Lessons from the Psalms: A Doxology of Praise

“Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! -Psalm 150:1-6 (ESV)

The closing psalm of the whole psalter (another “Hallel” psalm), calls for “everything that has breath” to praise the Lord. It is a festive praise hymn, fitting for the closing of the Psalms. It is a doxology, reaching a jubilant crescendo inviting voices and instruments to praise the Lord.

The psalmist answers four questions. Let’s examine them and the answers to the questions found in this doxology of praise.

Where do we praise God (v. 1). Praise God in His sanctuary. To the Jew, that would be the Temple or synagogue. To Christians the command would be to praise him in a church. Lacking either of these to gather in and to praise God, we can make a sanctuary—a sacred place—wherever we are. “Praise him in His mighty heavens” acknowledges that God made the heavens and the earth, and wherever we approach God in reverence is a sanctuary where we can raise our doxology of praise to Him.

Why do we praise God (v. 2). We praise Him for His mighty deeds. We praise Him because of “His excellent greatness.” These are revealed to all people if only they will regard God and His works. In Romans, Paul wrote “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So that they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:17b-20)

How are we to praise God? Here is given the most complete list of musical instruments in the Old Testament. We are to praise God, of course, with the voice; but then with the trumpet, the lute, the harp, the tambourine, with strings (stringed instruments, which are many), the pipe and both ‘sounding’ and ‘clashing’ cymbals. And with the jubilant instruments of praise, add the body in majestic movement, the dance.

Who is to praise God? The poem seems to reach a crescendo as the psalmist declares: “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!” People, animals, fish, birds, everything are to lift praises to the Lord God. The Psalms could not have come to a more climactic end than with this doxology of praise calling for everyone, with whatever method is joyous and praise-giving, to life gratitude and glory to the Lord. For great is He, and greatly to be praised. Praise the Lord!

For 150 days, from the very first of January, I have gone through the Psalms one by one giving brief devotional thoughts. The exercise has drawn me closer to God. I pray that you who have read these devotionals day by day have been blessed and drawn closer to the Lord.     -    Ethelene Dyer Jones 05.29.2016

Lessons from the Psalms: A Sincere Petition for the Lord’s Help

“Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord! I have fled to you for refuge! Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” -Psalm 143:8-10 [Read Psalm 143]

Psalm 143 is another of David’s petitionary prayers in which he unashamedly pleads for the Lord’s help. This is the last of the “Psalms of Penitence” in which the one who prays asks for the Lord’s forgiveness and help. The others with this definite theme are Psalm 6, 32, 38, 51, 102 and 130.

As one who has prayed most of my life (I became a Christian at age nine), I can identify with David’s prayer. Although I did not have to hide in caves as David did when he fled for his very life before the wrath of King Saul, nor did I have the enemies David knew, even after he became King of Israel before he conquered the enemy nations and could settle into relative peace, still the challenges I faced in life sometimes loomed as impossible to deal with, much less to overcome. I can certainly identify with David’s prayer, “Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust.” Many have been the mornings throughout my long life when I have prayed that God would direct my steps and my work throughout the day, and “make me know the way I should go.” Likewise, verse 10 of Psalm 143 became a constant prayer of mine: “Teach me to do our will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground.”

In the mountains where I lived in my growing up years, and for many of the years of my career as a teacher and as the wife of a minister of the gospel, we did not look out to see “level ground” in the mountains that surrounded us. Likewise, the “unlevel ground” became a metaphor for the challenges we often faced in living. To be Christian leaders responsible for teaching others and for setting an example for others to follow often put us on “uneven ground.” It was only through remaining close to our source of strength, the Lord Jesus, that we had any hope of accomplishing the will He desired for us to accomplish in our lives.

