Ready to Praise
Opening Prayer
Open my eyes, Lord, to the great deeds You have done, and are doing, in my life, so that I may praise You.
Read Psalm 92:1-15
[1] A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day. It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High, [2] proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, [3] to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp. [4] For you make me glad by your deeds, LORD; I sing for joy at what your hands have done. [5] How great are your works, LORD, how profound your thoughts! [6] Senseless people do not know, fools do not understand, [7] that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed forever. [8] But you, LORD, are forever exalted. [9] For surely your enemies, LORD, surely your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered. [10] You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox; fine oils have been poured on me. [11] My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries; my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes. [12] The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; [13] planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. [14] They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, [15] proclaiming, “The LORD is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.” Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What does the psalmist say about God's character?This psalm is bookended with the positive actions of praise and proclamation (1,2 and 15). Sometimes it’s not enough just to be grateful and to thank God in our hearts for his goodness; sometimes we need to express our praise out loud. The psalmist uses a string of opposites to indicate the wide scope of the Lord’s deeds: morning and night, works and thoughts, evildoers and righteous, wise men (by implication) and fools, and young and old. The picture that emerges is of all those who know the Lord flourishing and maturing under his protection and enjoying giving him the praise he deserves (12-15). Their strength is rooted in God himself, their knowledge of him, and their relationship with him. Those outside his kingdom, in contrast, flourish for only a short while (7). Each of us can give testimony of how God has acted in our lives, defeating enemies and establishing us more firmly in him. And each of us has a deep-seated need to tell others of his acts of goodness toward us.
Apply
What can you praise the Lord for today? Use this psalm to help you remember God’s “great works” (5).
Closing prayer
I glorify You, Lord, for the great things You have done in my life–and for the love toward me that it implies.
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