Focus: Why Not Praise God? (Pt.1)

Text: Ps.107:8

"Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"

Our text appears in four places in this psalm, and that tells us, on a close examination, that there are groups of people being called upon to praise God. Our text occurs in verse 8, 15, 21, and 31. The 5th place is differently expressed, and it says, "Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders" (Ps.107:32).

"For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness" (Ps.107:9).

The psalmist is calling on the redeemed of the Lord to praise Him. He says, "Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south" (Ps.107:2,3).

The first thing to know is that we are the redeemed of the Lord. The Lord has redeemed us from the enemy - Satan himself, who is our main foe. We are no longer in his grips. His blinders over our eyes have been lifted. His shackles on us are completely shattered. Paul says, "And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it" (Col.2:15). Amazingly, we are in the Passion Week, the week that Jesus Christ broke the backs of the enemy and his cohorts and set free the captives. 

Our Lord Jesus Christ has eternally shattered all the shackles of sin and suffering in the lives of the redeemed.

The second thing to know is that the Lord has gathered us from all the ends of the earth - from the east, west, north and south. From all the places of the world the Lord has brought us together and made us into one big family. Now we can sing, praising the Lord for His goodness and wonderful works, and shout for joy. The psalmist says, "Let the redeemed of the Lord SAY so." We say. We sing. We shout. We are called to "shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light" (1Pet.2:9). Our nearest kinsman has redeemed and reclaimed us back. Our lostness has been reversed. We are saved, sanctified and secured.

The last thing is that we are on a journey back to our home city. We are wandering and meandering through the deserts, journeying back to our homeland. This is the first group - clueless travelers. The psalmist says, "They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation" (Ps.107:4-7). The redeemed are not having it rosy in this desert-like world, but our redeemer is with us, and He is bringing us to our own city of habitation - a city that has our own redeemer as its architect and builder.

It is for this reason that the psalmist is calling upon the redeemed to praise the Lord. He says, "Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" We are given the reason for the praise. We praise the redeemer for His goodness and wonderful works. Also, we praise Him, "for he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness" (Ps.107:9).

In view of all that the Lord has done and all that He is doing for us, in us, and with us, is it not logical to praise Him? It certainly makes a great sense to praise Him. It is proper to praise the Lord. So why not praise Him? What are you waiting for? What's stopping you from praising the Lord? He is absolutely and incredibly good to us. What an awesome God we serve! O that men would praise the Lord!

by Bishop Moses E. Peter