“Let Every Creature Praise His Holy Name!”

 

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.

—The words from King David in Psalm 145:17-21

 

After reading through countless Psalms written by King David, it seems to me that quite often he used the artistic expression of Psalm-writing to give himself a pep talk.

Over the course of his life, David certainly experienced a wide range of challenges and difficult experiences. Though annointed by God to serve as the King over Israel, David did not simply walk up and sit down on a throne. He had constant battles to fight against enemies from within and without.

In every circumstance, David never lost sight that God stood as the source of whatever David needed. God gave David comfort, support, perspective, a sense of well-being, and, most importantly, unconditional love.

As you scan through the Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post, you can read David’s response of praise to God. Notice the words of affirmation David gives as he acknowledges those attributes of God that he has experienced in his own life:

• God is righetous



• God is loving



• God is near to all who call on Him



• God fulfills the desires of those who fear Him



• God hears the cry of His people



• God save His people



• God watches over all who love Him

No wonder that David responds to these attributes with praise to God. And David doesn’t stop there. David speaks on behalf of every creature, declaring that they will join their voices in praise to God for ever and ever.

If you feel a burden of care pressing down on you today, please let me urge you to make a list of all the attributes of God that you have experienced over the course of your life. Then, as you read through the list you have created, praise God for each of His attributes. If you do this every day for at least a week, I believe you will sense yourself beginning to rise above your circumstances.

To help you think about all that God has done for you, here’s a song, with words by Cecil Frances Alexander and music by John Rutter, sung by tenor artist Scott Smith that I hope will inspire you as you prepare your list:

 

 

Will you pray with me?

Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank You for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit to dwell within us.

Precious Father, we praise You for every attribute You have chosen to reveal to us through the experiences of our own lives. We bow before You in humility, recognizing that every good gift and every perfect gift we have in our lives comes from You.

We thank You that through every creature You have created You display the magnificence of Your creativity. We praise You that You have chosen to extend Your great love to us and then to heap bountiful blessings on us continually. Thank You for hearing our prayer in and through the precious Name of Your Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

_{Copyright © 2012 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

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