Unchanging God - Reflections on Bless The Lord O My Soul (Psalm 103)

This psalm contains two groups of vivid images. References to a rock, fortress, and refuge begin and end the psalm. But in between, we read of a leaning wall, a tottering fence, and something lighter than breath. The contrast is stark. The strong, unmoving, powerful images describe God himself. The fragile and wispy images describe humanity. The words, imagery, and structure of the psalm point us to God as the only secure and trustworthy place. The heart of the psalm calls us to a response. We're reminded, “He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress” (v. 6). Then we're instructed to take action: “Trust in him at all times, O people” (v. 8). If God is the only stable, safe, and unmoving thing in all the world, the only appropriate response is run to him with trust. And this trust is exclusive. We must trust “God alone” (v. 1). “He alone” is our rock (v. 2), for “God alone” is our hope (v. 5) and “He only” is our rock (v. 6). We're called to do more than trust God above other things; we are to give him all our trust. And yet the psalm acknowledges that in between trusting in God and seeing his full salvation, we often have to wait. We might continue to be battered by evil and find ourselves falling. But the waiting tries and proves our trust. God truly is our rock and salvation. So we wait confidently, knowing our hope is sure, placed in the fortress and refuge of our Christ, our rock. My Soul Will Wait (Psalm 62) by Sovereign Grace, from the album Unchanging God: Songs From The Book Of Psalms Vol 1. Reflections curated by Sovereign Grace Music.

We awake each day to the reality of imminent dangers: our weakness and temptations, an adversary who seeks to devour us, and a world aligned against God. In all these things it's common to battle discouragement, anxiety, and fear. But the psalmist gives us rock-solid promises by which we can take our souls in hand and address them with truth. Do you fear you might slip and fall to your destruction? The Lord will not let your foot be moved (v. 3). Do you think God has forgotten you in your trial or perhaps dozed off? He is your sovereign keeper who never slumbers or sleeps or forgets (v. 4). “The One who holds the night is the Sovereign of my days!” Are you experiencing the brutal heat of suffering? He is your shade and protector (vv. 5-6). As we make our way through the trials and terrors of this world, we can rejoice that God himself overrules all “evils” and is committed to protecting and preserving our souls. From an eternal perspective, he does indeed keep us from all evil (v. 7). He ordains each step both now and forevermore. So we can be confident in his care and trust these words are true: “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32) There is nothing you need to fear today. Your help comes from the Lord! He Will Keep You (Psalm 121) by Sovereign Grace, from the album Unchanging God: Songs From The Book Of Psalms Vol 1. Reflections curated by Sovereign Grace Music.

Psalm 145 begins with David expressing his resolve, and likely his habitual practice, to extol, bless, and praise the Lord daily. “Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and forever” (v. 2). Daily praise is thoroughly appropriate because the Lord is “greatly to be praised.” David then rejoices in God's faithfulness to all generations. “One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts” (v. 4). It's almost as if David's praise commingles with the praise of all God's works as multiple generations of the faithful join in. “All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your saints shall bless you!” (v. 10) Together they magnify the greatness of his deeds, the steadfastness of his love, the faithfulness of his provision, the mercy of his salvation, and the finality of his judgment upon the wicked. When we ask, “How great is the Lord our God?” we inquire about his infinite greatness. When we declare, “How great is the Lord our God!” we proclaim his immeasurable worth. So, in response to God's infinite greatness and immeasurable worth, the psalmist calls upon all of creation to give thanks and bless his name. If you are one of those God has redeemed, saved, delivered, and adopted through Jesus Christ, God has called you to exalt his name. He has called you to do it with your whole being. And he has called you to do it daily. God will re- ceive the praise he deserves, even if it takes the rocks and hills to cry out. How will you respond today to David's invitation to join your voice with all of God's works, declaring the greatness of his name? How Great (Psalm 145) by Sovereign Grace Music, from the album Unchanging God: Songs From The Book Of Psalms Vol 1. Reflections curated by Sovereign Grace Music.

Psalm 90 celebrates, in poetic language, the breathtaking eternity of God. “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God” (v. 2). While each of us had a beginning and each of us will one day close our eyes in death, God has always existed, and he will never die. Because of our descent into sin, human lives are short, full of trouble, and end with a sigh. Generation after generation is swept away like a flood. We flourish like grass in the morning, then wither away. That is our fate before the holy God who knows all our sinful ways. But Psalm 90 comforts us. It tells us the everlasting God has been our dwelling place through all generations (v. 1). From the dawn of history, God's people have found a home in the Everlasting One, where his perfect love and favor never end. Though our lives are punctuated with sorrows and proceed relentlessly toward physical death, God's love for us will endure as long as he endures. As we wait for Christ to return and make all things new, the Everlasting God sovereignly governs each of our days with perfect wisdom. He helps us number our days (v. 12), and establishes the work of our hands (v. 17), bestowing them with eternal significance. So, whether today brings joy or tragedy, or a collision of both, we can rest in the wisdom of the Lord's plan, knowing that he is the Everlasting God. From Everlasting (Psalm 90) by Sovereign Grace, from the album Unchanging God: Songs From The Book Of Psalms Vol 1. Reflections curated by Sovereign Grace Music.

