“Your Name is Near” (Ps 75)

“We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near.”(vs1)

We think God is far off, but He is not: He is in control of all things, both the establishment of this world and its destruction (vs1-3). He says, “When I choose the proper time, I will judge uprightly. The earth and all its inhabitants are dissolved; I set up its pillars firmly.” He does as He sees fit, on time, and according to purpose. Now is the not the time of Judgment, but it is coming, because God hasn't abdicated His throne or become powerless; He is WAITING until the elect are saved, and then He'll bring sinners to judgment for what they've done. Never think of Him abdicating His throne, but see Him exalted and able to do exactly as the Word has stated. He says, “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure” (Is 46:10).

He is God, and there is none else, no rival, and no one else is to be feared. He is the One who sees, judges, and rewards. Thus, obedience to Christ is sure to be rewarded, for eventually, God will judge, and sinners won't win. We rest ourselves that He who sits on the throne bringing judgment is our God forever, the One who chose us, so we dance before Him like David, seeing that we shall assuredly win in the end.

Secondly, we don't have to cower before men, begging them to love us, and asking for acceptance by compromise and sin (vs4-8). He says, “For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. But God is the Judge: He puts down one, and exalts another.” God is the One that gives the boss his position, and He can elevate or put down as He pleases. We have ONE PERSON to honor in this life, and if we do that, then He'll honor us, and we can't lose. He says, “Therefore the Lord God of Israel says: 'I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever.' But now the Lord says: 'Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, an those who despise Me shall be despised” (1 Sam 2:30). We don't ever have to get along with men by rejecting what God has said. He can lift up the hated among men, and He will put down the mighty who magnify themselves. He says, “for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:14). Be aware that people will tell you that you need their help, and you need them to open doors, but it isn't true. Please God only, and see what He does. Humble yourself, and He will lift you up. You have NO ONE to impress, and you never need to force yourself into a position; God will give it, as you honor and glorify Him.

Finally, we have rewards coming to us, and this helps us to wait patiently (vs9-10). He says, “But I will declare forever, I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. All the horns of the wicked I will also cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted”. If you KNEW for a fact that your suffering would be rewarded, then you could suffer in peace, as much as possible, living in the expectation! Our great God and Savior has promised us salvation and triumph; He has declared that we will get rewarded in the end, though we fight with sin now and must suffer in this cursed world. Yet, it won't be tears we shed forever, even joy perpetual and eternal will be our reward for serving Him down here. The wicked and the mighty are not prospering in unbelief, while we straggle along. No, they are missing out on what we have, the eternal wealth of the gospel, and the grace of being rewarded based on the obedience of Christ and what He enabled us to do by the Spirit.

Bless the Lord's name! There is a reason to be righteous and fight with sin; it is because He will exalt us in due time. Confess your sins, and be exalted. Walk by faith, and be rewarded eternally.