As David ended his prayer in Psalm 143, so we would yield to the inevitable call of the Lord upon our lives and pledge to do the best we could with God’s help: “for I am your servant, Lord!” (v. 12b). A Vacation Bible School motto learned very early in my Christian life remained with me, even until now: “I will do the best I can with what I have where I am for Jesus’ sake today.” I also learned, thanks to the wise counsel of a marvelous pastor, the Rev. Claude Boynton, to “pray Scriptures.” “The scriptures are the Word of God,” he told us. “And God likes to hear His own words prayed back to Him.” So many of the petitions and pleas of David, as these in Psalm 143, became familiar to me and sincerely repeated by me in my prayer life. How better to begin a day than to pray: “Lord, let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me to know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.” Pair these words with the marvelous message from Psalm 118:24, and every day begins with thoughts of the Lord and turning our day over to him: “This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it!” Selah!  -Ethelene Dyer Jones 05.22.2016

Lessons from the Psalms: Repeating a Positive Refrain ~ “His Steadfast Love Endures Forever”

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” -Psalm 136:1 (ESV) [Read Psalm 136]

The theme of this hymn of joy is very evident, because each of its 26 verses repeats the refrain: “for his steadfast love endures forever.” It calls on worshipers to give thanks to God who has shown steadfast love through creation (vv. 4-9), through delivery from Egyptian bondage (vv. 10-12), led the people in safety through the Red Sea and in the wilderness (vv. 13-16), won battles for them against strong nations (vv. 17-20), gave them the Promised Land (vv. 21-22), rescued them from foes (vv. 23-24), and nourished them (vv. 23-25). Imagine a congregation learning this spiritual history lesson and responding to each named blessing with a resounding chorus: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” 

It is good to recall what God has done corporately in preserving the life of a chosen people and individually for each person making up that chosen group. I began to think what my “thanksgiving” list would look like, as I catalogued blessings and repeated this refrain from Psalm 136. You might worship God by making your own list. I am still working on mine, day by day adding more blessings. A young lady whom I know and admire says she lists at least three blessings that come to her each day. Here, in part, is my cumulative list over many years:

To Him who placed me in a loving farm family who nourished and strengthened me:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

For a childhood of growth, development, school, learning, strong family ties, responsibility:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

For hard times that tested, but at the same time strengthened; and comfort in the death of Mother:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

For opportunities beyond imagination to achieve, to grow strong in determination and in spirit:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

For mentors, friends, caring people who became examples to follow and emulate:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

For adulthood, added responsibilities, choosing the right companion, children of my own to rear:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

For the ability to make hard choices after weighing alternatives, and for strength to move ahead:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

For skills developed and sometimes found, after trial-and-error, but employed in full living:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

For calmness amidst adversity, for strength from God and from others, for coping, revamping:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

Life has woven a rich fabric of surprises and expectations, of golden opportunities, hard burdens:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

More journey awaits; I will mount with wings as an eagle, run and not weary, walk and not faint:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

“This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it!” (Psalm 118;24)

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

-Ethelene Dyer Jones 05.15.2016

Lessons from the Psalms: Asking for the Blessing of Peace

“The blessing of the Lord be upon you; we bless you in the name of the Lord!” -Psalm 129:8b (ESV) [Read Psalm 129]

This short psalm of Ascents is actually a song of victory over Zion’s enemies. Since this one fell on Mother’s Day in the sequence of going psalm by psalm to write these devotionals, I read the psalm three times before I determined that the second portion of verse 8 could be the text for a message of encouragement for mothers.

But first, let us look analytically at the Psalm to see its message for Israel’s day and for ours. Verses 1-4 tell how Israel has been persecuted severely by enemies, yet has been preserved. Verses 5-8 pray a prayer of retribution on enemies, and states that the enemy will never say of Israel: “The blessing of the Lord be upon you; we bless you in the name of the Lord” (v/8b).

Yet those very words sound like a prayer for blessings upon a beloved child. Can we thus apply that prayer as one prayed by beloved mothers? How often have they battled enemies of discouragement, heartache, and agony for wayward children? Yet godly mothers never gave up hope, never stopped praying, never stopped loving their children. And we have heard so many times stories of victory of how an erring child repented of waywardness and set a new direction in life. A mother’s love, like the love of the Lord for His people, is steadfast and binding.

