Psalms finale

About two and a half years ago i started studying the psalms, and now we reach the final one. It has been illuminating for me. I used to think the psalms were a bit lovey-dovey, how i was wrong! They are powerful outpourings of different emotions and passionate faith! It has been inspiring to research and consider each one week be week to find out the hearts of those who wrote them, and the level of trust and hope they each had in God. They have inspired me to keep holding on, to know that steadfastness is key, and that there is always, always hope even in the most desperate situations when God is in the picture! He has triumphed over enemies, hearts, cities, the heavens, He reigns supreme and will never let you down. He is worthy to be praised always. 

So, without further ado, let us read the final psalm;

 Psalm 150:1–6 (ESV): 

Praise the Lord! 

  Praise God in his sanctuary; 

praise him in his mighty heavens! 

 2  Praise him for his mighty deeds; 

praise him according to his excellent greatness! 

 3  Praise him with trumpet sound; 

praise him with lute and harp! 

 4  Praise him with tambourine and dance; 

praise him with strings and pipe! 

 5  Praise him with sounding cymbals; 

praise him with loud clashing cymbals! 

 6  Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! 

  Praise the Lord! 

How fitting that the last psalm focuses on praising God in a multitude of ways. Bearing in mind all of the psalms that have come before, the culmination of the heartache, triumph, despair, joy, patience, confusion and victory is to praise God!

No matter where you are, what you are doing or experiencing, or what you have about you - use that to praise God! If you are amongst a group of people or alone, are having an easy or a tough time, you can ‘praise him for his mighty deeds’. The things God has achieved are incredible no matter who is around or what you are doing or what is happening. God deserves to be praised because He is great! His character is perfect, steadfast, considerate, loving and powerful even when you are not feeling it or recognising it. 

Over the years when i have felt tired, downcast, overwhelmed, confused and upset, when situations have been unfair and difficult, choosing to worship has been powerful. It is often a difficult thing to do, to put aside emotions and mindset and decide to praise, but listening to worship songs, choosing to pray positively, or dancing around the kitchen, may not change the circumstances, but it has changed me. Setting your mind to praise God even when you don't feel like it is good for you. God deserves it for He is still good even if things around you aren't! 1 Thessalonians 5 says; '16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.' God's will is for you to praise Him no matter what, and it does you good for it changes your focus and your thinking, God expects you to rejoice and give thanks 'in all circumstances'! God knows what is good for you, praising Him brings joy and hope as you remember who He is. Your circumstances and emotions need to be put into perspective, and worshipping God does that. You can always, ‘praise him for his excellent greatness!’ You can always do that. For God never changes, He is always excellent and great!

You can praise God in many ways and with many things. If you play an instrument, use that to extol God, if not, you can use whatever you have; your own body in dance, your voice to sing and pray, and you can even praise God by crashing cymbals together - it doesn’t even need to sound pleasant to anyone else! Even if, like me, you do not have a singing voice that others enjoy, God loves to hear it - so sing loud as your praise is for God’s ears, not for others. Get over being embarrassed - that is concern for the opinion of others rather than the heart of God, so sing for HIm. He wants you to sing, dance, play music, he enjoys to see and hear you do that in praise of Him. Parents like to see and hear their kids do these things, even if it is a 'joyful noise' (psalm 100). So, as a child of God, show Him your love, make a noise for Him, move your body for Him, crash cymbals for Him, for He loves it! It is the heart of praise that the Lord loves to hear, so let your heart for Him come through as you worship God in your own intentional way. 

Think about God. ‘his mighty deeds’ and ‘his excellent greatness’ and let these truths lead you to overflow in worship. 'Everything that has breath' has cause to praise the Lord, so what are you praising Him for today?

You have God

 Psalm 142:1–7 (ESV):  

1  With my voice I cry out to the Lord; 

with my voice I plead for mercy to the Lord. 

 2  I pour out my complaint before him; 

I tell my trouble before him. 

 3  When my spirit faints within me, 

you know my way! 

  In the path where I walk 

they have hidden a trap for me. 

 4  Look to the right and see: 

there is none who takes notice of me; 

  no refuge remains to me; 

no one cares for my soul. 

 5  I cry to you, O Lord; 

I say, “You are my refuge, 

my portion in the land of the living.” 

 6  Attend to my cry, 

for I am brought very low! 

  Deliver me from my persecutors, 

for they are too strong for me! 

 7  Bring me out of prison, 

that I may give thanks to your name! 

  The righteous will surround me, 

for you will deal bountifully with me. 

You can turn to God when you have nowhere left to turn. When no-one will listen to you, you have God. When no-one else will help, you have God. When there is no place of safety left, you have God. This was David’s reflection when he was terrified, confused, and in hiding because he was being persecuted. So scared and alone was he that he had taken to hiding in a cave, he didn’t know where else to go, everywhere he looked he could only see traps and danger. So in the darkness of the cave, David calls out to God for help for, ‘there is none who takes notice of me’ and 'no one cares for my soul’. All alone, no support, unnoticed, uncared for. 

As David realises that human help is non-existent, no one wants to be associated with him or acknowledge him, he turns to the One that never leaves or forsakes him. He acknowledges to God that, ‘You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living’. David is confident that God can provide all that he needs. God is his safety, provider, companion and supporter even when it seems as if the whole world is against him. David knows that he lives only because God wills it, and he has faith that God wants him to keep living. Although he is desperate, concerned for his physical safety and is ‘brought very low’, he knows that he is only breathing and surviving because God is providing life and refuge. Therefore David asks God for a miracle, ‘Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me’. His conclusion is that because there are enemies all around that haven’t yet found or harmed him, and that he still breathes, God has a purpose and a rescue mission in mind for him. Yet David knows he cannot come through this situation alone, he is not strong enough, and there is literally no other person to help, only God. That is all he needs, so he asks God for help. David is not strong enough, he cannot keep safe by himself and he cannot even breathe without God, so who else can he rely on?!

Have you ever got to that point of desperation or loneliness? Maybe you try to keep going, thinking that you can work things out or handle the persecution and difficulty. Yet there comes a point when you have to admit, ‘they are too strong for me’. You do not need to keep battling alone, God can be your refuge just like he was David’s. If you are a believer in God, you have Him on your side. You are not strong enough to deliver yourself, to change the hearts and minds of the enemies pursuing you, and you are not clever enough to outsmart them, but do you know who is? God. He wants to be your refuge, deliverer, strength and guide, are you inviting Him to be? God will bring you out of situations that feel like caves and prisons when you call out to Him. You too can be assured that ‘you will deal bountifully with me’. This was David’s recognition once he had poured out his fears. He remembered that he was not really alone, that he had a fierce protector, a great comforter, a wise guide, and the most powerful King in the universe on his side! Therefore he did not need to trust in the cave, or his own ideas, but he could trust in the One who would deal bountifully with him, and who is keeping him alive and safe right now. 

What is your realisation about God when things are tough in your life? What truth do you hold onto? 

Remember that in all circumstances of life, you have God, When you feel most desperate and alone, you have God, when you need safety and reassurance, you have God. Speak to Him. Trust Him. Listen to Him. For, ‘It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed”’ (Deuteronomy 31:8).