Psalms 143-145

Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! His greatness is beyond discovery! ­– Psalm 145:3 NLT

Christian singer and songwriter, Chris Tomlin, has a song out that we sing often in church. It is one of my favorites.

The splendor of a King,

clothed in majesty

Let all the earth rejoice, all the earth rejoice

He wraps himself in light,

and darkness tries to hide

it trembles at his voice, trembles at his voice

How great is our God,

sing with me How great is our God,

and all will see How great

How great is our God

And age to age He stands

and time is in His Hands

Beginning and the End,

Beginning and the End

The Godhead, three in one

Father, Spirit, Son,

the Lion and the Lamb,

the Lion and the Lamb

Name above all names

Worthy of all praise

My heart will sing

how great is our God

Name above all names

you are worthy of all praise

and my heart will sing

how great is our God

How great is our God. Great song and a great question. But just how great is He? Have you ever thought about it? If you had to describe the greatness of God, what words would you use? What examples from personal experience could you bring up? The Psalms remind us constantly of His greatness and how He deserves our praise. But why? What do we have to praise Him for? Do we really believe He is great or are they just words we sing without really thinking about what we say? As I read these three Psalms this morning, it struck me how little I think about God's greatness. The Psalmist says, "Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts. I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor and your wonderful miracles. Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue; I will proclaim your greatness. Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness; they will sing with joy of your righteousness" (Psalms 145:4-7 NLT). Do I do that? Do I tell my kids about the greatness of God – from personal experience? Do I think about his majesty and splendor? Do I find myself talking about His awe-inspiring deeds to those around me? The answer to all those questions is "No." Too much of the time God is a concept to me, rather than a personal and powerful presence in my life. I study and read about Him. I even pray to Him. But His majesty, power, greatness and goodness are more academic than experiential. Part of the problem is that I don't think about Him enough. I don't look for Him in my day. I don't recognize Him in my daily life. I have learned to operate as if He is not even there. I include Him when necessary, but I have basically learned to live life without Him. I fail to recognize His mercy, compassion and kindness. I don't realize that the next breath I breathe is a gift from Him. My very existence is completely up to Him. Every meal I eat is due to His kindness. The home I live in was provided by Him, not me. The family I was born into and the wife and children I live with were all given to me by God. God's greatness and goodness are all around me, but I have learned to ignore it or look right past it.

Praise is a habit. The more you practice praise, the more you see that is praiseworthy. The Psalmist said, "I will praise you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. I will bless you every day, and I will praise you forever" (Psalms 145:1-2 NLT). He made a habit of praising God. He looked for things to be thankful for. He learned to thank God for past examples of His greatness. I need to do the same thing. I need to begin praising Him more, thanking Him more, and looking for His greatness all around me. Because my God truly is great.

Father, You are great and greatly to be praised. Forgive me for not recognizing Your greatness enough. For not talking about it and thanking You for the countless examples that surround my life every day. Give me eyes to see what You are doing in and around my life. Give me breath to speak of your greatness to my wife and kids and all those in my life who need to here just how great You really are. May praising You become a daily habit for me. Amen