As we take a moment to discover the next verse in our Hebrew acrostic poem, we have come to verse 2, which excluding a "thee" instead of "you" is word for word the same between the various versions of the Bible that I own. Those are the NASB, ESV, and KJV. All have their own subtle differences in places, but in this psalm they agree so much that finding differences to enjoy is at times not possible, but in others we find synonyms, greater explanations, and more as we compare the various versions.
"Every day I will bless you,
and praise your name for ever and ever."
Psalm 145:2 ESV
As we consider what David was communicating to the children of Israel with these words, they are always to be understood in the greater context, and yet this short verse is enough to challenge the most faithful and obedient Christian, as none of us have yet achieved perfection in our walk with the Lord Jesus Christ, the Creator, the Word become flesh who dwelt among men. The same applies for the youngest believer, the person who just days ago was enlightened and regenerated by the Holy Spirit and given eternal life and forgiveness of sin by the miracle of redemption.
As a father, husband, and minister of the Gospel this passage touches on every area of my life. As I rise in the morning and see all my children rousing from sleep and preparing for the day, am I leading by example in the attitude of my heart and the words of my mouth telling them that God has made a day for us, a day in which we should grow in our knowledge of and love for Him, to bless Him, to praise Him.
When my wife (who is always awake before I am) hands me my coffee and breakfast, is it on my heart and coming from my lips that she is appreciated and cherished as a gift to me from God, causing us to bless Him and praise His name?
When I am reading my Bible, giving counsel to a friend, talking to unsaved loved ones, or the clerk at the store, is my heart so full of the love of God that I tell each of these people about it, and apply the truths of God's Word in my counsel, my study, and those conversations so that it is true of me what I have often said, that if you meet me for 5 minutes you will know that I am a Christian husband and father who is striving to preach the Gospel to every creature and make disciples to my great Shepherd?
Maybe you have, like me, had some ups and downs in your walk with the Lord. With me, the times of greatest blessing tend to make me forget where all these blessings come from, while the greatest trials are when I am constantly reminded of God's strength which is made perfect in weakness, that even when I am not faithful, God remains faithful because He cannot deny Himself. It is part of the character of God to be faithful, which leads us by example and causes us to beg Him to fill us, use us, and guide us into all truth and be used by Him to share that truth with others that He may be worshiped, praised, and adored by many more.
As I did in the previous post, I want to define what this means to "bless the Lord". This term means literally to kneel, a position of humbling ourselves in the presence of the Lord of the universe, the God revealed in the Holy Bible, which as one considers the various postures of prayer, we often see people either on their knees in prayer, or prostrate on the ground, that is face down, broken and humbled by the glory of God and placing ourselves in a vulnerable and lowly position. Consider what Jesus did when He walked the earth. He was born as a baby, who needed his bottom cleaned, who needed to eat and be nourished, who obeyed his parents, and even after He revealed Himself as the Messiah, was mistreated and despised as it was prophesied would happen in Isaiah 53.
If this is the posture of the only begotten Son of God, to pray and cry out to His Father, then as Christians who now have Jesus as the Advocate before the Father's throne as we pray, bowing or lying face down before Him as His glory overpowers us, and we realize that we are but creatures while He is the Creator. We are clay in His hands, made for His purpose, and literally account as nothing in our own value. However, when we are bought by the blood of Christ, we are washed, made clean, and adopted as sons. Can you imagine that? How then ought we approach our blessing and praise of God? With reverence, gratitude, humility, and asking things according to His will rather than trying to twist God's arm to get things that are for our own pleasures.
As we prepare for the next post, from verse 3, I encourage folks who are desiring to read this series to read Psalm 145 slowly once each day as I have been doing. After you read, and as you read, just pour out your heart before the Lord. Thank Him for His Word, thank Him for opening your eyes to see Him in all His beauty, thank Him for the life you have and the opportunities you have to serve Him and make Him known to others. Praise God for His marvelous work of salvation, forgiveness, atonement, reconciliation, and much more that belongs to those who are in Christ as an act of His free will in election. Don't dwell on the sins which you once enjoyed and be broken in sorrow, but be the new creation He has made you to be and hate the things He hates as you learn to love the things He loves.
Take some time to list out your blessings, and then thank God for them one by one. You will be amazed at how long a list you can come up with. I will share a short list here, only concerning my own family as a prompt for others.
Blessings of today, February 16, 2018:
- Life .
- Breath (I am an asthmatic, and never take this for granted).
- Ability to walk (I don't always have this).
- Ability to speak and have conversation with those I love (I don't always have this either).
- A full belly of healthy and nourishing food that is pleasurable to eat.
- My precious wife who has her own health issues but cares for me and never complains.
- My 7 children, all for various reasons, who bless me, serve me, snuggle with me, and remind me to honor God most of all, as He is also doing a mighty work in their lives.
- Friends who understand my weaknesses and are willing to help when they are able.
- Church family who encourage, pray for, and edify us and give us opportunity to do the same for others.
- Men of God who proclaim the truth of God to me when I am failing, who hold me accountable, and who labor alongside me in our mutual goals of making disciples for Christ Jesus.
- My home which protects our family from the cold, rain, snow, and once in a while oppressive heat (it's Maine, that isn't often).
- Friends from far away who keep in touch to build me up in knowledge of God and so, also bless God and praise Him with me, or as an example when I fail to do so.
- A computer which allows me to type as my writing is horrible, and internet access in our home which allows me to share these posts with others.
- Electricity which, while common in most parts of the world, is affordable enough that I can afford to keep the house warm and also use the computer.
- Hot water to wash dishes and ourselves in. Not everyone has this luxury.
- Insurance from my employer which covers much of the cost of my constant medical bills.
- A good running vehicle to take our family in safety to go get groceries, get to the hospital to do blood work, and to see my doctor and discuss what might be learned as we continue to try to discover what is causing me such debilitating seizures and weakness.
- Did I mention my wife? She should be in here a few more times, because she is AWESOME!!!!
- A computer which was given to us so that the kids can do their research for school while I can write posts like these to encourage others.
- Multiple versions of the Bible, copies for everyone in the family.
- Books that glorify God by giving Him blessing, honor, and praise such as those from Dr. Jason Lisle, Ken Ham, R.C.Sproul, and many many more that spend many years following God and applying their knowledge of Him in order to share that with others.
- Children to invest my time and wisdom in, and even admit my mistakes to, which humbles the heart of their father. Yes, I said kids a few times, too, but they are worth it.
- The honor of training boys to be men, to protect and provide for their families, to lead in fighting for justice, to honor those in authority over them and so honor God who places all authorities where He wants them, for His glory.
- THIS LIST COULD GO ON FOREVER.... LITERALLY!
As you can see, it isn't hard to find many things to bless the Lord for, to praise Him about, and at least for me, there is no shortage in supply of people to talk to and teach these things. I have 4 sons and 3 daughters, and a wife who thirsts and hungers for righteousness and encourages me to persevere in the hard times. There has never been a day that I didn't have much to praise God for, but there have been days when I get too tied up in the busyness of life to give God what He deserves, what He has commanded, what He rescued me from sin to do. And so, I hope you will join me and remind me to bless the Lord at all times, to praise His name for ever and ever.
