Sunday 3rd May 2020 Psalm 145
1 I will exalt you, O my God and King;
For ever I will praise your holy name.
2 I will extol your name for evermore;
Day after day your praise I will proclaim.
3 Great is the LORD, most worthy of all praise;
His greatness none can search or comprehend.
4 Each generation will recount your deeds
And to the next your mighty acts commend.
5-6 They praise the splendour of your majesty,
The power of the works that you have done.
I too will meditate upon your deeds,
And your majestic acts I will make known.
7 They will rejoice in your benevolence,
And your abundant grace they’ll celebrate;
The righteousness that you have shown to them
In praise and joyful song they will relate.
8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate;
He’s slow to anger, rich in steadfast love.
9 The LORD is good to all that he has made,
And merciful to all on earth that move.
10 All you have made will give you praise, O LORD;
Your saints will all unite to bless your name.
11 The glory of your reign they will declare,
And your surpassing might they will proclaim.
12 Thus all will hear about your mighty acts
And know the glorious splendour of your reign.
13 Your kingdom will endure for evermore;
For all time your dominion will remain.
The LORD is faithful to his promises;
To all that he has made his love is shown.
14 The LORD himself upholds all those who fall
And lifts up everyone who is bowed down.
15 All eyes are raised expectantly to you,
And in due season you supply their food.
16 You open wide your hand to all that live
And satisfy their needs with what is good.
17 The LORD is just and good in all his ways;
He shows his love to all that he has made.
18 The LORD is near to all who call on him,
To all who call in truth to him for aid.
19 The hopes of those who fear him he fulfils;
He hears their cry and saves them from distress.
20 The LORD protects all those who love his name,
But slays all those who practise wickedness.
21 My lips will frame a psalm of thanks to God;
My mouth will speak for ever in his praise.
Let every creature magnify the LORD,
And praise his holy name now and always.
You can hear a Free Church of Scotland congregation sing this to the tune Dunblane Cathedral here.
Reflection
Praise is the theme of this passage; the verses express the importance of praise and rejoicing in all that the Lord has done for us. The verses describe basking in the Lord’s goodness; appreciating His power; enjoying His abundant grace; benefitting from His mighty acts and receiving His love and protection.. all good stuff.
I am familiar with the first few verses of the passage and have been repeatedly drawn to them as they remind me of the importance of ensuring we verbalise how appreciative we are of all that God is. In reality, I find it easier to express my joy and gratitude (ie praise) to fellow Christians; but increasingly I am challenging myself to verbalise praise to others outside of church eg by mentioning that I am a church goer, referencing Jesus or God or by recounting the latest ‘hot’ topics that the talented children at my church are debating, including: Trump, Brexit, and Climate Change. I am very aware that this gets a reaction from those who do not know what part faith plays in my life and I like to think of it as my way of offering praise.
I really believe that we should all try to express praise in whatever way fits our personality and circumstances, but the key thing is that we do do it and by doing this, we are offering a personal ‘Thank you’ to the Almighty and also touching lives in the process.
It makes me smile to think that even my little niece in Ghana (as a result of absorbing all the faith-speak around her) responds to a “How are you?” by saying, “By HIS grace, I’m fine”; now if a 5 year old can express praise in this way, I have no excuse not to try harder.
Prayer
I will try harder to praise you my God and King,
Every week I will challenge myself
to mention your name to my friends and colleagues,
For you are worthy of praise because of who you are and what you give to us,
Give us courage and confidence to praise you in our own way, in order to reflect the mark you make in our lives and seek to make in this world.
Amen