Author: timritanickel@gmail.com

Psalm 48:9 We thought of thy lovingkindness, O God, in the midst of thy temple.

It is a very helpful and uplifting idea that we respond to everyday issues by thinking of the Lord’s lovingkindness (chesed, faithful love). All during the day, every day and everywhere, we may go about our business thinking about God’s Love for us. And we may pause every so often to remember God and His mercies. And particularly, we gather together in the assembling of God’s people weekly to be reminded of the gospel of God’s grace in Christ.

Being in the temple is being in the presence of God on earth. The good news of the New Testament is that our body houses the presence of God, as a temple. Thus we may think of the love of God in Christ wherever we are all through the week. When we hear the Gospel in church we are encouraged to remind ourselves of the mercies of God in our daily quiet time with Him.

As sinners living in a sinful world we need to think of His lovingkindness as often as possible. So we practice the presence of God more and more as we go through the day. Like the air we breathe for our bodies, so also is the lovingkindness of God for our souls. Breathing such fresh air lifts the spirit and keeps us going. The more we consciously think of God the more His life unconsciously flows in and out of us. Hearing the Gospel helps us think better.

Psalm 48:1, 5-6 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness….They saw it, and so they marveled; they were troubled, and hasted away. Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in labor.

Jerusalem, with its beautiful temple mount, was an awesome sight to behold, for there dwelled the presence of God on the earth. The beauty of holiness inspires either praise to God for His awesome love of the sinner or terror of God for His just judgment of sin. It depends on whether we come into His Presence with faith and worship or with unbelief and pride. Seeing the same God will either draw us closer to Him or push us further away from Him.

For the believer in Jesus, encountering the beauty of Holiness and Love causes us to praise and worship Him, since, through Christ, we are made worthy and accounted as righteous to enjoy Him forever. But for the unbelieving and impenitent sinner, fear and dread takes hold of him and he shrinks away. Philippians 2:10: “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue confess.” The difference is that it is done either gladly and willingly or grudgingly and forcibly. At the end of time Jesus will appear to all people, and the reaction will be either unbounded joy or painful regret. We are on the side of praise.

Psalm 47:1, 6-7 O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph….Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King; sing praises. For God is the king of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.

This Psalm may have written about the time of the Assyrian invasion of Judah by Sennacherib during Hezekiah’s reign. The great and awesome God had miraculously defeated the army. He is a great and terrible King of all the earth. He is worthy of all the loud and boisterous noise we can make.

Raucous praise in our heart is also our response to God for His amazing grace and mighty triumph over our spiritual enemies in Christ Jesus at the Cross and the Tomb. We praise the Lord all day long for His victory, and we gather with fellow believers weekly to give voice to the praise in our heart.

Christ has crushed the power of the enemy army coming against us, saved us, set us free, and given new life. Therefore, we clap, shout, and sing.

Psalm 46:10-11 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

In the midst of uncertainty, disasters, and troubles all around, the Psalmist says we can respond by staying calm, at rest, and in peace. This kind of faith response is possible because God is still with us as a refuge. Trust the promise and know the Lord. “Come unto me…and find rest for your soul.” No matter what it looks like and feels like in the world around you and in you, be still, calm down, be at peace. He is still your God. He is exalted above everything, and He is in charge of it all, and of your life.

We believe this word of promise and we are anxious about nothing, especially about tomorrow. Speak to your soul in faith, “Be still and know!” We know we can be in peace and at rest all the time because we know that Jesus died and rose for us. And He is with us to calm our spirit. The Gospel assures us of peace and rest without agitation. Thank God for His mercies!

Psalm 46:1-3 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

Although the worst imaginable disaster, like an earthquake, happens to us, we will trust in God to be our refuge and strength. Because God is our refuge we will not fear nor be frightened by anything. Disasters come and bad things of all kinds happen to us. It cannot be avoided in a sinful world, cursed with death. But the Lord is always there as a refuge for us.

