Author: Chanice Henry (Hope Church Sutton)
The first thing that strikes me about Psalm 112 is the amount of contrasts. In the first paragraph we see the concept of being joyful whilst fearing the Lord and delighting in obeying his commands. As we continue we see other contrasts including the likes of: - light and darkness - evil and righteousness - confidence and fear - good deeds and wicked
This set up made me think of the stark contrast of living life with god vs living life without God. Both are states that I have been in personally.
I have always been intrigued by the pairing of being joyful and fearing the Lord. This concept was one I found hard to comprehend when I was becoming a Christian. I was later taught that this ‘fear' realises itself as a deep respect and awe for who God truly is that centres a person. This understanding commands attention and impresses. Compelled by his beauty, the automatic reaction is to praise when you truly understand who God is.
Also I have been intrigued by the idea of delighting in commands. Usually when we hear the word commands there is a negative connotation attached. Again this was something that I struggled with when I approached Christianity as I wrongly assumed that Christianity is a list of rules to hem people in. I later discovered that these commands are in fact teaching to help us live in the way that we are destined to, that is the best for us. For example, to stop a child from touching a hot pan that will burn them, their parents may shout 'Dont touch that !' This command isn't there to stop the child from anything good, it is in fact there to save the child from harm that they don’t yet understand.
Once we have a healthy and accurate view of God and what he sacrificed to save us, love and joy naturally bubbles over into fruitful behaviour that benefits others. Just like it says from verses two to five.
Being generous is a key example of fruitful behaviour. God wants us to have a generous spirit towards other people and 'share the love'. Also as we give God blesses us more, it's better to give than to receive. We need to be looking out for people to help.
This year I have been truly stunned firsthand by the generosity and love of Christians. I went through many stressful situations this year and have seen God pull off the unimaginable through a string of delicately crafted events. Events so crucial in timing and execution that I could not simply cast them off as a series of coincidences.
Because of the amazingly generous things God did through Christians for me, this year more than ever I feel I can standby the psalmst, and those he references in v 7 and 8 about not fearing bad news and confidently trusting in the Lord. Because of how I have seen him get me through situations this year I do feel a sense of freedom in the fact that I can trust he will work good into any situation ahead.
It is good and right that we enjoy the blessings that come from God in this life but we should not let them define us or block our appreciation of our heavenly father.
In my search for what life is all about, I pressed and gathered research by asking a lot of questions. As a result of my questioning I have felt compelled by the evidence Christianity presents. I can truly say that I am happier for being a Christian I have more of a sense of belonging and the deep restlessness that troubled me has been stilled. Sometimes my appreciation for this blessed awareness slips, but thankfully God always has a way of reminding me that true fulfilment can only be known through closeness with him via his son.
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