Psalm 145:1
I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Devotion
Psalm 145 is a “praise” song. It is considered a song to the Lord, the Great King, for His mighty acts and benevolent virtues, which are the glory of his kingly rule. Some scholars define this song as, “an expression of perfected praise.” The Hebrew word that is translated praise here is tehillah. This word communicates, “to sing a spontaneous new song. Singing from a melody in your heart by adding words to it. This refers to a special kind of singing that is unprepared, an unrehearsed song.” David elevates God in this song! In this song, we will see three consistent themes: The Majesty of Divine Honor of God, The Mighty Acts of God, and The Incredible Mercy of God.
In verse one, David clearly shows a determination to praise God. This verse begins with, “I will exalt you.” In David’s thinking, he must be intentional in his praise of The Almighty. Praising God is an act of the will. Sometimes it is said this way: “David purposed in his heart to praise God.” David praised God when things were going well and even when things were not going so well. It is easy to praise God when things are going well. It is much harder to praise God when life is difficult. As we will see in this song, David’s praise of God was rooted in God’s character. Our praise of God flows from our thought processes and what we believe to be true about God.
Questions to Ponder:
Are you able to praise God regardless of life’s circumstances? In your heart of hearts, what do you believe to be true concerning God’s character? If you were to list God’s top ten attributes, what would be your top two? Are you intentional when it comes to praising God daily?
Prayer Points
- Ask the Holy Spirit to stir in you and His Church a daily, deeper desire to worship and praise God for who He is, what He has done, what He will do.
- Ask the LORD to reveal Himself to you and in our Oak Pointe Church family today. Find His name, character and attributes that are in this great Psalm.
- Praise God right now for all the blessings upon your life (the air you breath, the clothes you have, the ability to read this). NOW Praise Him for all the hard/difficult things in your life. It’s okay if you have to slip over into confession while you praise Him. It’s what’s in your heart that you are pouring out to Him, nothing is hidden from Him – He wants to hear from you!
- Take 1 verse from Psalm 145 and sing it back to the LORD. He will give you more words as you start singing.
Suggested Prayer
Abba, Father, Constant Companion, I worship You. I declare You are good, kind, right, faithful, powerful, all knowing, just, loving, perfect, wise, holy and intimately acquainted with all of my ways. I rest in You and what You have allowed in and through me. Even the difficult things, I can embrace and praise You for because You will bring good out of it. You will even bring good out of my own mess when I come to You and say I am sorry. Oh LORD, how different You are from me – You keep no record of wrong, You forgive as far as the east is from the west. You are the kindest One I know. Teach me how to praise You in the secret place. Teach me to praise You in my heart where only you and I are. I am Your dwelling place by Your Spirit, I am Your temple where You live by Your Spirit. I ask that You stir inside of me and give me a song to praise You with. Please Father, give me a song to sing back to You LORD to bless You. I ask in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.