Psalm 119 extols the glories of God's Word, articulating the delights and bene- fits that come to those who treasure and meditate upon it. Several connections are made throughout the psalm that find their ultimate and glorious fulfillment in Christ.For example, the psalm connects the Word of God and life: “My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word!” (v. 25) “This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life” (v. 50). Christ is the Word of God and life is found in him alone (John 1:1-4). Understanding this, Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).The psalm also reveals the critical connection between God's Word and our hearts. “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (v. 11). “Incline my heart to your testimonies” (v. 36). In Christ, the Word of God is written upon our hearts and minds by the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 10:16).Finally, the psalm connects the Word of God to our hope. “You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word” (v. 114). “Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope” (v. 49). Christ himself, the living Word, now dwells in us as our hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).If God gives us eyes to see and ears to hear, we can expect his Word to fill our hearts with the life and hope found only in Christ. Your Words Are Wonderful (Psalm 119) by Sovereign Grace, from the album Unchanging God: Songs From The Book Of Psalms Vol 1.

The driving force of this psalm is praise. Eleven times in fourteen verses the psalmist issues the command to praise God. Over thirty categories of people, places, and things are invited to participate. Everyone and everything in the heavens (stars, sun, moon, angels) and on the earth (mountains and oceans, birds and beasts, fire and snow, kings and children) is called to exalt the Lord. Why? Because everyone and everything came into being by God's command and for his glory. All that is, owes its existence, beauty, power, place, and position to God and therefore must gladly join in the chorus of his praise. We were created not only to know God, believe in him, and live for him, but to praise him. And how many reasons we have to do just that because of what Christ has done for us! He is worthy to be rejoiced in, delighted in, revered, adored, shouted about, and sung to. Praise is a gracious command and a gracious invitation: we ought to do this, and we get to do it because of Jesus. So, listen outside and hear creation's melody. Join in the chorus. Hear the song of heaven crying out, “Jesus, Lamb for sinners slain!” and add your voice. Call upon those you live and work with to join in as well. May “everything with life and breath, everywhere from east to west, every heart raised from the dead, praise Him!” Praise His Name (Psalm 148) by Sovereign Grace, from the album Unchanging God: Songs From The Book Of Psalms Vol 2. Reflections curated by Sovereign Grace Music.

When we go through trials and suffering, we often hear the roaring winds and crashing waves of our troubles the loudest. In those seasons, it can be hard to discern anything but a foreboding sense of pain and loss. We can be easily tempted to quake in fear, run to distraction and entertainment, or give up completely. The psalmist can relate. Three times he declares, “the floods have lifted up their voice” (v. 3). He paints a picture of loud, all-consuming terror that consumes his attention and drains his energy. But his solution is not to turn his back on God. Neither does he pray the floods would abate and the trials disappear. He simply confesses this truth: “The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty” (v. 1). Like the psalmist, we declare this reality: “He reigns when oceans roar, He reigns above the storm.” We know that God is “enthroned on high” and that He is “stronger than the seas...just in His decrees...worthy of our trust...ever here with us.” The floods of trials may lift up their voice, but the loudest roar and the mightiest thunder comes from the Lord. So tune your ears rightly. Hear his trustworthy Word and believe his decree: “all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28), even floods and storms. Then fix your gaze on his majesty, most gloriously displayed in his love for you at the cross of Christ. There, the flood of God's wrath was poured out on him instead of you. The Lord Almighty Reigns (Psalm 93) by Sovereign Grace, from the album Unchanging God: Songs From The Book Of Psalms Vol 1. Reflections curated by Sovereign Grace Music.

Much of the Old Testament points back to Israel's exodus from Egypt and the entrance into the promised land. It is the key paradigm that helped God's people understand two things: “this is who our God is” and “this is who we are.” Psalm 114 tells that story in shorthand form, referencing the flight from Egypt (v. 1), the crossing of the Jordan (v. 3), and the provision in the wilderness (v. 8). The story is told repeatedly in the Law, and the Prophets is told yet again here in Psalm 114. Why? God has hard-wired humans to tell the same stories again and again. The best ones tell us the truth about ourselves and the world around us, helping us see how to live in the present. We can imagine a young boy learning Psalm 114 even before he fully understood the words, only to continue singing the song into his old age, when he would understand it more fully. The pattern is the same for us today. We tell the Old Testament story of Israel's exodus from Egypt recognizing it points forward to a greater exodus in Christ. What we flee is not enslavement to the Egyptians but enslavement to sin. We find not just seas turned back but the wrath of God. We find not just manna in the wilderness but every spiritual provision in Christ. When we sing scriptural songs like this (or any songs deeply rooted in Scripture), they remind us: “this is who you are” and “this is who your God is.” May we, like the people of Israel, delight in singing songs of salvation well into our old age, to the glory of our unchanging God. God Is Faithful (Psalm 114) by Sovereign Grace, from the album Unchanging God: Songs From The Book Of Psalms Vol 2. Reflections curated by Sovereign Grace Music.