July 24th, 2011
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Rejoice In God’s Greatness and Mercy

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Opening Prayer

Loving Lord, before You here and now I reaffirm who I am, whose I am, and why I am here.

Read Psalm 145:1-21

[1] A psalm of praise. Of David. I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. [2] Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. [3] Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. [4] One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. [5] They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works. [6] They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds. [7] They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. [8] The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. [9] The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. [10] All you have made will praise you, O LORD; your saints will extol you. [11] They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, [12] so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. [13] Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. [14] The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. [15] The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. [16] You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. [17] The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. [18] The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. [19] He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. [20] The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. [21] My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.

Meditate

“Gratitude is a gift that helps us learn to recognize, acknowledge, and celebrate God’s innumerable blessings” (Luke Davydaitus).

Think Further

This psalm of praise is a good way to greet a Sunday. Certainly, I found it refreshing after the desolate and questioning words of Lamentations. It is a reminder that we don’t always feel the same: Lamentations and Psalm 145 both have their place. Perhaps, like me, you will be singing some hymns today that don’t quite fit with the state of your relationship with God at the moment. This is not necessarily hypocritical. It is like the difference between saying “I believe” and “we believe” at the beginning of the Creed. Our beliefs, like our feelings, may not precisely coincide with those of the Church all the time, but we can retain them with integrity while avoiding the “narcissism of small differences.” (This is Freud’s term for the way that small differences between people can cause more problems than big differences.)

The psalm enacts the twofold nature of worship. It is full of statements about God, truths we have been taught and have experienced (8,9). It is also a direct, awe-filled address to God (1,2). David moves easily between the two modes, with the intimacy of a personal knowledge of God and the experience of his doings. As Walter Brueggemann points out, there is no plot to this psalm. Rather, it is a settled statement of faith and trust.

For me, the lesson of this psalm is, first of all, the greatness and mystery of God in his creation and his dealings with us and, secondly, the relationship between our knowledge of him and our desire for him. Verses 16 and 19 particularly bring this out. One of the features that mark our walk with God is the nature of our desires. What is it that we want from him? Spiritual “candy”? Or something more profoundly nourishing?

Apply

Go back over the psalm and pick out the “all” verses. What do they tell you about God? Praise him for them.

Closing prayer

Lord my God, You are my hope in distress, the giver of all true thoughts, and the one I seek. I praise and bless You for Your goodness and grace.

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