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Glorify the Lord with me:

    let us exalt his name together.

More than once we’ve seen it or heard about it: someone running a marathon – or a similar long distance – deliberately slows down as they near the finish line, in order to put an arm around another obviously struggling runner, who would never make it over the line without such physical and moral support. The ‘good samaritan’ has sacrificed possibly their target time, and their position in the race. But helping someone in need matters more.

The New Testament calls the church – the people of God – to a ministry of ‘one-anothering.’ There are so many different things we are exhorted to do for “one another.” Keep an eye out for them as you read your Bible. We need each other. The ministry of mutual encouragement is so important. None of us will be able to make it across the finish line on our own.

In some of our hymns we do the same as David here: we encourage our brothers and sisters to worship God and walk with Him. Don’t underestimate the power of words (for good or ill), and the positive influence you can have on someone else. As we see people straggling, let’s not think it’s another’s job to get alongside them (or that someone else will probably do it). I am my brother’s keeper!

‘A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle’ (Italian proverb)

PRAYER: Lord, show me someone I can encourage today.

My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;

The humble shall hear of it and be glad.

3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,

And let us exalt His name together.

I want to pick up on two words found in the ‘New King James’ translation of this psalm:

1. Boasting: I am reminded of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 1:31: “Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the LORD.” “ (‘New Living Translation’).I also recall Romans 15:17,18b, where he writes: “Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done – by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God.” There is a natural, sinful human tendency to want to boast about our achievements and accomplishments. But the Biblical perspective is that there is no room for such boasting. A hymn contains these lines: ‘boasting excluded, pride I abase; I’m only a sinner saved by grace’;
2. Magnifying: To “magnify the Lord” does not mean to make Him bigger than He is. That is impossible. But perhaps we begin to see Him bigger and bigger as we praise Him. How much we need this enlarged perspective.

‘The Bible NEVER flatters its heroes. It tells us the truth about each one of them in order that against the background of human breakdown and failure we may magnify the grace of God and recognise that it is the delight of the Spirit of God to work upon the platform of human impossibilities.’ Dr. Alan Redpath.

PRAYER: Lord God, may we know who you are, and who we are, and as a result walk humbly before you all our days.

I will glory in the Lord;

    let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

‘In prayer, we act like men, in praise we act like angels.” Thomas Watson.

Life and death are in the tongue. Our words can have a profound effect on others, for better or for worse.

‘Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.’ I believe this quote is attributed to Plato, and there is much truth in it. If people are not currently fighting a hard battle, they have done in the past, or they are likely to in the future. Every human-being should be handled with care.

I love these words found in Isaiah 50:4: “The Sovereign LORD has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.”

David writes, in this verse, about the effect his glorying (or boasting) in the Lord may have on others in need. One commentary says “the afflicted” are those at the bottom of the pile. No-one need be beyond the reach of God’s encouraging Word

Superficially, it may have appeared that David got out of the situation with Abimilek (Achish) by his astuteness. But in fact, he says, it was a divine deliverance. David did not boast about his own cleverness, skill, or resourcefulness, but He boasted in the Lord. He was the One who had brought about his escape.

I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.

‘If we hope to spend our eternity in praising God, it is fit that we should spend as much as may be of our time in this work.’ Matthew Henry.

It is clear that, for David, praise was a choice. He had decided to have a lifestyle of worship. Look at the repetition of the word “will”.

“He is resolved and fixed, I will; he is personally and for himself determined, let others do as they may; he is intelligent in head and inflamed in heart—he knows to whom the praise is due, and what is due, and for what and when.” C.H.Spurgeon

God is always thoroughly deserving of our praise so His praise should “always” be on our lips. But we do not “at all times” feel like praising God, so we have to decide that we are going to do it. The Westminster Shorter Catechism says, ‘Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.’ But we have to commit ourselves to this great purpose for which we were made. In the ‘New Bible Commentary’, verses 1,2 are headed: ‘Commitment to ceaseless praise.’

The life-situation out of which this psalm was born is instructive. It was a difficult and dangerous time for David. He was an innocent man, on the run. We may question what he did when he pretended insanity before Abimelek, but he was clearly caught between ‘a rock and a hard place.’ He was being treated unjustly. Was that sad story to be included in the “at all times”? I believe David’s answer would be a loud and definite ‘Yes!’

The title of this psalm says:

‘Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left.’

So the psalm is connected with the dangerous experience David had with the Philistines in Gath, as recorded in 1 Samuel 21:10-22:1, after which he fled to the cave of Adullam. This time in his life was not his finest hour. If faith is ‘living without scheming’, as someone described it, then what was David up to? What was going on?

