One Minute Devotion: Psalm 92: 1&2, 4&5

 Psalm 92: 1&2, 4&5

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High: To declare thy loving kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night.

For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands. O Lord, how great are thy works! And thy thoughts are very deep.

The book of Psalm is a book of reminders. The passages contained remind us of; the greatness of God, depth of His mercy, sweep of His love, His unconditional desire to share an intimate connection with us, and how profoundly lost we are without His presence in our lives. In a world, where it is so easy to forget God's continual forgiveness, provision, and faithfulness; the psalms take inventory of all of the Lord's gifts to us; gifts we have never earned or deserved. It is a good thing to praise the Lord, to give thanks, daily and nightly. Why? There are three undeniable reasons. The first, remembrance. As stated before, it is such a quick and simple thing to forget, especially in adversity, how gracious God is and has been to us. The more we dwell, moment by moment, on God's providence, the more we get very little has to do with us. When we take stock in God's goodness, we realize that the troubles of the second, minute, or hour pale in comparison to the legacy of deliverance and blessing God has presented to us. Second, it draws us deeper into a selfless relationship with the Lord. If we truly seek to experience God's intervention in our lives, selflessness is required. There has been no better expression of this very personal revelation than John the Baptist, who as his ministry ended and Christ's on earth grew he stated so clearly, "I must decrease, so He may increase." The less we care for ourselves and the more for God, the more God crafts us into the person He created us to be. Finally, it is the ultimate remedy for self pity and despair. How great are thou works, I triumph in them, God has made me glad, your thoughts of me are extraordinarily deep. God thinks about us all the time, an unimaginable reality. However, we only seem concerned about Him during times of crisis and complaint. Well God's complaint department policy is straightforward; I know what you are going through, and I am with you, trust in me, take account for all the ways I have been with you, and be glad in it. In this entitled selfish culture that we have shaped it is a hard position to accept. We are taught me, me, me. That life's purpose is to feel happy with ourselves no matter what we are up to. This runs opposed to what God wants; to give ourselves to him, lock, stock, and barrel; and to look to serve the needs of others. To daily discover a deepening relationship with our maker over all else. What are you thankful for? What gifts have you opened and then forgot? Which gifts have you received lay unopened and ignored? What gifts of God would you return? What have you given to God? Thankfully, He never forgets us. To God, we are the greatest gift He ever created, an incomprehensible love that escapes the finite mind of man. God bless.