My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 71 is a psalm written by an aged saint, a man who had walked with the Lord through many trials and triumphs. Some think this psalm represents David’s thoughts as he approaches the grave, as he ages and finds his life coming to a close.
One thing that is obvious in this psalm, that whoever wrote this psalm had an intimate experience with the Word of God. I have heard the claim that in the 24 verses of this psalm, there are up to 25 references, allusions and hints of other psalms within this reflection of an old saint. He has saturated his life with the Word, to the point that even phrasing of the old book comes through this old man’s message.
It is truly a witness of the wise to engage in an early and consistent immersion into the Word of God for every saint.
Let’s take a moment to consider
Psalm 71:22 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.
Psalm 71:23 My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed.
Psalm 71:24 And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long, for they have been put to shame and disappointed who sought to do me hurt.
In our last post, we reviewed the hope of this ol’ saint, the hope of resurrection, of being raised from the depths of the earth. In verse 23, he continues describing the works of God in his soul’s redemption.
God is elevated in His many works by this ol’ saint and not in the simple ways, but in resurrection and redemption. He speaks of God’s “righteous help all the day long”, and in that, it show’s the ol’ saint is watching for the work of God, that he expects and looks for the work of God in his life. He seeks the help, anticipates the help, observes the help and is thankful for the help.
As a matter of fact, the emphasis in this verse is on the righteousness of the help, specifically in this case of the shame and disappointment falling on his adversaries, who wanted to hurt the ol’ saint.
It is good to recognize the help of God as He works righteous acts in and through our lives.
But there is a concern I sometimes trip over as I seek to thank Him for all things. There have been too many times I have praised the Lord for something that favors my lot, yet may not exactly be righteous. Yes we are to give thanks in all circumstances, as 1 Thessalonians directs us.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
You see there is a difference between thanking Him for all things, and thanking Him in all circumstances.
Some things that occur in the believers life may be terrible, and may cause much heartache, disappointment and even despair. These things may even be the righteous acts of our loving Father, and in the pain, the believer may have to submit, but to be thankful for the pain is a difficult concept for me to understand. Yet as 1 Thessalonians speaks, it doesn’t address the believer to be thankful for the pain, but that in the circumstances, God is in the middle of it, and that is the focus of the thanks. It is looking to the source of the circumstance, the hand of God, and not the result of the righteous act, which may be causing great pain.
It is to look to the Savior, to be thankful He is with us, that though we may find pain and trial, to know that the hand of God is with us, that He has led the way and been faithful, that is what we can give thanks for.
This ol’ saint was thankful for the righteous acts of God in his life, and the way God rescued him from his very enemies. He is a saving God, a God who may bring struggles, but as we come to know Him as the loving God He has proven Himself to be, we can go through the trial with a thankful heart.
Oh, to be of a thankful heart O Lord!
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Considering the Bible 