Worship: A Study in PsalmsSample

What does it say?

David proclaims the magnitude of God’s goodness and generosity.

What does it mean?

The true nature of God’s greatness was beyond David’s finite understanding, so he praised what he knew of the Lord’s works and characteristics from his own life experiences. His knowledge of God’s grace, compassion, and love were gained through times of heartbreaking difficulty and agonizing repentance of sin. He could speak firsthand of God’s provision and faithfulness from countless days on the run for his life. The Lord had been right there, watching over David through every sleepless night and in every cry for help. Everything God had done or allowed in David’s life was loving and right. David had a close personal relationship with God and had reason to praise Him personally, but he didn’t stop there. God’s greatness deserved to be praised by all men through every generation, so David wrote this psalm of praise so that the Lord’s majesty, goodness, righteousness, and holiness would be praised forever and ever.

How should I respond?

Every circumstance and experience serves one purpose for the child of God: to know the Lord and to make Him known. Through King David’s words of praise, we learn God’s qualities and how He interacts with people in light of those characteristics. As we follow Christ and grow to know Him better, we, in turn, should tell others how His love, grace, and goodness have been shown to us. The charge to each generation of believers is to know the Lord intimately and praise Him openly. How will you make Him known today?