Psalm 103:1-5

Of David

Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the LORD O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

 

The long wait was finally over. It was a beautiful day, and it all started so well. Anticipation does make the heart grow fonder.

For many years my wife had told me how she wanted her own desk and her own bookcase. It would help her organize her things; every woman needs her own space. I couldn’t agree more. The only problem was money. There was never enough of it. With a young family and a mortgage to pay, there always seemed to be more month left than money. These extras were always put on hold.

But then one spring day our income tax refund check arrived, and Karen renewed her perennial plea. This year the roof didn’t need shingles, the driveway didn’t need paving, but she did need that long delayed desk and bookcase. At long last, the time had come to answer her request and this time, a shortage of funds was not standing in the way.

After some judicious shopping, she narrowed the range of furniture choices, and then she brought me in to help in the final selection process. Together we chose a compact and versatile three drawer desk with a fold down top that acted as the writing surface. She loved the little compartments that could be used to store papers and valuables. A matching three-shelf bookcase completed our order. Both selections were unfinished furniture made of solid maple.

We both love solid wood because of its grain and texture. Of course, solid hardwood furniture is supremely durable as well. I gave some consideration to finishing the furniture myself. But a look at my work schedule led us to decide that it simply would be easier to have the furniture company apply the wood finish of our choice and then pick up the finished product upon completion. We paid our hard-earned money and waited.

About a week later the call came. The desk and bookcase were ready for pick up, but our car was too small for the job. No problem. Our neighbor kindly lent us his pickup truck. Now, this old Ford had seen better days. Rick briefly introduced me to old Betsy. He mentioned the rear tailgate was a bit cantankerous. I practised closing it. Then he handed me the keys and watched as I drove off with my wife by my side. We headed off like two giddy kids on a Christmas morning race to the tree.

At the furniture warehouse the bookcase and desk were packed in corrugated cardboard boxes. We did a quick inspection to confirm they were the right pieces, finished with the right colored stain, and then we loaded them onto old Betsy. I slammed the tailgate shut and we set out on the twenty-minute return trip to our home.

What happened on that return trip can best be described as tragic comedy. However, it would be fair to say that the comedic elements in this story were not entirely evident to us at the time.

On the four-lane expressway at 65mph (100kph) old Betsy’s tailgate popped open. The bookcase toppled out onto the hard black asphalt. I slammed on the brakes and pulled off to the shoulder. My wife was frantic; we were both frantic. Even at a distance I could tell the bookcase was still intact inside the corrugated cardboard box. Perhaps the damage was minor, or so I hoped. I jumped out of the truck and began running back to this hapless box as it lay on the highway. Three quarters of it lay on the paved shoulder—only one corner protruded onto the far-right lane of this busy four-lane expressway. As I ran back, several cars zoomed right by it. They didn’t even need to swerve to avoid it.

I thought it was safe.

But…

But… the next vehicle was a twenty-ton cement truck. It did not swerve. It bore down relentlessly on that cardboard box. What I saw next was an explosion. On impact, the bookcase exploded out of its cardboard box. Shelves and splintered pieces of wood went flying through the air and into the ditch.

It all happened so fast. In an instant our long-awaited treasure was turned into a mangled, splintered mess.

I gathered the debris out of the ditch, put it back in old Betsy, slammed the cantankerous tailgate shut, and drove on home.

Karen was in tears.

This should never have happened! A thousand regrets flooded my mind. Why? Why this disaster? What did we do to deserve this mess?

I hugged my wife.

Strangely on another level, a different set of thoughts was welling up from within. Those thoughts went something like this, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NKJV).

And then from the distant recesses of my spirit I heard, “Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:1-2).

What lunacy is this? Why should I give thanks to God in the middle of this disaster? If God cared about me—about us—why didn’t he prevent this fiasco? My God is bigger than a cement truck. He could have steered that twenty-ton behemoth around our bookcase. Better still, the LORD Almighty could have kept that tailgate from popping open. And now, at this moment, I’m supposed to praise him? What insanity is this?

Again, I heard the Spirit’s prompting, “Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.”

There are bigger things in life than a broken bookcase, I conceded. Under my breath I began to mumble, “Bless the LORD, O my soul and all that is within me, bless his holy name.”

Those were tough words to say at that moment. You see, my soul doesn’t always want to bless the LORD. If I’m going to praise him, shouldn’t it be in church while the choir sings softly in the background? Why praise him on an expressway, with my wife sobbing at my side, while I have fresh images of a splintered bookcase lodged in my brain?

There are times when cursing the LORD would seem to be a far more appropriate response than praising him. Surely, this was one such time.

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

“LORD, why are you bringing these scriptures to my mind now?” I asked. “I would much rather blame you, God, and feel totally miserable, than give thanks in these wretched circumstances.”

