The Psalms have brought tremendous comfort and guidance to so many for so long. Join me in taking a fresh look at each Psalm. As you read through them, I urge you to reflect, pray, and apply these devotional bits of encouragement to your own life. Today, we study and reflect on Psalms 145, 146, and 147.
Reflection 1
David experienced extreme highs and lows. He was arguably the greatest King in Israel’s history with many victories and successes, but he also experienced times of deep personal failure, defeat, family pain, and spiritual setbacks. One of the things that sustained him, strengthen him, and saved him was returning to what he knew to be true. God is great, gracious, compassionate, good, faithful, and trustworthy. He reaffirms these characteristics of God in Psalm145. We would do well to learn from David and reaffirm these truths often. No matter what you are going through, God is always great, gracious, compassionate, good, faithful, and trustworthy. He will strengthen you, sustain you, and save you. Trust Him and thank Him today. He is with you and for you!
“Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.” — Psalms 145:3, 8-9, 13
Reflection 2
Why do the Psalms, Proverbs, and essentially every other book in the Bible continuously remind us to “trust in the Lord?” Does God really think we are that dumb that we don’t get it the first time? Well, maybe not dumb, but definitely disobedient. We have a human flaw. We like to trust in ourselves. We are control-freaks. We like to trust in people, work, finances, status and popularity, perceived wisdom, health, and on it goes. The problem is that nothing is eternal, completely wise, always correct, and absolutely trustworthy except for One. God alone deserves our complete and total trust. We forget, so we are reminded often in Scripture. One of the vital keys to success in life is where you place your trust, and more specifically, in who you place your trust. So join me today and every day in praying, reaffirming, and re-establishing your total trust in God. He loves you and will bless you.
“Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.” — Psalms 146:1-5
Reflection 3
God knows you intimately. He knows what you want. He knows what you need. He knows your hurts and pains. He knows your deepest worries, fears, and concerns. He knows your strengths. He’s aware of your weaknesses. He sees your opportunities. He understands what threatens you and your joy. He knows everything. He knows how many stars are in the sky and has given each a name. He is all-powerful and can heal your heart, mend your brokenness, give you strength for a new day, and help you climb the next mountain. He knows you, loves you, and is for you!
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.” — Psalms 147:3-5