Daily Meditations

Psalm 145:20 Whose camp are we in? Once again, we are confronted by the distinction that the Lord makes between those who are wicked and those who love Him. We are all aware of this division, but how does it work out in the eyes of a heavenly God who “loves all people?” We are all His creation, we all have the gift of life from Him, we are all born into a world that is designed to give everyone the same benefits and advantages. There is only one God and Creator of all, and we humans are designed by Him to live in His creation and to love and obey Him or, to live independently. This is the rub. There are those who are aware of His presence and His over-riding authority and glory, and these people acknowledge Him and see the benefits of obedience and service. Over time this turns into love because, daily, the wonders of His provision and protection grow. Just as a new-born baby remains in the care of its parents out of dependency, so that child will grow to appreciate their love and thei...

Psalm 145:19 The fear of the Lord This verse elaborates on its predecessor. Three things are mentioned that God does for those who fear Him. By the way, and we’ve mentioned this before, to “fear God” does not mean that we shake with terror at the mere mention of His name! It means that we are in awe of Him, that we offer Him the respect that He deserves, that we have a proper understanding of our own place and abilities compared to Him. To those who honour and exalt Him, the Lord fulfils their desires, hears their cries and saves them. I’m sure that we all understand that if our desires are to win the lottery, sail around the world and live a life of effortless ease then the Lord will probably not come up trumps! On the other hand, if our desires are to serve and obey Him, to make Him known and to live for others, then He may well give us far more than we ever dreamt of!  Fear of God is more than just a set of values or ideals, it is love and service and faithfulness in action, it ...

Psalm 145:18 Those who call on Him in truth Casual visitors are often referred to in our western cultures as “callers”, people who pop in and say a few words, catch up with the gossip and just as easily leave. Is that what this verse means, that the Lord loves casual visitors, who make no demands or leave no gifts, for that is how some people treat Him? Maybe all of us at times? NO, I think this verse is referring to those who take time out to plead with Him, to call out in distress or in great need and to implore Him for help, protection and deliverance. In other words, the Lord is near all those who are in trouble, who are anxious, who are vulnerable and who turn to Him, even if He is a last resort!  David elaborates further; it is those who call on the Lord “in truth” who gain an immediate hearing. Truth is not just the veracity of our words but also our hearts and our emotions. If our need is genuine and our cries are genuine too, then we can rely on our God to hear us and to c...

Psalm 145:17 Is Creation wholly righteous? With the way that Creation has been treated or abused over the centuries, it’s not always easy to see it as righteous, especially when men use it for non-righteous means. Too many forests have disappeared, too much water is polluted, too many fields are over-farmed, too many animals , birds and sea creatures have been hounded to extinction, and so a keen naturalist may observe destruction and disorder around rather than righteousness. The point that David is making, is that these created works reveal the full glory of God and in themselves do not contain wickedness, as opposed to the human race. Plants are not wicked, neither are most animals, what some of them do is to act as predators and some possess a cruel instinct to maim and kill other species. I believe that they may have been “turned” by the enemy. Interestingly the Bible does separate some creatures and attributes them to the night or to their haunts in the desert, so we conclude tha...

Psalm 145:16 He provides for every living thing It’s understandable that unbelievers and doubters walk around with their eyes shut and fail to see God’s provision. It is less understandable when believers and followers of Christ don’t notice or care! Firstly, we are blind if we do not see the stamp of God on His beautiful and amazing creative works, every organism and living plant or animal reveals the eternal power and divine nature of God. How can we fail to take notice? But, as we saw in verse 15, it’s not just the created works themselves, it’s also the organisation of these things and the complexity of the management structures that hold them together, that should also leave us wide-eyed with wonder and admiration. As the verse before us says,  “You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing .” That includes the spiders behind the wardrobe, the rats in the ditch, the rabbits on the edge of the fields, the Buzzards and Red Kites that “mew” overhead and the cra...

Psalm 145:15 He gives us our food Do you remember the words of Genesis 1:30 describing the time after God had finished His creative works, and the earth was brimming with life and was glowing with the energy and perfection in which it had been created? This is what we read,  “And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground – everything that has the breath of life in it – I give every green plant for food. And it was so .” In the next chapter we read how God made man and gave him every tree in the Garden to eat from, apart from the Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil and the Tree of Life. (Our earliest ancestors were vegetarians until eating meat was permitted, after the flood.) The Bible is clear, that God not only created a beautiful world for us all to inhabit, and He not only breathed life into all living things, but He also went on to set up food chains and to provide everything that is necessary for all creatu...

Psalm 145:14 The Lord upholds and lifts up This verse reminds us of the prayer of Hannah, Samuel’s mother, before she hands over her young son to the service of the Lord at the Temple. These are some of the words she prayed to the Lord, “ He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; He seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of Honour.”  (1 Samuel 2:8) Sometimes we need to be reminded that the values and order of things in the world is exactly opposite to those held by the Lord. Who knows what circumstances may cause us to fall? Who knows what might happen in life to bring us to be bowed down? Maybe  financial hardship, or maybe the way we are treated by others? Maybe  shame and self-imposed humiliation? Some are bowed down by the weight of their responsibilities, others by the cares and worries of life, the list is a long one. David reveals his own troubles in Psalm 38 where it is impossible to determine if he was “bowed...