Psalm 111 – Hallelujah
Saturday, 11th February 2023
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One V1-3 Praise the Lord with my Whole Heart
Do we really know the true meaning of praise and worship? It is not just singing and dancing. Through David’s psalm, we see how David praised and worshipped God. V1 ‘Praise the Lord! I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.’ How can we praise God with our whole heart? To humble ourselves and uplift the Name of God. Can we lift up the Name of God amongst the people? To preach the Good News and to share the testimonies, to talk about how God provide for us in our lives. We must also share that in our lowest point, how did God help us to overcome.
V2-3 ‘The works of the Lord are great, studied by all who have pleasure in them. His work is honourable and glorious, and His righteousness endures forever.’ Do we take God for granted? Can we see the power of the Name of God? He’s worthy of all praises, He has done so much wonderful things in our lives, we must see it, share it, and live it out!
Section Two V4-9 Remember What the Lord Has Done
V4 ‘He has made His wonderful works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and full of compassion.’ All the wonderful works God has done in our lives are His salvation. He helped us and He saved us, everything He did was for us to remember Him. When the rain stops, do we see it’s because God has heard our prayers? When things go smoothly, do we see God’s protecting us and providing us? In our everyday life, we must see the works of God in the smallest things. Do not take God for granted, He is gracious and full of compassion.
When we see our problems more than we see God, then we can never see what God has done in our lives. We will then lose this thankful heart, instead, we will feel upset, unloved, bitter, and angry. We will backslide and our relationship with God will grow apart. Furthermore, when we grow far away from God, our relationship with our authority will also be tested.
V5-6 ‘He has given food to those who fear Him; He will ever be mindful of His covenant. He has declared to His people the power of His works, in giving them the heritage of the nations.’ We must have a fear for the Lord, He gives grace to those who fears Him. It’s not only seeking Him when we need something from Him, or when we want Him to hear our prayers. God is making a covenant with us, He wants us to know that He is with us no matter what, because through the blood of Jesus, this covenant is everlasting. When God is with us, who can be against us?
V7-8 ‘The works of His hands are verity and justice; all His precepts are sure. They stand fast forever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.’ Everything God did in our lives is yes and amen, God is real, He is with us every day, and He is protecting us. Do we see ourselves walking with God?
V9 ‘He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever: Holy and awesome is His name.’ The Name of God is full of power, when we proclaim the Name of God, His Name will be revealed in our lives, our difficulties, and our hardship. Can we praise the Lord with our whole heart? Do we see the Name of God is full of power? God’s Name is in our lives, our families, our workplace, our community, our nation…
Section Three V10 Let the Lord Arise
V10 ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.’ We must fear the Lord, but not to be afraid of Him. When Moses came down from the mountain, the people were afraid of him because of the light shine on his face. So what is to fear the Lord? It’s not just something we proclaim, but to humble ourselves, to lower ourselves and to let God arise. So often we want to take things in our hands, to use our own ways and knowledge to solve our problems. We forgot that God is with us, we must let God arise, so people see God not us.
Those who are wise and has good understanding are those who are willing to follow God. It is not about how smart we are or how much we know, but how willing we are to follow God. He is worthy of all praises and His praise endures forever. David praised God not only when he became the king, but when he was only a shepherd, when he was being chased by the enemies, when he was an outcast… let us sing hallelujah all the time, to proclaim God’s Name loudly, no matter where we are or who we are.