Bible Reading Blog
“Bargaining with God”
Categories: Congregational Bible ReadingBible Reading: Psalm 100
Have you ever made a bargain with God? Have you ever said, “If you’ll just do this one thing for me… I’ll serve you completely.” We often find ourselves uttering these words in desperate situations when we realize things are outside our control.
Several years ago, my dad had to be rushed to the emergency room. His gall bladder was infected, and because of some preexisting health conditions, the options for addressing it were limited. The doctors prepared for surgery but were not optimistic about the outcome. I remember vividly the emotion as I prayed fervently that if God would heal him, I would live differently. I would trust Him deeper, I would serve Him more, I would just do better…
In that moment I had no other choice but to cry out for God’s help, and He mercifully brought my dad through surgery with the best possible outcome. But His goodness and faithfulness had nothing to do with the bargain I made with him. I made a commitment… but you know what? I haven’t always kept it. I am fickle and inconsistent and any bargain I could have made with God was destined to fail (Romans 3.23).
But God is not that way. The writer of Psalm 100 tells us that the LORD is “steadfast” and “faithful to all generations” (Psalm 100.5). The nature of God is that He does not behave conditionally. Certainly, the faithful and righteous person can affect God’s attitude (Exodus 32.11-14; James 5.16), but at the end of the day, God is sovereign and good. He will work in a way that will be best for us (Romans 8.28) and will glorify His perfect nature. Regardless of what we think God is or isn’t doing in our lives, we have no place to put conditions on our praise or thanksgiving to God.
“Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” (Psalm 100.3)
We must make a resolution in our lives that, whether good or bad, we know that the LORD, He is God. That it is He who made us, and He is a good God – faithful and steadfast. In some situations, praise may not seem like the appropriate response, but as Job reminds us, “the Lord gives, and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1.21), and “Should we receive good from God and should we not receive evil?” (Job 2.10)
This resolution is challenging to say the least, but the encouragements to praise Him in Psalm 100 are unconditional. If we believe that the Lord is God; that He exists and He rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11.6), then we must be people who give thanks in every moment. Have you given thanks to God today?
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” (Psalm 100.4-5).
