Psalm 145 - ‘Great is the Lord’

The Jews recited Psalm 145 twice during morning prayers and once during evening prayers everyday.  There are any number of things that could be highlighted in this Psalm that would challenge and encourage us, but I want to underscore just three.  The first sets the mood for the whole Psalm.  It’s David’s determination to praise God.  Opening the Psalm, David writes - “I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever (v.1).”  When David’s mind is turned to YHWH, his determined response is ‘I will exalt and praise you’.  Why?  Because you’re ‘my God and King’.  There’s a relationship expressed here.  For David, YHWH’s not just a god or the God, he’s ‘my God and King’.  He’s the sole object of David’s worship and the one who rules over him.  He’s resolved to worship!  In fact, praise and thanksgiving are woven into the very fabric of his life - “I will bless your name forever and ever.”  This should be our resolve of mind as well.  

     David then gives clear reasons for praise.  These are scattered throughout the Psalm.  Let’s look at just three - “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable (v.3)”....”The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made (vv.8,9).”  We’re to praise and worship God because of who he is.  “Great is the Lord!”  Literally, ‘Great is YHWH’, the self-existent one, the source of all that is.  He’s ‘greatly to be praised’.  The Lord is great!  He’s unsearchable and incomprehensible.  His greatness is beyond human understanding, and our worship should reflect this conviction.  He’s not our ‘cosmic buddy’ or our ‘heavenly servant’.  He’s God!  He’s the Creator, the sovereign one who sustains all that is.  And for this reason, he’s worthy of our praise!  He’s also gracious, merciful, loving, and good to all.  

     There’s a curious line in verse 10 - “All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord…”.  There’s a sense in which the whole created order gives praise to God by declaring his glory.  The vastness and beauty of the cosmos can be used by the Holy Spirit to cause us to think about the transcendent and consider the possibility that God exists.  And yet, there’s a particular people who praise and give sincere thanksgiving to God.  They’re a people sovereignly set apart by him who live in the light of his redemptive promise and an awareness of their obligations to him.  They’re a people bound to the Lord by the covenant of grace.  By faith, they’ve embraced Christ, the promised redeemer, and God’s made them his own.  That’s us!  Those of us who are trusting Christ alone for our salvation.  And there are three things mentioned in this Psalm that distinguish us - “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy (vv.18-20).”  

     Those who are truly in covenant fellowship with God - those who are truly redeemed - are those who ‘call on him’, ‘fear him’, and ‘love him’.  Notice again - “the Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”  He responds to the prayers of those who submit to his will.  Then he acknowledges the longings of those who ‘fear him’ and delivers them in their time of need.  And third, he watches over and preserves those who love him - he sustains his people - and carries them along in every season of life.  

     David’s conclusion is the only appropriate one - “My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever (v.21).”