Day 191

Praise the Lord

Read: Psalms 144-150

Verses in Psalm 144 are similar to those in several other psalms, especially Psalm 18. Common themes run through the Psalter as well as through the whole Bible. Psalm 145 is the last of the psalms attributed to David and the last of the acrostic psalms. I have often read this psalm to the mothers of newborn infants, for birth is surely a “wondrous work” and parents are called to pass the faith on to the next generation.

The last five psalms all begin and end with “Praise the Lord.” Psalm 146 inspired several German hymns as well as one in English by Isaac Watts. Psalm 147 has similarities to the questions of Isaiah 40 as well as the words of God to Job near the end of that book.

Psalm 148 calls upon the angels, the inanimate creation, the nations of the world and finally Israel to praise God, while Psalm 149 especially calls upon God’s people to do so. Surely we Christians have more reasons to praise God than anyone else. But do we really praise him as we should? Are our worship services as full of praise as they ought to be?

Each of the five books in the book of Psalms ends with praise to God, but the final psalm of this final book is entirely one of praise. What a book is the book of Psalms! It expresses the wide range of feelings of the believer, even those feelings which are unworthy. May we read it frequently.

PRAYER
Father, we praise you for you are great. We especially praise you for your Son Jesus Christ. Amen.