Psalm 145 (NIV)
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.
Isn’t it wonderful to be a fly on the wall and join with King David as he worships the Lord? Psalm 145 is such a beautiful expression of David’s heart towards God and a tremendous example for us to follow.
As David begins his time of worship, he proclaims his love for the Lord. David humbly bows his knee to the Lord as his King and promises to praise God for the rest of his days. In verse 2, David declares to make God’s worship a daily pattern of his life.
As David continues in his worship, he expands beyond his adoration of God and joins in the larger community of those who bow before the true and living God (v. 3).
David recounts God’s favor and blessings being passed down from generation to generation (v. 4). Notice that each character attribute of God mentioned is not just an intellectual exercise, but rather a life-changing experience that elicits David’s response:
- The splendor of God’s majesty -> David meditates on God’s creation
- The power of God’s works -> David proclaims God’s good deeds
- The abundance of God’s goodness -> David sings of God’s righteousness
In verses 9-13a, David worships God for His compassion and love toward His creation and people. David also thanks God for promising to love all generations, not just his.
I love how David moves from seeing God as loving and compassionate to seeing God as a caring Father, who provides for His own (vv. 13b – 16). David worships God for being faithful and trustworthy, helping the hurting, providing for their needs, and even satisfying the desires of their hearts.
David understands and has seen God’s righteousness first-hand, and knows he can depend on God to be his Protector and Judge of all who would try to harm David or his loved ones (vv. 17 – 20).
David concludes by declaring his praise and worship of the Lord and asks us to join him along with all creation in adoration of the Lord (v. 21).
As we quiet our hearts and re-read this psalm, may our souls be captured by the incredible vastness and beauty of the Holy One that deserves our full and undivided praise.
And may our response be like David’s, of meditating on the Lord, proclaiming His goodness to others, and singing His praises as we move throughout our day.
Blessings,
~kevin
kevin lotz 