SOME GOOD I WILLS
Psalms 71:14-16 NKJV
14 But I will hope continually,
And will praise You yet more and more.
15 My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness
And Your salvation all the day,
For I do not know their limits.
16 I will go in the strength of the Lord God;
I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only.
Depending on the Bible you use, the Book of Psalms will often credit the author. For example, Psalm 70 is credited to David. And Psalm 72 is authored by Solomon. As for Psalm 71, no author is noted, but it sure sounds like a David psalm.
David is continually declaring who God is to him. And his declarations are a great pattern to follow. Declaring that God is his trust and shield, the one who delivers him. David expresses his faith and confidence in God on a regular basis. There is such great wisdom in the Psalms. This speaking about who God is to you personally is one of the greatest things we can learn.
In our verses for today, the author not only declares who God is but also declares how he will respond to God. These three verses contain five "I wills." Actually, one is a "shall," but the meaning is the same.
I will hope continually. When the scriptures use the word hope, it implies an expectation of good. Hope today often conveys the idea of a wish. When someone today says, "I hope so," they typically mean that they wish it would be. But biblical hope is more definitive. I will hope continually, is I will expect good continually. The expectation of good from God is powerful. It becomes a stabilizer for life.
I will praise You yet more and more. This is one of the most spiritually powerful insights of the Psalms. Praising God is such a deterrent to the darkness and gloom that is prevalent today. I will praise is a powerful way to stay ahead of the negative curve the world throws our way.
My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness and salvation all day. Or we can I say, I will tell of Your righteousness and salvation. We see the author talking about God and His ways being right. And God and His ways offering salvation. We tend to think of salvation in terms of heaven when we die. But salvation is a broader construct. Salvation includes deliverance, safety, preservation, and wholeness. When we look to God for salvation for all the aspects of our life, it opens the door to a positive outlook.
I will go in the strength of the Lord God. I love that perspective. We do not have to walk through life in our own strength. But we do have to acknowledge that God is our strength. This is a subject we can continue to explore. I don't know everything about going in the strength of the Lord, but I do know that declaring His strength is the best place to start.
I will make mention of the righteousness of God only. The thought behind mentioning God's right standing is that it takes the emphasis off of us. God is right in all His ways. We can also add that, because we belong to Christ, we have been given His righteousness. So we approach God on the basis of His gift of righteousness to us. The understanding of righteousness reduces the sense of inferiority and inadequacy in our relationship with God. We are not standing on our own righteousness; we are standing on His.
APPLICATION
What are some of the "I wills" in your life? If you honestly admit you are lacking in this area, start by borrowing from the Psalms and adding these five "I wills." Nothing to lose, everything to gain.