Psalms 145:1-16: a reflection

1I will exalt you, my God, the King. I will praise your name forever and ever. 2Every day I will praise you. I will extol your name forever and ever. 3Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised! His greatness is unsearchable. 4One generation will commend your works to another, and will declare your mighty acts. 5I will meditate on the glorious majesty of your honor, on your wondrous works. 6Men will speak of the might of your awesome acts. I will declare your greatness. 7They will utter the memory of your great goodness, and will sing of your righteousness. 8The LORD is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and of great loving kindness. 9The LORD is good to all. His tender mercies are over all his works. 10All your works will give thanks to you, LORD. Your saints will extol you. 11They will speak of the glory of your kingdom, and talk about your power, 12to make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, the glory of the majesty of his kingdom. 13Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. Your dominion endures throughout all generations. The LORD is faithful in all his words, and loving in all his deeds. 14The LORD upholds all who fall, and raises up all those who are bowed down. 15The eyes of all wait for you. You give them their food in due season. 16You open your hand, and satisfy the desire of every living thing.

This psalm of praise, having declared God's greatness and goodness, turns to his tender care for the weak and needy. The LORD upholds all who fall, it says, and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all wait for you, and you give them their food in due season; you open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. The great God whose greatness is unsearchable is also the God who upholds the falling, raises the bowed-down, and satisfies the needs of all his creatures.

Notice how the psalm joins God's greatness with his tender care. He is great, his greatness unsearchable; and yet he stoops to uphold all who fall, to raise up all who are bowed down, to satisfy the desire of every living thing. His greatness does not make him distant from the weak and needy; rather, the great God is tenderly attentive to them, upholding the falling, feeding the hungry, opening his hand to satisfy all. Greatness and tender care are joined in him.

That joining is a comfort, for we can imagine that a great God is too exalted to care for our small needs and weaknesses. But this psalm shows the great God tenderly caring for the fallen, the bowed-down, the needy; his greatness does not distance him from us, but is joined to a tender care that upholds the weak and satisfies every need. When you are fallen, bowed down, or in need, do not think the great God too exalted to care for you; he upholds all who fall, raises up all who are bowed down, and satisfies the desire of every living thing. The God whose greatness is unsearchable stoops to uphold the falling and feed the hungry; bring your weakness and need to him, who is not too great to care, but joins his greatness to a tender care for the weak and needy. He upholds the fallen and opens his hand to satisfy all; trust his tender care, and know that his greatness does not make him distant, but is joined to a mercy that reaches down to you.

Lord, this psalm of praise, having declared your greatness and goodness, turns to your tender care for the weak: you uphold all who fall, and raise up all who are bowed down; the eyes of all wait for you, and you open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. Show me how the psalm joins your greatness with your tender care. You are great, your greatness unsearchable; and yet you stoop to uphold all who fall, to raise the bowed-down, to satisfy every living thing. Your greatness does not make you distant from the weak and needy; the great God is tenderly attentive to them. Give me the comfort of that, for I can imagine that a great God is too exalted to care for my small needs and weaknesses. But this psalm shows you tenderly caring for the fallen, the bowed-down, the needy. When I am fallen, bowed down, or in need, keep me from thinking you too exalted to care for me; you uphold all who fall, raise up all who are bowed down, and satisfy the desire of every living thing. You, whose greatness is unsearchable, stoop to uphold the falling and feed the hungry; help me bring my weakness and need to you, Lord, who are not too great to care. Thank you that your greatness is joined to a tender care that reaches down to me.