Monday
Psalm 145.14 “The Lord upholds all who fall, and lifts up all who are bowed down.”
Throughout the first half of Psalm 145 the power of God is described and affirmed. It is power on behalf of those who trust God. The second half of the psalm describes the results of such powerful, compassionate love. Like a parent picking up a child who falls, or a friend helping to carry a heavy load – God is the Uplifter of those bowed down by sorrow, anxiety, overwork, unfair expectations, and whatever else drains us of energy, joy and a sense of our own worth. “The Lord upholds…lifts up.”
Tuesday
Psalm 145.15-16 “The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing”
From such affirmations of faith come familiar words, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Yet all over the world are those for whom this verse seems unfair and unreal. People starve, cannot feed their children, and millions suffer under-nourishment in an ill-divided world. One response is to pray the Lord’s Prayer with the emphasis on “Give us”. The first person plural, is inclusive enough to be a prayer for our world. Who is ‘us’? It is the human family, it cannot only be the church, or our country. The Lord’s Prayer is about God’s will being done on earth, for “every living thing.”
Wednesday
Psalm 145.17 “The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and loving towards all he has made.”
Verses 16-17 are about universal providence, God’s intended provision for all in a world that is fertile and fruitful. Because human behaviour threatens that balance, part of God’s call to his people is care of creation and pursuit of Shalom, towards the flourishing of all God has made. The righteous love of God is shown in God’s faithful continuing yes to his people. God is dependable, faithful to His covenant promises to creation, to his people, and his own intended final purpose, to “make all things new.”
Thursday
Psalm 145.18 “The Lord is near to all who call upon him, to all who call on him in truth.”
Truth and trust are very closely connected. When we trust someone we are depending that they are who they say they are, that they have integrity. God comes near to those who genuinely and sincerely call for help, strength, encouragement, comfort, guidance, wisdom – that long list of human experiences when we fell the need of power beyond our own, and help in time of need. “The Lord is near” is one of the most reassuring things to hear, to believe, to know in the heart.
Friday
Psalm 145.19 “He fulfils the desires of those who fear him, he hears their cry and saves them.”
Fear is better understood as awe, reverence, that inner frank acknowledgement that God is God – not our pal, not our personal assistant, not our speed dial emergency, nor our get out clause from life’s knocks. “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise” is the takeaway one liner in this Psalm. We bow before God’s greatness, and discover God’s greatness is in his hearing our cry and saving us. Jesus is the revelation of God hearing the cry of the human heart, and coming to save from sin, death and the futility of human life severed from divine grace.
Saturday
Psalm 145.20 “The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.”
I guess we can become complacent and over-familiar, and think of God as an indulgent and easy-going super-friend. But not if we read and pray the Psalms! To those who fear, love, extol, and praise God, recognising and trusting the righteous love of God, there is God’s emphatic ‘Yes’. But to those who couldn’t care less about God’s will and call upon their lives, God says an equally emphatic ‘No’, because they choose to turn from the real source of their life and wellbeing. The balance of the whole psalm is between God’s greatness and God’s goodness. If you despise God’s greatness, how will you ever be open to God’s goodness?
Sunday
Psalm 145.21 “My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise his holy name, for ever and ever.”
The last word is a personal confession of praise, of faith, and of life direction. Starting with me, my own heart, my own direction of travel in life, I will speak praise, give thanks, rejoice and be glad in the kind of God that God is! God is the source of life, the fountain of goodness, the bread that nourishes, the One who sees and hears and comes near. Praise is a way of life and the inner environment of the heart. Praise expands the mind and widens the heart’s affections. It opens our eyes and arms to the world – “Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever.” Everything. Everyone. For ever and ever. Always, always praise. “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise, his greatness no-one can fathom.”
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