OCTOBER 22, 2015
The Joy of Your
Presence
Great
is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. — Psalm 96:4
Read:
Psalm 145:1-18
“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
Source: Our Daily Bread 2015
