Psalm 128 NKJV –

1 A Song of Ascents. Blessed (happy, satisfied, content) is every one who fears the LORD, Who walks in His ways.

2 When you eat the labor of your hands, You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.

3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine In the very heart of your house, Your children like olive plants All around your table.

4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed Who fears the LORD.

5 The LORD bless you out of Zion, And may you see the good of Jerusalem All the days of your life.

6 Yes, may you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel!

When Josh came to know the Lord, he loved singing this Psalm from the Psalter. In fact, we sang it together as a congregation at Josh and Jennifer’s wedding. It is a beautiful Psalm with such precious promises for our families.

My heart is to help every one of us learn to live by faith in communion together with the Triune God for the good of our families, our church family, our friends, our communities for everyone with whom we come into contact. The people of God are to be a blessing to the world, and I want us to truly be a blessing. “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways” and blessed are those around them.

I want to help you ladies be “fruitful vines in the very heart of your home”. I want to see your children be like “olive plants around your table”. I want to see all of us live for the Lord together.

God has brought us into a covenantal relationship with Himself. “You shall be My people and I shall be your God” Ezekiel 36:28. We have responsibilities in this relationship. Our first responsibility is to live by faith. “For as it is written the just (justified) shall live by faith” Romans 1:17. By faith, we are repenting repenters and we take refuge in the blood of Christ. Have you given much thought to how many things you do every day that are not done by faith? I have and it is way more than I want to admit. However, I am becoming more and more aware of what I do every day that is not done by faith, and I am repenting of those actions.

Being in a covenantal relationship with the Triune God means living a life in Christ every moment of every day that testifies of His goodness to others. A life that is made up of confession of sins, our worship and praise of Him, and our willingness to live in gospel obedience and teach others the same.

Let’s use Psalm 145 to help us grow in our love for God and our love for our covenantal responsibilities.

Psalm 145:4 says “One generation shall praise Your works to another and shall declare your mighty acts.” Let us exalt the name of God from generation to generation. So, not only our children but all those around us will know that service to Him is a happy one.

145:5 Let us “speak of the glorious honor of His majesty”. Spurgeon says, “Everything which has to do with the Great King is majestic, honorable, glorious. His least is greater than man’s greatest, His lowest is higher than man’s highest. There is nothing about the infinite Lord which is unworthy of his royalty; and, on the other hand, nothing is lacking to the splendor of His reign: His majesty is honorable, and His honor is glorious. He is altogether wonderful.” Let us never be silent about His wonderful works shout them from your house tops.

145:6 let us “declare His greatness”. It is the responsibility of every believer to rehearse the great works of our great God. We are bound to declare His free love for all men and to warn of His justice to come.

145:7 We are to “sing of His righteousness”. What a sweet, beautiful song, the righteousness of our God! Our hope our surety is firmly set in His righteousness. We can find great comfort in God’s covenant of grace. Jesus died as our substitute and has secured our salvation therefore let us “sing of His righteousness”.

Psa 145:8-10 “The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy. 9 The LORD is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works. 10 All Your works shall praise You, O LORD, And Your saints shall bless You.” The Lord is good to all and no one, not even those who hate Him can deny this for they have life because of Him and the sun shines as brightly for them as for us. They to receive healing from their infirmities. The Lord takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked Ezekiel 33:11. Let us bless the Lord every day and night and make His graciousness known among all men!

Psa 145:11-13 “They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, And talk of Your power, 12 To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, And the glorious majesty of His kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.” No one can overthrow His Kingdom. Here we can rest in faith for He is our sovereign good God.

Psa 145:14-16 “The LORD upholds all who fall, And raises up all who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all look expectantly to You, And You give them their food in due season. 16 You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing.” Let us declare to the world and each other that the hand of grace is never closed while there is breath in the sinner.

Psa 145:17-21 “The LORD is righteous in all His ways, Gracious in all His works. 18 The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. 19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them. 20 The LORD preserves all who love Him, But all the wicked He will destroy. 21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD, And all flesh shall bless His holy name Forever and ever.”  We are all invited and persuaded by His great love so let us unite and magnify His name together!

Are you happy in the Lord and are you teaching others to find their greatest joy in Christ alone? Do you find yourself discontent? If so, are you seeking help to reclaim your joy and communion?

May we seek together to find all our joy in Him alone.

I love you, ladies!