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1 I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will bless you, and praise your name forever and ever. 3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable. 4 One generation shall laud your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. 5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. 6 The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed, and I will declare your greatness. 7 They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness, and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. 8 The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made. 10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your faithful shall bless you. 11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom, and tell of your power, 12 to make known to all people your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds. 14 The Lord upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. 16 You open your hand, satisfying the desire of every living thing. 17 The Lord is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings. 18 The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. 19 He fulfills the desire of all who fear him; he also hears their cry, and saves them. 20 The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. 21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and all flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever. (Psalm 145 NRSV)
In some of his psalms, you can almost tell that David is feeling good. This is one of those psalms. It's as if David jumped out of bed with a huge smile, enjoyed his shower, and ate the greatest breakfast he ever had! And he went straight to his office, turned on his laptop and tapped out the words of this psalm. David was filled with joy and the word of choice that he uses over and over, is blessed. Have you ever had one of those days? Today? Never? Come on now! David's heart set his mind to Praise and the spirit did the rest. If we could just say to ourselves the moment our eyes opened in the morning, "God is good!" I believe the rest would fall into place. Now, I do realize there are some days when you're reluctant to face all that is before you, but even in the midst of challenges and trouble; God is always good, even when we're not, or the day is not so good either. Remember, David had good days and bad days. He saw all that life has to offer, good and bad, and he was hit in all areas; he saw love in his spouses, love outside of his marriage; lost loved ones. He won major military and political victories; he saw his reign as king challenged even from his own household. Through all he suffered and endured, he declares, God is good.
To say God is good is a form of worship and praise. As you say it, you're saying it to God. God is listening and being blessed by our ability and our willingness to say God is good. The psalmist said more than those words of "God is good", he said that in God we find all that we need. He is a faithful God, a gracious God, an upholding God, a God who raises up, and a God who provides all that we need.
Dear one, listen to the closing words of this soothing psalm: "The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desire of all who fear Him; He also hears their cry, and saves them. The Lord watches over all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy. My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever."
Hear again: God is near to all who call on Him, but who call on Him in truth (Don't lie to God - you can't!). If you fear God, God will fulfill your desires and hear your cries, and God will save you. That part of the wicked, well, unless you're wicked and happy with that, it doesn't pertain to you, but I caution us to stay away from the side of wickedness. Use your strength to bless and praise God.
PRAYER: God be glorified in my life. Let the words of this psalm inspire me to live with a heart, mind, and spirit that says in all ways and in all days; God is good. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Tell someone today that God is good!
Blessings of love,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
