Praise and Provision

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Singing carols at a grocery store in Manchester, UK and supporting a charity at Christmas. 



Scripture:

Psa. 148:13    Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted;
his glory is above earth and heaven.
14 He has raised up a horn for his people,
praise for all his faithful,
for the people of Israel who are close to him.
Praise the LORD!

Observation:

The Psalmist draws us into a center of praise for the LORD. We respond because the very character of God is revealed in that which we see and hear and we have no choice but to respond to the revelation. We serve a transcendent God who is above everything in heaven and earth. This is a great mystery and yet, it is one into which we have been invited, for God has a people. 

Those who call upon the name of the LORD are his people and for them there is a horn of plenty, or provision. God rejoices in those who are close to him. The response of the people is to praise the LORD, and this is God’s plan to share the good news. Those who are close to God will share their praise of God and this is how the world will get to know the LORD. God chooses to use those within the intimate circle who are reflecting the image the very brightest, to share good news with the world. 

Let us all praise the LORD!

Application:

The entire Christmas season is one of evangelization. This is a term that some people are struggling with these days and wondering how it fits into the postmodern world. At the same time the message of the Psalmist from so long ago makes it pretty simple. God’s plan is to use God’s people to praise him! It is through our praise of God that the world will hear about the LORD — and this is evangelization, to go and tell the good news! What better time is there to share good news, than at Christmas? 

Lest we think Christmas is over, let’s just remember that this is only the second day of Christmas. We celebrated advent, anticipating the arrival of Jesus, but now — he’s here!!!! Now’s the time to share and to rejoice in what the arrival of the Messiah means for all of us. It’s not the day to pack up the tree, it’s the season to relish the presence of Christ. 

Without knowing the Messiah, the Psalmist was already drawing God’s people into a beautiful future. God’s people, the saints, the holy ones, are close to the LORD. Isn’t that true today, that God’s people, who are called to be holy because he is holy, are drawn close through the presence of Jesus? Jesus makes is possible for us to have an intimate relationship with God. It is in this relationship that God has promised provision. We’re not sure that we want to talk about that too much because we don’t want to succumb to the “health and wealth” gospel nor to the “prosperity” gospel, but there is a “provision” gospel, which is a place of profound trust in God for our daily needs. This is a place where we follow God on the journey, taking very little in our bags, knowing that God will provide along the way. This results in great joy as the very character of God is revealed in all that is provided. God is glorified and praised because of the revelation of a loving and caring nature which is seen in Jesus. This is why we celebrate the birth of our Lord. 

These days of Christmas should naturally be a time of evangelization as we all share the good news of Jesus with those around us. This is God’s plan. The people that we meet and encounter on a daily basis, they need to hear the good news. In the past couple of decades we’ve been taught much about “friendship evangelism.” The end result is that there is often no proclamation — no telling of good news. There’s just a hope that at some point there will be an attraction to Christ through friendship. This may happen from time to time, but the Scriptures talk about praising the Lord! We are to praise the LORD — with our voice, sharing the good news of the arrival of the Messiah. This is Christmas! Now, let us celebrate the entire season well and pray for opportunities to share the good news that we hold so dear. Trust the LORD for the journey and don’t stress, but believe that God will provide, even for the opportunities to share the good news. 

Prayer:

Lord, I pray for opportunity today and every day of Christmas to share with someone about you. Amen.  

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