TEXT:

‘Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness’ (Psalm 145:3 NLT)

THOUGHT:

Psalm 145 contains seven statements about who the Lord is. In Part 1 we studied the first three: The Lord is great; The Lord is Gracious; The Lord is Good!

We need to remind ourselves of these truths daily, for they will surely lift our spirits in testing times. Part 2 unpacks the final four statements.

4. The Lord Upholds – ‘The Lord upholds all who fall and raises up all who are bowed down’ (v14)

It would be wonderful if Christians lived perfect lives, but we do not. When we are tempted to be critical of others’ shortcomings and failures, we need to remember we have this treasure in an earthen vessel.¹ We can easily fall short too.

Just as Peter cried out when he began to sink beneath the waves and Jesus took him by the hand², so too the Bible promises God’s intervention to help us when we fall.

‘The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand’ (Psalm 37:23-24 NLT).

Some wrongly think that God’s hand is there to slap us when we make a mistake but it is not. It’s there to help us back on our feet. Whether you have fallen down or are bowed down, remember you do not have to stay down, for the Lord upholds you with His hand!

5. The Lord Is Righteous – ‘The Lord is righteous in everything he does; he is filled with kindness’ (v17 NLT)

Abraham, when interceding for Sodom and Gomorrah asked, ‘Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?’ (Genesis 18:25). The answer is a resounding yes! Everything God does is from a righteous motive. Even during the Great Tribulation, when judgment is coming down on the earth, it will be a righteous response to man’s wickedness.

‘You are righteous O Lord … Even so Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments’ (Revelation 16:6-7). There will be no miscarriage of justice.

Those persecuted can take heart that one day God will bring their persecutors to account. ‘In his justice he will pay back those who persecute you’ (2 Thessalonians 1:6 NLT).

6. The Lord Is Near – ‘The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth’ (v18)

If God upholds us with His hand, He must be near! When we meet together as believers, Jesus promises to be with us.³ Unbelief prays and asks God to come but faith declares He is there, just as He promised.

We would see much more of the miraculous if we thanked God for being in the midst rather than pleading for Him to turn up. We have to call on God according to biblical truth, not according to religion or tradition.

Remember, the church building is not God’s house, as if He is only there. One of God’s covenant names is Jehovah-Shammah, which means “The Lord is there”.⁴ We can be faithful to attend God’s house because He has promised to be there, whichever the house believers are meeting in.  

7. The Lord Preserves – ‘The Lord preserves all who love Him’ (v20)

The Bible promises, ‘The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul.
The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore’ (Psalm 121:7-8).

What a reward for loving God and putting our trust in Jesus! ‘So the Lord preserved David wherever he went’ (2 Samuel 8:6,14). That’s why David wrote, ‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life’ (Psalm 23:6).

It’s easy to think these wonderful promises are for someone else, but do they really apply to me? Read Psalm 145 again and see how many times the word “All” is there.⁵

‘The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works’ (v9)

‘All Your works shall praise You, O Lord’ (v10)

‘Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations’ (v13)

‘The Lord upholds all who fall, and raises up all who are bowed down’ (v14)

‘The eyes of all look expectantly to You, and You give them their food in due season’ (v15)

‘The Lord is righteous in all His ways, gracious in all His works’ (v17)

‘The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth’ (v18)

‘The Lord preserves all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy’ (v20)

‘My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord, and all flesh shall bless His holy name forever and ever’ (v21)

You are included, for if even the unrighteous get some of God’s blessings, how much more those who have been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.  Remember you are included!

Finally, David started this psalm with praise, stopped to praise halfway through, and finished with praise. Praise throughout the day, morning, noon and night! Now that is a good habit to get into. Another psalmist wrote, ‘Seven times a day I praise You’ (Psalm 119:164). It is good to be thankful for the little and when we have much.

God can survive without our praise, just as a caring mother continues looking after her ungrateful child, but when do we praise and appreciate the Lord, it makes the relationship a lot more enjoyable and more meaningful.

Endnotes:

¹ 2 Corinthians 4:7      ²Matthew 14:31          ³ Matthew 18:20         ⁴ Ezekiel 48:35

⁵ Fourteen