PSALM 145:17-21

SATURDAY, AUGUST 4, 2007

THESE ARE GOOD REASONS

17 The LORD is righteous in all His ways,
Gracious in all His works.
18 The LORD is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He also will hear their cry and save them.
20 The LORD preserves all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy.
21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD,
And all flesh shall bless His holy name
Forever and ever. Psalm 145:17-21 (NKJV)

This is the fourth and final Devotion in a series on Psalm 145.

Have you ever had someone make a statement that you are not quite sure is correct? If you have questioned it, the person may have given you some reasons to back up the statement. The Psalmist gives THESE GOOD REASONS at the conclusion the Psalm to back up his opening thought that GOD IS GREAT.

GOD IS GREAT because.......

......God is righteous and gracious in all that He does. This is important to me because I know he will treat me fairly no matter how much I might at times offend Him by my sinfulness.

......God is near to me IF I call upon Him in truth. This means that if I truly call upon Him as a thankful, repentant and forgiven sinner, He is right there with the help I need even before I ask Him. However if I do not ask in faith, it does me no good to ask because then I am not near to Him.

......God will fulfill the desires of those who fear Him and hear their cries and save them. To fear means to be in awe, to respect, to be totally loyal, to have faith only in God. It is to those who Love God, that He hears their prayers from out of their needs and extends the help the person needs.

......God will preserve those who love Him and destroy the wicked. Maybe you are one who has questioned why the wicked get away with so much while often the faithful have such misery. Here is the answer: It may look like the evil get all the breaks, These breaks are only good for a few years, while the faithful will receive the good that is the joy of Eternal Life, while the wicked will endure the sufferings of Eternal Death.

THESE ARE GOOD REASONS for us to give praise to our great God. May we, like the Psalmist, give praise to God and let all that we do while we are in the flesh show the measure of our faith in and our love for God.

WE PRAY: Heavenly Father, Sometimes it is difficult to understand how great you are. Send your Holy Spirit upon me that I might see beyond the false hopes that tempt me in the world and see the beauty of the true promises of the joys of Eternity. Help me to grow in my understanding of How Great You Are. AMEN

A SUGGESTION FOR LIVING THE DEVOTION

Make a list of reasons to give a friend that would help that friend understand why you think God is so great.