Praise The LORD! How Good It Is To Sing Praises To Our God
Devotional
Companion to the Psalter
A Devotional Guide to the Psalms
Object:
Praise the LORD!
How good it is to sing praises to our God ...
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds ...
but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.
-- Psalm 147:1a, 3, 11
Theme: The Lord cares for his creation
Outline
1-2 -- Praise the LORD who restores Jerusalem.
3-6 -- He lifts up those cast down -- the mighty Lord!
7-11 -- Sing his praises. He who loves us cares for the animals, too.
12-20 -- Praise him for the multi-dimensional Shalom he provides Jerusalem.
Notes
• Praise -- Creation/History
• One of the Hallelujah Psalms (146-150).
• One can get the feel of the psalm and a possible clue to its origin by reading of the Dedication of the Wall of Jerusalem: Nehemiah 12:27-43 (especially v. 43).
• The Daily Lectionary suggests this is to be used with the Psalm of the Day, verses 1-11 each Wednesday and verses 12-20 each Thursday.
• "Strengthens the bars of your gates" (v. 13).
• Jerusalem's defenses. (See Nehemiah 4:3, 6, 13-15.)
For Reflection
• See how the psalmist finds delight in meditating upon God's character and all that God has done and continues to do.
• Richardson Wright said, "Proficiency in meditation lies not in thinking much, but in loving much. It is a way of seeking the divine companionship, the 'closer walk.' Thus it is that meditation has come to be called 'the mother of love.' "
Prayer
Lord God, builder of the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God, we praise you for your power to lift up the downtrodden, to heal the brokenhearted, and to enrich all with your provident care. May we learn to praise you with the love that bears witness of your redeeming grace in Christ toward all that you have made. Amen.
How good it is to sing praises to our God ...
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds ...
but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.
-- Psalm 147:1a, 3, 11
Theme: The Lord cares for his creation
Outline
1-2 -- Praise the LORD who restores Jerusalem.
3-6 -- He lifts up those cast down -- the mighty Lord!
7-11 -- Sing his praises. He who loves us cares for the animals, too.
12-20 -- Praise him for the multi-dimensional Shalom he provides Jerusalem.
Notes
• Praise -- Creation/History
• One of the Hallelujah Psalms (146-150).
• One can get the feel of the psalm and a possible clue to its origin by reading of the Dedication of the Wall of Jerusalem: Nehemiah 12:27-43 (especially v. 43).
• The Daily Lectionary suggests this is to be used with the Psalm of the Day, verses 1-11 each Wednesday and verses 12-20 each Thursday.
• "Strengthens the bars of your gates" (v. 13).
• Jerusalem's defenses. (See Nehemiah 4:3, 6, 13-15.)
For Reflection
• See how the psalmist finds delight in meditating upon God's character and all that God has done and continues to do.
• Richardson Wright said, "Proficiency in meditation lies not in thinking much, but in loving much. It is a way of seeking the divine companionship, the 'closer walk.' Thus it is that meditation has come to be called 'the mother of love.' "
Prayer
Lord God, builder of the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God, we praise you for your power to lift up the downtrodden, to heal the brokenhearted, and to enrich all with your provident care. May we learn to praise you with the love that bears witness of your redeeming grace in Christ toward all that you have made. Amen.
