Monday Reflection – February 14, 2022

Monday Reflection – February 14, 2022

Steadfast Heart of Praise

My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make melody. Awake, my soul! Psalm 108:1

It is widely believed that Psalm 108 is a compilation of sections from two other Psalms. Psalm 108:1-5 is very similar to Psalm 57:7-11, and verses 6-13 is almost identical to Psalm 60:6-12. This suggests that the inspired words of David are taken and applied to a present challenge. Verses 9-13 speak of enemies – Moab, Edom, and Philistia (with the emphasis on Edom). It may be that the old foe, subdued earlier in David’s day, rose again and Israel must defeat her again. In this Psalm, David shows how we can and should use the words of Scripture as our present prayers and praises, suitable to our present situation.

David expresses his earnest nature of praise to God in this Psalm. So he begins with the words of today’s Watchword, declaring the steadfastness of his heart and his fervent commitment to sing and make melody, and awake his soul. David’s steadfast confidence in God gave him a fixed point from which he could and would sing and give praise. In this verse David voices his heart’s deep passion to praise God with the best of his being. Whatever glory belonged to David, he directed it toward God in praise. Not surprising in verse 2, he speaks of awaking the lute and harp. His earnest praise offered to God was musical. David was a skilled musician, and it could be said that this skill was part of his glory – so he offered it to God in praise. Today’s text prompts the questions, are we steadfast in our praise to God? Does God receive the best of our being in praise? Do we take any glory for ourselves, or is all of the glory directed to God? Is all of our skill, accomplishments, talents and gifts offered to God for God’s glory and use?

David also says in verse 2 that he will awaken the dawn. David was determined to give God the best in praise, so he gave to God the choicest part of the day. David let the sound of his praise greet the dawn as it rose in the wee hours of the morning. Charles Spurgeon asserts that, “Some singers had need to awake, for they sing in drawling tones, as if they were half asleep; the tune drags wearily along, there is no feeling or sentiment in the singing, but the listener hears only a dull mechanical sound…. Oh, choristers, wake up, for this is not a work for dreamers, but such as requires your best powers in their liveliest condition.” In other words, our praise to God must not be dragging on with lack of enthusiasm and fulsome effort, and with miserable boredom, merely going through the rituals. God must receive the best of ourselves, our singing, our praise, our focus, our attention, our time, at all times.   

Our praise to God ought to be out of a heart of steadfastness or a fixed heart. If we want God to be pleased with our worship, then it demands surrendering our lives to God. It requires us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. It demands loving God completely; anything less can determine acceptance or rejection of our praise. Our praise of God ought to be driven by our passionate and sincere love for God. Without love for God, our praise is empty; without a desire to please God in all we do, our praise is useless. Yet, as we contemplate love for God, we must equally consider our love for each other. So, without love for God and others, our praise is empty. On this day when we celebrate love, let’s consider the nature of our love for God and others. We should ask ourselves, do our lives and decisions reflect a fixed heart; a person fixed on pleasing God? Let’s reflect.

Jermaine Gibson