But by God’s grace and mercy, this very human being came out of it with a testimony to the goodness of God, and he had life-lessons to pass on to others. This beautiful psalm came to the boil and bubbled over through the heat of his trial and his less than ideal response to it. But it is correct to note, as Matthew Henry comments, that although this psalm was inspired by a particular occasion, there is little in it that relates to that occasion, but there is much that is of more general help and instruction.

It is encouraging that, in the Bible, God in His sovereignty even rules and overrules in the sins and failures of His people, and regularly uses those very things to further His purposes in them and through them.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

PRAYER: Lord, may nothing in my life be wasted, but used for your glory.

The Lord foils the plans of the nations;

    he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.

11 But the plans of the Lord stand firm for ever,

    the purposes of his heart through all generations.

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,

    the people he chose for his inheritance.

13 From heaven the Lord looks down

    and sees all mankind;

14 from his dwelling-place he watches

    all who live on earth –

15 he who forms the hearts of all,

    who considers everything they do.

16 No king is saved by the size of his army;

    no warrior escapes by his great strength.

17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;

    despite all its great strength it cannot save.

18 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him

    on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,

19 to deliver them from death

    and keep them alive in famine.

20 We wait in hope for the Lord;

    he is our help and our shield.

21 In him our hearts rejoice,

    for we trust in his holy name.

22 May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,

    even as we put our hope in you.

Lord God,

We join in praying today, asking that you will foil the plans of all those who plot evil and intend harm to others. Please will you thwart wicked motivations and actions. Bring back the Red Sea upon Pharaoh and his armies once again.

We pray especially, though not exclusively, for the Ukraine, and for the complete overthrow of evil in this dreadful war. We do so knowing that, in the end, all sin will be defeated and evicted from the world when Jesus returns.

While some trust in chariots and some in horses, our confidence is in the Name of the Lord our God, and we wait in happy hope for you to intervene and bring an end to all wars. We thank you that your eyes are on us. You are attentive to our cries, and you are able to deliver. Help us to be patient, and steadfast in trust.

We also bring to you our nation, the United Kingdom, on this morning where it appears so much of value is crumbling. Truth lies fallen in the streets. We arrogantly shake our fists at you, glorying in our shame and daring to call it pride. Forgive us Lord.Even in your church, too many have moved away from your Word and now preach another gospel. Oh Lord, how long? Have mercy on us. Turn us to you and we will be turned. Restore us; heal our land, though we do not deserve it. Restore order where there is chaos. By your Spirit breathe upon the embers of our Christian heritage and fan them into flame. We confess we have drifted far out to sea; we are now a long way from the safe shoreline of revealed truth. May righteousness yet exalt this nation, and cause us to be a nation under God. We pray for integrity, truthfulness, compassion, justice, and the fear of God in our land.

Through Jesus Christ our only Lord and Saviour, Amen.

We wait in hope for the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
22 May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,
even as we put our hope in you.

In the light of everything else in this psalm, here is a fitting conclusion. May we find ourselves on our knees (literally or metaphorically), alongside the psalmist, resting in God: in His purposes and timing.

We note:

• There is a waiting in faith (20). The Bible speaks about both waiting on the Lord, and waiting for the Lord.
I was visiting a lady from our church in Lancaster, and I noticed, on her mantelpiece, something that said, ‘Lord, grant me patience; but hurry!’ It engenders a wry smile,I know, and we understand the sentiment. But there is a waiting involved in faith (an active waiting with eyes fixed upon the Lord) and we usually have no idea how long the waiting will last – which can be challenging;
• There is a ‘confident expectation’ in faith. As Alec Motyer says: a ‘confident expectation that unfailing love will look after us.’ So there is inevitably a resting in faith, as we cast our burdens upon the Lord (see Philippians 4:6,7);
• There is a substance to faith. It is not merely wishing and hoping for the best. We trust in God – in His character as revealed to us in Scripture. We place our confidence, e.g., in His power (“help), protection (“shield”), purity (“holy name”) and passion (“unfailing love”);
• There is a rejoicing in faith (21). The more we see of who God is, the more we will want to praise Him. He alone is worthy. As Motyer points out, ‘The rejoicing heart is the product of trust which rests on what the Lord has revealed about himself (name) and on his character (holy), whereby he can never deny himself.’ ‘New Bible Commentary’, p.506;
• There is a prayerfulness in faith (22). Faith does not merely believe certain truths about God as facts. It goes beyond that. It stands on His Word and claims the promises. “To pray that this love may rest upon us embraces all our needs in one petition.’ Alec Motyer.

