May 11, 2022
THE SOURCE OF TRUE SATISFACTION The psalmist declared that thanksgiving is due to the Lord for His wonderful goodness and mercy. For God is the only one who can truly satisfy the longing of the human soul. There is a thirst and a hunger that the body knows. God created this in man that
May 5, 2022
THE WITNESS OF WORSHIP This is a call to both worship and witness. We might even say that it is a call to the kind of worship that is in itself a witness to the peoples of the world. The psalmist called the people of Israel to begin their worship with thanks to the
May 1, 2022 | Psalm 104 |
In today’s sermon, we’re going to look at the hymn “How Great Thou Art.” This hymn has quite an involved history. It was written by Swedish poet, Carl Gustav Boberg, in 1885. He had the poem printed in a Swedish newspaper and an unknown man put it to music, using the melody is an old Swedish folk song. In 1949, it was translated into English by British missionary Stuart K. Hine, who also added two original verses of his own composition. It was popularized by George Beverly Shea during Billy Graham crusades in 1957.
Boberg is said to have written the words after a thunder storm suddenly appeared on a walk home. A severe wind began to blow, a driving rain and darkness fell. After Mr. Boberg arrived home, wet and chilled to the bone, the storm stopped as suddenly as it came. He looked out his window over the clear bay and heard church bells ringing in the distance. A sense of profound wonder and peace came over him as penned the words O Store God (Swedish for O Great God) — O LORD, my God, When I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds Thy hands hath made..
Today, we’re going to look at a psalm that expresses that same sense of awe. In Psalm 104, David wrote to encourage himself and others to praise the Lord for His greatness. We can be encouraged by praising the Lord for His greatness.
May 1, 2022
A PRAYER FOR ONE OVERWHELMED WITH TROUBLE The inscription above this psalm describes it as a “prayer of one overwhelmed with trouble.” Certainly, there is a need for concrete language to truly capture the condition of such a one. The hurting are in need of words of expression that they might lift up to the
April 26, 2022
TELL ALL THE NATIONS THAT THE LORD REIGNS The psalmist encouraged God’s people to spread the message among the nations of the world that the Lord reigns. The Lord God is King over all. Therefore, the world and its peoples shall not be moved apart from His righteous judgment. Viewed through the lens of
March 24, 2022
PRAYING GOD’S WORD BACK TO HIM The psalmist prayed that God would show them mercy, blessing and favor, so that they might display the way of salvation to the nations. This prayer aligned with God’s promise to Abraham that through his “offspring all nations would be blessed” (Gen. 22:18). It also borrowed words from the
March 19, 2022
LEARNING TO WAIT QUIETLY BEFORE GOD David learned to wait quietly before God. He understood that his victory, his success, would not come from human wisdom nor strength, but from the Lord. Therefore, he trusted God for his reward. Much of our worry and anxiety comes from our inability to control results and outcomes.
March 13, 2022
IN GOD WE TRUST David wrote this psalm while he was on the run from King Saul and nearly captured by the Philistines in Gath. Everywhere David turned, enemies pursued him. Yet, he trusted in God, determined not to live in fear. He asked the rhetorical question: “What can mere mortals do to me?”
March 12, 2022
WHERE DO YOU PUT YOUR BURDENS? David’s psalm sounds similar to Christ’s invitation to “Come unto Me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). David had learned how to give his heavy burdens to the Lord and he shared this wonderful secret in this psalm.
March 5, 2022
MEDITATING ON GOD’S LOVE Biblical meditation is not an emptying of the mind as the Eastern religions teach. Rather, it is a focusing of the mind on God and His Word. Here, the Psalmist focused the thoughts of his mind on God’s character, namely, His “unfailing love.” We are called to meditate on God’s