It Is Good To Give Thanks To The LORD
Devotional
Companion to the Psalter
A Devotional Guide to the Psalms
Object:
It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night ...
For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work.
-- Psalm 92:1-2, 4a
Theme: A song for the sabbath day
Outline
1-3 -- How good it is to worship you with thanks and praise.
4-8 -- Good, because of your great works giving victory to the righteous.
9-15 -- Your enemies perish, but the righteous shall flourish.
Notes
• Thanksgiving
• "My horn" = (my strength), "poured oil" -- as in a festival or anointed by priest when healed of sickness (v. 10).
• To understand this somewhat jarring verse think of VE Day 1945 (v. 11).
• Palm trees grow tall and provide fruit and building material (v. 12). Cedars of Lebanon can grow to be 120 feet tall.
For Reflection
• Verses 1-2 are good for beginning a morning's or evening's devotion.
• How can we share with the psalmist a heart made glad by the "great works of the Lord"? (v. 4). God's work is symbolized by a cross, his self-giving suffering with us and for us. This includes the whole story from the fall to the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. To contemplate this humble self-giving of God for us is to open one's self to the "joy no one can take from you." (See John 16:22.)
Prayer
Lord God, how great are your works! The long patient preparation for Christ, his wondrous ministry, his death on the cross for us, his resurrection, and the sending of his Spirit to be with us -- these mighty works all make us glad. Give us the joy to which we are called -- growing in good works of faith, hope, and love, for we are your workmanship by your Spirit. Amen.
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night ...
For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work.
-- Psalm 92:1-2, 4a
Theme: A song for the sabbath day
Outline
1-3 -- How good it is to worship you with thanks and praise.
4-8 -- Good, because of your great works giving victory to the righteous.
9-15 -- Your enemies perish, but the righteous shall flourish.
Notes
• Thanksgiving
• "My horn" = (my strength), "poured oil" -- as in a festival or anointed by priest when healed of sickness (v. 10).
• To understand this somewhat jarring verse think of VE Day 1945 (v. 11).
• Palm trees grow tall and provide fruit and building material (v. 12). Cedars of Lebanon can grow to be 120 feet tall.
For Reflection
• Verses 1-2 are good for beginning a morning's or evening's devotion.
• How can we share with the psalmist a heart made glad by the "great works of the Lord"? (v. 4). God's work is symbolized by a cross, his self-giving suffering with us and for us. This includes the whole story from the fall to the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. To contemplate this humble self-giving of God for us is to open one's self to the "joy no one can take from you." (See John 16:22.)
Prayer
Lord God, how great are your works! The long patient preparation for Christ, his wondrous ministry, his death on the cross for us, his resurrection, and the sending of his Spirit to be with us -- these mighty works all make us glad. Give us the joy to which we are called -- growing in good works of faith, hope, and love, for we are your workmanship by your Spirit. Amen.
