Psalm 145

This psalm is…well…I don’t know any other way to say it: embarrassing.  Not particularly with any level of shame, but with an exhortation to truly praise and bless God.  David, of course, was a writer who expressed praise and worship with eloquence.  As I read through Psalm 145, I can simply nod my head in agreement with what David has written about the majesty, sovereignty, and goodness of God.  But, I realize that I don’t recognize God in this way daily.  It is not that I think I should read this aloud every day, but at the same time, my level of worship on a heart level doesn’t come close to this!

I have tried to get better at thanking God daily, thanking Him for His provisions, His goodness, and His love.  But these are selfish praises; I thank Him for the things that benefit me.  I thank Him for what He has done for me. I thank Him for how good He is to me. Yet David here expresses how praiseworthy God is no to him, but overall!  The psalm is about Yahweh, Creator of the universe, Master of all, not David or me.  Sure, he mentions a few things that benefit creation and mankind, but ultimately, this psalm is about glorifying The One who created us all.

This psalm is a result of David understanding and recognizing who God truly is.  He isn’t some genie in a bottle we call upon when we need something.  He isn’t a magician in the sky that we can ask to do a few tricks to amuse and wow us. He isn’t some angry old man just waiting to exact justice upon those who misbehave.  This psalm reveals God’s majesty.  The irony of this is that we don’t even know the half of it!  None of us have seen God Almighty face-to-face, so this psalm actually pales in comparison to the reality of who God is.  Sit with that for a moment.  Consider what it might be like to literally enter the throne room and experience God on that level.  Isaiah shares with us the vision he had of being in the throne room in chapter 6 of his book:

In the year of the death of Uzziah the king, I saw the Lord sitting on a high and raised throne, and the hem of his robe was filling the temple. 2 Seraphs were standing above him. ⌊Each had six wings⌋: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And the one called to the other and said, “Holy, holy, holy is Yahweh of hosts! The ⌊whole earth is full of his glory⌋.” 4 And the pivots of the thresholds shook from the sound of those who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said, “Woe to me! For I am destroyed! For I am a man ⌊of unclean lips⌋, and I am living among a people ⌊of unclean lips⌋, for my eyes have seen the king, Yahweh of hosts!”

Isaiah was terrified, even in a dream, of his unholiness.  He recognized the awesome power and presence of Almighty God.  Yet, that doesn’t even compare to the entirety of the Lord’s magnificence.

So, as I sit here and reflect on my own inadequacy of recognizing and worshiping Yahweh, the thought enters my mind: what do I do about it?  He certainly deserves this worship and praise, not because of what I benefit from it but because of who He is!  Even most songs past and present focus on how good God is to us. Well, to start, reading psalms like this one helps to remind us.  Additionally, there are songs that sing of God’s majesty in the universe.  Thirdly, we can also take a moment and simply recognize God for who He is.  I encourage you to do that today.  Sit and ponder, with what you already know about God the Creator, and speak out loud words and phrases of praise towards Him.  Here’s a tune to get you started.