Psalm 92 – Praise for the Lord’s Goodness.
A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath day. (Amplified Bible)
“It is a good and delightful thing to give thanks to the Lord,
To sing praises to Your name, O Most High,
To declare Your loving kindness in the morning
And Your faithfulness by night,
With an instrument of ten strings and with the harp,
With a solemn sound on the lyre.
For You, O Lord, have made me glad by Your works;
At the works of Your hands I joyfully sing.
How great are Your works, O Lord!
Your thoughts are very deep [beyond man’s understanding].
A senseless man [in his crude and uncultivated state] knows nothing,
Nor does a [self-righteous] fool understand this:
That though the wicked sprout up like grass
And all evildoers flourish,
They will be destroyed forever.
But You, Lord, are on high forever.
For behold, Your enemies, O Lord,
For behold, Your enemies will perish;
All who do evil will be scattered.
But my horn [my emblem of strength and power] You have exalted like that of a wild ox;
I am anointed with fresh oil [for Your service].
My eye has looked on my foes;
My ears hear of the evildoers who rise up against me.
The righteous will flourish like the date palm [long-lived, upright and useful];
They will grow like a cedar in Lebanon [majestic and stable].
Planted in the house of the Lord,
They will flourish in the courts of our God.
[Growing in grace] they will still thrive and bear fruit and prosper in old age;
They will flourish and be [a]vital and fresh [rich in trust and love and contentment];
[They are living memorials] to declare that the Lord is upright and faithful [to His promises];
He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”
This reads just as much a story of redemption and restoration as it does a promise that the oppressed WILL flourish! What a promise!
While the word FLOURISH turned out to be my “word of the year” I am finding myself more in a period of restoration in 2016. And restoration is some hard work.
I have some experience in refinishing and restoring older pieces of furniture. And in that is a beautiful analogy! There were times when I looked at an older piece and I could immediately see the beauty hidden by the chipped paint, gouged out wood, scratched surfaces and all. There were very few times I would look at a piece and think “oh – that’s just too far gone.” Looking at enough pieces and doing the hard work, I’m here to tell you:
Beauty can rise from the ashes of EVERY thing…. every broken thing, every used up thing, every heartbreak, every story, every life…
It takes some work, dedication, and a vision to see the possibilities. But I promise you – when we commit to the hard work and have determination we can do anything! Peel off one layer at a time… just one layer at a time. Look at the possibilities from different angles and address the mess. I promise you – it will be worth the work!
I shouldn’t be surprised that as I continue to study and learn and dig deep into the “WHY” of the purpose of the word “FLOURISH” as my focus for the year I am being continually reminded to lean on HIM for wisdom and insight. He is asking me to open my heart and mind and listen to all He has for me, even beyond “flourish” messages. And what’s happening? As I continue to study and then stumble across scriptures like this that talk on both “restoration” AND “flourishing” I am reminded that He knows my heart, He knows my needs, He knows my desires, He knows ME!
He knows exactly what I need and when I need it and how to deliver it to my broken & tattered, scared & scarred, bruised & battered, and partially healed heart.
He always knows exactly what I need and more importantly WHEN I need it. He is faithful when I am planted and remain in Him.
On that promise I will rest… I will sit back in my restored rocking chair and rest in His perfect timing. Our Lord is good!
Lori J. Tisdale 