Mon.’s Devo - From Judgment to Praise

Read: Ps. 50; 73; 74
Psalm 50 is a picture of judgment. God is calling all humanity to come before him and be judged for their lives. God calls on heaven and earth to help him in his judgment.
Then God addresses Israel. He tells them that he sees their sacrifices but it is not their sacrifices that he wants. He wants their thankfulness and their heart. He wants them to call on him when they are in trouble so he can rescue them and show his glory to the earth. It does us no good to recite God’s Word when we don’t believe what it says.
In Psalm 73, Asaph knows that God is good to those who walk with him, but he stumbles over the fact that he sees the wicked prospering with little consequences. He asks “Does God even know what’s happening?” He wonders if he kept his heart pure for nothing since he is facing trouble and pain. He got his answer when he went into the sanctuary. In God’s presence he could see the truth. He repented of his bitterness and humbled himself to the Lord. He is able to pray, “My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.”
Asaph is lamenting the fall of his nation in Ps. 74. As he walks through the ruins of Jerusalem, he cries out for the Lord to remember them. He recalls all the wonderful and mighty things the Lord has done in the past and is encouraged. We need to do this same thing when we are discouraged. There is always something we can think of to praise God for. He is so honored when we praise him when everything is going bad. That is how we gain strength.
Lord, we praise you in the midst of our trials. We will bring to mind all the things you have done for us in the past. You will do it again.