Today’s post, Praising God, Daily and Forever, is the first post in our series Great Is the Lord, a study of Psalm 145.
When my children were little, I remember often using the word “forever.”
I thought I’d be changing diapers forever. I thought I’d be stepping on Legos forever. And I thought I’d said goodbye forever to a good night’s sleep.
Because I did those things daily, I thought they were eternal. But really? They were just seasons. At that time, my habit was to change diapers, clean up toys, and wake up in the middle of the night if my kiddos need me. Though I was tired, and life as a young mom required that I develop a new type of personal discipline, being a mother to my little ones was a true joy, even though it was challenging.
In Psalm 145, David writes about a daily spiritual habit that he commits to doing forever: Praising God.
Praise is a form of worship and so that makes it a spiritual discipline. Through it, we draw nearer to God and grow in grace and knowledge. The result is enjoying God.
Extol Our God and King
In Psalm 145, verse 1, David tells the Lord that he “extol you, my God and King.”
“I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever.” Psalm 145:1
Like I mentioned in the introduction to this series, David uses many synonyms for praise throughout this psalm. “Extol” is one of them. Being a word girl, I decided to look into the etymology of this word to learn the specifics about it. It comes from Latin and means “to raise outward, upward.” It’s very similar to the word “exalt,” except that exalting can be done without praise. (An example of that is in this sentence: “The person was exalted into a higher level of leadership.”) Extolling, though, can’t be done without praise.
David tells God that he will bless God’s name and extol Him forever, or forever lift Him in praise, outward and upward. Isn’t that beautiful?
Bless God Every Day, for Forever
Before David can worry about forever, he tells God that he will bless Him every day.
“Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever.” Psalm 145:2
When my children were small, I mistakenly thought what I was doing had no end. I knew that a string of todays is what builds a forever. Of course, my situation did end, though, because things changed. My kids grew up.
But David promises God that he will forever continue the spiritual discipline of worship; he commits to a daily practice of praise. Like what I realized, David found that a string of todays is what builds a forever! And David’s situation wouldn’t have to end. David understood that what he committed to doing every day on earth would continue into eternity!
When I faithfully praise God each day, then praising Him forever will take care of itself. And I’m more likely to stand steadfast when trials come. (On standing steadfast during trials, see: James 1:2-4, 1 Peter 5:10, Psalm 16:8, Matthew 7:24-25)
Have you heard of Carl Ripkin, Jr? I’m not much into sports, but I recently heard about him on the radio. Apparently, he played a lot of baseball! He continually showed up to each of his scheduled baseball games. That consistency? It won him slot as record holder of the most consecutive baseball games ever played.
Consistency in time spent praising God may not win you an award, but it is sure to be rewarding!
Great Is the Lord
Verse three of Psalm 145 tells us exactly why David feels the way he does about praising God. Essentially, it’s because God is so very worthy.
“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.” Psalm 145:3
That word, “unsearchable,” means that though we could try to search God’s greatness, we’d never discover it all! It’s too big for us to fathom. Matter of fact, that’s how the NIV translates it: “…his greatness no one can fathom.” The NLT even says that “no one can measure” it. How awesome is He!
God tells us to “be still and know” that He is God. (Psalm 46:10) Quieting our minds, stilling our hearts, and focusing on the beautiful fact of His immeasurable greatness can lead us to a sweet place of holy, heartfelt worship.
Sisters, He is truly great, indeed! What a reason to praise Him daily, forever!
Questions for Study and Reflection:
1. What can you do today to bless and extol God?
2. How does remembering that “forever” is built of “todays” enhance your view of this day’s importance?
3. Have you stopped to dwell on God’s greatness? Here are some verses that may help you do that: Deuteronomy 10:17, Psalm 95:1-7, John 3:16, John 16:33, Romans 8:38-39, Hebrews 1:1-9
4. Praising God grows our gratitude. Gratitude is expressed in praise. How can you show public praise and thanksgiving to God this holiday season?
Feel free to share your thoughts on this post here in the comments or over in our Facebook group.
Blessings, Ali
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