GOD’S WORK IN THIS WORLD (Psalm 111)

We like to think of ourselves as hard-working, “get it done” people. We concentrate on all of the things we can accomplish.

The greatest works accomplished are not our works; they are God’s works. In fact, God is always working.

Psalm 111 highlights God's work. Every psalm has a theme woven throughout, a truth God wants to emphasize. Reading the 10 verses here doesn’t take long, and one realizes that God emphasizes His works.

Verses 1-2: “Praise ye the Lord. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation. The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.”

Notice the first reference to the Lord's works, which is plural. His works are many.

There seems to be a divine progression here. The psalmist begins by going all the way back to the Creator, who made the world and sustains it to this day. He then proceeds to God’s covenant work and ends the psalm with His redemptive work and continued work of wisdom in our lives. What a beautiful progression of seeing God’s work from beginning to end.

Great

The first thing we learn about the works of the Lord is that they are great. They are “sought out of all them that have pleasure therein,” which means that wise people know they need to see God at work.

Do you think we may have allowed our work to substitute for God’s work? Perhaps we have gotten so enamored with man’s inventions and ideas that we have forgotten our most desperate need, what we cannot live without, which is the work of God. If anything great is accomplished on Earth, it is because God allowed it.

Quality

Verse 3: “His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever.” Here we see the quality of His work. You may notice some man’s work and comment on how great it is, only to find out that his motive is impure. That is never true of the Lord. His works are always right because that is what He is.

Verses 4-5: “He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the Lord is gracious and full of compassion. He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant.”

Remembered

All of God’s works are to be remembered. It is sad that we live in a world that has forgotten Him, and if we dare to get personal for a moment, we could also think about whether we have forgotten Him. When was the last time you thought about all of God’s works in your own life or looked up at the sky and simply praised the Creator?

Go back in your heart to the moment when He saved your soul. That is more than enough to call Him “Wonderful.” He must be remembered.

Verse 6: “He hath shewed his people the power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the heathen.”

Powerful

My heritage is the heritage of the Lord. This passage shows us that one day, He will take all that the heathen have and give it to those who have followed HIm. It shows us the power of His works.

Our God is all-powerful. Nothing is too hard for Him. The Lord is able. No matter what you are dealing with or fighting today, regardless of the burden, God is still working, and His power is available to you at this very hour.

Verses 7-8: “The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.”

Forever

Here, we are reminded that His works are always right and that they last forever. Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 3:14, “I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever.” His work is always eternal.

Anything we do can be undone. A ruler can come on the scene and accomplish great things, but the person who follows him may reverse every bit of it. But whatever God does, no man can reverse and no devil can stop.

Verse 9: “He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.”

Personal

Now, God’s works have become personal. Examining His works should renew reverence for Him. However, reverence is sorely lacking in this world; there is virtually no fear of the Lord.

Let me challenge you, as a follower of Jesus Christ, to think of Him and speak of Him reverently. Allow His works to lead you to worship. That is the point.

Verse 10: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.”

We have been brought from an explanation of the works of the Lord to, in this final verse, an application for our own lives. It is quite simple: We should fear the Lord.

Verse 5 previously references “them that fear him.” The concept is used often in the Bible, and Solomon repeated it in the Book of Proverbs.

The fear of God is the key that unlocks the storehouse of wisdom. When we have the right attitude, reverence, and heart of worship toward our great God, we have a greater understanding of what He is doing in this world.

I have had many conversations recently with people who asked, “What is going on? What is God doing?” If you concentrate on keeping your heart right with Him—with reverence, worship, and praise—God will give you wisdom to understand His works. The right attitude will lead to clarity in those areas.

The same God who worked in creation, with His covenant people, and in redemption continues to work today. Our all-wise God is up to something. He is doing something truly wonderful that will last forever, and His people must never miss that.

Psalm 111 begins and ends with praise. We will praise God for His great works for all eternity. Maybe we should start practicing that right now instead of waiting. Praise Him even for what we do not understand, and trust Him to do what He can.