I love the Psalms. Poetic. Real. Inspiring. Cathartic. A celebration of God.
I’ve been reading through the Psalms lately and am finding it difficult to walk away seeing God in the same light. The acknowledgement of God in the Psalms paints a picture more clear to me than almost any other book in the Bible of who our God is, and what He can do. Look at these statements from a few Psalms…
Psalm 84 (vs. 11)
For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
the LORD bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.
Psalm 86 (vs. 5, 7-8, 10, 15)
You, Lord, are forgiving and good,
abounding in love to all who call to you.
When I am in distress, I call to you,
because you answer me.
Among the gods there is none like you, Lord;
no deeds can compare with yours.
For you are great and do marvelous deeds;
But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
Psalm 89 (vs. 6-8, 14)
For who in the skies above can compare with the LORD?
Who is like the LORD among the heavenly beings?
In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared;
he is more awesome than all who surround him.
Who is like you, LORD God Almighty?
You, LORD, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
love and faithfulness go before you.
Psalm 92 (vs. 5)
How great are your works, LORD,
how profound your thoughts!
Psalm 117 (vs. 2)
For great is his love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the LORD.
Psalm 118 (vs. 14)
The LORD is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
Psalm 119 (vs. 89-90)
Your word, LORD, is eternal;
it stands firm in the heavens.
Your faithfulness continues through all generations;
you established the earth, and it endures.
Psalm 142 (vs. 3)
When my spirit grows faint within me,
it is you who watch over my way.
Psalm 144 (vs. 2)
He is my loving God and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield, in whom I take refuge,
who subdues peoples under me.
Psalm 145 (vs. 3, 8-9, 13-20)
Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
The LORD is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.
The LORD is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
The LORD is trustworthy in all he promises
and faithful in all he does.
The LORD upholds all who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.
You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
The LORD is righteous in all his ways
and faithful in all he does.
The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.
The LORD watches over all who love him.
It is no wonder to me that the Book which so brazenly expresses the wonder, power and love of our God is the same Book that overflows with passionate, unstoppable praise for Him. In these same Psalms quoted above (and in many more), you find declarations of praise so beautiful and inspiring, you are almost unwittingly led to delighting in God more with each word.
Psalm 86 (vs. 9, 12)
All the nations you have made
will come and worship before you, Lord;
they will bring glory to your name.
I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.
Psalm 89 (vs. 1-2, 5, 16)
I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever;
with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known
through all generations.
I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
The heavens praise your wonders, LORD,
your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.
They rejoice in your name all day long;
they celebrate your righteousness.
Psalm 91 (vs. 2)
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
Psalm 92 (vs. 1-2, 4)
It is good to praise the LORD
and make music to your name, O Most High,
proclaiming your love in the morning
and your faithfulness at night,
For you make me glad by your deeds, LORD;
I sing for joy at what your hands have done.
Psalm 118 (vs. 28)
You are my God, and I will praise you;
you are my God, and I will exalt you.
Psalm 119 (vs. 171-172)
May my lips overflow with praise,
for you teach me your decrees.
May my tongue sing of your word,
for all your commands are righteous.
Psalm 138 (vs. 1-2, 4-5)
I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart;
before the “gods” I will sing your praise.
I will bow down toward your holy temple
and will praise your name
for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,
for you have so exalted your solemn decree
that it surpasses your fame.
May all the kings of the earth praise you, LORD,
when they hear what you have decreed.
May they sing of the ways of the LORD,
for the glory of the LORD is great.
Psalm 144 (vs. 9-10)
I will sing a new song to you, my God;
on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you,
to the One who gives victory to kings,
who delivers his servant...
Psalm 145 (vs. 1-2, 21)
I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.
My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD.
Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever.
This is the kind of praise that comes about from recognizing and acknowledging who God truly is. Sometimes we have difficulty getting in touch with the motivation to sing wholeheartedly to God, or just to praise Him in our hearts. If we can first focus our minds and hearts on how amazing He is, we will then be led in our spirits to express an authentic and magnificent praise that has its own drive to be released. It will no longer be a question of what to say, or how to express it; it will become a passionate desire to celebrate the only One worthy of receiving the praise that resides in our hearts.
May we, as we search for inspiration to give God due praise, remember all He has done in our lives, and all that He is. And may our hearts lift our voices to declare His praises, in word and in song.
“Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel,
who alone does marvelous deeds.
Praise be to his glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and Amen. 1”
God be praised!!
Chinue Joy Black
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Footnotes:
1 Psalm 72:18-19
