SCRIPTURE: Psalm 145

OBSERVATION/APPLICATION

1. How much time do you spend thinking about how great and how good God is? Honestly! I’m not talking about singing worship songs, I’m talking about intentional periods of reflection where we list the different ways that God’s greatness or goodness have impacted us. I need to ask myself this question. David says here that he praises the Lord ‘for ever and ever’ and ‘every day’. He hears the older and younger generations talking about how awesome He is to each other. He spends time thinking about (meditating) on the wonderful works of God. When is the last time you did this, when is the last time I did this?
2. Whatever we keep thinking about will shape who we become. What kinds of things do we keep at the forefront of our minds? Could I even make a list of how I have experienced the greatness and goodness of God? Will I? If this psalm is really convicting me, then maybe I should do it!
3. David talks about the unfathomable greatness of God, and then proceeds to describe it the best way he can. It makes me think of the vast oceans that fill this planet, and myself standing along the shoreline (as I would often do on the east coast of Canada). Although I cannot fathom its depths, that should not keep me from stepping in and enjoying the part that I can see, and experience. To immerse myself in it unfathomable depths.
4. God is good, He is not cruel or uncaring or so utterly transcendent that we cannot relate to Him. He loves ALL people, as well as the animals and rocks and trees. Everyone who humbles themselves before Him will experience His gracious (undeserved) goodness. But those who defy Him will find Him a frightening adversary.
5. So how have I experienced the greatness and goodness of God?

• He has been amazingly patient with my slowness and stubbornness. He has assured me of His love and forgiveness, and I sense deep down that despite my folly and weakness, He will not give up on me.
• He keeps showing Himself to me in my life, in what I see and experience in the world, and in what He is doing in and around me.
• He has called and equipped me to serve Him – even though I have a weak, stubborn heart – and has given me amazing opportunities to see what He can do.
• He has gifted me with an amazing wife and family, and allowed me to enjoy them for who they are.
• He has placed me in the exact kinds of churches that I needed at the right times, and now He has entrusted me with an amazing opportunity to work at crossroads in Ajax.
• He has connected me to amazing God-people, in both my previous and present churches. I have been so impacted and encouraged by the people that He has connected me to.
• He has provided for all of my daily needs in abundance, and entrusted me with multiple gifts for which I am responsible to Him.
• He has given me a purpose for living, and a taste of the better life, a life lived for God, for good, for others.
• He has taught me the importance of an open, honest heart, and continues to perform His gentle soul surgery on me. His Spirit gently nudges me in the right direction whenever I stray.
• He has given me a vision for how ‘church’ can be, and a passionate desire to help it happen.
• He has allowed me to experience the broader world (in particular, Haiti and Mexico) and that has impacted me deep within, giving me a greater sense of the world outside of my own little bubble.
• I could go on, and this brief exercise shows me how powerful and meaningful it is to praise God everyday, and to meditate on His greatness and goodness.
• I PRAISE YOU GOD, YOU ARE SO GREAT, SO GOOD TO ME!

PRAYER:
Lord, You are amazing, You are awesome, You are so good to me. I do not deserve all that You have done for me, all that You have given me. But I want to honour You with my life. I cannot repay You, but may I at least honour You and show You my appreciation.