“When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed…Then it was said among the nations, “the Lord has done great things for them.” Psalm 126:1-3
Our foundational scripture is the expression of praise by a people who had waited long, but not in vain, for God to hear their prayers and to answer them. But it also reveals that the works of God for His children, are so mighty that even people who do not acknowledge God in their own lives, praise God unbidden, for His work in the lives of those who do; works that are so awesome, that they compel the acknowledgement of Him as the source.
There are many variations of the saying “Good deeds cannot be hidden,” so it is with the blessings God bestows on His children. The abundant blessings of a generous God are not given in secret.
Scripture is replete with examples of God’s blessings and acts of salvation that were so awesome, that onlookers who had no covenant with the God of Israel, could not hold their praise of the God who could bring about such great things in the lives of His people.
The story of three Hebrew boys in exile in Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who were thrown into a fiery furnace for defying the edict of the powerful King Nebuchadnezzar, and continuing in it by refusing to worship the idol he required everyone in his kingdom to worship, ended with praise in the mouth of the king. King Nebuchadnezzar, overwhelmed by the might of the God who could deliver His people from fire, declared:
“Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.” Daniel 3:28
Like his predecessor, King Darius also gave fulsome praise to the God of Daniel when Daniel survived the lion’s den into which he had been thrown by the Kings’ own command. Like his predecessor, he not only praised Daniel’s God, but declared Him to be the living eternal God who deserved to be feared and revered throughout his kingdom (Daniel 6).
Genesis 26 also records the triumphs and struggles of Isaac in a land not his own (it was occupied by Philistines) but which was promised to him by God. The servants of the rulers of the land did all they could to drive him off the land by stopping wells Abraham, Isaac’s father, had dug, and by contending with him over wells he himself had dug. Eventually. Isaac dug a well at Rehoboth and moved on to live at Beersheba. It was following this, and Isaac’s obvious prosperity, that Abimelech the king of Gerar and his high officials went to Isaac to make a treaty of peace with him. In their own words, they did so because they “saw clearly that the Lord was with [Isaac]” and that he was “blessed by God.”
Jethro, the priest of Midian, was no worshipper of the God of Israel, but as a priest – even of a pagan god – he understood the might of the God who had overcome the gods of Egypt to deliver an entire people from the power and dominion of Egypt. Upon hearing of the happenings in the life of Moses, as leader of his people and the strong hand of power that had redeemed them from slavery in Egypt, Jethro simply could not withhold his praise of this God as he declared:
“Praise be to the Lord, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly” (Exodus 18-10-11).
That God is able to keep His promises to His children, including the fulfilment of their hope of eternal glory, is the essence of Hebrews 11:16.
In the exercise of God’s own will and in His timing, he bestows blessings on those that wait for Him, those whose confidence in Him make them as unshakeable as Mount Zion (Psalm 125:1).
God’s blessings are not given in the darkness but in the light, not in secret but openly. It is no wonder that King David, the psalmist of Israel exclaimed in Psalm 31:19:
“How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you.”
In the past few weeks, I have reflected on our need to wait for God in trust, hope, and patience, even when weariness cannot be denied, and wariness of His ability to keep His word, becomes the natural reaction to God’s silence in the time of trouble, especially after a long period of waiting.
David who was anointed as king in his youth but waited for over a decade – and through difficult circumstances – to receive what was promised, understood what it meant to be weary of waiting. Thus, did he enjoin the people of God in Psalm 27:14 to “wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
Be assured that as happened to David and so many others, God will appear with both hands held out with great largesse, for the one who trusts in Him and waits for Him.
Do not worry that people observing you in your present troubled circumstances mock your devotion to God, which appears to be silly, as they ask, “where is their God?”
In His faithfulness, God will in due season, answer that question decisively, and openly.
God is good, and what He does is good (Psalm 119:68).
He has good things stored up for you, and you will see him pour out for you great blessings, beyond what you ask or even imagine. This He will do openly.
So, hold on, just a little longer. Wait for when your praise will echo in many hearts and mouths, as people praise God in awe of what He does for you.
Just trust and wait!
