“How gracious He will be when you cry for help!  As soon as He hears, He will answer you.  Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them.”  Isaiah 30:19-20

What is the purpose behind God’s praiseworthy deeds?

The easy answer is that they bring Him glory, but something doesn’t seem quite right in that analysis.  Yes, they highlight what an awesome God we have, but let’s slow down and think about that…

With God as the Creator of the universe, the Maker of all that is in it, the Owner of time and space and every thing, the Designer of every detail known and unknown to man, does He really need more glory and praise from us?  Glory is defined as “very great praise, honor or distinction…adoring praise or worshipful thanksgiving…resplendent beauty or magnificence…the splendor or bless of heaven.” See Glory.  All of nature that we see, hear and experience already boasts of His glory.  And when we think of boasting, God is so very clear that pride creates a lot of issues for mankind.  Rather, He emphasizes that we have humility with broken and contrite hearts when we come to Him.  To believe that God does things to gain our praise seems a bit counter intuitive to His instructions.  And since He leads by example, such self-promoting actions would go against His very character.  So let’s ask again:

What is the purpose behind God’s praiseworthy deeds?

Is it possible that they are designed to actually help us focus on His invisible Presence in this world?  Could these very deeds that He does–daily and in every minute–be beneficial not only to those receiving them but also faith building to those willing to see His movement in this world?  Maybe they are less about the glory that is already in Him and more about helping us to see His Presence in real time in our lives and in the lives of those around us…

Remember, praiseworthy deeds of God are often accomplished in ways that allow us to participate in His work in our world.  He often moves hearts to help in just the right way, in the perfect timing, and in a location that another soul just happens to be at.  So often, we hear of the unexpected happening in a way that indicates a greater plan was being worked out.  The right thing at the right time in the right way and for the right reasons with God at the helm and others as His hands.

When I see God’s hand move through lives, it is typically through things that I had no way of knowing, things I did not anticipate, nor was I aware of.  I stand there, a bit baffled and in awe, understanding that I was just a tiny, tiny part of a bigger plan that God was clearly aware of even though I was not.

For example, when I asked a mom if she had any prayer requests, she asked if we knew of anyone getting rid of a couch.  I paused and smiled, “Occasionally someone will contact us.  I can keep it in prayer for you if you’d like.”  She nodded.  Her mother went on to reveal that it was where this mom slept at night and her “bed” was literally falling apart.  Within a couple of weeks, sure enough, an email arrived asking if we knew of anyone in need of a couch.  I sat there looking at the screen in wonder at just how He does all of this.  Sure enough, that mom has a “new” couch to sleep on…an answer to her heart’s prayer and ours as well as an answer to the desire of another soul to help someone with the blessings they no longer needed.

A couple of years ago, during Christmas, one of our steadfast builders built a beautiful basket for a senior.  That Easter, this woman visited us.  Another volunteer pulled me aside and said, “This gal would like to share something with you.”  As she began her story, her hand continually held onto a beautiful necklace she was wearing.

All of her life, she had been in poverty.  She worked hard, but always struggled.  At some point, she had wished and longed for a beautiful necklace that was well beyond her ability to afford.  Feeling that it was an inappropriate request of anyone, she never told any soul about her longing and accepted that it was not within her reach.

That year, unbeknownst to the volunteer building the basket, the builder came across a beautiful necklace in our donated jewelry bin.  She wrapped it up as a gift and placed it inside the basket, believing it might be something nice to receive.  Having already received a small gift through our adoption program, this senior was very surprised to find another present in her basket.

As she began to open it, she could scarcely believe her eyes.  It was the necklace she had always longed for.  The very necklace she had told no one about.  There were tears in her eyes as she smiled and nodded her head.  We both knew Who knew of that longing and Who had arranged for her to receive it.  It wasn’t the volunteer nor us nor her as she never listed it on her application.  It was God.  And do you know what?  That gal, who wasn’t really sure about God, asked us the following Christmas for a cross.  I knew He had reassured her not only how present He was but how much He knew everything about her…

It’s in the little details of life that we have no way of knowing that the hand of God becomes most visible to those willing to see, hear and believe.  It is in the movement of His works, His deeds and His timing that praise disconnects from our realm and brings us into His.  It is in moments like that where I walk away deeply humbled at catching a glimpse of His work in another life, another soul and another moment.  Those glimpses, those views build up, shore up, tend to, and strengthen my faith and trust in God.

