Day 10: Psalm 135
1 Praise the Lord.
Praise the name of the Lord;
praise him, you servants of the Lord,
2 you who minister in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God.
3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.
4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob to be his own,
Israel to be his treasured possession.
5 I know that the Lord is great,
that our Lord is greater than all gods.
6 The Lord does whatever pleases him,
in the heavens and on the earth,
in the seas and all their depths.
7 He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
he sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
8 He struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
the firstborn of people and animals.
9 He sent his signs and wonders into your midst, Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his servants.
10 He struck down many nations
and killed mighty kings—
11 Sihon king of the Amorites,
Og king of Bashan,
and all the kings of Canaan—
12 and he gave their land as an inheritance,
an inheritance to his people Israel.
13 Your name, Lord, endures forever,
your renown, Lord, through all generations.
14 For the Lord will vindicate his people
and have compassion on his servants.
15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
made by human hands.
16 They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
17 They have ears, but cannot hear,
nor is there breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.
19 All you Israelites, praise the Lord;
house of Aaron, praise the Lord;
20 house of Levi, praise the Lord;
you who fear him, praise the Lord.
21 Praise be to the Lord from Zion,
to him who dwells in Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord.
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Have you ever wondered how God feels when you praise Him? Can you imagine His smile or how His heart swells with deep love for you, His precious child? In my own life I’ve noticed that when times are good and everything is going really well, it feels very natural to praise the Lord. He is the author of life, the giver of good gifts; our Lord is trustworthy and faithful – He is deserving of all our praise!
But what about times of sorrow, when hurts run deep or when it’s much more difficult to navigate a tough situation, let alone offer praise? How do we praise God then? I remember facing a really painful loss at one point in my life, and in the midst of pain while sharing my story with a friend, he simply said, “You know, you still need to praise God, even now.” I’ll never forget that. I immediately realized my friend was right. Praising the Lord is not reserved for our happiest moments and times of joy, but also in how we relate to God and offer praise during times of trouble.
It is not in our circumstances that we find joy in the Lord, but in who God is and how He reveals his desire to love his people. And we praise God for that!
Thank you, Lord, for who you are.
You are my God, and I love you with all my heart. You alone are worthy of all praise!
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Amy Tabler | Executive Assistant, Lima Community Church