Coffee With The Lord

A “Sip” from Psalm 147…

“The Lord’s delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor His pleasure in the legs of a man, but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His steadfast love!” (vss. 10-11)

I’m reading and reflecting on the “Hymns of Praise” in Psalms (Psalm 145-150) during my time of “Coffee with the Lord” this week… Today my focus was Psalm 147.

I’ve got friends whose most natural impulse when they think about the Lord, His supreme power, His stellar character, His bountiful goodness, His mighty acts, His personal blessings… IS TO SING!!!  It may be a hymn, an “ol’ gospel song,” or a contemporary worship song… but for some, it may not be any of those – it may simply be personal praise expressed in a spontaneous stream of music (on an instrument or vocal worship)!  In fact, some of the best worship songs have issued from those spontaneous expressions of worship!

Now that is not the way it is for me… my most natural worship response is verbal – a personal verbal expression of praise and adoration to God! … I sing, don’t get me wrong – but I do it more deliberately than the spontaneity of the  “song inclined.”

Psalm 147 though, is especially for the “song inclined!”  I mean check it out… four times in the first 7 verses!  “It is good to SING PRAISES to our God… It is pleasant, and A SONG of praise is fitting! … SING to the Lord with thanksgiving; MAKE MELODY to our God on the lyre!”

And why?  Here’s just a taste from the Psalm (for what He does): “The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel.  He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds!  He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names!  Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure!  The Lord lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground.”  (From Psalm 147:2–6)  You should go on and read the rest of the Psalm (vss. 8-20)!  Wow!  Even I feel a song coming on!

I think Chris Tomlin caught the “Spirit” of Psalm 147 with his worship song “Sing! Sing!! Sing!!!) … give it a listen on YouTube!  (Here’s the link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uv4HiiOmAFg)

Over the next several days I’m reading in one of my favorite parts of the Bible – Psalms 146-150 – “Hymns of Praise”… they all have a strong vertical orientation focusing on God, His character, His worthiness of praise! (Just a sidelight for those who are involved in leading worship in a local church… My recommendation: Always try to begin your “worship set” with music that points people upward and leads them to focus on the awesome character of God! Reason? It prepares them to respond appropriately to Him later on as the worship experience develops… From the “for what it’s worth” department of an ol’ pastor and prof)

I used to tell my students when they’re studying a passage… “Always start by identifying the central truth of a passage (and as much as is possible, try to identify it in the very words of the Biblical writer!).” Sometimes repetition reveals it (as in this passage – Psalm 146), at other times the logic of the passage points to it, at other times the writer just comes out and says it. So what about Psalm 146 – what’s the “key idea?”…

IT’S “PRAISE THE LORD! PRAISE THE LORD, O MY SOUL!’ (verses 1 and 10 – a bracketed emphasis)

The reasons the Psalmist gives? Check out Verses 6–10

“He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— he remains faithful forever. He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. The Lord reigns forever – your God … for all generations!”

Wow! What a wonderful, awesome God, eh?!!

The resulting exhortation? “Do not put your trust in princes – in human being who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground – on that very day their plans come to nothing!” (verses 3-4)

Back to the key idea! … PRAISE THE LORD! (vs. 10b)

After I wrote this, I thought to myself … This sounds too much like an ol’ prof!! … Aw phooey! Once in a while it’s OK I guess, eh?