Psalm 136, Psalm 51, Psalm 130, Psalm 113, Psalm 123.

 “I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing to You among the nations. For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens, and Your truth unto the clouds” (Psalm 57:9, 10, NKJV).

 The psalmists realize that they are spiritually poor and have nothing good to offer to God; that is, they have nothing in and of themselves that would recommend them before God’s holy throne (Ps. 40:17). They understand that they, as do all of us, need grace, God’s grace.

 In short, they need the gospel.

 The Psalms stress the fact that people are fully dependent on God’s mercy. Fortunately, God’s mercy is everlasting, as evidenced in both God’s creation and the history of God’s people (Psalm 136). Before the everlasting God, human life is as transient as grass, but God pities humans and renews their strength (Ps. 103:3, 5, 15), and in Him they have the promise of eternity.

 God’s people take comfort in the fact that the Lord is faithful to His covenant. The people’s appeals, no matter how pressing at times, are often filled with hope because they are directed to their compassionate heavenly Father (Ps. 103:13, Ps. 68:5, Ps. 89:26). Fresh experiences of God’s grace and love strengthen their resolve to worship and serve God and no one or nothing else.

 *Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, February 17.