November 24, 2020 – Tuesday Evening
“I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. May my meditation be sweet to Him; I will be glad in the LORD.” ~Psalm 104:33-34
The attitude of gratitude begins with a heart that is transfixed on the LORD. “The LORD” being Jehovah, THE Lord, the Self-Existent One, the Great I Am, and “transfixed” meaning rightly and constantly oriented on Him. You and I cannot be truly grateful and “glad” unless we are first in awe of and in love with Him.
If you read the whole of Psalm 104, you will see over and over and over again the grand design and work of God. Not only is He the Creator of everything that exists…He is also the Sustainer; not only does He provide the home and habitat for animals and man…He provides their very food and breath. The same God who formed the vast mountains and deep valleys cares about and takes care of the lowly man and the tiny bird. His goodness and His mercy are rich in depth and grandiose in character, even to those who care nothing for Him. Yet, His power is infinite and His wrath is terrible; there is none who can stand before Him and He has no equal.
Why does gratitude begin with the right view of God? Because without His perspective we cannot respond to the many crushing pains and burdens of life; without His power we cannot stand in the day of trouble; without His grace we cannot overcome the temptation to grumble and complain; without His mercy we cannot find forgiveness for ourselves or others; without His patience we cannot handle the irritations and the aggravations; and the list could go on and on. We have SO MUCH to be thankful for! And yet, without our eyes on Him we will never be able to see past our own circumstances and our own proud and selfish hearts.
I believe this is why the Psalmist says “I will” three times in these two verses. He is not going to leave it up to circumstance or feeling to praise the Lord; rather, he WILL sing and give praise and be glad! And why not? He has the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords as his Sustainer and God! What joy is found in Him! What gladness and cheerful peace in the midst of storms! What grace and mercy!
NEWS FLASH!!! God is still the same today as He was then! Actually, we have an even bigger picture of Him now than the Psalmist did because we can experience God through Christ and be filled up with His Spirit! So why aren’t we bouncing off the walls with joy and gladness? Why aren’t we shouting “Hallelujah!” all the day? Could it be that the Psalmist had a better understanding and perspective of God than we do?
The time is getting shorter for you and for me…it always is; don’t let the world, the flesh, and the devil steal anymore of it. Choose today to be glad in the LORD and sing His praise. Not only is He worthy of it 100% of the time, He is also able to fill us with His joy 100% of the time. Rejoice! Be glad! Praise the LORD!