Praise God Always || Psalm 68:4-5 || Weekend Wind-Down #7

Welcome to the seventh week of “Weekend Wind-Down.” This series is where we take the verse of the day, look at the face value interpretation, check the background and context of the verse, do a deeper dive on the focus scripture, and figure out what we can walk away with.

Today’s verse is Psalm 68:4-5, which says this: 

4 Sing praises to God and to his name! Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds. His name is the Lord—rejoice in his presence!

5 Father to the fatherless, defender of widows— this is God, whose dwelling is holy.

Face Value

We need to celebrate God and rejoice in him. God is a place of safety and comfort.

Background

Psalms are a way to provide poetry for the expression of praise, worship, and confession to God. Our Psalm today is in Book Two of Psalms. These Psalms got written by both David and the descendants of Korah. Many of these psalms describe the nation as ruined and then recovered. As God rescued the nation of Israel, he also rescued us. We don’t have to find the solution first; we can go to God with our problems and ask him to help.

Deep Dive

David praises God for his protection and provision. When he sees God’s true majesty, our response should be to praise him. This psalm was a song of faith because a lot of these benefits had not yet come true in David’s times. It should also be our song of faith. We must continue to trust God because, in time, he will fulfill all his promises.

Another Davidic psalm echoes this. Hear what Psalm 40:1-3 says here:

1 I waited patiently for the Lord to help, and he turned to me and heard my cry. 

2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. 

3 He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord. 

David received four benefits from waiting: 

• God lifted him out of despair.
• God set his feet on solid ground. 
• God steadied him as he navigated through life. 
• God gave David a new view of praise. 

We might only receive these blessings if we go through the trial of waiting. 

Take-Home Point

There’s never a wrong time to celebrate God. We can find God’s goodness in all things. David hoped for the good things to come, something we call faith. We can also continue this path because we know that our God will provide. It may take some time, but look back at what I mentioned that David received because he waited. David had no more despair. David had a firm foundation. God guided David as he walked through life. David praised God in new ways. With God, we can find a new hope for life. We can find a new foundation with God when everything feels like falling apart. With God, we know we can make mistakes by learning how to do life and know that God will be there to correct and guide us. With God, we can sing praises. 

Thank you for joining me for this Weekend Wind-Down as we explored how to praise God 

through the Psalms. Stay tuned for the next reflection. Let me close out with prayer. 

Praiseworthy God, we thank you for all you’ve done for us in the past, today, and in the future. 

We know we must take more time to sing your new song throughout our day. 

When we lean on our faith as we wait for your promises to come fulfilled, may we sing a new tune. Amen.