Psalm 113:1-9 “A Life of Praise”
INTRODUCTION
As most of you know, I’m not a big sports fan, especially of professional sports both college and pro leagues. My mother was a huge sports fan and my sons are fans, but the gene skipped a generation when it came to me. As a non-sports fan, it is interesting for me to view the antics of devoted sports fans. There is probably no more emotionally charged event than a sports event. There is yelling and screaming, praising and cursing. All of it is based on who the team is, who the people are, and what the team is doing.
In Psalm 113 the Psalmist call the people to praise the Lord—to root for the home team, if you will. The Psalmist’s reason for praise is similar to that of a sporting event. He invites the people to praise the Lord because of who the Lord is, who they are, and what the Lord is doing.
WHO IS THE LORD
The Lord is the being who is seated on high and who looks down on the heavens and the earth (5-6).
Height conveys authority. When you enter a courtroom the judge’s bench is the highest piece of furniture in the room. In churches the altar area is usually raised above the congregation. It denotes the holiness and authority of what goes on there.
Height conveys power. Whoever holds the high ground holds a commanding presence on the field of battle.
No one is equal to the Lord. The Lord alone is seated on high. God doesn’t share God’s power or authority with anyone.
We praise the Lord for who he is. The Lord is the God of all Creation. Yet, the Lord is also our father who has adopted us and who devotedly cares for us.
WHO WE ARE
The Psalmist calls the servants of the Lord to praise the Lord, in verse one. We praise the Lord because we are God’s servants.
Our Lord is a benevolent master who has won our devotion and admiration because of his love and grace.
We praise the Lord because God has called us to be his people and to serve him with our gifts and talents. The Lord is the focus of our attention. God is the one who gives our lives meaning because we understand that we live to serve God. As God’s people we praise God.
WHAT GOD DOES
We praise the Lord because of what God has done and is doing in our lives and in our world.
The Psalmist writes in verse seven that God raises the poor from the dust. No one is so insignificant that the Lord doesn’t notice him or her. In fact it seems that the Lord ignores the wealthy and the powerful and instead pays particular attention to the poor and needy. We are never out of God’s sight.
In verse nine the Psalms says that God makes the barren woman a joyous mother of children. The Lord moves in extreme circumstances and brings hope into hopeless situations.
Sometimes the Lord moves miraculously in our lives.
Often times the miracles come in the form of humans. The principle of the NELM School is praying for a renovation of the teacher’s lounge. I suspect that will not happen through supernatural means, but rather from a congregation who decides to answer a prayer.
CONCLUSION
We say that God is truly worthy of our worship and praise. Praise and thanksgiving can be significant parts of our lives.—because of who God is, who we are, and what God is doing.
Amen
