Category: Psalm 145

“I will exalt you, my God and King, and praise your name forever and ever. I will praise you every day; yes, I will praise you forever. Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.”

Psalm 145 has so many great themes for us to explore over the next few days. I want you to keep the theme of praise in your mind throughout this week and ask yourself, “What does it mean for me to praise God?”

In these verses, there are some time references: “forever” and “every day.” Those words give us some ideas about how much praise should be a part of our lives. All consuming. Eternal. Daily from now until forever. And why praise God? Because he deserves it. He is so great nothing can even measure it. Think about something you consider extremely great. Most likely, at some point you have raved about that thing and probably have told everyone you know about it. God is greater than that. By a lot.

Here’s your freedom for today: you are most yourself when you are praising God. We are physical and spiritual beings designed uniquely for relationship with God. When that relationship is in proper alignment, we get to experience a level of freedom that is truly supernatural. When we praise God as a daily part of our existence, we step into the life we were designed to live. It is there that we best know God and best know ourselves.

“Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power. I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor and your wonderful miracles. Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue; I will proclaim your greatness. Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness; they will sing with joy about your righteousness.”

Today’s passage has an interesting rhythm, moving back and forth between corporate and individual themes. It begins with the children of each generation proclaiming God’s power. In the next sentence, the focus shifts to a personal one: “I will meditate…” We then move back to “every tongue” followed by another individual act (“I will proclaim…”). Our final verse for today ends with a focus on everyone singing with joy.

Often as Americans, we can become so caught up in our personal journey with Jesus that we forget how important community is. We also forget how important diversity is and we neglect to see our generation as part of a much larger whole. The story of the kingdom of God extends many generations back, across a globe of cultures, united by one powerful God.

Here’s your freedom for today: you have one small part in God’s very big story. Your time here on earth is a sliver of the whole. Your cultural heritage is one piece of the puzzle. God is truly glorified when we each individually join into one global, corporate act of worship. We should not all look the same or act the same — God’s kingdom is far above any culture or time in history. As you praise God today and this week, be mindful of the billions around the world and across history that are joining with you.

“The Lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation.”

The Bible is God’s revelation about himself. The words we have in Old and New Testaments were specifically written to help us get to know who God really is. The person of Jesus was God in human form — another revelation of the character of God. These verses are so different from the view of God as angry or punishing, that they make me step back and pause. Where do I get my ideas of who God is? Does the Bible contradict itself, sometimes saying that God is striking whole nations dead while in other verses like these claiming to be merciful and good?

These verses do not say that God does not get angry. They say he is slow to get angry. When you read the Old Testament, take a look at how long God gives people before his wrath shows up. Generations. He gives generations time to repent and turn to him. He is in the process of doing that right now. He has not rescued us yet because he is merciful, compassionate and good. His restraint is for a purpose: to give us as much time as possible to turn to him.

Here’s your freedom for today: God’s mercy and compassion are for you. It doesn’t matter what you have done or how close or far you’ve been to God. If you are still breathing there is still time to come to him. He is good. He has mercy and compassion for you. He loves you. Even if you have known him a long time, let that really sink in today. You don’t have to be “good enough.” There are no rule-driven systems in God’s kingdom. God gave us his Spirit so we are able to think like him and experience the freedom of living how we were made to live. In his mercy, God never gave up on that plan.

“The Lord always keeps his promises; he is gracious in all he does.”

We’re just going to soak in this little half-verse today. I would encourage you to memorize it, saying it over and over to yourself throughout the day. The words that strike me most are “always” and “all.” Just pause for a moment and think about how big those words are. There is no room for negotiation in “always” and “all.” Every time. Without fail. It is the faithfulness of God on display.

If God always keeps his promises and is gracious in all he does, then we don’t have to wonder if God will come through for us. (We talked about God’s promises when we covered Psalm 91, including a link to a list of God’s promises throughout the Bible. Check it out here.)  God is gracious to you. Anything else that is happening in your life isn’t him. He is good. He is faithful. And Satan wants you to believe the exact opposite.

Here’s your freedom for today: God remembers you. He sees you. He knows you. And he has promises that he has given to you and to his church that he intends to keep. He is gracious and merciful, full of love. He forgives you. Right now, no matter what. You have a start-over moment. A healing moment. Whatever you need, God sees and he is right there with you. Receive his comfort today, no matter what you may be going through. He’s working it out for you.