By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas; the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might; who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples, so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.” Psalm 63:5-8
Psalm 65
The Lord is our Salvation in every sense of the word. Believers, we are all tempted. And sometimes we all give in to those temptations. But God Who Saved Us, is still our Salvation. We are human, He is The LORD God. We have needs. We can’t live without food and water. We can’t survive exposed to the elements without relief. But God is Righteousness, Worthy, and, Able. God is our Creator and Sustainer. He is the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. Like all of us, David also gave in to temptation at times. In fact some of his sins were so grievous that we might wonder how this man could be called a man after God’s own heart. He committed adultery and had a man killed so that he could have the object of his lust for himself. That’s the stuff of a Lifetime movie. But He asked the Lord for forgiveness. And God forgave him and restored him. Verses 1-4 read
“Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion,
and to you shall vows be performed.
2 O you who hear prayer,
to you shall all flesh come.
3 When iniquities prevail against me,
you atone for our transgressions.
4 Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,
to dwell in your courts!
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
the holiness of your temple!”
God is so good! He is holy. He is loving. He is righteousness. When we contritely ask for forgiveness, He freely forgives. In the Old Covenant the priest had to offer sacrifices for sin, guilt, and thanks. Those sacrifices were Israel’s part of the bargain. Today, we are forgiven once and for all when we ask. And when we recognize our sin, our penitent prayer reminds us of God’s deep merciful love. He draws us closer to Him as we praise Him and worship him in thanksgiving for all our needs, including forgiveness, provision, protection, and healing,
Two nights ago, I got angry about two different issues. I did not take those angry thoughts captive. I let the anger grow, I mulled it and molded it. I opened myself up to the lies of the accuser, our enemy. And that stewing anger simmered and became bitterness and hopelessness. Last night I found myself contemplating the lies of the enemy to the point of such deep despondency that I wanted to act on it. I gave in to temptation and fed my depression. This morning I woke up and prayed for forgiveness even though I still felt the misery. And God my Salvation spoke to me. He reminded me of James 7-10.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”
He had already forgiven me but my repentance allowed me to acknowledge and appreciate the sin and God’s mercy and grace. And in my sorrow over my sin I can praise Him. And He is there in my praise. (Psalm 22:3-5). And He replaces my mourning with His joy, the ugliness of my sin with the beauty of His grace, and the remnants of my act to His glory.
We sin, but God still loves. We couldn’t hold up our end of the bargain and keep the law. So God in His profound love sent Jesus. Jesus lived perfectly, not by being religious, but by perfectly loving and never falling short. He never sinned and so He could be our propitiation, our Mercy Seat. He died and paid the price for our wrongs, our imperfections. And He rose again and conquered sin, death, and Satan. That is truly AWESOME! Verses 5-8 describe Jesus,
“By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,
O God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas;
6 the one who by his strength established the mountains,
being girded with might;
7 who stills the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
the tumult of the peoples,
8 so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs.
You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.”
Jesus is God our Salvation. He is our hope. In Him we have salvation, eternal life, and the Kingdom of Heaven. The entirety of creation was made by, through, and for Jesus, and He sustains all of it. (Colossians 1-15-17). Creation answer to Jesus. He spoke and healed. He spoke and forgave. He spoke and brought peace. He spoke and calmed the wind and the seas just as He, our God spoke and created the world. (Mark 4:35-41). Everyone who saw and heard Him, even those who refused to acknowledge His divinity we in awe of His miracles, teaching, and words. There is not a person far enough east or far enough west that will not see the greatness of the Lord, who will not hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, nor see the might of His work. Isaiah 45:22-24 says,
“Turn to me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other.
23 By myself I have sworn;
from my mouth has gone out in righteousness
a word that shall not return:
‘To me every knee shall bow,
every tongue shall swear allegiance.’
24 “Only in the Lord, it shall be said of me,
are righteousness and strength;
to him shall come and be ashamed
all who were incensed against him.”
Salvation is the greatest of God’s works. And it is not His only awesome deed. He created the world He gives life, and He sustains life. He makes the sun shine, the rain fall and the earth produce, not only for the saved but for the lost, not only for the rich but for the poor, not only for the king but for the commoner. Verses 9-13 read,
“You visit the earth and water it;
you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
you provide their grain,
for so you have prepared it.
10 You water its furrows abundantly,
settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
and blessing its growth.
11 You crown the year with your bounty;
your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.
12 The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
the hills gird themselves with joy,
13 the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
the valleys deck themselves with grain,
they shout and sing together for joy.”
God’s creation speaks to His splendor and might, even if we do not. (Romans 1:19-20, Job 12:7-12, Psalm 19:1-6). But how can we keep His love, mercy and greatness within us? He created the world. He created each of us uniquely and amazingly. He made a way for us to know Him and to love Him. He lived, died, and resurrected for us. He gave us eternal life.
Do not let sin keep you from Him. Remember you are forgiven, humble yourself and repent. Then praise Him. Shout with joy. Don’t leave to the rocks and trees. Praise the Lord, your Salvation, Creator, Sustainer, and Peace.
