Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
Great are the works of the Lord,
studied by all who delight in them.
Full of splendor and majesty is his work,
and his righteousness endures forever.
He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered;
the Lord is gracious and merciful.
He provides food for those who fear him;
he remembers his covenant forever.
He has shown his people the power of his works,
in giving them the inheritance of the nations.
The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy;
they are established forever and ever,
to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
He sent redemption to his people;
he has commanded his covenant forever.
Holy and awesome is his name!
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who practice it have a good understanding.
His praise endures forever!
The Psalmist praises the Lord by describing His great works. Not only has He created all things, He has provided for the needs of all that He has created. In addition, the Lord has helped His chosen people time and again and is utterly true to His word. He has provided redemption for His people. He has taken away their sins so they may dwell with Him forever. Therefore we have nothing to worry or fret about. The Lord has taken care of it all.
The psalm should remind us that when we worship, we too ought to praise the Lord for the great things He has done in the created world as well as the blessings He has given us as individuals and corporately as the Body of Christ. As we mediate on His greatness we will be humbled and our worship will be balanced. We will trust Him always as we realize that not only is He is concerned with our cares, desires and needs, He desires to give us more. He wants us to use what He gives us for His glory and honor, to build His Kingdom, and to grow in righteousness. As we allow His desires to overshadow our own we will find that we will receive the godly wisdom He wants to give us to carry out this holy work.