Heart of a Psalmist - Worshipping Christ Through The Psalms

promises he has given to the believer; they are as true as the value of his identity. ‘He has given a prom- ise which infinitely surpasses everything by which he has hitherto established a name and memorial for himself.’ 5

“When I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me the strength I need.” (3)

Here is the miracle of answered prayer giving the psalmist the strength to bear the trial in which they are engaged. Encouraged means: ‘to make anyone courageous, bold, and confident of victory.’ 6 Some answers to prayer remove the problem itself, sometimes God’s answer is to remove us from the problem, but often his answer is to grant us the grace to endure the trial and gain wisdom from our dif- ficulties. WILL GIVE YOU THANKS - 4-6 Kings Praise “Every king in all the earth will give you thanks, O Lord, for all of them will hear your words. Yes, they will sing about the Lord’s ways, for the glory of the Lord is very great.” (4, 5) This certainly includes the prophetic picture given to us in the Book of Revelation: “The whole world has become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.” (Rev. 11:15) but it goes beyond that. Throughout the centuries Kings and rulers have embraced the Lord God and fulfilled this prescription; ‘hearing the word, learning his ways, singing his worship.’ Paul preached the word of the Lord to Sergius Paulus the governor of Cyprus, ‘ …a man of considerable insight and un- derstanding. The governor invited Barnabas and Paul to visit him, for he wanted to hear the word of God.” (Acts 13:7) After Bar Jesus, a false prophet who resisted Paul, was blinded by the power of God the Bible tells us: “When the governor saw what had happened, he believed and was astonished at what he learned about the Lord.” (Acts 13:12) It is hard for us to imagine this concept in our modern age when we are so accustomed to talking about a personal encounter and relationship with God but to the ancient societies, intimacy with God was a foreign and distant idea. The gods of the nations were only accessible to priests who went through elaborate ceremonies involving offerings and sacrifices. Now David’s song brings the God of heaven within reach of anyone with a humble heart and repels the proud spirited. He is touching the realm of the Kingdom of God: “God sets himself against the proud, but he shows favor to the humble.” (1 Pet. 5:5) II “Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud.” (6) “Though I am surrounded by troubles, you will preserve me against the anger of my enemies. You will clench your fist against my angry enemies! Your power will save me. The Lord will work out his plans for my life–for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for you made me.” (7, 8) Verses 7 and 8 belong together for the last assures that the first will happen. If God has promised to complete his plans for the psalmist’s life, then the troubles and enemies that have surrounded David will surely be defeated and the King will be preserved from their anger. Confidence arises from the re- liable promises of God. Paul reaches back to the spirit of this psalm when writing to the Philippian church: “And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally fin- ished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.” (Phil. 1:6) In a few verses later in his letter he expresses the spirit of verse 7 concerning the angry enemies of the godly; “Don’t be intimidated by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself.” (Phil 1:28) The seal of God’s promise is the “faithful love” that “endures forever” , untarnished, immovable and always ready to respond to the cry of the humble heart. III WORK OUT HIS PLANS - 7, 8 Protected by God

1 Keil & Delitzsch 2 Kraus 3 Spurgeon 4 Spence 5 Keil & Delitzsch 6 Keil & Delitzsch

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