"The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does" (Psalm 145:13b).
The Psalms remind us again and again to praise the Lord. But why praise him? How should we praise him? Does God really care about us anyway?
As I studied Psalm 145 the other day I found the answers to those questions. It encouraged me so much that I wrote a Bible study to share with you.
ALL: A Study of Psalm 145
Psalm 145
World English Bible
A praise song by David.
1 I will exalt you, my God, the King.
I will praise your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise you.
I will extol your name forever and ever.
3 Great is Yahweh, and greatly to be praised!
His greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation will commend your works to another,
and will declare your mighty acts.
5 I will meditate on the glorious majesty of your honor,
on your wondrous works.
6 Men will speak of the might of your awesome acts.
I will declare your greatness.
7 They will utter the memory of your great goodness,
and will sing of your righteousness.
8 Yahweh is gracious, merciful,
slow to anger, and of great loving kindness.
9 Yahweh is good to all.
His tender mercies are over all his works.
10 All your works will give thanks to you, Yahweh.
Your saints will extol you.
11 They will speak of the glory of your kingdom,
and talk about your power,
12 to make known to the sons of men his mighty acts,
the glory of the majesty of his kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.
Your dominion endures throughout all generations.
Yahweh is faithful in all his words,
and loving in all his deeds.†
14 Yahweh upholds all who fall,
and raises up all those who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all wait for you.
You give them their food in due season.
16 You open your hand,
and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 Yahweh is righteous in all his ways,
and gracious in all his works.
18 Yahweh is near to all those who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear him.
He also will hear their cry, and will save them.
20 Yahweh preserves all those who love him,
but he will destroy all the wicked.
21 My mouth will speak the praise of Yahweh.
Let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
Study Questions
1. Read Psalm 145.
2. Re-read verses 8-21. Circle every “all” or similar word in the passage.
3. Identify what each circled word refers to.
4. In a sentence or two, summarize these verses, focusing on the character of God.
5. Read verses 1-7.
6. David begins this psalm with his declaration of God’s greatness and our appropriate response: worship. List three or four ways David says people will worship.
7. In Psalm 145:1-7 David calls us to worship. In verses 8-21 he gives examples of why we worship. Which example(s) do you most identify with? Why?
8. Read through Psalm 145 again, personalizing it as if it came from your own heart rather than David’s. For example, read verse 1 like this:
“I, (fill in your name), will exalt you, my God the King;
I, (fill in your name), will praise your name for ever and ever.”
~ Ginger Kauffman
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