“The Work of Your Hands” (Ps 92)

It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night, on an instrument of ten strings, on the lute, and on the harp, with harmonious sound. For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands. (vs1-4)

We praise God's name and honor Him in thanksgiving because He saves us, and it is RIGHT to say “Thanks” to the Lord; it is right to praise His dealings. He says, “I will triumph in the works of Your hands”.

If He does us good, it is NEVER to be disregarded as owed to us, or something that we can sinfully misuse. In all things, we must SAY thanks to God by living godly, rejoicing before Him, and gathering with His people. He blesses us and makes our election known, so that the end result us humility, holiness, and happiness. Paul says, “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Eph 4:1-3). We say, “I've got SO MUCH that I don't deserve. Let me do good, let me stay away from sin, and let me love others because of it”.

Some, like Israel, are proud because of their blessings, but like Israel, they'll be taken away.

Secondly, I praise God by experience, not merely command (vs5-11). He says, “But my horn You have exalted like a wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil. My eye also has seen my desire on my enemies; My ears hear my desire on the wicked who rise up against me”. We have the duty of praise, but we've TASTED and seen that the Lord is good. Peter said, “as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious” (1 Pet 2:2-3). We know what it's like to be free from sin, forgiven, and saved. We taste power over the flesh, and we overcome Satan and every adversary in this world, for nothing takes us away from Christ. We experience Him reaching out to us in our sins, continually drawing us near, forgiving, giving conviction, and bringing us to repentance.

I'm not to praise the “unknown God”, like Paul preached against, but I'm praising the One who has revealed Himself to me and shown me the future. I know by the assurance of faith that my end is guaranteed, because my access to God's blessings is unbreakable. He says, “let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Heb 10:22). I'm thankful to Christ because faith is MORE than knowledge; it is how we get FEELINGS into our souls!

Finally, everything God does is right in saving us (vs12-15). He says, “Those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing, to declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him”. He has done justly, paid for the mercies that He gives, and been faithful to us, as promised, through His Son's blood. We've believed, and we've received the reward that we've sought. Now we praise God for fulfilling the promises. He has kept us safe, and at the End, our salvation with reveal the glorious attributes of God, how GRACIOUS and upright He is.

I've been pondering Ahasuerus and Esther, how she came to him humbly, and he offered her half the kingdom, picturing God in His great grace. Likewise, we have been weak and wicked, far below the standard, and He has been patient and merciful, teaching us by our faults and loving us faithfully. Now, He brings us to glory by grace, by His work only, and we'll praise Him for doing exactly what He's said, though we are weak and sinful. Our frailty and worthlessness makes His grace the more astonishing, that as we see our vileness, we still eat and drink of mercies UNDESERVED, and we know this. God has done right! He's been good to His people. Every promise has been faithfully given, and we praise Him as the result.