Faith and Psalm 145

I will exalt you, my God and King, and praise your name forever and ever. Psalm 145: 1 NLT.

My life has been busy and a bit overwhelming these past few weeks. These past few weeks, I have found myself out of focus a bit with the Lord. Instead of walking in condemnation and struggle to get it “better”…I chose to simply tell Him about it and ask Him to help me. What a joy to discover that He loves to answer those kinds of prayers! He really does restore the joy of our salvation when we humble ourselves and go to Him.

Reading through Psalm 145, which is entitled “a psalm of praise of David” brings me back to clarity of really how great our God really is! Here are some of my thoughts as we go through this Psalm. What do you think?

Verse 2: I will praise you every day, yes, I will praise you forever. Adding daily praise to our life is always a good thing. It causes us to look up and away from our small lives, and reminds us of our big powerful God.

Verse 4: Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power. If we don’t experience our own “mighty acts” or answered prayers, how can we pass them on to the next generation?

Verse 7: Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness; they will sing with joy about your righteousness. Oh my friends, do not forget the goodness of our God. Life will often raise its ugly head and say “no, if my life isn’t “good”, then your God isn’t good”. Not true. Sin brought massive problems with it, and we all have to deal with it.

Verse 8: The Lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. This is who our God truly is. He wants to manifest His nature to us, as His children. Look around your world and look for His mercy, compassion and love. Think about where you might have deserved His anger and didn’t!

Verse 9-13: The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation. All of your works will thank you, Lord and your faithful followers will praise you. They will speak of the glory of your kingdom; They will give examples of your power. They will tell about your mighty deeds and about the majesty and glory of your reign. For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. You rule throughout all generations. The Lord always keeps his promises: he is gracious in all he does. Are you telling others about His mighty deeds? It is comforting to know that His kingdom is everlasting, not just temporary, and that we can depend on Him to govern, love and care for every generation.

Verse 14: The Lord helps the fallen and lifts those bend beneath their loads. That is what He did for me this week. I was emotionally and spiritually bent from carrying loads that were really for Him to carry. Such a blessing. On top of my emotionally “bent back” my physical back was also hurting and I have been walking “bent”! After prayer last night with my small group, I am able to walk much taller! When we cast our cares on Him, He truly helps us walk lighter and taller spiritually and emotionally as well.

Verse 15-16: The eyes of all look to you in hope; you give them their food as they need it. When you open your hand, you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing. As I read this verse, I thought about more than physical food. If we turn to Him, He also gives us spiritual food, emotional food along with the physical things we need.

Verse 17: The Lord is righteous in everything he does; he is filled with kindness. He is righteous; therefore everything He does is righteous. When faced with difficult issues, I often pray for the Righteous Judge to come into the situation. I have watched Him move so many times, in only ways that He can do.

Verse 18-19 The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes to all who call upon him in truth. He grants the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cries for help and rescues them. The Lord protects all those who love him, but he destroys the wicked. When we call upon Him in truth and honesty He comes near, and intervenes for and with us.

Verse 21: I will praise the Lord, and may everyone on earth bless his holy name forever and ever. What a prayer. There will come a time when everyone on earth will bless his holy name and that will indicate the end of all trouble and sorrow.

Father, I thank you that You listen to simple heart felt prayers. You are such an amazing Righteous, Kind, Loving and Merciful God who delights in showing up for us. Help us to show up to You and for You, my dear Savior. It is the least we can do. In Jesus’ Name, amen.