Psalm 113:1-9

We are called to praise the Lord.  The greatness of the Lord should always be on our lips.  He should be the subject of our public conversations as well as our private meditations.  God is certainly worthy of our praise; the amazing thing is that He desires our praise.  We are the ones who are not worthy of praising Him; and yet by His loving kindness He gives us the honor of living to praise Him.  Praising God should be our greatest honor and most delightful pleasure.  There are countless reasons that we should praise the Lord, but this Psalm points out two of the most prominent of them.

WE PRAISE GOD BECAUSE HE IS GLORIOUS: We praise that which is extraordinary, and God is very extraordinary.  God is glorious and is always worthy of our praise.  We are His servants and He has given us the task of using all of our skills to praise Him.  This will be our task not only for the time that we live on the earth, but will occupy our time and be the focus of our efforts for all of eternity.  We are to fill each moment of every day with the praise of the Lord.  He is over us and He is over all the nations of the world.  His glory reaches to the greatest heights of the heavens and nobody can compare to Him.  It is a great honor to know God since He has revealed Himself to us.  It is an even greater honor to be given the task of praising His glorious name.


WE PRAISE GOD BECAUSE HE IS GRACIOUS: God’s graciousness is evident in His dealings with each and every one of us.  He is exalted so far above us, yet He lovingly cares and provides for us.  That is grace.  We do not deserve this blessed favor but He is faithful to give it to us.  He sees our sinful state and He makes provision for us through the Lord Jesus Christ.  We were dead and He made us alive.  We were wallowing in the mud and slime of our sin and He washed us in the blood of the Lamb.  We were far from Him and He raised us up to be sons and daughters of the King.  We were worthless and homeless vagrants and He has made us productive citizens of heaven.  His grace is abundant and glorious and should fill our hearts with joyful praise every moment of every day.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than a...
Read more

2 Timothy 1:3-7

I thank God   whom I serve, as did my ancestors,   with a clear conscience, as I remember you   constantly in my prayers night and day.    As I remember your tears,   I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy.    I am reminded of   your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and   your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.    For this reason I remind you   to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us   a spirit not of fear but   of power and love and self-control. It is easy for us to forget many important things especially in the face of difficulty or danger.  Paul is in prison and Timothy is facing difficult times in ministry so there are important reminders that Paul wants to make sure that Timothy understands.  God has given us everything we need to face the difficulties He allows i...
Read more

2 Timothy 1:8-14

Therefore   do not be ashamed of   the testimony about our Lord, nor of   me his prisoner, but   share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,   who saved us and   called us to a holy calling,   not because of our works but because of   his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus   before the ages began, and which now has   been manifested through   the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus,   who abolished death and   brought life and   immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But   I am not ashamed, for   I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until   that day   what has been entrusted to me.  Follow   the pattern of   the sound words   that you have heard from me, in   the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ...
Read more