President Abraham Lincoln made the statement, “All that I am and hope to be is because of the prayers of my godly mother.” A saintly mother never gives up on her children. She guides in good times and in difficult periods. She prays when immediate answers to prayer do not seem to be forthcoming. And she rejoices when she sees the blessing of the Lord extended to her children.

Dr B. B. McKinney (1886-1952) gave us beautiful words in a hymn which is a prayer, “God, Give Us Christian Homes.” The third stanza is about a godly mother and her influence in the home: “God give us Christian homes! Homes where the mother, in caring quest, Strives to show others Your way is best. Homes where the Lord is an honored guest; God give us Christian homes; God, give us Christian homes!”

As the Israelites long ago prayed for the blessings of the Lord, let us even now pray for godly mothers and the influence they wield on their children. Thank God for your own mother and do what you can to help young mothers to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. -Ethelene Dyer Jones 05.08.2016

Joy in Going to the House of the Lord

“I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” - Psalm 122:1 (ESV) [Read Psalm 121]

A ‘Psalm of Ascents’ or a pilgrim psalm, this psalm, attributed to David as author, celebrates going up to Jerusalem to worship at the Temple. It has become a doxology for all peoples everywhere who worship God and who enjoy going to the church house dedicated to the worship and gathering of His people.

Within the psalm which calls the people to worship is also a poignant reminder: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May they be secure who love you! Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers!” (Psalm 122:6-7).

A few years ago Billy Graham’s daughter, Anne Graham Lotz, went to Jerusalem, and standing on the hill overlooking Mt. Zion and the temple mount, she made a plea to Christians everywhere to pray daily for a whole month for the peace of Jerusalem, quoting Psalm 122:6. We know the distress and troubles that sacred city has known almost since its founding. Because of its importance to both the Jewish and the Christian believers, it is held in great regard throughout the world, and people are eager to hear of news of the city and its inhabitants. “Peace” (shalom in Hebrew) means more than absence of strife. It also means health, well-being, wholeness. “Salem”, meaning “place of peace,” was the original name for the city when Abraham met the priest Melchizedec there and the priest blessed Abraham (see Genesis 14:18). Jerusalem is a place many pilgrims from many lands and throughout the ages, even to our present day, want to travel to and see. It was my privilege in 1978 to visit the Holy Land with my husband, the Rev. Grover D. Jones. A special sense of sacredness and deep spiritual thoughts come to any pilgrims who can visit this city which has seen centuries of history unfold, both religious and secular. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem” foresees the day when the new Jerusalem is established and the Lord reigns, a time when Jerusalem comes into its fullness and “every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Isaiah 45:23; Romans 14:11; Philippians 2:10).

We gain experience in bowing before and worshiping the Lord God as we gather in our congregations and worship God together in concert and individually as believers. Strength and faith come from genuine worship. Since childhood, I have been “glad,” as the psalmist so aptly expressed, when it was time to go to the house of the Lord to worship. For those who claim they can worship as well alone as within a congregation, I do not doubt—if only we will. But there is strength in numbers gathered to adore and praise the Lord. The poet Henry van Dyke (1852-1933) expressed our desire to worship in the house of the Lord in corporate adoration as he penned the words of the hymn, “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee.” Set to the lofty “Hymn to Joy” tune by Ludwig van Beethoven (1170-1827), our hearts are lifted as we rejoice and sing:

     “Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,/God of glory, Lord of love;

     Hearts unfold like flow’rs before Thee,/Op-‘ning to the sun above.

     Melt the clouds of sin and sadness,/Drive the dark of doubt away;

     Giver of immortal gladness,/Fill us with the light of day!”

    “All Thy works with joy surround Thee,/Earth and heav’n reflect Thy rays;

    Stars and angels sing around Thee,/ Center of unbroken praise.

    Field and forest, vale and mountain,/ Flow’ry meadow, flashing sea,

    Singing bird and flowing fountain/Call us to rejoice in Thee!” Amen!

And all the people said, “Amen!” -Ethelene Dyer Jones 05.01.2016