What is your grounds for praise? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Psalm 113:7-9,

"He [the Lord] raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes,
with the princes of their people.
He settles the barren woman in her home
as a happy mother of children."

The psalmist begins this psalm by calling on all everywhere and
forever to praise the Lord. He says, "Praise the Lord. Praise, O
servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord. Let the name of the
Lord be praised, both now and forevermore. From the rising of the sun
to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised."

The praise he calls for is not merely the empty praise that is often
heard these days (if at all), but is to be based upon the recognition
of two very important things all worship should be based upon: who the
Lord is and what he does.

This psalmist provides ample consideration of who it is he calls
worship for. It is the Lord who is over all the nations, the One whose
glory is manifested above the heavens, the One who is enthroned on
high in his lofty position, from which he needs to stoop in order to
look down upon the place worshipers reside, verses 4-7.

Next, the psalmist speaks to the wonderful things the Lord does.
Where, in other psalms the righteousness and horrific judgment of God
is contemplated, here it is his kindness and compassion that forms the
grounds from which worship should manifest itself. The Lord cares for
the needy and poor. He takes in hand the plight of those who struggle
with disappointment, despair and discouragement, as in the case of
women unable to bear children in a culture where a wife's worth is
measured by her progeny.

It is this aspect of the Lord's nature that grips my heart this
morning. The Lord has a love for us that I find unfathomable. It is
manifested in his acts of kindness and mercy. To think of the Lord's
kindness, mercy and love is to approach something that is difficult
for me to comprehend. I know of it and I accept and embrace it, but to
wrap my mind around it is impossible. I am reminded of Paul's letter
to Titus, "When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he
saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of
his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by
the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus
Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we
might become heirs having the hope of eternal life." Titus 3:4-7.

The love and kindness of our Lord is an amazing thing!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com