TUESDAY 10th
Psalm 71
NIV (v22) – ‘I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, my God; I will sing praise to you with the lyre, Holy One of Israel.’
ESV (v22) – ‘I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praises to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.’
The word faithfulness immediately brings a hymn to mind . . . ! Can I resist it, no, here it is, well the chorus anyway! Great is thy faithfulness, great is thy faithfulness, morning by morning new mercies I see, all I have needed thy hand hath provided, great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.
The faithfulness of God is one of his undeniable attributes, for as we look through the record of Scripture God has been and still is a faithful God. Even when his people have been unfaithful towards him, he has remained faithful to them, as undeserving of it as they were. My mind goes back to the time when the Children of Israel were wandering through the wilderness, rebelling, stiff necked, belligerent, turning to other idols, and yet God remained faithful in his lovingkindness and his provision for them, they had the water, the quails, the manna, but they also had his protection over them, and his power working toward them.
In the psalm before us today the composer had been through so much, he highlights many of his experiences and all the way through he is acknowledging his trust in God because he knew he could depend upon the faithfulness of God.
Notice some of his positive comments during all that he was going through:
V3 ‘You are my rock and fortress’
V6 ‘My praise is continually of you’
V8 ‘My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day’
V14 ‘But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more’
V19 ‘Your righteousness, O God, reaches the heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you?’
V21 ‘You will increase my greatness and comfort me again’
V23 ‘My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed’
The words of the song by Matt Redman are applicable here, for despite whatever it is any one of us reading this may be going through – God is still faithful, and we can still praise him.
Even though I walk through the valley
Of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And even when I’m caught in the middle
Of the storms of this life
I won’t turn back; I know you are near
And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear? Whom then shall I fear?
O no, you never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
O no, you never let go
In every high and every low
O no, you never let go – Lord, you never let go of me
And I can see a light that is coming
For the heart that holds on
A glorious light beyond all compare
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
We’ll live to know You here on the earth
And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear? Whom then shall I fear?