I believe that is why the Psalmist of Psalm 78 instructs us early on to visit and speak of often His praiseworthy deeds.  Not just to praise God, but to understand and learn to trust more that He is actively working in our world.  It doesn’t mean that we always get the necklace we want when we want, but rather, those moments illustrate that He is trustworthy, praiseworthy and willing to come to our aid.

These good deeds are the antidote to fear’s call to believe that He is inactive, unwilling or unable to move to our benefit.  His deeds are exactly what we need to shield our minds and faith from the effects of unbelief and doubt.  They can quell anxiety’s fight for despair, push away depression with hope that He is at work, and undo loneliness with the reassurance that we are never really alone (even when we keep our thoughts and wishes to ourselves).

Understand that God is not some raging ego-maniac that wants constant praise. No, He just wants you to trust Him with all that you are and wherever you may be.  Focus on the praiseworthy deeds that you have seen Him do and on the ones you have heard others tell of.  Let that become one of the walls that shores up your faith and trust when you are feeling unsure or afraid.  Let those deeds become a part of the refuge you seek out when fear in this life comes knocking on your door.

“Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom.  One generation commends Your works to another; they tell of Your mighty acts.  They speak of the glorious splendor of Your majesty–and I will meditate on Your wonderful works.”  Psalm 145:3-5

“We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done.” Psalm 78:4

There’s a whopping 71 verses in Psalm 78.  It’s not the longest psalm in the Bible, but definitely one of the longer ones.  The interesting thing is once you get past the first eight verses, a predictable pattern starts to emerge.  Verse nine is actually where the history begins to be laid out over time, but before that, in verses one through eight, we are given a special gift.

The writer shares with us a foundation.  It is the very foundation for how we can establish and shore up our faith–best shown through our loyalty and faithfulness to God.  In those first verses, the psalmist grants us a road map to faith building: a way to keep our faith alive, growing and steady.

He instructs us to share what we have been told by others–what we have heard and what we have known about God.  Moreover, the psalmist tailors our attention in building faith to:

• God’s praiseworthy deeds
• His power
• The wonders He has done

Focusing on and sharing these three things is what will help fortify our hope and trust in God.  It will also inspire others to trust in Him. The news of Who He is and what He is capable of will give us the courage to follow His ways and be faithful to Him even when we don’t want to or think that we can’t.

When we choose to think on His praiseworthy deeds, we gain access to His ever-present physical, spiritual and emotional refuge.  By reflecting on what He has done, we can reassure ourselves that He is present with us in all that we are currently going through.

Digging a bit deeper into what qualifies as praiseworthy, we will find that it involves those things that are “deserving of praise; laudable.” See Praiseworthy The roots of praiseworthy come directly from praise, which involve:

1. the act of expressing approval or admiration;
2. the offering of grateful homage in words or song as an act of worship.  See Praise.

Praise, itself, is rooted in prize (the second definition) and that is “to value or esteem highly; to estimate worth or value of.”  See Prize.  And deeds, well, those are in essence, “an act or gesture, especially illustrative of intentions, one’s character or the like.” See Deeds.

All of those definitions expand the idea of God in our lives by removing the expectation or requirement that His Presence be only manifested or proved by miracles.  Quite the contrary, anything…and I mean every little thing…that we value or highly esteem can be traced back to God’s kindness, love, steadfastness and faithfulness to us.

The other day, at our local monthly outreach, a man and his adult son came in.  I didn’t recognize them and made my way over to where they stood, as they were a bit overwhelmed by all that they could see going on.  In the older gentleman’s hand was our Christmas application.  It was folded such that I could see his name, and I knew right away who he was without ever having met him before.

It was the first year that we started our Christmas program for senior citizens. An application arrived filled out for both him and his wife.  His wife, not bearing the thought of him going without, wrote out the form for both of them.  In it, she shared that he was having a particularly difficult year.  After reviewing a handful of applications where the applicants had suffered a very difficult year, we created a special program designed to get them through the month of December.

And so, we began.  Each week in December, a beautiful bag would arrive on certain doorsteps with bells and whistles that made it near impossible to deny that Someone cared.  The bag was meant to shore up the idea that they were not forgotten by God nor mankind.  Over the years, for this particular couple, things had gotten better though, financially, things remained the same…

Until last year…

Our little families of Easter bunnies set out to deliver special baskets to seniors (from our Christmas programs) and returned with the sad news that his wife had passed away.  Their Christmas application written in her hand writing left me to believe that her passing was somewhat unexpected.  I struggled with how best to handle his situation as autumn approached.  I wasn’t sure whether to send him the application, or just create the bags as I knew how tough this holiday season would be.  After much prayer, I popped the application in the mail with a little personal note, hoping to see it returned.

