Daily Bible Reading Plans to help you read and understand God’s Word

The world's an amazing place. Recall the marvel of a sunrise or sunset. Can you do justice to capturing the splendor? Have you ever stood at the edge of the ocean, staring at endless water from horizon to horizon? Can you adequately describe the impressive roar of a mighty waterfall? Have you stared up at the majesty of a mountain range or felt a peace and quiet that can only come from a perfect blanket of thick snow in the dead of winter? These all are works of the Lord—beautiful and great.

There's such a confidence which runs through this psalm. Whoever wrote this passage wasn’t guessing or wishing, he was remembering God’s wondrous works (Psalm 111:4).

When we read this psalm, I hope we consider what a great invitation we’ve received: to look longer at what God has done. Psalm 111 invites us to linger in these truths: God has remembered His people and provided for His people (v.5). And He has ordained His covenant forever (v.9).

We shouldn’t just casually glance at His works; we should study them because His name is "holy and awe-inspiring” (v.9). That’s what God’s people have always been invited to do, and the invitation remains—especially during Lent.

And notice the movement between past- and present-tense language being used throughout the psalm. There is a reminder of what has been and what is still true of Him. Great are His works! And great have been His works! As we focus on this, we can let what we read about God's past grace steady our present faith.

Especially in a season like Lent, God's people are invited to study, remember, and praise His works together from a unique vantage point (v.1) because he “has sent redemption to his people” (v.9). It's a reminder that our present faith is tied to past grace.

Let's keep this in mind as we move toward the cross of Christ. Whether it's with a ready and willing heart or a reverent tremble, we're never crying out into the dark. This psalm points us to a God who moved toward us first.

So even if for just a moment, we pause. We linger. We stop and reflect on the things God has made and the things He has done.

Written by Canaan Chapman