November Beacon

“Worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth.”  Psalm 96:9

The devotional book Springs in the Valley tells of a man who found a barn where satan kept his seeds ready to be sown in the human heart.  He found that the seeds of discouragement were more numerous than the others and he learned that those seeds could be made to grow almost anywhere.  But when satan was questioned, he reluctantly admitted that there was one place in which he could never get them to thrive.  “And where is that?”  asked the man.  Satan replied sadly, “In the heart of a grateful person.”

Do you think there is any truth to that story?  And if so, how do you respond?  Did you thank the Lord when you woke up this morning?  Will you thank Him before you go to sleep?  And what will He hear from your heart of thankfulness in between morning and night?  Maybe you wonder what there is to give thanks for!

I believe the Psalmist gave us a few reasons to consider.  He began Psalm 96 with, “Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.  Sing to the LORD, praise His name; proclaim His salvation day after day.  Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples.”

Next, he pointed out how the LORD is:  great; most worthy; to be feared; the Creator; strong and glorious.

And what a resounding call of thankfulness is heard in verses 7-9 with the words, “Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.  Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; bring an offering and come into His courts.  Worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness, tremble before Him, all the earth.”

Sometimes it is hard to keep the kind of focus the Psalmist had.  I have been reading a book about ‘the powers that be’ and how our nation and our world (according to this author), is moving toward a one world government.  I do not like what the book reports or suggests.  But I also believe he is writing about what may be considered some ‘uncomfortable truths.’

We can be thankful for how the Psalmist closed Psalm 96.  “Say among the nations, ‘The LORD reigns.’  The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity.  Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them.  Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy; they will sing before the LORD, for He comes, He comes to judge the earth.  He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His truth.”

Each new day is a blessing from God.  He made us and sustains us.  And some day, He is coming in righteousness and truth.  Justice will be done…and His thankful people will continue to praise Him!

Pastor Lerud