Friday 28 December, 2018

1 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, you his servants; praise the name of the Lord. 2 Let the name of the Lord be praised, both now and forevermore. 3 From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised. 4 The Lord is exalted over all the nations, his glory above the heavens. 5 Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, 6 who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? 7 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; 8 he seats them with princes, with the princes of his people. 9 He settles the childless woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the Lord.

We have a custom in western culture of giving honour by name. We single people out to receive awards, whether it be for a Nobel Prize, or the Hall of Fame or Australian of the Year. We recognise someone’s contributions and attach it to their name.

The psalmist here exhorts us to praise the Lord and to praise the name of the Lord. He describes some of the deeds attached to the Lord’s name – He raises the poor person out of poverty and invisibility and elevates them to a place of significance, and He gives children to the woman who did not have any.

God’s intervention and all the individual stories of God bringing hope, joy, restoration, freedom, healing, love, peace, purpose and forgiveness are too many to count… but when we praise God and praise His name, may we begin to recall them to mind. May we remember what they reveal to us about His matchless character and unending grace.

Help me God to spread the stories of your goodness around, may your name receive praise from me everyday. Amen.

Written by Ps. Beth Waugh