An Alphabet of Praise – Part 1
Introduction
Today we look at the first half of Psalm 145. This Psalm is one of the acrostic psalms. This means that each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. (Verse 13 has two parts, making up the 22 letters in this alphabet.) Some Psalms were written in acrostic form to make them easier to learn by heart. Psalm 145 is truly an ‘A–Z’ (actually Aleph–Taw) of praise. Amazingly, this is the only psalm in the Bible that has the heading “A Psalm of Praise”.
Reflect
- Given that this is a psalm of King David, does anything surprise you about verse 1?
- How often and for how long does David pledge to praise God the King?
- Who is the only one who has truly kept a pledge such as this? (See Hebrews 2:11-12 and Luke 1:32)
David says: “I will praise your name”. Praising ‘the Name of God’ means praising His whole person and character. No matter how tough a time we may be having at the moment, let’s pledge, like David, that we will praise our God for ever and ever.
Reflect
- Write out as many words as you can from these verses that describe the depths of God’s greatness.
- Spend time meditating on these descriptions of God’s character. How do these expand your view of the greatness, goodness and grace of God?
- What do verses 4, 5 and, 6 assume that we will do as we consider the great works of God?
Praise is so important because it’s the only part of our Christian practice that will last for all eternity.
We pray now, but there will be a time when we won’t need to pray any more.
We believe now, but there will be a time when faith will be lost in sight.
We hope now, but one day all we hope for will be fulfilled.
But praise will endure forever. See Revelation 4:8-11.
Reflect
- Read Exodus 34:4–6. How does it relate to this psalm? (See especially vs 8 and vs 9 of the Psalm.)
- What is significant in verse 13 for King David?
Meditate on the love and glorious splendour of our God. Remember that we are only saved because God, in His rich love, sent Jesus to die on the cross. Let’s reach out now and share the ‘glory of His Kingdom’ with others, so they too can be forgiven and praise God’s wonderful Name.
Take time to praise
Spend time praising God, using this Psalm as a basis for what you say. Perhaps you might like to be creative and write your own song of praise.
Something to sing about
10,000 Reasons (Matt Redman); Unbroken Praise (Matt Redman); How Great is Our God (Chris Tomlin).