But God’s Spirit would not relent. I can’t say I heard this audibly. But if I were to translate what I feel God was speaking to me at that moment, it would go something like this:

“Just shut up. Quit your bellyaching, Mr. Know-it-all. (God sometimes needs to be blunt with me.) All I am asking you to do is praise me. Praise me, whether you feel like it or not. You don’t know the beginning from the end, Mr. Wise-guy. Don’t you think I’m bigger than a few pieces of shattered wood?”  

In sullen reluctance, I agreed. I obeyed. I began to praise God. That’s right. I began to praise the LORD God Almighty, who let my wife’s long awaited, brand new, not-even-out-of-the-box bookcase get hit by a twenty-ton cement truck.

Praise the LORD? Yes, the LORD.

Now which Lord was that again?

The LORD “who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases”.

 Ah, yes that LORD. He really is quite wonderful. Imagine forgiving all my sins, every last one of them. That’s a lot of sins.

That’s a lot of forgiving.

Praise the LORD. He’s quite some God.

Which God was that again?

The LORD who “heals all your diseases.”

Ah, yes that LORD. He really is quite fantastic. Imagine healing all my sicknesses, and all my injuries, too, from my childhood to this very moment. Now, that’s a whole lot of pain and woe.

Gone. It’s all gone. I don’t feel any of it now.

Praise the LORD. No aches or pains—that’s amazing. He’s an awesome God.

Now tell me again, which Lord is this?

The LORD “who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion.”

Oh yes, that LORD. He redeemed me—redeemed me with his blood. He went to the whipping post, was stripped naked and nailed—nailed through hands and feet to a cross. The LORD who was despised and reject. The LORD who came to his own, but his own would not receive him. That forsaken LORD—the LORD—who loved me to death. The LORD my redeemer, that’s the LORD, I praise.

I praise the One who pulled me out of the pit, the pit of self-pity, the pit of despair, the sucking pit of self-indulgence that spirals only downwards. He redeemed me from that sinking pit. And now, he is the One I praise.

But he doesn’t just redeem. He crowns me with love and compassion. Now that’s beyond amazing. Though I don’t deserve it, he puts a crown of love on my head. He wore a crown of thorns, but on my head, he puts a crown of love and compassion. He encircles my head—my stubborn head, my sin drenched head—with love and compassion. Awesome. What an awesome God!

Praise the LORD!

I’m a bit slow today, God. Remember I’ve got a splintered bookcase on my brain. Could you just remind me—remind me one more time? Which LORD are you?

The LORD “who satisfies your desires with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

Oh yes, LORD, you do satisfy me. You satisfy me with a thousand good things. I live like a king. My every need is met; every comfort is mine. I have abundance. Compared to billions on this planet today, and compared to billions going back through the ages, I am blessed—blessed beyond measure. 

You renew my strength. You put a glint in my eye, a spring in my step, and a well of hope in my heart. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Now, I’m soaring. Praise the LORD!

I said, “Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!”

I was feeling much better by the time I got home, and so was my wife.

As for that bookcase, I’m glancing up at it even as I write this chapter. It looks great! Some carpentry clamps and a little wood glue can work wonders. Despite being hit by a twenty-ton cement truck, only one shelf was broken beyond repair. While I was replacing that shelf at a wood shop in a school nearby, I was encouraged by a friend to take a university course in design and technology. That course rerouted my whole teaching career. It brought me into a line of work I simply love. I started on that new route because of a broken bookcase. Praise the LORD!

I said, “Praise the LORD, O my soul!”

Yes, praise the LORD! In any situation, it’s one of the best things this cantankerous soul can do.

 

Bringing Life to the Psalms

1. The well-known adage, “Prayer changes things,” should be joined by its lesser-known cousin, “Praise changes things.” How do you think an attitude of praise worked to change things in the real-life account you just read? How is a praise response possible during difficult circumstances?
   
   
2. What are the first words to come out of your mouth when something bad happens? If we change our reaction, can we affect the longer-term outcomes from a negative event?
   
   
3. Praise changes our point of view. We look up at God instead of our circumstances. His perspective on the events in our life is completely different from our own. He does see the beginning from the end. He has the full picture. Genuine praise and worship elevates us. By the Spirit, it brings us above our situation. Remember things always look different when viewed from above.
   
   
4. Reread Psalm 103, or better yet memorize it. Begin to build a foundation of praise in your life. It will help you weather many a storm.
   
   
5. To start your day tomorrow read Psalm 100. Let your praise to God flow like a river.

Today’s post is Chapter 15 from the book Psalms Alive! Connecting Heaven & Earth by David Kitz. To find out more or purchase click here.