I just didn’t expect for it to come the way it did…

As he stood before me, not knowing who I was, he tenderly held that form.  I smiled, introduced myself and told him how glad I was to finally meet him.  And how very sorry I was for his loss.  We spoke of their years married, where she worked when they were younger, and what he did.  His mind visited the places they had seen and the things they loved to do.  His love for her was immeasurable, and his desire to revisit those memories was strong.  I listened and reassured his tender heart where I could.

Then came the moment where we had to part.  I reached out and offered a hug, which he warmly received.  It was there that he began to fall apart.  Quiet tears that brimmed his eyes here and there turned into deep sobs–deep from within.  I held onto him and said I understood.  I truly did.

Two simple words: my dad.  I gently told him that the very program that had brought us together that day stemmed from losing my father just years ago.  As I had looked at those original Christmas applications that had arrived and held so much more pain than the rest, I had a personal understanding of how hard that December would be.  I knew that the beautiful lights, joyful music and good cheer…all designed to celebrate happiness…just didn’t fit so well when you don’t feel anything but pain and sadness.  His sobs grew a little deeper as he relaxed in my arms trusting that I seemed to be familiar with his new companion, grief.

You might wonder how that can be a praiseworthy deed of the Lord?  Let me tell you–I never expected to meet him and I understood that was God’s doing.  They had always returned their application by mail; they had never returned it to the event listed on the form.  I knew that God moved his heart to deliver it in person; God moved his son to bring him; and God opened a path for me to see him and make my way through the midst of lots of other people needing attention.

Sometimes we think that the only thing that is praiseworthy are the things that make us feel “good”, but we miss so much more when we restrict God’s work in our lives to only that which we perceive to be a “feel-good” blessing or emotion.  Some of God’s most amazing work comes through tears and pain.

I have been blessed to see the hand of God move quietly in the lives of those He has asked us to reach out to.  We don’t believe in making people smile or pretend they are not effected by what is hurting.  Rather we offer a shoulder, a hug, some encouragement or sometimes just quiet reverence for the difficulty they are facing. Many times, comfort comes from the simple message that they are not alone. I cannot emphasize enough how little control I have in how God connects those dots.  Instead, I stand in awe and reverence; blown away by how fortunate we are to have such a loving God who allows us to be a part of someone else’s journey through this life–both in the good and in the hard times.

That tear-stained, humbling moment with that gentleman, despite how painful it was, deserves my heartfelt praise for our God who orchestrated that meeting.  In the midst of this man’s deep, deep pain–the loss readily visible in his eyes; the longing for her company in his words–he chose to let us be a part of his journey this holiday season.  Our God connecting us to another who truly needs kindness, understanding and love as he transitions to a world without the love he has always known.

Friends, we need to see and praise Him for such connections.  To allow moments like that to shore up the hard work and sacrifice in time, effort or cost that He may be asking us to do to reach another.  By seeing His movements as praiseworthy deeds we can grow our trust in being obedient to what He asks.  And then, in joy and with pain, we can go one step further and share what we’ve seen to help grow even more faith in Him.

Find the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord in your life.  Look for them everywhere.  Let God’s deeds, His acts, His achievements and His gestures that you see be known to all that will listen.  Let us build up our walls of trust in Him by remembering His praiseworthy deeds regularly and with delight!

“My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth.  I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things from of old–things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us.”  Psalm 78:1-2 

“Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget His deeds but would keep His commands.  They would not be like their ancestors–a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to Him.”  Psalm 78:7-8

In a nutshell, Psalm 78 is the story of what happens when we trust God and, conversely, what can happen when we don’t.  This Psalm was written with the intention of preserving the lessons needed to help future generations walk more strongly with God.  The psalmist’s hope was clearly for the future children of God not to make the same mistakes that prior generations had.

Since this psalm reviews the history of God’s people, it is a longer story of the ups and downs that happened as God sought to deliver them from a life of servitude to fear and its fearful friends.  In a way, it is a glimpse at our own journey in this life.  The trials that befall our lives and give birth to fear; some we encounter and, many others, we create.

In the beginning of Psalm 78, the writer lays out why we need to know their history.  Think of it this way–we are that future generation he is speaking to.  We are the ones who need to know what he is trying to share from one generation to the next.  It is truly important for us to learn the lessons that were taught to those who came before us, and more so, we need to understand how to live with more faithfulness and obedience to God and His ways.

