Reflections
Psalm 145: 2-3, 8-9, 17-18 (Read)“Great is the Lord and highly to be praised.”
When we reflect on what God has done
for us, we remember that God has always
done good things for us. That is God's
nature. As the Psalm says, “His greatness
is unsearchable.” And so we pray this psalm
to bless, praise, and exalt the heavenly
Father in His perfection and in His works.
Our psalmist dwells on the everlasting nature
of God, on His love and presence throughout
all time, and we are called to praise the Lord
forever and ever. Our psalmist reminds us,
“The Lord is good to all and compassionate
toward all His works.” We know this inherently
because we live our lives within an unending
stream of divine love.
“The Lord is near to all who call upon him.”
His presence is shown in the help, nourishment,
and salvation that He shows to us. The prophet
Isaiah urges us, “Seek the Lord while He may be
found, call Him while He is near.”
(Isaiah 55: 6)
We praise God because of His divine attributes
of compassion and love. And fortunately for us,
the Son shares fully in these divine attributes.
So we also sing this psalm in honor of Christ our
Savior, who shares fully in the perfection of God,
and in the works of the Father,
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist assures us, 'The Lord is near to all who call upon Him.'
This verse requires us to make the extra effort to reach out to God if we
want to be in His presence. Tell of how you have reached out to the Lord
and what has been the result.
2. The Psalm calls upon us to praise His name forever and ever.
Say how you go about praising the Lord in your daily life. Give examples.
IF YOU WALK WITH THE LORD, IT’S RELATIVELY EASY TO PRAY TO HIM IN TIMES OF STRESS OR TIMES OF NEED. IT’S THE GOOD TIMES WHERE IT IS MUCH MORE DIFFICULT. IT’S TOO EASY TO TAKE FULL, PERSONAL CREDIT WHEN LIFE IS GOOD, AND ONLY GO TO GOD IN TIMES OF NEED OR STRESS. DEAR GOD, MAKE US ALL MORE APPRECIATIVE WHEN LIFE IS GOOD.
ReplyDeleteTo call upon the Lord is to address or approach God with a specific request. It is a reverential act of summoning the aid of the Lord God Almighty. God wants us to call upon His name.
ReplyDeleteWe should call upon the Lord for our material needs. God wants you to continually come to Him and be specific about all our needs. In Matthew 7:7, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
Most importantly we should call upon the Lord for deliverance and shelter from trouble. The source of our safety and security is the Lord God Almighty; no threat, obstacle, or danger, no matter how great, is stronger than God’s keeping power.
I agree with Tim, it is very easy to pray to God in times of need or stress, I admit I do it all the time. Even today while I was at work and I suddenly did not feel well, I said a quick prayer to God to give me strength and take away the ill feeling. Thankfully He answered my prayer and I did feel better.
ReplyDeleteIt is in the good moments in life that it is easy to put God on the back burner and not give Him our full attention. When life is good and I "forget" to pray, I find myself being called back and praying in need again. I believe God is telling me that I cannot live on my own, I need our Lord in my life at all times. I need to pray and Thank Him in good times and in bad.