Greatly to be Praised

I will praise You with my whole heart; …
I will worship toward your holy temple,
and praise your name;
for your loving kindness and your truth; ….

Psalm 138: 1–2a

In Psalm 138, we find the song of ‘a man after God’s own heart’, who had travelled a long journey down the road of spiritual wisdom.
He understood many deep truths about his relationship with God. David came to see that in times of trouble,
the most clearly marked path to God is not the way of struggle and desperation. It is instead the path of worship.

In times of trouble-the Lord is to be worshipped

Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you will revive me.
You will stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
and your right hand will save me.
The Lord will perfect that which concerns me;

Psalm 138: 7–8a

Focusing inward on our misery traps us in our own private dungeon, and we lock ourselves away from the healing and wisdom which we need.
Gratitude is a doorway that admits us into the courts of godliness. Praise and thanksgiving are closely related.
Thanksgiving should be an integral part of our praise to God. Psalm 100 challenges us to come into his presence with thanksgiving.
When all is going well and life is smooth and calm, we tend to hold back part of ourselves from God.
However, when we are humbled in fear, we are far more likely to approach God with our entire being.
Despite David’s blemishes and failings of his humanity, he offered himself wholeheartedly to God.
‘I will praise you with my whole heart; I will praise your name.’ Psalm 119 is devoted to the power and glory and study of the Word of God.
Over and over the phrases ‘wholehearted’ and ‘with a whole heart’ are used.

David said that he would praise God’s name for his loving kindness (mercy) and truth; these traits were spoken about a lot in the Old Testament,
especially in the Psalms, e.g. Psalms 25: 10; 57: 3; and 85: 10. Our Lord balances mercy and truth.
His mercy is poured out in the light of absolute truth, and his truth is saturated by infinite mercy.
When you come before him in trouble, you know that he hears the very deepest cry of your heart
even as he deals with you according to his divine standard. God is both merciful and truthful and we can count on his Word.
Jesus embodied perfect truth and perfect mercy, and he is our model for doing the same.
When David cried out to God, he always received an infusion of renewed vitality to face the problems ahead of him.
‘In the day when I cried out, you answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul.’ (Psalm 138: 3)

In times of uncertainty-the Lord is to be worshipped

Sometimes quite unexpectedly we find ourselves in the midst of trouble which dominates our lives.
The corona virus pandemic has overwhelmed us for the past fifteen months, yet we know that God is with us in this crisis,
surrounding us with his presence. David walked in the midst of trouble-– he made terrible, fateful mistakes –
yet he always remained one of God’s favourite children.

In Psalm 23, David painted a picture of the Good Shepherd watching over his sheep,
‘He restores my soul. He leads me in the path of righteousness for his name’s sake.’
When we begin to look at our difficulties from the perspective of the Psalms,
our depression fades, our hope increases and our love for God is intensified.
Everything will change for you-– even in difficulty-– if you decide to continually offer the sacrifice of praise, and to bless the Lord at all times.

Excerpts from Shelter in God by D. Jeremiah

Let us pray:
Heavenly Father, help us always to praise and thank you for our material and spiritual blessings,
so that we never take your provision and answered prayers for granted.
Help us to be mindful of the fact that you created us and you have a purpose for each of our lives.
If we are to make the most of our lives we must pray for direction because you know what is best for us.
May we glorify you, praise you with our whole heart and witness for you,
knowing that when we worship and cry out to you, you can work on our behalf.

Lord in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Amen

Father God, we thank you for the NHS and ‘good health care available to all regardless of wealth’.
However, we are deeply concerned about Uganda and the many countries around the world
experiencing shortage of vaccines, oxygen and basic food supplies.
Father, we pray earnestly for a just global distribution of vaccines and just and compassionate allocation of oxygen for those who need it.
We pray for Your hand of provision, protection and healing on Uganda and other countries in dire need.
Father, please stir the hearts of countries with abundant supplies to respond urgently and support all of humanity; because we are One World.

Lord in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Amen

Lord, we thank you for your mercy and compassion.
May we be conscious of your hand always on our lives: leading us, guiding us, healing us, blessing us,
that we may walk with you every step of the way.

Lord in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Amen

Creator of the Universe, watch over us and keep us in the light of your presence. May our praise continually blend with that of creation,
until we come together to the eternal joys which you promise in your love, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Celtic Prayer

Fill thou my life, O Lord my God,
in every part with praise,
that my whole being may proclaim
thy being and thy ways.

Praise in the common things of life,
its goings out and in;
praise in each duty and each deed,
however small and mean.

Fill every part of me with praise:
let all my being speak
of thee and of thy love, O Lord,
poor though I be and weak.

Horatius Bonar (1808–1889)

Church family, From the rising of the sun to its going down, the Lord’s name is to be praised. (Psalm 113: 3) Let us think of someone we can help today. May God bless, protect and guide you.

Glynne Gordon-Carter