Study and Delight in His Works

I have been working on applying for jobs and taking an exam for one of the places I applied to. It's been a busy but good week. The Lord has continually encouraged and upheld me during this time of difficulty. He puts just the right people in my life at just the right time... opens up another place to apply for... speaks to me through His Word... etc. I am so thankful for His work in my heart. He is so good and faithful! I was reading in the Psalms this evening and read Psalm 111.

Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart, In the company of the upright and in the assembly. Great are the works of the Lord; they are studied by all who delight in them. Splendid and majestic is His work, And His righteousness endures forever. He has made His wonders to be remembered; The Lord is gracious and compassionate. He has given food to those who fear Him; He will remember His covenant forever. He has made known to His people the power of His works, In giving them the heritage of the nations. The works of His hands are truth and justice; All His precepts are sure. They are upheld forever and ever; They are performed in truth and uprightness. He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever; Holy and awesome is His name. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever.

Several things jumped out at me: giving thanks with all my heart, surrounding myself with the upright, studying His great works and delighting in them, the fact that He does these amazing things for us to remember them, he will not let those that fear Him go without anything they need, fear of Him is the beginning of wisdom, and true understanding is followed with complete obedience to His ways.

So many things to think through, but studying and delighting in His works is something that I really need to do more of. He has done so many incredible things and yet I am so prone to forget those things... to take them for granted because He is God and can do whatever He wants. While that is true, it should give me all the more reason to study His works... to try to understand His purpose behind what He is doing... to take the time to truly appreciate what He has done. The ultimate example of this is His work on the cross. In many ways the cross is not a delightful object. It is an object that reminds us of pain and grief... one that reminds us of Christ's ultimate sacrifice because of our sin. It is the true image of the consequence of our sin--not a delightful thing. Yet, the complete forgiveness that comes only through Christ's death and resurrection is the most delightful thing that mankind has ever known. To stand before the Holy Judge as completely righteous because His righteousness is credited to my account and my sin credited to His... what a gift! May His gift never grow so old that it ceases to bring tears to my eyes. Oh, to see my name written in the wounds, for through Your suffering I am free. Death is crushed to death; life is mine to live, Won through Your selfless love. This, the pow'r of the cross: Christ became sin for us; took the blame, bore the wrath--we stand forgiven at the cross. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!