The Things We Can Praise God For (3)

Three weeks ago we started a study to help us to end this year off in a better place than we have been and to start the new decade in a good place.It’s a study in Psalm 145, which is the only Psalm David titled a Psalm of Praise.When we put into practice what is taught in this Psalm we will see it changes what we think about and what we talk about.That has been a struggle this past year for manyFor most what they have thought about the most and what they have talked about the most are all the problems they have faced this year.Inflation, money, politics, ZESA cuts, water cuts, bad internetWhen that is the main things we think and talk about, well it has a way of taking all of our joy and the life right out of us.Psalm 145 gives us an alternative.Rather than think about all our problems we can Praise God.This is not some crazy idea that you just I am so happy and thank God for all these problems kind of praise.That isn’t what this is about.Our first week we learned that like anything of true benefit, praise starts with proper focus on Who God is.He must be your God and acknowledged as THE King.We start with the goal of extolling or lifting up God in all we do.We acknowledge God as the King of kings and Lord of lords.We express to Him our gratitude about who He is, what is character is like. He is good, loving, powerful, forgiving, patient and merciful.We learned that David made the choice to do this everyday and always.Then last week we learned something else about praise.That is that we need to praise God to each other.Wow did I get feedback from a lot of you and that this was something that spoke to many of you.Something you never thought about.And some great testimonies were shared with me.What our focus was on is how our conversations can be a fountain of life and produce a joyful heart in others.If all we talk about is our challenges and the problems around us that does not help anyone. IT DOES THE OPPOSITEBut as we talk with each other about how great God is and the great things He is doing that builds others up.Those conversations are a fountain of life to others.Hopefully you had some of those this week.Today we build on this.The last two weeks the part of Psalm 145 we studied are really David teaching us about praise and telling us what it is and to chose to do it.Because it is a choice.This part of the Psalm we actually see David praising God.What I like about it is it can help us get started in what to praise God for.You see many will say I would praise God but right now I’m finding it difficult to think of what to praise Him for.Our take home will be to see we can all Praise God for the same things that David did.We will learn a few of those.Let’s read

Psalm 145:8–21 ESV

The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made. All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your saints shall bless you! They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power, to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works. The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

In the section we just read we get to see David putting into practice praising God.From this we will learn we can praise Him for the same things.Let’s start with Verse 8 & The first part of verse 14

Psalm 145:8 ESV

The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Psalm 145:14 ESV

The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down.

Here David is praising God for being gracious and merciful. And being slow to anger and sustaining all who fall. HIS CHARACTER.This is poetry so when we read poetry we must always know the picture behind the words so we understand the point.So when David mentions gracious, it has to do with God giving us what we don’t deserve.Because imagine if God only took care of you when you deserved it.I think most of us would be in trouble.Then He also praises Him for being merciful.That means God not giving us what we deserve.Like punishing us whenever we did something wrong.So by nature God gives us the good we don’t deserve and doesn’t give us the bad we do deserve.From there David goes on to praise God for being slow to anger.And verse 14 mentions how God helps us when we fall.We don’t want to just read these and say that is nice.This praise that David is giving is a very powerful truth to learn.We need the same.And maybe this can help you.Verse 14 teaches us a truth about all of us.We will fall. This means we will never get it all right.WE will never be perfect Christian people.That doesn’t mean we don’t try, I am a big believer in living a holy lifestyle but reality is we will fall from time to time.We will not always get it right.Think of David, He committed adultery and murder.David learned that God was both Gracious and Merciful in that.So here is a big question. If you looked back over 2019 how was your walk with God?Did you commit some great big sins that you think you need forgiveness for? (Raise Your Hands) (murder, adultery, theft)See when we realize our sin what David says is more powerful.Ok let me help you here and show you why we should all be praising God that He is merciful and slow to anger.Let me read to you from

Matthew 5:21–22 ESV

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

We all know murder is a bad sin.In Matthew we are taught if you are angry with your brother or even consumed with anger you are guilty and should be judged.AND if you call someone a fool or an idiot you are liable to the fire of hell.When you think back at 2019 and the hardships.How many of you got angry with the government and called them fools and idiots?Well well well. So then what if God gave you what you deserved?Aren’t you glad He is slow to anger and doesn’t give you what you deserve?We should all praise Him for that. (bad picture of God wanting to judge)And also that if we had to earn all that He gave us we would all be in big trouble.Everyday we should learn to praise Him that He is slow to anger and doesn’t give us what we deserve. EVEN WHEN WE FALLThat is a really good starting place to praise God.The second part of verse 14 is also a huge one.Psalm 145:14 ESV and NLT and Psalm 145:18

Psalm 145:14 ESV

The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down.

Psalm 145:14 NLT

The Lord helps the fallen and lifts those bent beneath their loads.

Psalm 145:18 ESV

The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

Once again there is a picture behind these words.It would be easy to think this one that talks about being bowed down has to do with you either humbling yourself or bowing in worship.It is not that picture of bowling down.This one has to do with being under pressure.That could be from people causing you pressure and trying to keep you down or just plain from the pressures of life.David is praising God because God was there to encourage him and keep him going when he felt the pressures of life.Let me tell you David had a lot.He had them when he was hiding from King Saul, He had them when Absolam rebelled against him, and even had them from his own team that worked with him. But he knew even with the pressures of life God was the one that could keep him going. AND HE PRAISED GOD FOR THIS.Let me ask you.Any of you have a lot of pressure at the moment?Maybe even so much pressure you felt crushed or like you could snap under the pressure?I know a lot of you have felt like this.What David learned was that God was the one that could give him encouragement and strength to go on. To keep going.The Praise was not to get him going but as he connected with God, David experienced strength from God to keep going.Now if you read his story you will see there were times it was really difficult for him, and he had to keep crying out to God for help.But he always found that God did come when it was needed and helped him to keep going.He came to experience He was never alone but God was always near.He praised God for that.We need to learn how to call upon God when we the pressures of life get to be too much.My guess is the more we praise Him for who He is that is what motivates us to call upon Him and then we experience His strength and encouragement. Finally there is one more huge one.May be the biggest of them all for many here.

Psalm 145:15–16 ESV

The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.

Once again we must see the poetic picture here.David praises God that He opens His hand.That is a poetic way of saying God is not greedy.He is a giving God and opens His hand to give or share what He has.He does not hold on to what is His - He gives.The one thing David mentions is that He gives food food in due time.It’s a provision that God promises.Now I will be 100% honest with you.When I first studying this 5 weeks ago I battled with this passage.I even told Tammy that one part of this Psalm is tough and it is this one about God giving food.The reason is because I knew that many in this church are struggling with this.Then Gondayi and the deacon wanted to start a program to help feed in the church and I’m thinking this is tough.I really prayed for wisdom on this one.As elders two weeks ago we made the decision we need to make sure our people are not going hungry.We did not tell anyone and within 1 week God provided in the most amazing way for us to buy food for at least 50 families.Actually enough to keep it going for a few months.Truly this has been one of the most AMAZING provisions I have seen in the 35 years I have been in ministry.Then just yesterday we were called from another ministry that wants us to head up an outreach and food program for the whole region.That is our God and He is worthy to be praised.I seriously had to laugh about this.I mean I know other churches right now at this season are telling others if you want your 2020 to be a good one you better give to the church so that God will bless you.We are saying God is on the throne, we don’t need to beg for money, we don’t need to manipulate people, we just need to do what is taught in the Psalm.Put God in His proper place as your God and King.Think about what He is like and praise Him for that.Then keep your eyes open and just watch what He does.