The psalmist had one primary goal–that those listening would learn to better put their trust in God.  Not only did they need to trust Him, but they also needed to remember His deeds so that they would be motivated to keep His commands.  Growing and developing trust can be furthered by choosing to remember His displays of power, even when we are unsure about being obedient to what He is asking.  That includes even when God says, “Do not be afraid!”, despite the situation looking very frightening.  How can we keep that command?  By turning to Him with our trust, comfort and strength, and then following through with doing what He says we should despite what our fears say.

So what can we glean from this psalm nowadays?  I think it hits home the value and power that comes from knowing God’s word, revisiting His wonders, and actively seeking to strengthen our trust and faith in God.  Understanding His word is the best way to grow faith, while also remembering all that He has done in our lives and the lives of others.  Our willingness to learn, grow and be obedient to His words and ways isn’t about proving our faith; it is about developing our character in accordance with trusting Him.

“They would not be like their ancestors–a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to Him.” Psalm 78:8

Being in God’s word and building faith is not some doctrinal check list of key points that prove you are a Christian.  Nor is it about making up what you think God must want.  In fact, the shared history of Psalm 78 was not about showing they were “good” with God.  If anything, it was quite the opposite.  Rather, they purposefully reviewed this history with the hopes of working out their own sin, stubbornness, disobedience, rebellion, disloyalty and unfaithfulness.  The hallmarks of character traits that pull us farther from God (and others) and not closer to.

I was recently interviewed by a young lady who asked me, “How do you spread the gospel?”  I paused for a moment, sighed and smiled, “That’s a big question!  I guess I try hard to live it.  It is much like the old saying: walk the walk, and not talk the talk.  It is not so much about what we say, but more about doing what God asks us to do–to live out His truths in our daily lives and largely that is done by how we care for others.”

Learning and teaching on how to trust God does not involve theological discussions on ethereal talking points about faith.  It comes through an active walk with God, often outside of our comfort zones, with willing hearts, open minds, listening ears and seeing eyes.  With all of our senses–all of what we are designed to be–trying to trust Him each step of the way.  Faith is not about an easy set of words articulated to look faithful; true faith must be lived out in how we live.

When you dig deeper into Psalm 78, you will find many moments of God’s great patience, His righteous anger and the discipline that He used to bring His children (those willing to be corrected) back to trusting Him rather than their enemies, their desires or their own power and strength.  His gospel is not just a nice story of blessings but rather a continuous example of God’s Presence, love and faithfulness despite our sin, shortcomings and very short memories of His grace.  It involves not only God’s great mercy but His correction.  Our God truly loves us enough to say, “Your faith is falling short and I need you to come back to believing in Me fully.  Trust Me.  I want you to have the best life possible, and that starts by letting go of the things that have more control of you than they were ever meant to.  I desire for you, and not your fears or addictions, to live through the space and time of this precious life that I have given you.”

So let’s explore this story in a little more depth, and be willing to learn what it is meant to teach us about where the decision to trust, or not to, can lead us.

“My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth.  I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old–things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us.  We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power and the wonders He has done.”  Psalm 78:1-24

“I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days I set out during the night with a few others.  I had not told anyone what my God had put on my heart to do for Jerusalem….By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through; so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall.”  Nehemiah 2:11-15

Nehemiah, an Israelite, was a servant for the king of the Medo-Persian empire.  At some point in his life, he was either taken to this city or borne in exile.  His homeland had long been in shambles and he was far removed from it.  The initial destruction and captivity began about 140 years before God brought Nehemiah back to Jerusalem to do what He had laid on his heart.  In the verse above, we find him making a quiet examination of the state of the ruined walls of Jerusalem–the primary means of defense for this great city.

For hundreds of years, God had been warning Israel and Judah that their disobedience–though covered superficially with religious routine and ritual–was not the faith He wanted them to have.  His words and ways were meant to cleanse out the sin and wrong from their lives, and His law was not meant to facilitate it staying by offering a sacrifice for the wrongs they were choosing to do.  Prophet after prophet He sent to warn, extol, teach and lead His people away from things they were ultimately trusting more than Him.

And yet, they didn’t heed the warnings.  They often made fun of the prophets, called them crazy. They tortured and taunted His servants, and even killed when the words were more negative and life-changing than they cared to listen to. Being that they remained stubborn in refusing to change their ways and live out His instructions, God took away His protection and sent an invading army in hopes that they would awaken from their complacent and selfish lifestyles and turn back to Him.

