Psalm 145 shows God’s nature like a multi-faceted diamond. King David, the author of this psalm of praise, describes God’s majesty and compassion, His greatness and nearness. Sometimes one facet of God’s character is more noticeable to us while at another time a different facet shines to us. Our perspective and situations in life changes, revealing different facets of the same perfectly cut diamond of God’s unchanging character.
Knowing more of God’s character helps my perspective.[bctt tweet=”Knowing more of God’s character helps my perspective.” username=”@nancykaygrace”]
The facets of God’s character described in Psalm 145 lead us to praise.
Verses 1 and 5 describe God as majestic King.
I will exalt you, my God and King,
God is sovereign over all the earth. He is in the position of ruler, reigning over others; He is above or superior to all others and can do anything. When we have this perspective of God, we remember that He knows every situation of our lives.
Verses 3 and 6 speak of God’s greatness.
Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.
Imagine the greatest thing you can – the Pacific Ocean or the Grand Canyon — and then realize that God is greater still. His greatness is beyond anything our finite minds can imagine. God’s greatness sets Him apart from all others.
Verses 6-7 describes believers remembering God’s works and acts as worthy of praise.
They tell of the power of your awesome works—and I will proclaim your great deeds.
They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
When we have relationship with God, we are aware of how God is active in our lives and in the world. We can recall answered prayers and praise God for His works. Even when life is tough, we can remember the goodness of God and trust His love, which will help our daily perspective of life.
Verse 8 is packed with descriptions of God that are repeated through the Psalms.
The Lord is gracious and compassionate; slow to anger and rich in love.
How is God gracious? By accepting us as we are. We don’t have to have everything in order to come to Him. We are saved by His grace. God doesn’t give us what we deserve–he gives us grace instead.
Has God shown compassion when you’ve needed comfort? One friend explained this as seeing God as someone she can crawl up in His lap and feel loved, like a child going to the tender parent for comfort, accepted and resting in His love.
God is slow to anger with great patience toward us. We cry out in exasperation ‘How long, O Lord?’ at the injustices around us, yet He is patient until He is ready to move.
God is rich in love. Even when we neglect to praise Him, His love is steadfast, echoing throughout the universe and pulsing within our hearts.
Verse 13 describes the eternal kingdom that is open to all generations.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations.
The future generations will know God if we testify about Him to the present generation.
The next several verses (14-20) describe the relational aspects of God’s character. Notice the descriptive words and action verbs that are in italics.
The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.
The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.
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.
The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does.
The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.
The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.
These verses describe God as responsive to us, His chosen creation.
God is compassionate to his people, interacting with love.
The problem is we don’t always see these attributes when we are busy in our own lives with our problems.
The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
He will not abandon us. He is Immanuel, “God with us.”
Psalm 145 concludes with this declaration of praise in verse 21.
My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise his holy name forever and ever.
How can Psalm 145 help us today?
It leads us to deeper understanding of God’s character so that we can know what to expect of God. Our expectations will be aligned with God’s attributes. We can approach God expectantly, praising Him for who He is and what He has done. God interacts with us and is near to us when we call to him.
The more we look at His Word to see God’s character, the more we know Him. The more we know Him, the more we can praise Him.
On your own, read through Psalm145 and make your own list of God’s characteristics. Meditate on those words in praise.
Knowing more of the character of God should lead us to praise, which takes our focus off of ourselves and puts it on God.
What aspect of Psalm 145 speaks to you?
Joanne Norton
As I often, focusing on the Lord is all that counts. Reading the Bible and seeing so much of when and how He was touched to and by so many. Worth a worshiping and rejoicing and smiling time. Thank you for sharing.
Nancy Kay Grace
Yes-the Word helps us worship the Lord.Thanks for stopping by!
Walter Kahler
Loved your post Nancy. Thanks for breaking down this Psalm in a simple, effective and encouraging way. Your truths of the way God interacts with us are well defined and clear. In addition to your points, this Psalm highlights a believer’s course of action to take in order to receive God’s gifts. And it’s theme for the faithful is praising and glorifying Him throughout the day. One way I do this in my life is to apply Proverbs 3:5-6 and this opens the door to a unshakable trust in Christ that leads me to praise and glorify God. Once God saves a soul then it becomes a believer’s responsibility to add Christian principles to grow an unwavering faith. GBY your family and friends.
Nancy Kay Grace
Thank you, Walter! I appreciate your insights about growing an unwavering faith.Blessings to you!