There certainly is a theme developing as we go through these early Psalms. In the best of times and in the worst of times, David always wants to acknowledge the Lord’s protection. He is looking forward to the day when he can shout it out so everyone in Jerusalem will hear about the greatness of the Lord (vs 14).
As I was meditating on this chapter, I really stopped to pause for a while on verses 1 and 2. These verses had me reflecting on all the things the Lord has done for me and wondering if I should begin to capture those events maybe in a journal in order to share them with others. Here is what David said:
I will praise you Lord, with all of my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High. Psalm 9:1-2 NLT
If someone was to ask me right now – name 10 marvelous things the Lord has done for you – could I do it? It seems like I certainly could name 10 things. But what if that was narrowed down to 10 things this month or 10 things this week or 10 things today. Personally I know that when I begin to focus on the marvelous things the Lord has done for me, the struggles and pain and sadness fade into the background. You see as I focus on the greatness of the Lord the joy begins to outweigh the sadness.
I don’t want you to think that naming 10 things is some magical recipe that makes everything all sunshine and rainbows. Struggles are real – struggles are tough! Sometimes it is difficult to see anything good because we are overwhelmed with the burden we are currently bearing. What I do want you to know is this…you don’t have to stay there. You can break free. You can begin to climb out of that pit by intentionally looking for and acknowledging the marvelous things the Lord has done for you (and for me).
Today I say this as much to myself as anyone. Today was a struggle. Today was tough. Let’s be real…it was hard to find marvelous things but they were there (whether I noticed them or not). How do I know that? Well the Lord is faithful. I believe and trust that he has my best interest at heart. And when I stopped and really thought about it, I was able to find a really good example and I want to share it with you now:
On my way home this afternoon, the car in front of me was cutoff by a gravel hauler. Now let me add a little color commentary. The road we were travelling on had tar and stone put down last week so there is loose stone everywhere. That gravel hauler pulled out not 2-3 car lengths in front of us. We both had to slam on our breaks and come to a complete stop. Mind you we were both going almost 55 mph when he pulled out. It is a miracle neither of us hit him (or each other). At the time, it annoyed me that the truck driver wasn’t paying attention. But in retrospect, I praise the Lord with my whole heart that we weren’t hurt and like David I want to tell everyone of this marvelous thing that the Lord has done.
What better way to lift up the Lord than to share what he has done in our lives each and every day. I’d love to hear the marvelous things that the Lord has (and is) doing in your life.