– Give Thanks To The Lord For He Is Good, His Love Endures Forever!
BRD REFLECTIONS:
(Shaun Tan, SGM CLT & Zone 4 Leader)
READ:
Psalm 118 (ESV)
OBSERVE:
The Psalmist repeatedly calls God’s people to give thanks to the Lord for ‘his steadfast love endures forever’ (v1-4). He also shares his own personal testimony about the Lord’s enduring mercies and proclaims how it is better to trust in the Lord than in man or earthly princes (v5-9).
He shares that despite the many nations that surrounded him like bees, his trust in the Lord helped to defeat his enemies like a fire among thorns. He once again rejoices that the Lord is his strength, song, and salvation (v10-14).
The Psalmist continues to rejoice in his deliverance from death (v15-18). He sings songs to the Lord for opening the gates of righteousness (v19-20) and establishing the rejected stone as the cornerstone (v21-24). He ends the Psalm still praising God for his goodness, and that his steadfast love endures forever (v29).
APPLY:
Upon first reading Psalm 118, I could not help but notice the upbeat nature of the Psalmist’s rejoicing in the Lord. “His steadfast love endures forever” and “give thanks” are phrases that are repeated throughout the Psalm. It is amazing to see how even when his enemies surrounded him like bees, possibly indicating spiteful, vicious, and continuous attacks, he knew that he could destroy them because the Lord was his strength and song. Not only did God bring strength and song, but God himself became his strength and song because he trusted in Him.
It is really amazing to see the resilience and complete trust that the Psalmist had in the Lord. When he was in distress, he called out to the Lord knowing the Lord was on his side, and that he would triumph with the Lord as his helper. There is neither man nor prince that he would take refuge in so long as he could take refuge in the Lord.
DO:
I wonder if I am able to have such complete trust in God over my life in the face of challenges and obstacles. When I face an issue in my life, I immediately think about solving it through my own will, skills, and hands. Why is it not second nature for me to lean on God, through His Word, prayer, and the Holy Spirit? In the midst of the busyness of life, have I ever reflected and given thanks for what the Lord has done for me, or have I taken Him for granted?
I want to be more like the Psalmist and learn to express deep gratitude to my God who has never failed to fulfill his promises. This is more so when I see how he sent His Son to die for our sins. I feel undeserving of this grace but am thankful that I have been saved by grace through faith.
I tend to focus on the negatives or what can be better. However, I wish to be more positive and focus on how God has blessed me with so much: I am grateful for my health, , to be able to walk and exercise, meet up with friends for meals, and have a family to go home to. I am also grateful to live in a country where I am able to exercise my faith freely and have a community where I can grow to know God better. I take all this for granted, and desire to express gratitude more frequently, in my daily quiet time and during small group sharings.
PRAY:
Father Lord, I give thanks to you, for you are good and your steadfast love endures forever. Even when I fail, thank you for never failing me. I pray that I continue to trust in you and seek you regardless of my situation, for you will always have a plan for me and are my strength and song. You are my God, and I will give thanks to you and extol you, for your steadfast love endures forever. Amen.
