Cheering that God Goes Before Us in Everything
1 Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered, And let those who hate Him flee before Him. 2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; As wax melts before the fire, So let the wicked perish before God. 3 But let the righteous be glad; let them exult before God; Yes, let them rejoice with gladness. 4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Lift up a song for Him who rides through the deserts, Whose name is the Lord, and exult before Him. 5 A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, Is God in His holy habitation. 6 God makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity, Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land. 7 O God, when You went forth before Your people, When You marched through the wilderness, Selah. 8 The earth quaked; The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God; Sinai itself quaked at the presence of God, the God of Israel. 9 You shed abroad a plentiful rain, O God; You confirmed Your inheritance when it was parched. 10 Your creatures settled in it; You provided in Your goodness for the poor, O God.
Psalm 68:1–10 NASB Read More
There are some great things to consider from the Psalms in the context of Paul’s exploits Going Boldly through Asia in Acts 17–19. This Psalm was what the Levites would sing when they would pick up the Ark of the Covenant. When the presence of God among men was on the move, stuff happened. Entire kingdoms toppled, impenetrable fortresses fell, and people could see the work of the Lord for miles around.
This song was also a song of God’s salvation of all of the slaves in Egypt. They were the lonely ones that God was making into a family. They were the prisoners that were being set free and put into prosperity. As we sing God’s song of salvation and look for that freedom, we find it too. As we look for God’s goodness to the poor, we see it happening and give Him credit.
If you look at the Levites singing and carrying the ark of the covenant at face value, you can see why people could wonder about spreading mulch around a middle school or picking up trash in an alley. At face value the act itself doesn’t look like much. The power of the Levites marching around carrying the Ark of the Covenant was that God Himself was there.
That’s where the power in mulch or in a welcoming handshake on Sunday or a memorable Sunday school class comes in. God is there in the middle of it. God is there in His people as they work, and He is there in His people as the receive the benefits of others’ work. God is there in the thankfulness of people as they walk down their street where somebody came and picked up trash.
Let God arise, and His enemies be scattered. Where we sow thanksgiving, joy, hospitality, quality, peace, and kindness, the enemies of God will flee.
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