Psalm 47:1-3 "O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. (2) For the LORD most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth. (3) He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet."
This morning, my mind is made to think upon my relationship with my Lord and
Saviour, Jesus Christ. As I read verse one, I ask myself this question,
"How do I feel about my relationship with God?" You might ask
that's a strange question to ask, and maybe it is. We talk about having
joy in the Lord. The book of Nehemiah tells us the joy of the Lord is the
strength of His people. So, I ask myself concerning my relationship with
my Lord and the subject of joy, "Why do I have joy?" Do I have joy
because the Lord answers my prayers? Do I have joy because He gives me what I
ask for? Do I have joy because of the blessings I receive? Why am I joyful in
the Lord? If it is because of answered prayers, how do I feel when my
Lord says, "NO!" Do I still feel joyful? Or, do I feel let down
and neglected if God tells me, no.
In
this Psalm, David was joyful. He doesn't mention anything about being blessed
by the Lord with material blessings; rather he just speaks of being joyful.
What is the reason for this joy? David had such great joy in the Lord because,
"For the LORD most high IS....." (verse 2) He is joyful
because of a very blessed relationship with the Most High God. "Clap
your hands! Shout unto God with the voice of triumph!" Paul would
state it this way, "Rejoice, and again I say, REJOICE!" Why? Because
the Lord God Almighty, sovereign in all His ways and works, has drawn us from
total separation into a beautiful relationship with Him. We can call Him,
Father. Think about that. The Creator of this universe and the sustainer of
this universe is our Heavenly Father! (Relationship!!) That is more
than any of us deserve.
That is something we could not do, and in fact we had no design nor desire, to be in the family of God; yet, our Heavenly Father reached down and brought us out of that pit of miry clay and set us upon the Rock of all ages, Jesus the Christ. He did it! We are in the family of God purely by His wonderful and amazing grace. "Clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph!" Where did that triumph originate? We sing it sometimes, "O Victory in Jesus, my Saviour forever! He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood! He loved me 'ere I knew Him and all my love is due Him. He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood." REJOICE!
"The Lord most high is terrible." We have a negative
connotation of the word, terrible; yet in this verse of Scripture the word
carries a very positive tone. The Lord is "terrible" which means He
is honorable and to be held in total reverence. "He is a (singular) great
King over all the earth. He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations
under our feet." And guess what? He is our Heavenly Father!
"Clap your hands, all ye people. Shout unto God with the voice of
triumph." Rejoice, and again I say, Rejoice for by His grace we are in the
family of God.