Jesus died and rose for us already, and He is always with us as a very present help in trouble. Because of Christ we do not fear. We can always trust Him, take refuge in Him, and be protected from arrows without and daggers within. Whenever we are fearful, worried, or heavy laden we come to Him. We believe that “if God be for us, who can be against us?” We daily place our selves, body, mind, will and emotions, in His protecting hands, and go about our lives trusting God and fearing not.

Psalm 45:25, 17 With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king’s palace….I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.

The Psalmist extols the king in this Psalm, and he describes the beauty of the Bride arrayed in fine linen and prepared for the king at the marriage feast. The Bride is God’s people, the church, who enter into the palace home of the King of kings. The Bride enters with gladness and rejoicing.

This beautiful scene is also waiting for us in our future when Christ returns to invite us redeemed people to the marriage feast of the Lamb in His eternal kingdom. We shall enter in with unspeakable gladness and rejoicing.

But it is not only in our future some day, the scene is also played out spiritually every day of our lives when we enter into God’s Presence by faith through the Word in our daily prayer time. We worship in Spirit and in Truth. We respond to the Gospel by entering into His Presence with gladness and rejoicing, and by God’s grace we are glad and rejoice all day long. Therefore, we will praise Him this day and forever.

Psalm 45:1-2 My heart is inditing a good matter: i speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God has blessed thee forever.

The Psalmist is responding to the majesty and beauty of the chosen king of God’s people, probably David. He, as the Lord’s representative on earth, is powerful and majestic in glory. In praise and honor of the king, his heart is overflowing (inditing) with good things to think about and speak about concerning the king. God gave him beauty and grace forever.

This is also what we think about and believe about Jesus when we contemplate and worship the king of kings, Jesus Christ. We sing “Beautiful Savior” in our hearts to the Lord, for the heart is overflowing with good thoughts and pleasant reminders of the greatness and goodness of our King. The beauty of holiness is awesome to contemplate, and it is even more incredible to know that He shares His holy and beautiful life with us. Through Christ God sees a beautiful Bride adorned with the love and holiness of God. We respond to the awesome power and unconditional love of God with overflowing praise all day long.

Psalm 44:26 Arise for our help, and redeem us for thy mercies’ sake.

We are in deep trouble because of our sin. The devil, the world, and the flesh has ganged up on us to bring temptation and trouble. We are helpless in our slavery and have no hope of escape. So we turn to God for help and redemption. We pray: Arise and do something.

And, praise God, He hears our plea, sends help, and rescues us from our miserable plight. He buys us back and brings us from eternal death into eternal life because of His mercies. The mercy of God toward us is seen, shown, and effectively acts for our salvation in the person and work of the Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the mercy of God. The Spirit of God, through the Gospel, makes effective His redemption in our life in all life’s situations.

Pleading for the Lord to arise for our help is a sure thing, as certain as the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because He lives, we will live! He is risen for our help, and thus we know we will rise.

Psalm 44:17-18 All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant, Our heart is not turned back, neither have we declined from thy way.

In spite of, and even because of, all the troubles and threats they were facing, David determined not to forget God or turn away from Him. God cannot be ignored or forgotten, for He is the only source of help, the only good.

We may often be tempted to seek help from other things when the going gets tough, but we respond by making up our minds to remember Him and be faithful to God no matter what. Instead of forgetting God we pay closer attention to Him. “We should never be discouraged, Take it to the Lord in prayer.” Romans 8:31: “If God be for us, who can be against us?” V. 39: “Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

We have this sure word from God. Therefore, we will turn toward God rather than away from Him. No matter what, with the working of the Holy Spirit through the Gospel we have not forgotten God.

Psalm 44:8 In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever.

Though being surrounded by enemies and in various dangers, David trusts in the Lord, so much so that he can even boast in the Lord all day and praise His name for ever. Bragging about self is sinful pride, but bragging about your God is right and good. Responding to need with praise is better than complaining. Boasting in God is not artificial or faking, but it is true and real. In fact, He is even bigger and better than we can imagine.

We are told not to boast pridefully in self, but we are told to boast in the cross. Galatians 6:14: “But far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We can and should brag about the great grace and salvation of God given to us in the cross. The love of God is the most powerful force in the universe. Brag about it and enlarge Him in your mind. God is really big. God is really good.