Thoughts for the Day

Praise. Of David.

1 I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you,
and praise your name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.

4 One generation shall laud your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
5 On the glorious splendour of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
6 The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed,
and I will declare your greatness.
7 They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness,
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

8 The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 The Lord is good to all,
and his compassion is over all that he has made.

10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
and all your faithful shall bless you.
11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom,
and tell of your power,
12 to make known to all people your mighty deeds,
and the glorious splendour of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

The Lord is faithful in all his words,
and gracious in all his deeds.
14 The Lord upholds all who are falling,
and raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
16 You open your hand,
satisfying the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is just in all his ways,
and kind in all his doings.
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfils the desire of all who fear him;
he also hears their cry, and saves them.
20 The Lord watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.

21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
and all flesh will bless his holy name for ever and ever.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Psalm 145 is the last of David's psalms and the last of the eight acrostic ones found in the Psalter. An acrostic is a poem in which the initial letters of each successive verse forms a pattern or puzzle. This psalm uses the letters of the Hebrew alphabet - the first word of the first verse beginning with aleph, the first word of the second verse beginning with bet, and so on. Though for some reason the letter nun is missing. Presumably these acrostic psalms were created as an aid to memory when they were learnt by heart.

The psalms begins with the phrase "I will extoll you," and then goes on to list the attributes of Yahweh (God), and why and how we should extoll Him. Notice the original only uses the capital letters for God, out of respect:

א I will exalt him.

ב Every day I will bless you.

ג He is great.

ד Generation to generation will praise you.

ה YHVH’s splendrous glory.

ו The might of YHVH’s awesome deeds.

ז The recollection of YHVH’s abundant goodness.

ח YHVH is gracious and merciful.

ט YHVH is good.

י Let his creation thank YHVH.

כ YHVH’s kingdom is glorious.

ל Inform mankind of his mighty and glorious deeds.

מ YHVH’s kingdom and dominion is forever.

נ The letter nun is omitted from this acrostic.

ס YHVH straightens the fallen ones and those who are bent.

ע YHVH supports those who hope in him and are humble.

פ YHVH opens his hand and supports every living thing.

צ YHVH is righteous in all of his ways.

ק YHVH is close to all those who call upon him.

ר YHVH will fulfill the desires of those who fear him.

ש YHVH protects all who love him.

ת Declare the praise of YHVH and bless his name.

You might like to use the short Hebrew headings to praise and thank God for all He has done for us, or for yourself.

Lord God,
I will exalt and praise Your name
from this day forward,
praising You for Your might works;
for Your Son who rescued us from sin;
and for the power of Your Spirit that works each day
in our lives and turns our hearts to You.
May we start and finish each day praising You.
Amen.