‘Blessed are the single-hearted, for they shall enjoy much peace…If you refuse to be hurried and pressed, if you stay your soul on God, nothing can keep you from that clearness of spirit which is life and peace. In that stillness you will know what His will is.’ Amy Carmichael.

“We’re depending on GOD; he’s everything we need. What’s more, our hearts brim with joy since we’ve taken for our own his holy name. Love us, GOD, with all you’ve got – that’s what we’re depending on.’ (Verses 20-22 in ‘The Message).

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,

    the people he chose for his inheritance.

13 From heaven the Lord looks down

    and sees all mankind;

14 from his dwelling-place he watches

    all who live on earth –

15 he who forms the hearts of all,

    who considers everything they do.

16 No king is saved by the size of his army;

    no warrior escapes by his great strength.

17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;

    despite all its great strength it cannot save.

18 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,

    on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,

19 to deliver them from death

    and keep them alive in famine.

Israel was a nation belonging to God in a unique and special sense (Exodus 19:5,6; 34:8,9; Deut.4:20). But there are principles here which can be applied to any people who choose to live under the rule and reign of God.

As it is true that:

The Lord foils the plans of the nations;

    he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.

But the plans of the Lord stand firm for ever,

    the purposes of his heart through all generations (11,12)

… it makes sense for a nation, a people, not to trust in their military might, nor in personal strength; nor to place confidence in human resources, but in God alone. (It’s been pointed out that the whole of Sannacherib’s army was no match for one God-sent angel.) The Lord sees everything occurring on planet earth. Nothing can happen behind His back. In particular we note that He sees those who are trusting in Him (His eyes are “on” them), and He will act on their behalf. Wiersbe comments that God sees what both sinners and saints are doing, and He sees what the sinners are doing to the saints!

‘It is one of our choicest privileges to be always under our Father’s eye, to be never out of sight of our best Friend.’ C.H.Spurgeon.

‘If we make God’s favour sure towards us, then we need not fear whatever is against us.’ Matthew Henry.

Alec Motyer writes that “hope” (18) is a ‘confident expectation that “unfailing love” will look after us.

There seems to be, in my mind, an important application of verses 16,17 to the life of the Christian congregation. We live in a church culture where, by and large, the mega-church is viewed as the pinnacle of success. It tends to be the leaders of large numbers of people who are applauded and placed on pedestals. Whilst we should be thankful for such churches, we should also remember that they are the exceptions. Most local churches (both here and in the U.S.A, and probably in many other places) are small, and numbers don’t tell the whole story. Our confidence should never be in the size of a group – however outwardly impressive – but in the Lord, who alone gives the growth.

The Lord foils the plans of the nations;

    he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.

11 But the plans of the Lord stand firm for ever,

    the purposes of his heart through all generations.

Let’s just pause for a moment to get our bearings; catch our breath, and take in our surroundings. What is the context for today’s text? We have seen that the Psalm opens and closes with the theme of joy (1-3/20-22). Then verses 5 -11 focus on God in creation. Alec Motyer writes:

‘The two stanzas of this section (4-7,8-11) unite in the theme of the supreme ease with which the Creator dominates alike the physical and the personal creation. He is master of the waters (7) and the peoples (10): the waters do his bidding; the peoples are at his disposal…In OT thought the Creator is more than the initiator; he remains sovereign over his creation, worthy of the reverence of all its people and in directive management of all its affairs, restraining and dominant, purposive and irresistible.’ ‘New Bible Commentary’, p.506.

I am so grateful for verses 10,11. They truly are a text for our times. I find they give me language with which to pray about certain current affairs. They also remind me that ‘history is His story.’ God is in control, and He is working all His purposes out. He will get Jesus back to the earth in His own way and time. However powerful a human tyrant may be, he cannot successfully oppose God. The Pharaoh’s and their armies always end up submerged beneath the Red Sea, one way or another.

‘Not only the folly of the heathen, but their wisdom too, shall yield to the power of the cross of Jesus…He maketh the devices of the people of none effect. Their persecutions, slanders, falsehoods, are like puff balls flung against a granite wall—they produce no result at all; for the Lord overrules the evil, and brings good out of it. The cause of God is never in danger: infernal craft is outwitted by infinite wisdom, and Satanic malice held in check by boundless power.’ C.H.Spurgeon: ‘Treasury of David.’