By John Maury ...
According to Ecclesiastes, mimicking nature, everything in our lives has its own season: “There is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” I have to admit, despite the 6 degree Celsius temperature on Sunday, it was a good reminder that Psalm 145 points to summer and God’s abundance, when life is good and all is well. On a personal level, I find it easier to want to spend time with God and seek His face when I’m in dire need of God’s intervention in my life, in times of crisis and when dealing with issues.
The psalm invites the reader to take a different approach by focusing primarily on the character of God and His works. Further, the believer is invited to take a step back, make a radical shift of perspective, and look at the bigger picture. There is no reference at all to events pertaining to immediate and personal circumstances. In stark contrast to how one is feeling on a day-to-day basis, we are reminded of the immutability of God, that He is “unchanging in his character, will and covenant promises.” After listing some of His attributes, David celebrates the goodness of God:
“The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The LORD is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made.”
Today, it seems that “good” isn’t good enough. We tend to exaggerate in order to emphasize, and we use other more appealing terms such as wonderful, amazing awesome and extraordinary to convey the notion that something or someone is good. I particularly rejoice thinking that God doesn’t get impatient with us, whenever we fail and fall into sin, seeing us more like children who have dirtied ourselves playing in the mud.
In addition to who God is, God does. Indeed, David underlines the fact that God is actively involved in the very minutiae of our lives and that nothing escapes his attention.
The leitmotiv of praising and blessing God “for ever and ever” and allowing generations to speak to one another by “commending your works to another” and “declaring your mighty acts” speaks to the need for the older generation to connect and share with the younger generation what it has learned of God. God’s goodness and redeeming power do not begin and end with us. We are part of a broader tapestry, weaved into the story of creation and revelation, crucifixion and resurrection.
Listen to this sermon here!