It was in the wake of that judgment–the natural consequences that come when we choose to follow our own ways–that the walls of Jerusalem were torn down and the gates to that great city burned.  It was some time later that Nehemiah was quietly going along the destruction to assess just how to go about rebuilding those broken-down walls.  First, we see him on horse back and eventually, in the greatest parts of disrepair, he has to dismount and go on foot.

What is interesting is that he does this, quietly, on his own.  We can tell from the Scripture that he has an idea.  He hasn’t shared his thoughts with anyone else.  Instead, he trusts God enough to begin evaluating just where those walls needed to be shored up and where they needed to be rebuilt.   He doesn’t have an answer and, most likely, not even a plan.  Instead of being afraid of the damage, he takes the first step in determining how to fix something–sizing up the scope of the issue at hand.  More importantly, he refused to be overwhelmed by the fear that it was too hard to do.  Instead, he put his trust in God to help him see and find a way through that which was before him.

And that issue was the status of their walls…

What are walls anyways?  Let’s take a deeper look:

Walls

1. any of various permanent upright constructions having a length much greater than the thickness and presenting a continuous surface except where pierced by doors, windows, etc…used for shelter or protection or privacy…;
2. a rampart raised for defensive purposes;
3. …an embankment to prevent flooding;
4. …to enclose, shut off, divide, protect, border, enclose, etc…with or as if with a wall;
5. to seal or fill.   www.dictionary.com/see wall (order of definitions changed; additional available at See Wall.)

There are some key things to note with the definition of a wall.  There’s some sort of permanence to it.  Walls are generally used to create something that is a refuge or to keep others out.  The best walls are upright in construction and are meant to enclose, shut off or divide off from other parts.  But a wall doesn’t have to be just of physical construction.

A wall can involve a hedge or a border.  It can be done with trees, bushes, fencing, or anything that conveys that one area is distinct from another.  Most “walls” are meant to enclose, and to enclose is “to shut or hem in; close on all sides; surround; or to hold or contain.”  We can actually hem in an area with curtains.  We can border our gardens with rabbit-repelling flowers.  We can even keep our dogs in the yard with invisible fencing.

But what about with our emotions?  What walls do we have up, and are they in good shape?  How do we contain, seal or shut them off when they begin to invade the stability of our world?  What defensive measures do we have in place when our more vulnerable feelings are invoked?  Have we designed anything to prevent our moods and attitudes from being flooded by emotion that has risen too fast?  What walls do we put up and are they really working?

We all put up different kinds of walls to prevent hurt.  Some grow incredibly quiet and a steely, cold embankment appears that clearly warns that one should tread carefully in approach.  Others become loud and boisterous in an attempt to ward away hurt and harm with a verbally aggressive posture.  Some turn to tears and wear their pain visibly to shy away those who might come near, while still others white wash their walls with denial and declarations that all is well.  All of those responses are walls of their own sort.  Designs meant to protect and shelter the truth that their heart is feeling or doesn’t want to feel.

“When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.”  Psalm 56:3

When something frightens us, our first reaction is to feel afraid.  The question that we must ask is:  Are we shutting ourselves into a room that holds only Fear and its friends?  When we feel intense emotions, whatever they are, what is our next step?  Fear screams, “Trust in me–just me!  Close the door, shut up the windows, you are surrounded and should be very afraid.”  What do you do in response?

Turn to Trust.  Don’t wall yourself in with Fear as that will only lead you to a much worsened state.  Don’t be fooled into letting anxiety, worry or fret consume your thoughts as that is really no better than Fear.  Instead, hand your thoughts to God trusting that He is in control.  From there, even if you have to do so repeatedly, put Trust right where Fear is demanding to be.  Then kick Fear to the outside of your four walls.  Don’t give it room to grow.  Don’t allow it to build a room in your heart or mind.  Literally, shut your mind off to venturing down those fearful thoughts.  Embrace the mercy and grace God wants to give you when you turn to Him in trust.  Seal up with certainty that He is with you, and the Only One who can truly save you in the depths of where your struggles are.

Friends, shore up your faith by confidently believing–just like Nehemiah–that God can lay on your heart the very plans that will help you rebuild those parts of your faith walls that have become weak or been damaged.  It begins by trusting Him in taking the first step to assess where your walls might be weak.

“Then I said to them: ‘You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire.  Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.’  I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me.  They replied, ‘Let us start rebuilding.'”  Nehemiah 2:17-18