Wednesday, November 9, 2022  

Today’s Scripture Reading
Psalm 145:1–5, 17–21

I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever.

Every day I will bless you, and praise your name forever and ever.

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable.

One generation shall laud your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.

On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.

The Lord is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings.

The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

He fulfills the desire of all who fear him; he also hears their cry, and saves them.

The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.

My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and all flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever. (NRSV)

Reflection

The soaring praise of Psalm 145 is beautiful and inspiring—made all the more so by its acrostic structure in Hebrew—and it is lifted up three times daily in the traditional Jewish Ashrei prayer. The psalm celebrates not only the goodness of God but the greatness of God as well: the glory, majesty, and miracle that is God’s creation, as well as God’s steadfast presence in it.

As I read this psalm over and over, though, there was one verse that kept jumping out to me: one generation shall laud your works to another and declare your mighty acts (verse 4). One of the things we have been asked to do as a congregation is to hand our faith down to future generations—something I am certainly acutely aware of in my role with the church—and our words and actions certainly are one of the clearest ways we can do so.

My guess is that many of us are far more comfortable with living out our faith—to model the old saying allegedly from St. Francis of Assisi that states “Preach the gospel at all times; use words when necessary.” Psalm 145 reminds us, though, that our words are necessary as well. We are called not only to love and serve but also to share why exactly it is we are centering our life around those things—bearing witness to the goodness and greatness of God and giving thanks for the constant presence of God in our lives.

Prayer

I do extol and praise you, O Holy God, and give thanks for your constant presence in my life. Help me serve as your witness in both word and deed, that I may help pass an understanding of your love and presence to this next generation. Amen.

Written by Matt Helms, Associate Pastor for Children and Family Ministry

Reflection and prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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