Journey Corps

Everything will change. A Ministry of WorldVenture.

Psalm 145

This is a modification of an old blog post I did from a few years ago. I was reflecting on it and decided to jot it down.

Psalm 145:8-11” The Lord is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in loving-kindness. The Lord is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works. All your works shall give thanks to You, O Lord, and Your godly ones shall bless You. They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom. And talk of Your power.”

The first two verses often enter my mind when I am in a time of need, seeking to find God and understand His mercy. They affirm the character of an Almighty, yet gentle God that covers His entire creation with mercy and loving-kindness. His grace truly is incredible and God really does look through all of our crap to see his creation. However, it seems that a key piece of this scripture is many times lost. In verse 9 we are able to identify ourselves as heirs to mercy as the Psalmist writes that God’s mercies are over all His works, humans being the chief of these. That is not the last time the Psalmist refers to God’s chief creation, though. A mere 3 words later we are again recognized but this time it is accompanied by responsibility, privilege, honor and worship.

“All Your works shall give thanks.”

You see, we are not only partakers of mercy and grace but also vessels of praise and adoration. There should a natural progression here but so often there is not, why is that? A few words later the writer gets more specific and notes that “godly ones” shall bless God. Without fail, God’s word then dives into application... this time in the following sentence, “they (being us) shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom and talk of Your power.” Clearly and concisely, we are instructed how we, as God’s workmanship, are to give God glory and bless Him. I believe that within these verses God is providing us with an element of accountability and challenge.

In reading verses 8 and 9 we come to a point of dependence and identity in God. We understand a bit more clearly who He is and the protection and assurance we have in Him. These verses, when understood in the purest of light, drive the reader to their knees in worship and comfort in the creator. A point of vulnerability. God chooses this moment to test the true level of our thanksgiving by continuing with the following verses. If we, being brought to our knees, truly are in awe of a God that desires to bestow on us unconditional grace, then should we not be thus compelled to bless Him by speaking of His kingdom and by making known His power? The very power that finds us and loves us in our most vulnerable state. I think God is looking for more than just a dependence on grace in our lives. He wants us to manifest that grace and mercy into obedience and action, telling the world of his glory.

I am confident that you and I both reap the benefits of the first two verses. My question, though, is what are we doing with the last few?

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