He did it
By J.B. Hixson, Ph.D.
09/21/2022
“This was the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.” (Psalm 118:23)
One of the many joys of parenthood is watching your children reach milestones such as learning to walk, learning to talk, or learning to ride a bicycle. We have raised six children, and the older I get the more these special memories tend to blur together in my mind’s eye. Was it Brooke or Faith who skinned her knee when the bicycle fell over on her that time? However, I recall one particular moment as if it happened yesterday. Our son Morgan was not quite one year old, and he had been walking for about a week. Whenever he would make it across the room, teetering and tottering the whole way, we all would clap and say, “Yeah for Morgan! He did it! Way to go!”
If someone entered the room at that moment, they would think Morgan had just won a gold medal in the Olympics. The reality is, for a one-year-old, walking a significant distance without falling is probably deserving of a medal. It’s an amazing accomplishment. Just a few short weeks earlier, he couldn’t even stand up without holding on to mom or dad’s hand. The next thing you know, he’s walking across the room, and he’s doing it all by himself. It is a marvelous sight to behold.
An anonymous psalmist speaks of another marvelous sight. “This was the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.” (Psalm 118:23) This short verse is loaded with Messianic significance. It refers, in context, to the coming of Christ and His subsequent death on the cross. Christ’s death on the cross accomplished deliverance for mankind and prompts “gladness and rejoicing” on the part of His people (Psalm 118:24). The phrase “this was the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes” is actually only seven short words in Hebrew. The word “Lord” is at the front of the sentence for emphasis. The word “marvelous” is near the end of the sentence and refers to things “too wonderful to even imagine.”
Here’s the point: our salvation is not something that we accomplished ourselves. Nor is it something that we initiated. God started it and God finished it; and it is awesome. One way to translate Psalm 118:23 is, “The Lord did it! It’s good!” How true that is.
Have you taken time today to stop and thank the Lord for your salvation? It sounds obvious, I know. Yet, we often forget that when it comes to our greatest need and biggest obstacle in life, God did it! He made the way of salvation for us. He bridged the gap. He opened the door. He paid the price. We could go on and on with pithy little sayings, but the bottom line is, “God did it!”
When we consider the love of God in Christ, how He was willing to die for our sins, it should prompt the same spontaneous cheers from us. “Yeah for God! Praise Him, praise Him! He did it!” And here’s the best part. If God can provide our eternal salvation, through the death and resurrection of His Son, is there anything too hard for Him? No! He did it! And He can still do it, whatever it is.
Whatever you are facing, remember the Lord is marvelous. Look to Him, let go of your worry, and watch Him go! Like a toddler learning to walk, it may seem a little awkward at times and God may not always do things the way you envisioned, but God will always make a way where there seems to be no way. “This was the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.” (Psalm 118:23)
09/21/2022
“This was the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.” (Psalm 118:23)
One of the many joys of parenthood is watching your children reach milestones such as learning to walk, learning to talk, or learning to ride a bicycle. We have raised six children, and the older I get the more these special memories tend to blur together in my mind’s eye. Was it Brooke or Faith who skinned her knee when the bicycle fell over on her that time? However, I recall one particular moment as if it happened yesterday. Our son Morgan was not quite one year old, and he had been walking for about a week. Whenever he would make it across the room, teetering and tottering the whole way, we all would clap and say, “Yeah for Morgan! He did it! Way to go!”
If someone entered the room at that moment, they would think Morgan had just won a gold medal in the Olympics. The reality is, for a one-year-old, walking a significant distance without falling is probably deserving of a medal. It’s an amazing accomplishment. Just a few short weeks earlier, he couldn’t even stand up without holding on to mom or dad’s hand. The next thing you know, he’s walking across the room, and he’s doing it all by himself. It is a marvelous sight to behold.
An anonymous psalmist speaks of another marvelous sight. “This was the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.” (Psalm 118:23) This short verse is loaded with Messianic significance. It refers, in context, to the coming of Christ and His subsequent death on the cross. Christ’s death on the cross accomplished deliverance for mankind and prompts “gladness and rejoicing” on the part of His people (Psalm 118:24). The phrase “this was the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes” is actually only seven short words in Hebrew. The word “Lord” is at the front of the sentence for emphasis. The word “marvelous” is near the end of the sentence and refers to things “too wonderful to even imagine.”
Here’s the point: our salvation is not something that we accomplished ourselves. Nor is it something that we initiated. God started it and God finished it; and it is awesome. One way to translate Psalm 118:23 is, “The Lord did it! It’s good!” How true that is.
Have you taken time today to stop and thank the Lord for your salvation? It sounds obvious, I know. Yet, we often forget that when it comes to our greatest need and biggest obstacle in life, God did it! He made the way of salvation for us. He bridged the gap. He opened the door. He paid the price. We could go on and on with pithy little sayings, but the bottom line is, “God did it!”
When we consider the love of God in Christ, how He was willing to die for our sins, it should prompt the same spontaneous cheers from us. “Yeah for God! Praise Him, praise Him! He did it!” And here’s the best part. If God can provide our eternal salvation, through the death and resurrection of His Son, is there anything too hard for Him? No! He did it! And He can still do it, whatever it is.
Whatever you are facing, remember the Lord is marvelous. Look to Him, let go of your worry, and watch Him go! Like a toddler learning to walk, it may seem a little awkward at times and God may not always do things the way you envisioned, but God will always make a way where there seems to be no way. “This was the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.” (Psalm 118:23)
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