Life’s Great Occupation

Have you ever been asked, “What do you do for a living?” As Christians, there is more than one way of answering that! Yes, most of us likely have some kind of gainful employment, unless we are retired. But in the opening verses of Psalm 106 we see described what is to be our true vocation through all of life, whatever job we have taken on to earn a living.

The psalm begins: “Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord! Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face evermore! Remember His marvellous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth, O seed of Abraham His servant, you children of Jacob, His chosen ones!” (vs. 1-6)

Here is a summons to Israel to do several important things that will strengthen their relationship with Jehovah God. And these four things are not dispensationally limited. That is, they are not just for Israelites living under the Mosaic Covenant. They are worthwhile for each of us in the Church Age to engage in, day by day, as well. And the four can be pictured as a kind of God-centred cycle. As we meditate upon (Ponder) the things of God, we are led once more to Praise Him, and then to Pray, and so on. We are called:

1. To Praise: We are to worship God for who and what He is, rejoicing in, and expressing thanksgiving for what He has done. (“Give thanks to the Lord….Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him….glory in His holy name…let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord.”)
2. To Pray: We are to seek the fellowship of God, and call upon Him for His help. (“Call upon His name…seek the Lord and His strength…seek His face evermore.”)
3. To Proclaim: We are to bear witness to one another as believers, and beyond the community of believers, to the goodness of the Lord. (“Make known His deeds among the peoples…talk of all His wondrous works.”)
4. To Ponder: We are to meditate upon the words and works of God, saturating our minds with what He has said and done. (“Remember His marvellous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth.”)

Consider in this regard Thomas Ken’s great 1674 hymn. He says to himself, “Awake, my soul, and with the sun / Thy daily stage of duty run; / Shake off dull sloth, and joyful rise, / To pay thy morning sacrifice. / Thy precious time misspent, redeem, / Each present day thy last esteem, / Improve thy talent with due care; / For the great day thyself prepare. / By influence of the Light divine / Let thy own light to others shine. / Reflect all heaven’s propitious ways / In ardent love, and cheerful praise.”

Then, Thomas Kenn adds this prayer, concluding with the familiar Doxology: “Direct, control, suggest, this day, / All I design, or do, or say, / That all my powers, with all their might, / In Thy sole glory may unite. / Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow; / Praise Him, all creatures here below; / Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; / Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.” That is our divine calling!