Read: Psalm 103:1-19; Psalm 113
Praise the LORD! Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD! (Ps. 113:1)
The liturgy for Communion in my church tradition includes thanksgiving, which ends with a declaration of purpose: “Therefore shall my mouth and heart show forth the praise of the Lord, from this time forth forevermore.” That is a riff on Psalm 113: “Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and forevermore! From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised!” (vv. 2-3).
When the psalmist says that the name of the Lord is to be praised from sunup to sundown, he could be thinking temporally. We should be giving God glory all day long. The apostle urged us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). Well, the same thing goes for praising! The Lord’s “name” suggests his character; we praise God for who he is. And we also praise God for what he has done for us. The psalmist here used the God’s covenant name—Yahweh (translated “ LORD”). Yahweh is the name God revealed to Israel when he rescued them from slavery. When believers in Jesus praise the name of the Lord, we do so knowing so much more of what he has done for us, because now we know that the name of the Lord is Jesus.
I also like to think of this verse spatially. Wherever you may be, you live somewhere between the place the sun rises and the place where it sets. God is meant to be praised not only always but everywhere. This means you!
As you pray, praise the Lord through the words of Psalm 113.
David Bast is a writer and pastor who served for 23 years as the President and Broadcast Minister for Words of Hope. In his more than 40 years of devotional writing and preaching, he has been encouraging believers around the world to be shaped by God and his Word.
Prior to his ministry and work at Words of Hope, Dave served as a pastor for 18 years in congregations in the Reformed Church in America. A graduate of Hope College and Western Theological Seminary, he is the author of nine devotional books and Bible studies, including God of My Days,Why Doesn't God Act More Like God,Christ in the Psalms, andA Gospel for the World.
Dave and his wife, Betty Jo, have four children and eight grandchildren. Dave enjoys reading, growing tomatoes, and avidly follows the Detroit Tigers.
