Example of Praise

Psalm 145
A Song of Praise. Of David.
1I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever.
2Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever.
3Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.
4One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.
5On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
6They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness.
7They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
8The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.
10All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your saints shall bless you!
11They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power,
12to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. [The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.]
14The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down.
15The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.
16You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.
18The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
19He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.
20The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.
21My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

After the last few days of studying 2 Peter and his dire words about evil people and what will befall them, it is refreshing to read these words of praise from the pen of King David. With only one brief phrase noting that God will destroy the wicked, this psalm sings of God’s greatness, faithfulness, and abundant provision. David uses a literary foil for this prayer if read in the original Hebrews, with each phrase beginning with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. While those types of tools are clever (and admirable) they also help with memorization. It's too bad that foil doesn't work in the English.

It’s difficult to choose a section or verse that really stands out, for each one expresses truth and joy. I don’t know about you, but for me, declaring God’s greatness to Him as I pray isn’t easy. That’s not because He isn’t great and worthy of praise, for He most certainly is. But I feel like I’m repeating myself and it all just becomes cumbersome. But David never seems to falter. His ability to expound upon God’s greatness is enviable. But maybe my struggle is why God had David write his prayers down so that all of us could use them in our own worship life. For that I am grateful, for each one of these sentences causes my heart to say “yes!”

Verses 4 and 5 grabbed my attention and demanded to be read a few times over again.
4One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.
5On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.

It is always good to be reminded that I am responsible for sharing God’s greatness with the next generation. I remember when my first grandchild was born, and it dawned on me that God had given me a new mission field. I was instantly aware of the need to share Jesus with this new human and I didn’t wait to do, and continue to do so today. I was also taken with David’s example to all of us concerning our meditative work. It is good and pleasing to God that I should take the time to look at the world around me and marvel at the wonderful things God has done. His creation is worth examination and praise for the Creator.

I’m also taken with the fact that David repeats back to God the way He defines Himself for Moses in verse 8.
The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Exodus 34:5-7a
5The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.

As I stumble through my personal worship times, praise of God can always contain His own Words about Himself. That is always appropriate! Read through the psalm a few more times and allow your spirit to gravitate toward the verses that move your spirit. Repeat them back to God and allow your praises of the King to overtake your day.

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