Overflowing Praise Psalm 113

 

Psalm 113

Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord!

²Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore!

³From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!

⁴The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens!

⁵Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high, ⁶who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?

⁷He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap,

⁸to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people.

⁹He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children.

Praise the Lord

The Lord is worthy of our highest and greatest praise because he is like none other. Real worship begins with praise because Jesus is always worthy and forevermore to be praised. Let 2014 begin in praise unto God. Reflect on the great work God has done over the last year and look toward all he wants to do this next year, that he might receive overflowing praise in all things.

113:1 Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord!

The Psalmist summons God’s people to praise! The Westminster Catechism begins, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.” Praise is our great life mandate. All of who we are should be a resounding praise unto the Lord.

I pray 2014 will be marked with overflowing praise because God is worthy of our never-ending praise and eternally more! Psalm 113 provides three reminders to praise the Lord.

First, the Psalmist reminds that the Lord is positioned for highest praise ( vs. 2-6). The Lord is positioned for our highest praise because he is worthy of eternal praise. There is no amount, length, or height of praise that will outlast God. He is eternal and worthy of all praise eternally.

The Lord is positioned for our highest praise because he is worthy of ongoing praise. There is no situation in which God is not worthy of our greatest praise, no moment when God is not worthy of highest praise. The Lord alone is worthy of praise in the grand scale of eternity and in the minute detail of every moment of time.

The Lord is positioned for our highest praise because when we offer praise to the Lord, it rises to the highest place. The Lord is positioned in a place “high” above all others and his glory rises “high” above this world and all others.

Second, the Psalmist reminds to praise the Lord because He is powerful to act ( vs. 7-8). The Lord’s might and power is exercised in his intimate care and ministry to people. The “poor” and “needy” refers to any who find themselves in need of the Lord. This includes those who are physically poor and needy, as well as those who have everything according to this world yet are “poor in spirit” and “needy in heart.”

The Lord cares about the details of your life. He is sensitive to your fears, anxieties, and concerns, your pain and wounds. He desires to display his power in you. God sees the humble and lowly of life. He hears the cries of those who call for help and lifts them up.

Third, the Psalmist reminds to praise the Lord because he is compassionate in love (vs. 9). The Lord loves all people, especially those who are considered a dishonor, an outcast to society, and a useless person to humanity. God does not see people the way the world defines people. He loves because he is love. The Lord stands ready to bless beyond measure those whom the world has considered unworthy.

The Lord is worthy of highest praise because he is positioned above all others, powerful to act beyond any other, and compassionate to bless like no other. The real question remains, “Will these reminders lead me to live in overflowing praise unto God this year?” Remember this as you prepare to praise God in 2014.

Praise determines our worship, and our worship determines what we become. It assigns worth to the object in which it is given and defines that which is praiseworthy. There is none other like the Lord our God. Therefore, our praise unto the Lord should be distinct in every way. In priority, for the Lord is worthy at all times; in the good and the bad, the secure and the insecure, the glad and the sad. In measure, for the Lord is worthy of greater praise. There is no praise that is greater than the worth of God. In regularity, for the Lord is always worthy. In adornment, for the Lord is most glorious, beautiful, majestic, mighty, and altogether lovely. In personal testimony, for the praise that God desires is relational. Praise is only as glorious as the one to whom it is given. It is strange and awkward when too much praise is given to an unworthy object. The worthiness of the Lord Jesus cannot be out-praised. We become more like him in all circumstances when we praise the Lord at all times.

I brewed my coffee over Christmas with a percolator. Yes, it is more work, but great coffee is worth it. (Actually, I didn’t have a coffee maker available, so it was my only option.) A percolator works by heating the water to create a draw through the stem to the top and spewing water over the grounds. Once the process begins it creates a flow until the coffee is perfectly brewed.

Praise is a life percolating with the presence of God that spews praise over all things. The Lord is positioned to receive our highest praise and to shower his glory upon the whole earth through us. When a life percolates from the Lord, it draws from the depths of our being to the heights of the Lord enthroned, spewing over onto all that we interact and influence in the world. The life consumed with the gospel becomes a fountain of praise unto the Lord.

Praise that rises to the highest place spreads its reach for the farthest impact. The grandest vista is captured from the highest peak. When our praise rises to the Lord, it ascends to his place that is above all others. It is far down for God to even look upon the heavens, let alone the earth as well (vs. 5-6). No one is like the Lord our God. When you live in overflowing praise, your life maximizes its impact for God’s glory.

Jesus is worthy of our highest praise, yet he is ready and willing to meet our deepest need. He is powerful to act like none other, yet he is compassionate and personal to meet needs toward the weakest of all.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is our fuel for praise. May our lives become more consumed with the gospel, by faith, in order to overflow in greater praise unto the Lord Jesus in every way. I encourage you to consider how your life will overflow in praise to Jesus in 2014.

• In your heart, have you set aside the Lord Jesus as your first priority? (Matt. 6:33; 1 Peter 3:15)
• In your life, make sure your priorities, money, and schedule reflect a growing praise unto God.
• In your marriage, be intentional to grow your relationship with your spouse to honor the Lord. (Eph. 5:22-33)
• In your home and family, set Jesus at the center — speak and practice the gospel in all.
• In your work, honor the Lord by your character, integrity, and ethic.
• In your witness, share the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ as you strive to live in the truth of his Word, both in word and deed.
• In your church, serve to make disciples and multiply the mission of God’s people in the world, beginning with your neighbor and striving toward all nations.

The Lord Jesus is worthy and able yet also willing and ready. May we humble ourselves to be ready and willing to be used by our great God in every way.