THIS IS MY SONG
Play Audio
If you prefer listening to today’s Bible guide reading, play this audio file.
If the audio bar is not appearing, click here to play the audio.
Opening Prayer
Almighty God, there are no other gods before you, there is nothing greater, no one wiser. I praise you, my Creator and Sustainer. I worship you with all that I am and have.
Read PSALM 135
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Psalm 135
1 Praise the Lord.[a]
Praise the name of the Lord;
praise him, you servants of the Lord,
2 you who minister in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God.
3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.
4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob to be his own,
Israel to be his treasured possession.
5 I know that the Lord is great,
that our Lord is greater than all gods.
6 The Lord does whatever pleases him,
in the heavens and on the earth,
in the seas and all their depths.
7 He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
he sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
8 He struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
the firstborn of people and animals.
9 He sent his signs and wonders into your midst, Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his servants.
10 He struck down many nations
and killed mighty kings—
11 Sihon king of the Amorites,
Og king of Bashan,
and all the kings of Canaan—
12 and he gave their land as an inheritance,
an inheritance to his people Israel.
13 Your name, Lord, endures forever,
your renown, Lord, through all generations.
14 For the Lord will vindicate his people
and have compassion on his servants.
15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
made by human hands.
16 They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
17 They have ears, but cannot hear,
nor is there breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.
19 All you Israelites, praise the Lord;
house of Aaron, praise the Lord;
20 house of Levi, praise the Lord;
you who fear him, praise the Lord.
21 Praise be to the Lord from Zion,
to him who dwells in Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord.
Footnotes
- Psalm 135:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; also in verses 3 and 21
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
‘Speak, O Lord, as we come to you / To receive the food of your holy Word / Take your truth, plant it deep in us; / shape and fashion us in your likeness.’*Singing is supposed to be good for us, and it’s great to do it in praise of God. Whether or not we like a particular hymn or worship song, it is lovely (‘pleasant’, v. 3) to sing about the Lord and the reputation he deserves (v. 13).
So, praise the Lord! This psalm writer does not hesitate to lift verses from other psalms (e.g., Psalms 134,115), to express how he has found that his God is incomparably great. The Lord is sovereign through- out his creation and unrivaled in his power (vv. 5–7). His people are his choice possession, and he has famously intervened to save them from historical enemies. Their land was a gift from him, and their future is assured (vv. 8–12,14). Do you have a way of recalling God’s interventions that have been special to you?
Man-made gods, by contrast, are just metal constructions (vv. 15–17). They have no life or vision. They do not listen or communicate. Verse 18 might suggest we will become like what we worship. We who worship Jesus Christ hope it is so!
The psalm ends by calling us, for the eleventh time, to praise the living Lord, who blesses his people (134:3) and dwells with them (v. 21).
Apply
Sing out your praise, joining the praise of the worldwide church and all the company of heaven!
Closing prayer
Lord God, you are worthy of praise greater by far than any that can be offered to you. Nevertheless, I come with all that I am to honor you—in my thoughts, with my words and actions.
*‘Speak, O Lord’, Keith Getty and Stuart Townend © 2006 Thankyou Music Ltd.
Book and Author Intros
Extras
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2025 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Discovery is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.