OLD TESTAMENT: Isaiah 48-50
*POETRY: Psalm 107
NEW TESTAMENT: James 3:13-18
My family has a book at home called 52 Bible Words Every Kid Should Know by Carrie Mars, and this last week, we read about the word “Psalm.”
One thing that I appreciate about reading things like this with my children or putting together lessons for young kids (teaching preschool is my favorite), is just stopping to examine simply defined truths. When I personally go to classes, or small group, I do feel I gain things from those – a deeper understanding of things, an opportunity for discussion to hear other viewpoints, etc., but sometimes I miss the simple wonder like I had mentioned earlier this week.
When I am working on kid lessons or readings, they aren’t filled with the in-depth explanations or discussions, they are just boiled down, trying to give kids a foundation to grow from, and circling back to those things as an adult often touches me in a simple way.
In reading this book last week, it talked about how the Psalms show us how we can share all of our feelings with God. We feel lots of things at different times, and there are psalms that fit so many different feelings. We don’t have to just bring our good feelings before God – we can bring absolutely everything to Him. It ends with a simple prayer “God, I’m so glad I can tell You anything. I praise You for being so wonderful!” God is wonderful for so many things, and us being able to bring anything before Him is just one of those things.
So let’s look a little at this specific Psalm – the first verse is one that repeats in other psalms (and repeats slightly altered throughout this one), and is a popular (if somewhat older) song:
“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.”
It is simple; it is basic. But God is good! And He isn’t good the way we might call someone a “good” person. He is really, truly, and fully good, and one of the most amazing things is that He loves us and that love will last forever. This isn’t a revolutionary concept if you have been a Christian for a while, but it is a simple truth that can astound you when you stop to think about that.
If you were going to teach that to a child, you would break it down, emphasize how God’s good far surpasses ours, and emphasize how amazing His love is – get them excited about it! As adults, I find we have heard those things so many times that we often gloss over them, but stop and think. The great, amazing, good God of the universe loves you, and that love is perfect, and lasts forever.
When I truly stop and think about that, it just blows my mind. And thinking about that makes it so easy to give thanks to the LORD for who He is.
The psalm ends with this verse:
“Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the LORD.”
So this is my suggestion to you – slow down, view it through the simplicity of a child’s eyes, and consider the great love of the LORD.
~Stephanie Fletcher
Reflection Questions
- What feelings will you bring before God today? Are there some feelings you have that you typically don’t bring to Him?
- Make a list of what God does in Psalm 107. In this psalm how do we see God displaying His love? Which ones apply to you? How else could you describe what God has done for you? How will you give thanks to God for His love and mercy?
- How many times does this Psalm tell us that the thankful redeemed tell others about God’s love and what He has done?
- How would you describe God’s love and mercy to a child you know? How would you describe His love to an adult? What and how can you share at church about God’s love? Outside of church, who and how can you tell about God’s love?
Seek Grow Love 