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Daily Devotion: Psalm 47:1-3

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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.

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