SING THEM OVER AGAIN Monday, June 1 Reading: 107-108

Psalm 108:3 I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. 4 For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. 5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth.

Growing up, I was involved in our church AWANA program. One of the emphases of this program is Scripture memory. Though I don’t memorize as much as I used to, it is still important to learn God’s Word. One of the best learning tools is repetition. When I want to learn a Bible verse, I often walk around the room repeating it to myself over and over. After a while it gets “stuck” in my brain – I remember it.

Psalm 108 is God’s endorsement of this “repetition program.” This psalm is actually a repeat of two other psalms. The first part is taken from :7-11. This psalm was written when was running for his life from King Saul. The last part comes from :5-12. This psalm was also written during a time of war when David sought for God’s deliverance. However, when he combines these psalms David leaves out most of the feelings of distress and rejection that are part of the two source psalms. Instead, David focuses on the praise that belongs to the Lord.

It appears that Psalm 108 was also composed in the heat of battle. But through past experience David had learned that God could be trusted and thus he exalts the Lord in the midst of his struggle. He repeats the praise that had come from his lips in his previous trials.

Because of God’s faithfulness in the past, David can live with confidence. He has a steadfast heart that clings to God (v. 1). He has a singing heart that rejoices in God (v. 2-3). He has a victorious heart that rests in the care of God (v. 12-13).

There are many reasons we should memorize and meditate on God’s Word. But one important reason is so we can repeat it when trouble comes. Like David, God’s Word in our hearts can lift us from despair to praise when we repeat it and apply it to our lives.

Let us take to heart to words of that old , “Wonderful Words of Life.”

Sing them over again to me / Wonder words of life Let me more of their beauty see / Wonderful words of life

Are you, like David, repeating God’s praises? Are you meditating on God’s Word and allowing it to penetrate your heart and help you live for Him?