Day 898: Psalm 145: The Greatness Of Our King

​ I will extol you, my God and King,
    and bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you
    and praise your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
    and his greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall commend your works to another,
    and shall declare your mighty acts.
5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
    and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
6 They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
    and I will declare your greatness.
7 They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
    and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
8 The Lord is gracious and merciful,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

9 The Lord is good to all,
    and his mercy is over all that he has made.
10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
    and all your saints shall bless you!
11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
    and tell of your power,
12 to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds,
    and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
    and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
[The Lord is faithful in all his words
    and kind in all his works.]
 
14 The Lord upholds all who are falling
    and raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
    and you give them their food in due season.
16 You open your hand;
    you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways
    and kind in all his works.
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
    to all who call on him in truth.

19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
    he also hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord preserves all who love him,
    but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
    and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
 
 
Meditation
The last recorded Psalm of King David is a comprehensive acrostic extolling God for His greatness as King. David the king worshipping God as King is an invitation for everyone to bring praise and to sing of the greatness of God.
 
David’s individual praise (1-3) flows into praise from all generations (4-9) and praise from all the wonderful works God has made (10-21). God is the eternal King (1) whose faithful work compels worship from every person of every generation.
 
God’s character is unchanging, emphasized by the repetition of the most used description of the Lord from the Old Testament, originally from Exodus 34:6- The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The mighty acts of God emphasize the unchanging character of God, drawing worship from the people of God.
 
The emphasis of the Psalm is on God’s rule as king. The language of verse 13 finds its way into the lyrics of king Nebuchadnezzar’s prayer after his state of humiliation, moving from the pinnacle of the palace to eating grass as a beast: Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and your dominion endures throughout all generations (13, see Daniel 4:3). God alone is King over everyone and everything.
 
Jesus is King, the fullness of God’s rule and reign. Love has transplanted Christians into the kingdom of Jesus and grace fuels us to live for the glory of King Jesus in all of life (Colossians 1) as we join this generation and prepare the next to praise our King for His wonderous works.
 
Richly Dwelling
-Which part of the worshipful psalm stands out to you the most? Why?
 
-What are the wonderous works of God that fuel worship in your heart and compel you to tell the next generations of the unchanging goodness of the Lord?
 
-Where do you need to live more faithfully under the rule of God? What does it look like for you to live more for His glory in all of life? Be specific.
 
Key verse
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations…