1 Praise the
LORD!
Praise the LORD, O my soul! 2 While I live I
will praise the LORD;
I will sing praises to my God while I
have my being. 3 Do not put
your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there
is no help. 4 His spirit
departs, he returns to his earth;
In that very day his plans perish. 5 Happy is
he who has the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose hope is in the LORD his God, 6 Who made
heaven and earth,
The sea, and all that is in
them;
Who keeps truth forever, 7 Who
executes justice for the oppressed,
Who gives food to the hungry.
The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners. 8 The LORD
opens the eyes of the blind;
The LORD raises those who are bowed down;
The LORD loves the righteous. 9 The LORD
watches over the strangers;
He relieves the fatherless and widow;
But the way of the wicked He turns upside
down.
10 The LORD shall reign
forever—
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the LORD!
David of the Bible knew very early that it was not about him. The
fact that he was willing to go toe to toe with a lion and a bear to
protect his sheep showed that! His motivation was not from within,
or a natural inner strength. On the contrary, his motivating
strength was purely from God! In the book of Psalm David
beautifully describes the awesome power and provision of God. He
proclaims the supremacy of God, knowing that EVERYTHING is a result
of God's Master planning. Even when David fell as a result of his
own sinful nature, he soon thereafter repented and allowed the Lord
to be re-established upon the throne of his heart. When you read the
above Psalm 146, what went through your mind? What about it pierced
your heart? Was there any conviction? Did you find yourself
agreeing, and nodding approval of the Psalmist's view point? When I
read it, I felt an overwhelming sense of affirmation. An affirmation
of WHO God is. An affirmation of God's eminence. An affirmation of
His great love and provision. It gives us insight into the heart of
David as he honored God with his WHOLE heart.
Often I sing
out a new song to Lord from my heart. I release to Him my praise and
adoration. I make an offering to the Lord which flows out of my
heart of thanksgiving. I lift Him up with ALL that is within me! I
proclaim He is my God; my Lord; my King; my EVERYTHING! It's not
surprising to me, that when I do this, His presence becomes so much
more evident! It is no wonder that as I cry out to Him, that He
hears me. David was constantly in contact with His God. He spent
very little time doing ME things. He was not overly indulged in
pleasing himself...most of the time he was indulged in pleasing God.
Unfortunately, at a weak moment, he gazed upon Bathsheba. He gazed
again. He sinned. He turned aside from pleasing God, to pleasing his
flesh. Lord Jesus, please help us to die to our flesh! Help us to
put our eyes upon You! May our hearts sing out as David's did in
Psalm 146! May we realize our life, and everything around us was
created for YOUR pleasure! May we live to PLEASE YOU! David was a
man after God's own heart. He was willing to be obedient. He was
willing to seek the face of God. He was willing to admit his
failures. He was willing to dance unto the Lord before those who
disdained his apparent lack of judgment and decorum. He was not
perfect...but he knew his LORD was!
As we walk this sod, may
we know that it isn't about us. May we take our frailties to Jesus.
May we cast our cares upon Him. Oh that we would not seek our own.
That we would seek His will! Day by day, I realize more and more
something that was glaringly apparent to David...I am weak, but HE
IS STRONG! However, to an even greater degree I understand that He
works through my weaknesses! He manifests Himself through me when I
face up to my inadequacies! Are you feeling inadequate today? Do you
have a hard time seeing any value in your life? Do you experience
the pain of rejection and dejection? GET READY...God may be about to
use you! Jesus is looking for WILLING vessels...not perfect vessels!
He is wanting to fill you up...not just so you can be full! But so
you can flow into the life of someone else! Flowing water never
stagnates. It isn't dirty and disease ridden! It is purified and
clean! David made mistakes. He had some downfalls...but he didn't
remain there! He allowed the flow of God's Spirit to revitalize him!
He allowed the Spirit of God to refocus his heart! He subjected
himself to God's will! God flowed through him and touched the lives
of others! Just exactly what He wants to do with your life today!
Until next time, remember...our lives are about HIM! Be BLESSED with
GOD'S BEST!
Your Partner In Ministry,
Greg McCowen
Covenant Life Fellowship - Lubbock
Church - (806) 771-4244
