Word For Today: The Joy of Your Presence

Read: Psalm 145:1-18 

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; He is to be feared above all gods. Psalm 96:4

“Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever,” says the Westminster Catechism. Much of Scripture calls for joyful gratitude and adoration of the living God. When we honor God, we celebrate Him as the Source from which all goodness flows.

When we praise God from our heart we find ourselves in that joyful state for which we were created. Just as a beautiful sunset or a peaceful pastoral scene points to the majesty of the Creator, so worship draws us into a close spiritual union with Him. The psalmist says, “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise . . . . The Lord is near to all who call on him” (Ps. 145:3,18).

God does not need our praise, but we need to praise God. By basking in His presence we drink in the joy of His infinite love and rejoice in the One who came to redeem and restore us. “In your presence there is fullness of joy,” the psalmist says. “At your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Ps. 16:11 esv).

Dear Lord, You are the great and mighty God, the Creator of the universe. I will praise Your name always. There is no God besides You.

Worship is a heart overflowing with praise to God.

INSIGHT:

Psalm 145 is a declaration of David’s praise. While some psalms recall God’s past deliverances, this psalm focuses entirely on God’s help in the present. 

-- Bill Crowder

Bible in a Year: Isaiah 65–66; 1 Timothy 2

By Dennis Fisher