Psalm 145:1-7
Great. That’s a word we’ve heard again and again in recent years. Conquerors and strongmen throughout time fancied themselves as great. There is nothing new under the sun. Darius “the Great.” Alexander “the Great.” Constantine “the Great.” Charles “the Great.” Peter “the Great.” Frederick “the Great.” Catherine “the Great.” Brian “the Great.” Okay, I made that last one up, but it sounds nice.
This psalm by “the Great” King David proclaims a different message: The Lord is great. The Lord’s greatness is unsearchable. Thus, people are called to declare God’s greatness and greatly praise God.
The “great” kingdoms of the past all fell apart. Great kingdoms today will suffer the same fate. Their greatness saw limits—and usually weren’t even that great. Herod “the Great” built many buildings as he ruled over his kingdom. But his bloodthirsty violence in Bethlehem exposed his own weakness. And it failed to stop the One whose greatness is unsearchable and alone worthy of praise.
The “greatness” of the strongmen of the past led people to fear them. The greatness of God leads to praise. True greatness, after all, comes not from the sword that brings death and destruction but from the Creator whose wondrous works and awesome deeds inspire again each day.
Consider
What or who do you think of as great in our world today? In what ways do they fail to live up to the greatness of the unmatchable God?
Pray
O great and righteous God, you alone are great. You alone are worthy of my praise and adoration. Help me this day to see your greatness on display. Amen.
This post originally appeared in Reflections: Daily Devotional Guide volume 31.2.
