How Pleasant It is to Praise God

IIT UBF - University Bible Fellowship at IIT

How Pleasant It is to Praise God

Date: Jan. 17, 2023

Passage

Psalm 147:1-20 (ESV)

1   Praise the LORD!
  For it is good to sing praises to our God;
    for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.
2   The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
    he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3   He heals the brokenhearted
    and binds up their wounds.
4   He determines the number of the stars;
    he gives to all of them their names.
5   Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
    his understanding is beyond measure.
6   The LORD lifts up the humble;
    he casts the wicked to the ground.
7   Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;
    make melody to our God on the lyre!
8   He covers the heavens with clouds;
    he prepares rain for the earth;
    he makes grass grow on the hills.
9   He gives to the beasts their food,
    and to the young ravens that cry.
10   His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
    nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
11   but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him,
    in those who hope in his steadfast love.
12   Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem!
    Praise your God, O Zion!
13   For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
    he blesses your children within you.
14   He makes peace in your borders;
    he fills you with the finest of the wheat.
15   He sends out his command to the earth;
    his word runs swiftly.
16   He gives snow like wool;
    he scatters frost like ashes.
17   He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs;
    who can stand before his cold?
18   He sends out his word, and melts them;
    he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.
19   He declares his word to Jacob,
    his statutes and rules to Israel.
20   He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
    they do not know his rules.
  Praise the LORD!

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. All rights reserved.

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Daily Bread

Key Verse: 147:1

1   Praise the LORD!
  For it is good to sing praises to our God;
    for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.

Praise the LORD! The LORD remembered and restored his people by rebuilding Jerusalem and returning the exiles to their homeland. He also remembers his covenant in Jesus with you and me and will completely restore us as well. Although the LORD is so great that he has counted and named each of the stars, he draws close to the brokenhearted and heals them. He sustains the humble while casting the wicked to the ground. Our majestic and infinite God cares deeply for each and every person.

Give thanks to God! The tender care of God covers all his creation. God sends rain to water the grass and provides food for all the birds and animals. His delight is not in the mighty, but in the humble. He delights in those who fear him and put their hope in his love.

Extol the LORD! God protects and provides for his people. He strengthened Jerusalem and blessed it with peace. Nothing happens without his knowledge and approval. God even commands the weather and it obeys his voice. The greatest blessing of all, however, is the gift of his word. God revealed his laws and decrees to Israel so that they could learn of his love and know his perfect will for their lives.

Prayer: Prayer: Father, your praise brings joy to our hearts.

One Word: One Word: Sing praises to our God!

Complacent or Victorious?

Revelation 3:1-13

Key Verse: 3:5

The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.

Today's Question

How is Christ exalted?

See answer and references