 vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke
when I was in trouble.
15 I will sacrifice fat animals to you
and an offering of rams;
I will offer bulls and goats.
16 Come and hear, all you who fear God;
let me tell you what he has done for me.
17 I cried out to him with my mouth;
his praise was on my tongue.
18 If I had cherished sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened;
19 but God has surely listened
and has heard my prayer.
20 Praise be to God,
who has not rejected my prayer
or withheld his love from me!
Explore
This psalm burns brightly with joy in the Lord and aims to inspire the glorious praise of his name. It invites people to discover for themselves who God is and what God has done (vs 5,16). It gives details of his powerful acts for his people (vs 6,9,19,20). It acknowledges the testing and generosity of the Lord (vs 10–12) and promises offerings to the one who listens and answers (vs 13–15,19). It brings a wonderful sense of the writer and his confidence in proclaiming God. It is full of worship to the Lord for all he has done.
Paul knew the psalms. You can imagine that this one might be exactly the sort of psalm that he would direct Timothy to, to help rekindle the fire of his faith. All of us have times when passion for God and his kingdom may burn lower than at others. As you reflect on this psalm, let it remind you of the Lord and ‘his awesome deeds for mankind’ (v 5) – and for you.
Respond
Spend some time writing your own psalm and thanks to God. Whether your faith could be described as embers or a blazing fire right now, let it remind you of who the Lord is and why you’re his follower.
Deeper Bible study
‘Praise our God, all peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard’.1
This is a wonderful song, as the psalmist praises God for all he has done for the nation. Let us also praise him for all he has done in the past. We may not have had to cross the Red Sea on dry ground, but if we try to remember we will realise how many of our Red Seas and problems he has helped us through. God is always good to us and the miracles and guidance in the past have led to all we have become today.
Looking back at my life I can see how God blessed and protected me. When I was one year old and my sister was two, my mother was driving us in the mountainous roads in the Nilgiri Hills in South India. The brakes failed and we nearly went off the cliff, but God protected us. My sister became a missionary doctor and I a Bible teacher. I was led to Christ by the Scripture Union General Secretary, Cecil M Johnson, when I was ten years old and God called me for the next 20 years, though I ran away. When I finally followed him at the age of 31, I realised that he had been training me for the ministry those years in my secular work. God has blessed me in these past 50 years of ministry and has taken me to preach around India and abroad. He has helped me to write many theological study books and I have mentored thousands of students, all through the grace of God.
Praise God for all the blessings in your life. How has he led and protected you? Like Timothy, praise God for your godly family, if you had one, and the upbringing you had. God is always worthy of praise, and we should make the effort. Finally, praise God for your nation and its leaders.
‘Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!’ (v 20).
1 Ps 66:8
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Jeremiah 11,12; John 5
Pray for Scripture Union
Praise God for releasing the funds needed for these vital new strategic SU roles, which will be so key in supporting churches in outreach to children and young people not in church. (This week's prayers relate to this article and our recent appeal. Please pray for our passionate pioneers!)
