Psalm 145 — Praise in Faith

A Psalm of praise; of David.

1 I will extol thee, my God, O King;
And I will bless thy name for ever and ever
2 Every day will I bless thee;
And I will praise thy name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised;
And his greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall laud thy works to another,
And shall declare thy mighty acts.
5 Of the glorious majesty of thine honour,
And of thy wondrous works, will I meditate.
6 And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts;
And I will declare thy greatness.
7 They shall utter the memory of thy great goodness,
And shall sing of thy righteousness.
8 The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion;
Slow to anger, and of great mercy.
9 The LORD is good to all;
And his tender mercies are over all his works.
10 All thy works shall give thanks unto thee, O LORD;
And thy saints shall bless thee.
11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom,
And talk of thy power;
12 To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts,
And the glory of the majesty of his kingdom.
13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.
14 The LORD upholdeth all that fall,
And raiseth up all those that be bowed down.
15 The eyes of all wait upon thee;
And thou givest them their meat in due season.
16 Thou openest thine hand,
And satisfiest the desire of every living thing.
17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways,
And gracious in all his works.
18 The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him,
To all that call upon him in truth.
19 He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him;
He also will hear their cry, and will save them
20 The LORD preserveth all them that love him;
But all the wicked will he destroy.
21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD;
And let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.

No psalm of fear or frustration, these words lift up God to a great and glorious height. It teaches us the important need to praise God and shows it is the natural thing to do. We praise him ourselves and teach each generation to do the same.

Yet, some might complain that they do not agree. Some may assume these words are simply the circular reasoning found in the echo chambers of the devoted & faithful. What, then, does this psalm offer for someone growing to know God?

I think the ideas and claims of the psalm are a good place to start. Listen to what David says and examine the story of his life, or the lives of others recorded in the Bible. David claims God is gracious, full of compassion, slow to anger and of great mercy. Do these ideas ring true, or is David merely repeating ideas found in Exodus 34?

I believe that this psalm is an open invitation to examine and consider God's character & qualities. Does God indeed provide for all? Is he, as creator, the seat of provision and care? Does God's kingdom show itself to be everlasting like David claims? Does God prove to be near to those who fear him?

The word of this psalm explode in faith and confidence in God. They are voiced by those who have come to taste and know that the Lord is good. Let the praise of this psalm spark your curiosity to consider its claims. I believe God will show himself to be faithful & trustworthy to you.