Rejoicing In God’s Promises – Psalm 119.161-168

      Rejoicing in God’s promises should be easy, but sometimes we find it difficult because, we do not see those promises being fulfilled. The reason we do not see God’s promises being fulfilled is because we are stuck in the muck and mire of the world. We need to get out of this rut and back on track for our Lord Jesus Christ. We must recognize persecution will come in our life; we are going to suffer for the cause of Jesus Christ. The question we must ask ourselves is how will we handle the persecution? The Psalmist reminds us our hearts need to fear the Lord’s Word (vs. 161).
      John Bunyan used to say. “that the very chickens shame us if we are ungrateful, for they do not take a drink of water without lifting up their heads, as if in thankfulness for the refreshing draught.”[1] Charles H. Spurgeon continued Mr. Bunyan’s thought by saying, “If we, who are the Lord’s children, do not bless him for the mercies which so constantly come to us from him, we are of all people the most ungrateful.”[2] Focus on what the Psalmist is saying, “I rejoice,” “I hate and abhor falsehood,” and, “I praise you seven times a day” (vs. 162, 163, and 164). The Psalmist found it important to praise Almighty God for all He had done, and we should as well lift the name of The Lord God to heaven for all He has done for us.
      This is not all for the ones who follow after God. Yes, they see His promises fulfilled, they will praise His name, but they will also have peace, hope and obey His commands, decrees and precepts. Why, because they prevent stumbling while we are out in the world, they remind us God is our salvation. We obey because we love His Word more than anything else, and because we know everything we do is before Him no matter what.
      God is always looking out for us, taking care of us, protecting us, even when we are going through some kind of suffering or other types of situations. God has all things in His hands. C. H. Spurgeon illustrates this for us;
"A child came home from the common with her lap full of brightly shining berries. She seemed very pleased with what she had found, but her father looked frightened when he saw what she had got, and anxiously asked her, “Have you eaten any of those berries?” “No, father,” replied the child, to his great relief; and then he said to her, “Come with me into the garden;” and there he dug a hole, put the berries in, stamped on them, and crushed them, and then covered them with earth. All this while, the little one thought, “How unkind father is to take away these things which pleased me so much!” But she understood the reason for it when he told her that the berries were so poisonous that, if she had eaten even one of them, she would in all probability have died in consequence. In like manner, sometimes, our comforts turn to poison, especially when we begin to make idols of them; and it is kind on the part of God to stamp on them, and put them right away from us, so that no mischief may come to our souls."[3]
      God loves us enough to watch over us, care for us and protect us even from ourselves. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death Thou Art with me, Thy rod and staff comfort me (Psalms 23.4). God wants us to be safe, He has provided His Word for us to use, with all the do’s and don’ts listed in It. We can choose to be obedient or not, but in the end, we will be judged by God’s Word and the Lamb’s Book of Life.
 
Application

1. When is the last time you sang a song of praise to your Heavenly Father? Find a song you love, a song of Praise or Worship that brings glory and honor to God and sing it to Him. He does not care if you can sing off key, in tune or carry a tune. He just wants you to praise Him with all your heart.
2. When is the last time you praised God by reading His Holy Word? Throughout these devotionals you have been encouraged to commit to spending time in God’s Word. If you have not done that yet, make your commitment today, find an accountability partner (see Sept. 24th for help with this) to help you stay the course.
3. Has God moved in your life in a way to remind you there are somethings you should not be doing and somethings you should? How have you responded to Him during this time? Did you allow God to protect you and move you on to the right path or did you just do your own thing? Reread Psalms 119.161-168 and see how the Psalmist declares we should deal with these situations. Make a list of how others handle the situations, how you should handle the situation, and what God will do.

 
Prayer
 
      Lord God, Creator of All Thing, I need Your wisdom and understanding to be able see what You want for me in my life. Lord, I feel sometimes like I do not have any idea where or what You want me to do. I push forward with what I think is right, and many things seem to move along great, but Lord is this really the plan You have chosen for me? Help me to know and understand and then be satisfied with what You are doing in my life. Help me to Praise Your holy name, to life You up wherever I go, to give You glory and honor each and every day. I thank You Lord Jesus for all You have done in my life and will do, in Your Son Jesus Christ’s Name, Amen.

[1] Spurgeon, C. H. (1907). Fifteen Years After! In The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons (Vol. 53, p. 69). London: Passmore & Alabaster.
[2] Ibid.; 69
[3] Ibid.; 71