Psalm 89: 1-13

A psalm of Ethan the Ezrahite.
1 I will sing of the Lord’s unfailing love forever! Young and old will hear of your faithfulness.
2 Your unfailing love will last forever. Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens.
3 The Lord said, “I have made a covenant with David, my chosen servant. I have sworn this oath to him:
4 ‘I will establish your descendants as kings forever; they will sit on your throne from now until eternity.’”
Interlude

5 All heaven will praise your great wonders, Lord; myriads of angels will praise you for your faithfulness.
6 For who in all of heaven can compare with the Lord? What mightiest angel is anything like the Lord?
7 The highest angelic powers stand in awe of God. He is far more awesome than all who surround his throne.
8 O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies! Where is there anyone as mighty as you, O Lord?
You are entirely faithful.
9 You rule the oceans. You subdue their storm-tossed waves.
10 You crushed the great sea monster. You scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
11 The heavens are yours, and the earth is yours; everything in the world is yours—you created it all.
12 You created north and south. Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon praise your name.
13 Powerful is your arm! Strong is your hand! Your right hand is lifted high in glorious strength.

We all talk about the good old days. We tend to measure them against what is going on in our lives today. So, when the stresses of life get us down we recall how sweet life was when we were young, in college, and had nothing to do but go to class now and then. We think of it as a simpler time. Some get serious and go to great lengths to simplify their lives once again. Sell the house, sell the cars, quit the high stress job...

For the next three days we will look at a psalm that begins with a joyful look at the "good old days" but ends with sad complaints and petitions...when the writer sees the pathetic decline of Israel. This is what's happening in psalm 89. Life in Israel has gone sour. The mighty House of David has gone to ruin and the Glory of the Lord was gone. The writer begins his song by recounting the "good old days," bringing to mind the central theme of life under King David when God, himself, said “I have made a covenant with David, my chosen servant. I have sworn this oath to him: I will establish your descendants as kings forever; they will sit on your throne from now until eternity.” Yes, life was once wonderful!

But you know...it just doesn't always feel that way. That's why looking back can be of great value. It gives us context for evaluating life today. So, what does the author say? "I will sing of the Lord’s unfailing love forever! Young and old will hear of your faithfulness. Your unfailing love will last forever. Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens." Have you aver tried doing that when your life was in turmoil? It's really difficult!

There are times when we have to look back to regain our perspective. When we look at the totality of God's work with man there is no doubt about His faithfulness, Often when we look in front of us we become so overwhelmed with the difficult details we cannot see God anywhere. Have you heard the phrase "He can't see the forest for the trees?" It alludes to the fact that a person can be so obsessively focused on one tree that he doesn't realize there is an entire forest in front of him.


Step back. take a breath. Look forward, look up, and look back. You'll see God. You'll see how He has been faithful. This is how we should begin looking at the trouble in our lives.

Live boldly out there today...