THE GOD WHO ACTS
Opening Prayer
Gracious God, you are my maker and my God. You gave me life and sustain my life. I give you praise.
Scripture Reference
PSALM 145
Read
A psalm of praise. Of David.
1 I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation commends your works to another;
they tell of your mighty acts.
5 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.[b]
6 They tell of the power of your awesome works—
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
7 They celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.
9 The Lord is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
10 All your works praise you, Lord;
your faithful people extol you.
11 They tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,
12 so that all people may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises
and faithful in all he does.[c]
14 The Lord upholds all who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.
16 You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and faithful in all he does.
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.
Let every creature praise his holy name
forever and ever.
Footnotes
- Psalm 145:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, the verses of which (including verse 13b) begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
- Psalm 145:5 Dead Sea Scrolls and Syriac (see also Septuagint); Masoretic Text On the glorious splendor of your majesty / and on your wonderful works I will meditate
- Psalm 145:13 One manuscript of the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls and Syriac (see also Septuagint); most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text do not have the last two lines of verse 13.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
Consider
Call to mind ways in which you see God’s greatness, in your own life and in the wider world. Thank and praise him for those experiences.
Think Further
This is the last of the acrostic psalms, each verse beginning with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Here David, the earthly king, praises God the Supreme King (v 1). Earthly rulers need to know their place. Too often, however, they fail to see beyond themselves. What do you notice about David’s fundamental attitude to God (vs 1,2)? How does his worship practice challenge you? Rightly, our worship often starts with the personal (I will exalt… v 1), but the context of David’s worship is much broader. He is joining in with the worship of the generations (v 4). Is that historical perspective reflected in your own worship?
God is praised not only by his people but by his works (v 10). Previously David had spoken of the way in which God is revealed by his creation1 but we also are to speak of God’s might so that, ultimately, all people will know of his ‘mighty acts and the glorious splendor of [his] kingdom’ (v 12). What is so different about this kingdom? How might our worship today make God and his kingdom known to our world?
We started with David the king recognizing God as the Supreme King (v 1). Now we see the example God sets, not just to David but to all rulers. Character comes first: ‘trustworthy’ and ‘faithful’ (v 13), ‘righteous’ (v 17). We also see his priorities. He watches over the vulnerable, those who fall and are bowed down (v 14), who look to him (v 15), who call on him (v 18), who fear him (v 19), and who love him (v 20). When David says that the Lord is near to all who call on him (v 18), he is speaking about relationship, not geography. He is our next-of-kin! 2
Apply
With the Lord as the example, David sets a high bar for leaders. Pray about your own leadership of others and for those who lead you – in nation, world, church.
Closing Prayer
Amazing God, today I tell out your greatness. How great you are.
1 Ps 19:1–4 2 M Wilcock, The Message of Psalms, Vol. 2, IVP, 2001, p273
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Last Updated on August 20, 2022 by kingstar