The Lord is our Salvation in every sense of the word. Believers, we are all tempted. And sometimes we all give in to those temptations. But God Who Saved Us, is still our Salvation. We are human, He is The LORD God. We have needs. We can’t live without food and water. We can’t survive exposed to the elements without relief. But God is Righteousness, Worthy, and, Able. God is our Creator and Sustainer. He is the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. Like all of us, David also gave in to temptation at times. In fact some of his sins were so grievous that we might wonder how this man could be called a man after God’s own heart. He committed adultery and had a man killed so that he could have the object of his lust for himself. That’s the stuff of a Lifetime movie. But He asked the Lord for forgiveness. And God forgave him and restored him. Verses 1-4 read
“Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion,
and to you shall vows be performed.
2 O you who hear prayer,
to you shall all flesh come.
3 When iniquities prevail against me,
you atone for our transgressions.
4 Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,
to dwell in your courts!
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
the holiness of your temple!”
God is so good! He is holy. He is loving. He is righteousness. When we contritely ask for forgiveness, He freely forgives. In the Old Covenant the priest had to offer sacrifices for sin, guilt, and thanks. Those sacrifices were Israel’s part of the bargain. Today, we are forgiven once and for all when we ask. And when we recognize our sin, our penitent prayer reminds us of God’s deep merciful love. He draws us closer to Him as we praise Him and worship him in thanksgiving for all our needs, including forgiveness, provision, protection, and healing,
Two nights ago, I got angry about two different issues. I did not take those angry thoughts captive. I let the anger grow, I mulled it and molded it. I opened myself up to the lies of the accuser, our enemy. And that stewing anger simmered and became bitterness and hopelessness. Last night I found myself contemplating the lies of the enemy to the point of such deep despondency that I wanted to act on it. I gave in to temptation and fed my depression. This morning I woke up and prayed for forgiveness even though I still felt the misery. And God my Salvation spoke to me. He reminded me of James 7-10.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”
He had already forgiven me but my repentance allowed me to acknowledge and appreciate the sin and God’s mercy and grace. And in my sorrow over my sin I can praise Him. And He is there in my praise. (Psalm 22:3-5). And He replaces my mourning with His joy, the ugliness of my sin with the beauty of His grace, and the remnants of my act to His glory.
We sin, but God still loves. We couldn’t hold up our end of the bargain and keep the law. So God in His profound love sent Jesus. Jesus lived perfectly, not by being religious, but by perfectly loving and never falling short. He never sinned and so He could be our propitiation, our Mercy Seat. He died and paid the price for our wrongs, our imperfections. And He rose again and conquered sin, death, and Satan. That is truly AWESOME! Verses 5-8 describe Jesus,
“By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,
O God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas;
6 the one who by his strength established the mountains,
being girded with might;
7 who stills the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
the tumult of the peoples,
8 so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs.
You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.”
Jesus is God our Salvation. He is our hope. In Him we have salvation, eternal life, and the Kingdom of Heaven. The entirety of creation was made by, through, and for Jesus, and He sustains all of it. (Colossians 1-15-17). Creation answer to Jesus. He spoke and healed. He spoke and forgave. He spoke and brought peace. He spoke and calmed the wind and the seas just as He, our God spoke and created the world. (Mark 4:35-41). Everyone who saw and heard Him, even those who refused to acknowledge His divinity we in awe of His miracles, teaching, and words. There is not a person far enough east or far enough west that will not see the greatness of the Lord, who will not hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, nor see the might of His work. Isaiah 45:22-24 says,
“Turn to me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other.
23 By myself I have sworn;
from my mouth has gone out in righteousness
a word that shall not return:
‘To me every knee shall bow,
every tongue shall swear allegiance.’
24 “Only in the Lord, it shall be said of me,
are righteousness and strength;
to him shall come and be ashamed
all who were incensed against him.”
Salvation is the greatest of God’s works. And it is not His only awesome deed. He created the world He gives life, and He sustains life. He makes the sun shine, the rain fall and the earth produce, not only for the saved but for the lost, not only for the rich but for the poor, not only for the king but for the commoner. Verses 9-13 read,
“You visit the earth and water it;
you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
you provide their grain,
for so you have prepared it.
10 You water its furrows abundantly,
settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
and blessing its growth.
11 You crown the year with your bounty;
your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.
12 The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
the hills gird themselves with joy,
13 the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
the valleys deck themselves with grain,
they shout and sing together for joy.”
God’s creation speaks to His splendor and might, even if we do not. (Romans 1:19-20, Job 12:7-12, Psalm 19:1-6). But how can we keep His love, mercy and greatness within us? He created the world. He created each of us uniquely and amazingly. He made a way for us to know Him and to love Him. He lived, died, and resurrected for us. He gave us eternal life.
Do not let sin keep you from Him. Remember you are forgiven, humble yourself and repent. Then praise Him. Shout with joy. Don’t leave to the rocks and trees. Praise the Lord, your Salvation, Creator, Sustainer, and Peace.
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