Luke 19:37-40; Psalm 145:1-9
Introduction
Jesus said, “I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out,” because He is always worthy of praise. This is an important truth. A week before the crowd was crying out for Him to be crucified, they were worshipping Him. This shows us how fickle human beings can be regarding worship.
Scripture teaches that God is always worthy of worship in spite of the confusing circumstances we are in. The psalmist made it a point to intentionally praise Him as a part of his lifestyle (Psalm 145:1-2). We should do the same.
Psalm 145:3: “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.”
He is worthy of praise because His greatness is unsearchable.
Unsearchable: without number, infinite, beyond comprehension; it does not exist in the human mind; it is beyond a human’s ability to comprehend.
By referring to God’s greatness, his worthiness of praise, and His greatness being unsearchable (impossible to figure out totally), Psalm 145:3 is showing that humans are to praise Him even when they are confused or cannot figure out what God is doing because of the trials they are presently experiencing.
- We worship God even when we do not understand what or why something happens because by faith we trust that He has a morally good reason for allowing things to happen to us and to the world. (Don’t let what’s wrong with you stop you from worshipping what’s right with God–a quote from In a Pit With A Lion On Snowy Day, page 67.)
- Romans 8:28-29: While God’s perfect Will is not always done, God is big enough to turn evil into His and our good. For example, Adam’s sin revealed God’s great love!
- The devil plays with our heads when we are tested in times of trouble. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 shows that spiritual warfare is first in the thought life of a person before it spills over into other areas of life. Mark 4:15-19 teaches that some fall away because of trouble, persecution, and the desire for other things. For example, in the late 1980’s when real estate was very high, I lost the ability to purchase a house because my lawyer made a mistake and almost cost me my down payment! But, during the real estate bubble of the late 1980’s I would have overpaid and never obtained the deal on the present house I live in, which is worth far more money now. At that time my wife and I were stressed, both because we thought we were missing out on the opportunity to own our first house and because we thought we were going to lose our down payment due to the incompetence of our lawyer. But thank God, He did not answer our prayers. Because of this, a few years later we were able to purchase a brownstone in a higher-end neighborhood for much less! The house I now live in is on a block that has been deemed historic because it is the only block in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn that is composed completely of brownstone houses dating back 100 years. Thus, it is worth far more money than usual!
- Sometimes, when God does not answer, when He is silent, when He delays, when He does not give you what you want when you want, there is a good reason if you would just be patient and trust Him by faith. (Read Proverbs 3:5-6.)
- Hindsight is always 20/20 but foresight is always (Hebrews 11:3).
- The timing of life and death is a mystery since sometimes even good people are taken away from this life early to spare them from the evil to come (Isaiah 57:1-2). We are already living in eternity; do not judge what is fair merely on this limited time and space realm! I tell my children, if something ever happens to me, do not take it out on God; still trust Him and serve Him!
- The secret things belong to the Lord; only the revealed things belong to us (Deuteronomy 29:29). This means that most of the universe is only for God’s mind to understand. We as humans only understand a very small speck of reality. As smart as Albert Einstein was, he did not understand even 1% of the universe! Most of us do not understand how electricity is conducted in light bulbs, or how a key can start a car engine, or how a computer chip functions, or how an air conditioner, microwave, or a toaster oven functions. If we cannot understand how these man-made things operate, how can we understand all of the ways of God?
- Everyday I use gifts from God without understanding how they operate. I use my eyes, ears, nose, and have no clue how and why they serve me. I breathe in air and use lungs I have never understood. I have complicated God-given emotions, a personality, abilities, and a brain more complicated than the greatest computer technology. All these are gifts from God I did not ask for or deserve. If He gave me all of these things I need to trust Him!
In conclusion, Psalm 145:8-9 teaches us that God is good. We need to believe and trust this, whether our circumstances are good or not! We can either be worshippers or complainers; do not let your worship be circumstantial! The circumstances you complain about become the chains that imprison you! (From In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, pages 69-70.) God is good—God is perfect—God is to be trusted.
