On Sunday we tackled Psalm 113, which is a Psalm of praise to God who is worthy of our praise. When we find ourselves in what might appear to be a hopeless situation it can be overwhelming. The circumstances surrounding this Psalm or song, were certainly hopeless. The Israelite people had been enslaved and oppressed for hundreds of years culminating in the slaughter of all newborn males. If that doesn’t spur an uprising, it’s hard to imagine what would.
Yet in time God does intervene for His people and this Psalm was one that celebrated that victory over Israel’s oppressor. In exploring a God who is worthy of praise we see that:
- Those who are saved should praise Him. (vs. 1)
- God is worthy of our praise from this day forward in every conscious moment (vs. 2-3).
- God owes us nothing, needs nothing from us, and yet out of love, He routinely intervenes in our lives (vs. 4-9).
There is absolutely nothing that God is incapable of doing. He can raise up the poor to rule. He can raise up nation through 3 barren matriarchs. He is capable of anything. When we begin thinking that we have more insight into what is best for our situation, it is very likely that we’ve started thinking a bit more highly of ourselves than we ought. Scriptures like Isaiah 55:7-9 and Philippians 2:5-11 remind us that it is far wiser to humble ourselves before God than to presume that he should be directed by us. He is worthy of our praise, not the other way around. With Him there is no such thing as a hopeless situation, just an opportunity to glorify His name.