“Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you have planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare.”  Ps 40:5

David wrote that he told of God’s salvation “all the day long” (PS 71:15). Too many to declare? Sounds like an obsession, or fixation, wouldn’t you say? I mean, didn’t he have something else to talk about?!

OK, let’s give him some room for literary license. He was probably being somewhat hyperbolic (overstating) here. And yet, many would be hard pressed to tell of all His mighty acts for even one solid minute, say nothing of one solid day. I say this to our shame, especially those of us who are called, and sent. I mean, that was the Old Testament, before Jesus came, before the Holy Spirit was poured out lavishly! We live in the day of the Last Things, when God is visiting His people around the globe in unprecedented ways. Surely this is something we can do!

One of the things that David did was set his heart to PRAISE God for His mighty deeds. The amazing things God had done were continually before him. Too many scriptures come to mind about this:

“I will bless the Lord at all times,

His praise shall continually be in my mouth…

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;

He delivers them out of all their troubles.”   PS 34:1,17

Much of Psalms 71 and 145 are devoted to this. And this is one of the real keys to being an effective witness for the Lord. I asked my ten year old son to take five minutes to write down a list of the mighty things God has done. He came back with a paper filled, and asked me if this was enough. Because David wrote down and sang of the awesome ways of God, he was reliving them over and over again, making them as real each day as they were on the day when they had occurred in his life, or the life of his friends, or in the life of his people.

Another thing he did was he TALKED about them among his friends, and family. One huge mistake we make as believers is we leave the talking to the professionals. We have redefined the word “preach” so only mean something that is done behind a pulpit. In this matter, Satan’s deception has proven most successful. What was meant to be the work of all has been deftly relegated to a few. To this I only need point to Acts 8:1-4, when persecution rose against the church following the stoning of Stephen. History clearly records that all were scattered from Jerusalem “except the apostles” (i.e. the “professionals”), and that those who fled “preached the word wherever they went”. Sounds doable. Beloved, they did not even have Bibles, much less had they taken a homiletics class. This one thing they could do, they did with power; they talked about the mighty things God had done for them.

He also MEDITATED “on your wonderful works” (PS 145:5). More than just singing the songs, or listening to or casually reading the stories, David made a point of pressing it to really consider the incredible things God had done:

“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;

I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.” PS 9:1 (ESV)

No wonder he found them too many to declare. He was downright intentional about this. He did it with his whole heart, and kept re-counting them over and over again. What had been so marvelously carved on his heart through meditation overflowed into his speech. What a great idea!

Beloved, Jesus commissioned you to proclaim His might acts. When we speak of the amazing things He has done and is doing, when we testify of His miracles, of His amazing intervention in our daily affairs, we are doing that which we have been called to do. Stir it up! You know what will happen? People around you will get jealous, and hungry. David said “none can compare” because when people hear about all the incredible things God has done, they are convicted to wonder what their god has done for them. At the right moment, you can even fan this conviction with a question. “So tell me, what has YOUR god done for you?” Their silence will be deafening.

Many missionaries, even whole organizations, have fallen prey to distraction, and forgotten that our duty above all else is to preach this gospel to all creation. Mission founded schools, hospitals, and social institutions which long stopped obeying the Lord in this matter dot the face of the earth like scarecrows in a field, and testify against the hollow works of people who began with good intentions. Satan’s crows sit on the hats of these lifeless creatures with corn in their claws cackling their pleasure at us over their triumph in these things. The Lord deserves better! He is awesome, and mighty are His acts towards us! The great stories of all He has done should be ringing from our rooftops and echoing in our streets. The best place to start is right around our dinner tables, as the Word teaches us:

“One generation shall praise Your works to another,

And shall declare Your mighty acts.”  PS 145:4

Let us fan this gift into flame, rekindling all our energies to proclaiming in whatever way we can, whenever we can, to whosoever will listen.