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!
This Psalm is an acrostic. Each line in the Hebrew text begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The Psalmist did this so that people could memorize and recite it easily in public worship. The Psalmist praises the Lord by describing His great works. He has provided for the needs of all creation. He has helped His people time and again. Especially worthy of praise is the truth that the Lord is utterly true to His word and 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.
These words should remind us that we too ought to praise the Lord for the great things He has done in the created world. In addition, we are to thank Him for all the blessings He has given us as individuals and corporately as the Body of Christ. We thank Him too for the blessings He grants to all people throughout the world, blessings which they take for granted, and do not thank Him for.
As we mediate on the greatness of the Lord we are humbled. Our worship will be balanced as we begin to love and fear Him. This fear will bring us to obey whatever He commands as we realize that, although He is concerned with our cares, desires and needs, these are minor compared with what He wants us to do and what He wants to give us. As we allow His desires to overshadow our own we will find that He grants us His wisdom and the ability and discernment to carry out the work to which He has called us.