“O LORD, our LORD, how majestic is your name in all the
earth!”
When was the last time I started the day with thoughts
like that? It’s been a while. How about you?
For all of our prayers and petitions, the prayer of
praise might be the least used and most difficult for us. Examine the way you usually pray. Are there requests? Prayers for people’s health, strength, life,
even salvation? Are there prayers of
thanks? Thanks for blessings,
forgiveness, good things, and the like?
Are there prayers of confession?
Times when you ask for pardon and peace in the face of things you have
done? These are all good and right
themes for our prayers. Now, how about
praise?
I think we usually save praise for songs, and this psalm
may, indeed, have been sung. Actually, I
have sung settings of this psalm. That
being said, this psalm gives us a beautiful example of simply praising
God.
But what shall we praise God for?
This psalm begins by praising God for His name and His
glory. Whenever you see the word LORD in all capital letters like this in the Old
Testament, that word actually stands for Yahweh, God’s name that He gave to
Himself at the burning bush as He spoke to Moses. God says, “I Am who I Am.” We praise God because He IS. Unlike other gods who are not gods and can
save no one, our God is and He saves.
God acts on behalf of His people so amazingly, so
wonderfully that babes and infants declare His praise in the face of His
enemies. His salvation is so great that
even the littlest child can receive it in faith. We may recognize this passage as one that Jesus
quoted as He entered Jerusalem to the praise of the people. Praise revolves around our Savior. Our praise always flows from Jesus’ death and
resurrection, the incredible way God chose to save us.
Of course it is also appropriate to praise God for His
creation. We marvel at and are in awe of
the sun, the stars, and moon. Many
ancient people worshipped these celestial bodies. They traded the Creator for the created, and
worshipped things He had made instead of the Maker of all things. In a proper relationship with God, however, a
breathtaking sunrise urges us to praise.
The vastness of the ocean urges us to praise the One who keeps it within
its boundaries. They display the glory
of the LORD.
The psalm makes an interesting move at verse 4. It praises God for making people, and for our
place in His creation. “You have caused
him to rule among the works of Your
hand.” (v. 6, my translation) God has created us and given us a special
place among all the things He created. I
chose that word among instead of over, as I think it better reflects the
original text, and it highlights our creatureliness.
People have dignity and a special place in this
world. You and I are special in
creation. Why? Because we can think? Because we can speak? No! We
have a special place because God made us so, and so we praise Him. We are loved in a special way; so much so
that God would give His Son for us.
What greater honor could we have than to bear God’s name;
which we do in baptism. How majestic is
that name in all the earth; the name we carry to the world for its
salvation. The name of Jesus.
O God, let me bear
Your name and praise You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in all I say and
do. Amen.
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