Opening Prayer
Holy Spirit, thank you for the witness you bear through Scripture and for using it to draw me to my Savior, Jesus.
Read PSALM 113
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
1 Praise the Lord.[a]
Praise the Lord, you his servants;
praise the name of the Lord.
2 Let the name of the Lord be praised,
both now and forevermore.
3 From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
the name of the Lord is to be praised.
4 The Lord is exalted over all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.
5 Who is like the Lord our God,
the One who sits enthroned on high,
6 who stoops down to look
on the heavens and the earth?
7 He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
8 he seats them with princes,
with the princes of his people.
9 He settles the childless woman in her home
as a happy mother of children.
Praise the Lord.
Footnotes
- Psalm 113:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; also in verse 9
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
May the pattern of my life be one of praise to the Lord, from the rising of the sun to its setting. What do you praise God for today?
Think Further
In 2 Kings, we read about the horrors of desperate poverty. The end of today’s psalm is more than a panacea to make us or those in poverty feel better. It expresses the reality that God is the Provider for the poor and needy. He is the Provider of the rich as well, of course, but here the recognition is that God can bring about a reversal of circumstances.
We may agree that the reason that God can raise the poor from the dust and give children to the childless is that he has the power to do so. It is good to remember, however, that no amount of power will do this unless there is an interest in doing so. It is that benevolent interest that is the reason for the psalmist’s praise in the middle part of the psalm. It is marvelous that the Lord, who is exalted over all the nations and heavens, stoops down to look on both and care for them. It is reminiscent of Psalm 8, ‘… what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?’1 Notice that in today’s psalm, God looks down not only on the earth, but also on the heavens. He is above both.
The psalmist therefore calls on ‘you his servants’ (v. 1) to praise the name of the Lord now and forever, from the rising of the sun to its setting. In other words, he is exhorting his audience to praise God all day, every day. Sunday is sometimes called ‘the Lord’s Day’ because it is a day when people can take time to focus on God and give him praise. Even in the busyness of a weekday (or maybe on Sundays, as well), ‘you his servants’ are called to praise.
Apply
What do you marvel at when you think of God looking down in care on the earth and heavens? Try completing the psalm from verse 7 in your own way.
Closing prayer
Creator and Sustainer of all things, thank you that you not only keep my life—you bless me with the riches of your abundant love.
Last Updated on October 14, 2024 by kingstar
