Read Psalm 111.
If you read this psalm in the linked version, you may have noticed a reoccurring word. Five times in the first seven verses, the psalmist uses ‘work’ or ‘works’ to indicate God’s activities on earth. Each use expanding the breadth of God’s action in and for the world. Form his brilliance and beauty in physical creation (v. 2, 3) to his grace and mercy in his mighty saving actions (v. 4), to his abundant daily blessing (v. 5,6), and eternally trustworthy decrees (v. 7); the work of the Lord stabilizes our existence. God “withholds nothing needed from his precious creation,” which is why the psalm begins (v.1) and ends (v. 10) with praise. Because the works of God’s hands are reliable in creating, providing, and redeeming, the psalmist can declare, “Holy and awesome is his name!” (v. 9).
But let me ask you a question, do you believe that our world, your daily world, is reliable and stable?
If 2020 has shown us anything, its that stability is short-lived, and what is “normally” reliable has evident cracks. So, how can we possibly believe the world is reliable and stable in our current moment?
Well, let me ask you the question in another way, do you believe that God is reliable and stable?
You probably answered yes to at least the second question, am I right? Yet, if you are at all like me, you more often than not see God’s reliability in contrast to the world’s instability. He is stable; the world is volatile. His reliability is evident because the world is anything but reliable. Andy yet, such an observation assumes that the world exists outside of relationship to God, that God is merely (albeit mightly) intervening in chaos. But is that true?
There is a second repeated phrase in the psalm that we should notice, ‘his covenant forever’ (v. 5,9). While we don’t always connect ‘covenant’ with the stability of our daily experiences, the psalmist reminds us that we should. For God’s covenant(s) throughout scripture encompass more than the salvation of our souls. The Adamic, Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, and new convents are God's intimate promise not to abandon but persevere, not just our eternal living but life here on earth as well. His covenants do not surrender us to the limitation of our best efforts nor the corruption of our worst desires, but to our Father being steadily and reliably at work creating, providing, and redeeming…always.
The world’s never lost its footing, even if we have lost our way, for ‘he remembers…he commands his covenant forever’ (v. 5. 9). We wake each morning into God’s stability and reliability. Holy and awesome is his name indeed!
One last note, Psalm 111 and Psalm 112, are meant to be read in concert. Psalm 111 concludes with wisdom’s motto, ‘the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom’ (v. 10). Psalm 112 starts with its echo, ‘Blessed is the man who fears the Lord’ (v.1). Together these psalms remind us that a full life is received through awe and wonder in humble submission to God’s ‘works.’ These two psalms reverberate with the “Blessed” titles of Jesus, reminding us that we experience an abundance of life as we lead a very different social existence.
Might our praise lead to practice. God bless.
-Jeremy Pace