Your Daily Walk
There are at least two good reasons to praise the Lord, according to Psalm 146: (1) God wants you to do it often today ("While I live will I praise the LORD," v. 2); and (2) you will be doing it throughout eternity ("1 will sing praises unto my God while I have any being," v. 2). With praise, as with any skill, practice makes perfect!
Psalm 146 begins with a ringing call to praise: "Praise ye the LORD." And the logical question is: "Why? What has He done to warrant my praise?" Notice the psalmist's ready reply:
God is praiseworthy for what He has done in the past. He made "heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is" (v. 6).
God is praiseworthy for what He is doing in the present. The psalmist uses 10 present-tense verbs in verses 6-9 to describe God's far-reaching activities today (can you find all 10?).
God is praiseworthy for what He wi// do in the future. "The LORD shall reign for ever .,. unto all generations" (v, 10).
Close your study of the book of Psalms by composing your own song of praise, patterned after Psalm 146. Begin with the phrase, "Praise the Lord!" Then praise Him for whai He is doing in your life (past, present, and future). Conclude the same way the book of Psalms concludes: with a climactic shout to all within hearing distance. "Praise ye the LORD!"
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