Jump Start # 3420

Psalms 89:1 “I will sing of the lovingkindness of the Lord forever; to all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth.”

Our verse sounds as if it comes from the lips of one happy person. He loves the Lord and he knows that the Lord loves him. And, because of that, he is singing and telling others about the Lord. What a refreshing and helpful verse this is in our times.

Have you noticed that people are just not happy these days. And, when we are not happy, we complain. And, there is a lot of complaints filling the air anymore. Not enough workers. Prices are high. Lines are long. This isn’t right and that ain’t right. And, the more one complains, the more he finds others willing to sing that same sad song with him.

And, for us disciples, it’s easy to get caught up in that. They complain at school. They complain at work. The drive home, and the traffic makes some complain. Nothing is right and everything is wrong. Misery finds company and misery keeps company.

Then, we read passages like our verse today. Singing of the lovingkindness of the Lord. Not just on a Sunday, but forever. God is so good. He is so good to me. Do you believe that? Blessings. Forgiveness. Hope. Promises. Help. Fellowship. Prayers answered. The words abound when we think about the kindness of the Lord. Rather than joining in the chorus of complainers, sing of the lovingkindness of the Lord.

Now, just how does one do that? Will all the gloom and doom around a person, how do we sing of the lovingkindness of the Lord?

First, one must think about the Lord. Count your many blessings, is how one of our hymns reminds us. Rather than looking at the dreary rain, look for the rainbow. Focus is the key here. It helps taking a break from the nightly news. Guess what happens when you don’t watch it? The world goes on without you. Shootings. Murder. Crime. Protests. Troubles. Disasters. Having a steady diet of that every evening is enough to be miserable. So, take a break. Don’t watch the news.

Second, spend some time outside. That’s where you’ll see the glory and majesty of the Lord. Listen to the birds. Watch a spider spin a web. Listen to the wind through the trees. It’s more than nature, it’s God showing what He does. There is a calming sensation that quiets our souls when we just sit outside. Leave your phone inside. You don’t need it. Look at the clouds. Take in the smells. Listen to the sounds. Look at how many shades of green God has on His pallet. Don’t let bugs, heat or other things get you to complaining. Sing of the lovingkindness of the Lord.

Third, spend some serious time in God’s word. Get a pen out and circle some words. Take some notes. Notice things. Ask yourself some questions. Drop that bucket deep into the well of God. It’s hard to do some complaining while you are digging into God’s word. See the power of God. See the compassion of the Lord. See the joys of salvation. Walk with the Savior through the Gospels.

Three simple things. But, it’s hard doing these things. We want to watch the news. We want to stay inside. We want to busy ourselves with things other than God’s word. And, when that becomes our course in life, we won’t be singing much. We’ll be complaining with the rest of the world.

Turn off the news. Get outside. Open your Bible. And, when you do that, your attitude changes. You’ll feel better. You’ll do better. And, before you know it, you’ll be singing a hymn or two. You might even sing, “I’m happy today, O, yes, I’m happy today.” You just might sing that when everyone around you is singing, “Gloom, despair and agony on me.”

I will sing. I will tell others. God is so good.

Roger