Read Psalm 145
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.
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.
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
for ever and ever.
Go Deeper
The tone in Psalm 145 differs from the previous 5 psalms, which were full of prayers. Psalm 145 is the first of 6 psalms that are full of praises. In many ways these psalms of praise are the fulfillment of David’s promise to praise God in Psalm 144:9. David opens the psalm with a burst of gratitude and a commitment to praise and lovingly celebrate God daily (v. 2). We are invited to examine how often our hearts overflow with spontaneous gratitude for God. Do we nurture a daily habit of gratitude?
As David continues to lead us in praise, we see meditation on God’s goodness (v. 5) is another practice we are invited to cultivate. Is the goodness and faithfulness of God something we can say we habitually think about and meditate on? If we meditate on God’s goodness, then we can answer “yes” to the following questions. Are our hearts and minds aware of what good things God is doing in the world around us? Can we quickly and easily recognize when God is faithful and good?
David instructs us in his example to continually gush his gratitude and express his love for God to whomever will listen (v. 6-7). He is unashamed and uninhibited in his praising of God. He shamelessly attributes his good fortune and every good thing in his life to the grace and mercy of God, not his own strength or talent. Who or what do we attribute the grace in our lives? Are we unashamed of the proclamation that “every good and perfect gift” (James 1:17) comes from our Father?
David’s final “praise practice” is to lovingly celebrate the mightiness of God’s hand (what He does) and the goodness of God’s heart (who He is). Psalm 145 serves as a joyful reminder to celebrate what an incredible, powerful and gracious God we serve. He is worthy of nothing less than our unwavering gratitude, submissive wonder, awe-inspired reverence, and continuous, joyful praises. God is gracious, compassionate, good, near, trustworthy, fulfilling, and faithful. Like David, may our “mouths speak in praise of the Lord” (v. 21).
Questions
- How often do you take time to intentionally praise God? Would your faith benefit from a commitment to recite and pray Psalm 145?
- Is your gratitude for God and His goodness something you would say you meditate on (think deeply about) regularly? How could you develop and nurture this habit?
- How often do you share your gratitude for who God is and what He is doing in your life with others? What would it look like to create an intentional habit of sharing stories of His goodness with the people in your life?
Did You Know?
In his commentary on this psalm, Matthew Henry shares an ancient Jewish tradition. As Jews neared the end of life, the more they developed a habit of continuously praising God. They believed praise was the work of heaven and they needed to be ready for it. It was said anyone who memorized and prayed this psalm three times a day would be thoroughly prepared for heaven as they were sufficiently experienced in the practice of continuous praise of a magnificent and loving God.
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4 thoughts on “Psalm 145”
This Psalm calls us to live purposefully exalting, praising and honoring God, acknowledging Him in all our ways for His greatness. I’m drawn to V4-7. Israel had experienced a long list of miracles God had performed to protect them. Jewish parents were instructed to tell their children of these mighty acts, so they, too, would be in awe of God. It’s just as important as ever today to intentionally model a Christ-like life and deeply invest in the next generation. JP’s book Welcoming the Future Church is a great resource giving a gospel centered approach to reaching & equipping young people. I’m letting the words if V3 sink into my heart today, “Yahweh is great and is highly praised; His greatness is unsearchable.”
As an immature and incredibly hard headed follower of Christ, I struggle.
I don’t praise Him frequently enough. I don’t submit to His call with as much intention as I’m sure He desires.
I often judge my walk by comparing my faith to the educated faith I see in more mature Christians.
I shouldn’t do that!
This Psalm is one I desire to learn intimately.
But first I will put into practice what it is calling me to do.
I will praise Him!
Father, I thank you for your many blessings. I thank you for the most difficult lessons I have had to learn. I rejoice with You, in the knowledge You are feeding my heart and soul.
Father, thank you for pulling me through my darkest times. Thank you for speaking to me, even when I did not believe. I know, without question, You are my savior and saved me You have!
In my youth, when I did not want to live, You saved me. You spoke to me and said, “your days are not through. You have many works to do and you will not leave this way.” I heard you.
I regret, that was not a transformational moment for me, in the season. I regret that it took and additional 20 years for my submission but I rejoice in the fact that You never gave up on me!
I praise You Lord, I thank You for Your grace and Your mercy. I thank you for life and an opportunity to live it in direct connection with You.
Father may I be the child You have always desired for me to be. May I be a servant of your Kingdom for all my days and speak to all that will hear about Your glory.
Praise You, praise You, I will praise You, forever more!
Amen
Solid, heartfelt words I can totally relate to. Thank you for sharing your heart!
I read this Psalm last evening and (I thought) it touched my heart deeply. Yet in the morning, not long after reading this I completely failed when I was tested in a stressful situation. I was/am disappointed in my weakness yet I know my God and Saviour will never fail me, He will never let me fall! I pray my failure to trust and praise Him in such moments will yet encourage, remind and prepare me for my next test to trust Him in each moment by knowing He IS faithful and true, an ever-present help in my time of need! May the name of the Lord be praised, may His praise be foremost on my lips when I walk into similar trials.