Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord!
Psalm 113:1 (ESV)
There are few sights that can strike my heart more than witnessing the beauty that the sun casts across the sky when it rises or sets. As a myriad of colors fill the sky glazing over the clouds, it can take my breath away. Often, as I peer out the back window of our house at sunset, time stops.
In those moments, I am often reminded that the beauty of the sky cannot compare to the beauty of our God. He is the One who, like an artist, effortlessly wiped His brush across the sky, allowing sinful men and women to witness His unique masterpiece. Although these sights are filled with beauty, the rising of the sun and its setting only serve as a shadow to the greatness of our God.
In Psalm 113, the psalmist exhorts the people of God to praise the LORD five times in nine verses. The word praise connotes extending honor, commendation, and worship. The call upon the life of a believer to praise the LORD is not a call that is filtered down to one hour a week or even one day a week. No, the psalmist exclaims in verse 3, “From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised!”
For the believer, this is a call to praise the LORD every waking moment because He and He alone is worthy of our adoration and affection. The psalmist continues in verse 4 to expound upon and ponder the truth that “the LORD is high above the nations, and His glory above the heavens.” This leads him to question in verse 5, “Who is like the LORD our God?”
Then, the psalmist explains the work of this awesome God as he writes, “He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and with the princes of His people” (v. 7-8). These verses are the epitome and description of grace. The undeserved inheriting what they do not deserve. The needy, broken, and dirty are provided for, fixed, and cleaned. Though the LORD God is seated on high, He looks down upon the lowly.
In Christ Jesus, we see not only that God looked upon the lowly but that this majestic God became one of the lowly (see Philippians 2:1-11). Jesus, the God-Man in taking on human flesh, headed to a cross to atone for the sins of the poor in spirit.
In so doing, he ensured that every tongue would confess that He is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. This sight strikes our hearts as we see the beauty of our salvation. Our response? Praise the name of the Lord! When? From the rising of the sun to its setting!
Rick Bartek
Lead Pastor at Stockham Community Church
401 Scott Street, Stockham, NE
