“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.
Psalms 113:1-9
“Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD’s name is to be praised. The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high, Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth! He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people. He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD.”
God is so awesome! He is so great and so mighty—the Creator and the Ruler of the universe! The Lord is high above all nations—His glory is high above the heavens! The whole of creation bows down before Him! Praises ring out to Him from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same! Every created being has to bow their knee at the very mention of His Name! And yet—He humbles Himself to regard the heavens and the earth. It is so wonderful that someone so important and so incredibly magnificent would make the time and the effort to come down to where we are to reach out in love and kindness toward us and to draw us to His side. He comes down to show us that He loves you and me so much! He knows us inside out and He cares about us and pays attention to every detail of our lives.
How wonderful that He would send Jesus—the best that He had, in fact, all that He had—His only begotten Son—to be the mediator of an everlasting covenant between God and man. The Lord came down from Glory to lift us out of the dust and the ash heap and the dunghill of life—and seat us at His own right hand to eat at His table. This is not just for heaven—this is for right here down on earth. The Bible says that there will always be poor people with us, but the good news is that they don’t have to stay poor. There will always be people on the ash heap of life, but they don’t have to remain on that ash heap. God, Himself, has reached down to lift us up out of whatever mess we have gotten ourselves into and to set us at the table of restoration and honor and blessing and provision.
Psalms 138:4-8
All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, when they hear the words of thy mouth. Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great is the glory of the LORD. Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me. The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.
Even though there is none higher than the Lord and all the kings of the earth praise Him—when we humble our heart in repentance before Him, He reaches down to us, extending His mercy to work on our behalf. He takes all the little broken pieces of our lives—all the things we have messed up, all the things that have gone wrong through the years, all the bad things that have happened to us—and He makes them all right. He will wipe out the past and bring us into a place we have only dreamed of. He turns things right side up and restores the years that the locusts have eaten and He perfects the things that concern us. Who else, but God, would take people from the dunghill and set them at the princes’ table? What an awesome God we serve!
Don’t waste time wallowing in the dust and the ash heap of your sin and your disappointments. Come running to God in humility, admitting your sin and mistakes, and He will wash you, restore you and set you at His table! No matter what life has thrown at you—God can wipe it away and bless you beyond your hopes or dreams!