Reflections on Psalm 145

article by site founder, Connie Rice

Psalm 145 is a powerful prayer from King David in the Old Testament. David sinned greatly after allowing himself to be vulnerable to temptation. He used his power to take someone else’s wife and when she became pregnant with his child, arranged for her husband to be killed in battle. He then married her (not his only wife). However, God refers to him as a man after His own heart. How could this be? An article from “Got Questions” addresses this: “How could David be considered a man after God’s own heart?” (there’s also a short video). David trusted God and loved His law. As soon as David became aware of his sin, he was quick to throw himself on God’s mercy and repent. In Old Testament times, God gave His spirit to specific people at different times. David had first-hand experience of what happens when God’s spirit is withdrawn. When he was still young, David was brought in to play the harp for King Saul to help ease his torment after God withdrew His spirit from Saul. Perhaps this may have motivated David to seek God’s forgiveness and mercy immediately upon his realization of his own sin. God forgave David, even for his serious sins, but there were resulting consequences. David understood God’s character and majesty.

“I will ^[a]extol You, my God, O King;
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
² Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
³ Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
And His greatness is ^[b]unsearchable.

⁴ One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.
^5 [c]I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty,
And ^[d]on Your wondrous works.
⁶ Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts,
And I will declare Your greatness.
⁷ They shall ^[e]utter the memory of Your great goodness,
And shall sing of Your righteousness.

⁸ The Lord is gracious and full of compassion,
Slow to anger and great in mercy.
⁹ The Lord is good to all,
And His tender mercies are over all His works.

¹⁰ All Your works shall praise You, O Lord,
And Your saints shall bless You.
¹¹ They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom,
And talk of Your power,
¹² To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts,
And the glorious majesty of His kingdom.
¹³ Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all ^[f]generations.

¹⁴ The Lord upholds all who fall,
And raises up all who are bowed down.
¹⁵ The eyes of all look expectantly to You,
And You give them their food in due season.
¹⁶ You open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

¹⁷ The Lord is righteous in all His ways,
Gracious in all His works.
¹⁸ The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
¹⁹ He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He also will hear their cry and save them.
²⁰ The Lord preserves all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy.
²¹ My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord,
And all flesh shall bless His holy name
Forever and ever.

As I reflect on this psalm, I am reminded of God’s majesty, awesome power, holiness, greatness, compassion, graciousness, love for people, and faithfulness. Through David’s life, we are able to see that nobody is beyond God’s incredible forgiveness when they cry out to God in repentance and seek His ways. This gives hope to us all, whether we have sinned greatly or think we have just sinned a little. It’s important to understand that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and that “our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6b). Comparing ourselves to each other doesn’t give us an accurate picture of our own sinfulness – we need to compare ourselves to Jesus, who was fully God and fully human. Only His death, He who lived a perfect life on earth, was capable of paying the penalty for all the sins of mankind. In this, He conquered sin. In His resurrection, He conquered death as well. As we reflect on His love for us, our heart should overflow with gratitude for his voluntary suffering and sacrifice on our behalf.

As we reflect on this psalm, we see that God is worthy of all praise. May we each recognize that our Creator has a purpose for our existence and that we have been put in this time and place for a reason. Verses 4-9 in this psalm support the calling God has given me – to minister to children and help them discover that they can trust God and His Word with every aspect of their lives (more recently to preteens). It is enough that God provided a way for us to overcome sin and temptation and walk in freedom, but He also provided a path to heaven for all who believe. It is enough that God provided a path to heaven for all who believe, but He also provided us with the peace that this world cannot give. It is enough that He provided us with the peace that this world cannot give, but He also provided us with an identity and a purpose here on earth. It is enough that He provided us with an identity and a purpose here on earth, but He also gifts us spiritually so we can effectively minister to others. it is enough that He gifts us spiritually so we can effectively minister to others, but He also indwells believers with His spirit (unlike Old Testament times, but made possible through Jesus’ sacrifice). It is enough that He indwells believers with His spirit, but He also blesses and provides for the needs of those who fully trust in Him. He gave all of us the gift of beauty, of music, of art, of relationships. The more I learn of what He has created, the more in awe of Him I become. To God be the glory!

© Constance Rice 2024