From: Daily Meditations For Spiritual Comfort
June 11
ENCIRCLED BY THE LOVE OF GOD
Psalm 75:1
To give thanks unto a person is to say that he is good and has performed a good deed. The Hebrew word for giving thanks is to throw out the hand; that is, to point to one, to point him out as one who has done something good. Therefore, if there is anyone who should be thanked, it is God. No matter what He does, He always does what is good. That is why the psalmist writes in Psalm 75:1 , "Unto Thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto Thee do we give thanks: for that Thy name is near Thy wondrous works declare.'' Here, he is pointing to God and His wondrous works.
Now that God's name is near means that God Himself is near us, embracing us with His love. For us, this ought certainly to be clear, for by faith we have seen His wondrous works of His Son's virgin birth, blotting out of our sins by His cross, rising from the dead and ascending to God's right hand, and obtaining power over all things in Heaven and on earth, so that heavenly goodness is prepared for us in God's house. And that we are so different spiritually from the unbelievers ought to cause us to point to Him and say, "O God, how good and great Thou art!"
We have every reason to sing:
To Thee, O God, we render thanks.
To Thee give thanks sincere,
Because Thy wondrous works declare
That Thou art ever near.
You and I must point to God and tell others that He is good. But we must also go to Him with our words in prayer, telling Him that He is good and that His work of salvation in Christ is wonderful.
We must tell our families, but also the unbelievers with whom we work. We must be faithful witnesses of Him, the God of all good. And by all means, every night before we close our eyes in sleep, we must thank Him for encircling us with His love all during the day. Yea, we must thank Him for giving us thankful hearts. That too is a wondrous work and one that He wrought in us by His Spirit. No wonder that the psalmist in this verse says twice that we give thanks to this wonder-working God.
Read: Psalm 75
Psalter versification: 206:1
Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
1 Kings 8:1-66
Acts 7:51-60
Acts 8:1-13
Psalm 129:1-8
Proverbs 17:1
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Quote for Reflection:
Of one thing our children must never be in any doubt; of one thing they must be sure, absolutely sure--our love for them. Assurance of the parents' love for them as covenant children of God gives a sturdy security; a healthy self-love and sense of worth, in Christ; and a right knowledge of the Father in heaven. --D. J. Engelsma, "As a Father Pitieth his Children"
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Psalter 206
The Righteous Judgment Of God
Psalm 75. C.M.
To Thee, O God, we render thanks,
To Thee give thanks sincere,
Because Thy wondrous works declare
That Thou art ever near.
Thy righteous judgment, Thou hast said,
Shall in due time appear,
And Thou Who didst establish it
Wilt fill the earth with fear.
Thou teachest meekness to the proud,
And makest sinners know
That none is judge but God alone,
To honor or bring low.
Jehovah holds a cup of wrath,
And holds it not in vain,
For all the wicked of the earth
Its bitter dregs shall drain.
The God of Israel I will praise
And all His glory show;
The righteous He will high exalt
And bring the wicked low.
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