Psalm 111-112 Remembering God's Help In The Past Gives Us Hope For The Future

Psalm 111 reminds us of who God is and what He does.  It shows us “four instructions to follow if we would enjoy the help and blessing of the Lord in the difficult situations of life,” my commentary said.

Begin with worship and praise.  If we cannot rejoice in our circumstances, we can always rejoice in the Lord!

Remember God’s great works.  We can use what God has done in the past to give us encouragement in the present and hope for the future.

Rely on God’s Word.  “If we obey His Word, He is faithful to bless; if we disobey, He is just to chasten us in love.”

Obey His will.  “If we want to understand God’s works and God’s Word, we must maintain a reverential fear of the Lord, for this attitude is the basis for receiving spiritual wisdom and understanding.”

Psalm 112 is written on the basis of God’s covenant with Israel, which promised blessings for obedience; we can’t conclude that it will be that way for us because we live under the new covenant, which says that we have in Jesus Christ every spiritual blessing that we will ever need and the promise that God will meet our needs.  “We want more than the blessing; we want to be like the One who gives the blessing … We aren’t protected from pain and trials, but we are enabled by the Holy Spirit to use those trials to glorify the Lord and to grow in grace.”

Regarding my circumstances, my commentary said, “Believers with a confident heart and a clear conscience have nothing to fear when they receive bad news because they know the Lord is in control.  If there is darkness around them, they wait for the Lord to send the light.”

Father, thank You for the reminder yesterday of all You have done for me and for my boys – of how You stepped into my life in such a tangible way and taught me to trust You through the tough times and to know that everything is under Your complete control.  I needed reminding.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford