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.
18The Lord is close to all who call on him,
yes, to all who call on him in truth.
We may feel lonely at times, but we are never alone. Although people may let us down and hurt us at times, God never will. He has been with us for our whole lives, always walking with us. He will never leave us. Even in our loneliest times, we can be confident that we are not alone.
David recounts God's nearness in Psalm 145. He began this Psalm by praising God. "I will exalt you, my God and King, and praise your name forever and ever," he wrote (verse 1). He continued this Psalm by praising God for the incredible things He has done. As this Psalm came to an end, David made a declaration about God. He wrote, "The Lord is close to all who call on Him, yes, to all who call on Him in truth" (verse 18). David saw this to be true throughout his life. When he was a young shepherd boy fighting the giant Goliath, God was close to him and allowed him to defeat the giant and the rest of the Philistine army. When King Saul was threatened by David and wanted him dead, God protected him. God was with him when he went from being a shepherd to a king. When he was caught in sin and facing the consequences of that sin, God was with Him as he confessed and repented of his sin. God never left David's side. David's experience of God's nearness prompted him to write in verse 18, "The Lord is close to all who call on Him." He wrote this because he experienced it first-hand.
What David wrote hundreds and hundreds of years ago still rings true today. God is close to all who call on Him. God is close to us. He is with us throughout whatever we face. When we call on Him and communicate with Him regularly, we experience His nearness personally. After all, we can only fully experience people's nearness if we talk and listen to them. Are you feeling lonely today? "Come close to God, and God will come close to you" (James 4:8).
Moving toward action
God is with us now, and He has never left us. So spend some time now talking to God. Talk to Him about what is on your mind. Talk to Him about your struggles. Talk to Him about what you are excited about. Ask Him for help in the areas where you need help. He wants to hear from you.
Going Deeper
Psalm 145:1-21
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