Scripture
1I will exalt you, my God and King,
and praise your name forever and ever.
2I will praise you every day;
yes, I will praise you forever.
3Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!
No one can measure his greatness.
4Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts;
let them proclaim your power.
5I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor
and your wonderful miracles.
6Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue;
I will proclaim your greatness.
7Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness;
they will sing with joy about your righteousness.
8The Lord is merciful and compassionate,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
9The Lord is good to everyone.
He showers compassion on all his creation.
10All of your works will thank you, Lord,
and your faithful followers will praise you.
11They will speak of the glory of your kingdom;
they will give examples of your power.
12They will tell about your mighty deeds
and about the majesty and glory of your reign.
13For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.
You rule throughout all generations.
The Lord always keeps his promises;
he is gracious in all he does.[1]
14The Lord helps the fallen
and lifts those bent beneath their loads.
15The eyes of all look to you in hope;
you give them their food as they need it.
16When you open your hand,
you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.
17The Lord is righteous in everything he does;
he is filled with kindness.
18The Lord is close to all who call on him,
yes, to all who call on him in truth.
19He grants the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cries for help and rescues them.
20The Lord protects all those who love him,
but he destroys the wicked.
21I will praise the Lord,
and may everyone on earth bless his holy name
forever and ever.
Translation notes (1)
- 145:13 As in Dead Sea Scrolls and Greek and Syriac versions; the Masoretic Text lacks the final two lines of this verse.
Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power.
I love stories. I love reading stories. I love hearing stories. I love telling stories. Stories motivate us and instruct us. They often encourage us to be better people. If you are a follower of Christ, did you know you have a story? In fact, you have many stories of God’s faithfulness in your life. Today, we will be reminded that we can practice gratitude when we tell our stories. When this happens, both we and the listeners of our stories are encouraged, and God gets the glory.
David, the author of Psalm 145, recounted God’s goodness in Psalm 145. In this Psalm, he made a commitment to praise God forever. He wrote, “Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness” (verse 3). He continues by saying, “Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power” (verse 4). David calls believers to commit to telling others about the faithfulness of God so that future generations would know how He had been faithful throughout the history of their families.
As we read these verses, a good question to consider is, “Why is telling stories of God’s goodness so valuable?” These stories instill confidence in God. After all, when you hear story after story of how God has protected your family throughout generations, how could you not be confident in God’s provision and protection? These stories also provide opportunities to praise God and thank Him for His goodness.
What about you? You have a story to tell. How has He been faithful to you? These areas of faithfulness can be big or small acts of faithfulness. Whatever His acts of faithfulness has looked like, don’t keep His faithfulness to yourself. Tell those around you about how He has faithfully provided for you and your family. Tell your friends about God’s goodness to you. Tell your family members about His faithfulness. Every day, look for opportunities to show gratitude for His faithfulness.
Moving toward action
What is one way that God has been faithful to you in the past week? Find someone today to tell them about God’s recent faithfulness to you. Tell them your story. Encourage them that God is also faithfully working in their life as well. Give God the glory for His faithfulness, and thank Him for His goodness to you.
Going Deeper
Psalm 145:1-21
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