“Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me. The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!“
Psalm 50:14-15; 23
When my daughter was in elementary school, she played on a softball team. One day during warmups, she stepped into an uneven place in the field and immediately started complaining about pain. As the understanding dad/coach that I am, I told her to “toughen up” because “it wasn’t that bad.” She complained often in the coming days, and I kept repeating the phrase, thinking she was just whining.
Finally, after a couple of weeks, we took her to the doctor to find out she had broken her foot. All those complaints were valid! Her father, supposed to protect, care for, and provide for her needs, ignored all of it; to this day she hasn’t let me forget it.
Thankfully, we serve a God whose provision expresses His sufficiency. God’s resources and understanding are limitless. He provides according to His riches and glory, and we benefit. But God isn’t stingy. God never holds onto His limitlessness for himself. He is a faithful provider, meeting our needs and sustaining us through all circumstances. His self-sufficiency makes Him the perfect Father in times of pain and rejoicing.
So, how do we live considering this incredible reality? Psalm 50 calls us to a life of worship, trust, and obedience grounded in recognizing God’s all-sufficient nature.
Psalm 50 summarizes the appropriate response to God’s self-sufficiency: we live with thanksgiving, righteous living, and trust in His salvation. Our lives should reflect our recognition of God’s sufficiency and our dependence on Him.
Living in light of God’s self-sufficiency involves:
- Continuously thanking God for His grace, provision, and sufficiency. The list of what to be thankful for has the potential to be endless!
- Aligning our lives with God’s will, reflecting His character in our actions and decisions. We seek His desires and pursue them more than anything else.
- Trusting in God’s ultimate provision of salvation through Jesus Christ, recognizing that our eternal security is found in Him.
May Psalm 50 become our declaration of praise to a self-sufficient, gracious God.
Questions for reflection and discussion:
- How can you cultivate a daily gratitude practice?
- Where have you been disobedient to God and need to confess that today?
- Who do you need to tell of God’s sufficiency and salvation in your life?
- After reading Psalm 50 this week, what are the major differences you see between the creator and His creation?
Church Reading Plan:
- Today, June 7: Isaiah 39; Revelation 9
- Saturday, June 8: Isaiah 40; Revelation 10
- Sunday, June 9: Isaiah 41; Revelation 11