Read
The Lord
1Shout praises to the Lord!
Everyone who serves him,
come and praise his name.
2Let the name of the Lord
be praised now and forever.
3From dawn until sunset
the name of the Lord
deserves to be praised.
4The Lord is far above
all of the nations;
he is more glorious
than the heavens.
5No one can compare
with the Lord our God.
His throne is high above,
6and he looks down to see
the heavens and the earth.
7God lifts the poor and needy
from dust and ashes,
8and he lets them take part
in ruling his people.
9When a wife has no children,
he blesses her with some,
and she is happy.
Shout praises to the Lord!
Reflect
I stared at the small card on the breakfast tray and laughed out loud. I had just given birth to my first child and my heart felt like it might burst. And there, in black and white, was the cry of my heart: Psalm 103: “Praise the Lord O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.”
How could I do anything else? I was a brand new Christian with a brand new baby girl. God had proven his love for me by giving me the desire of my heart when all the ‘experts’ said it would never happen. “Pursue adoption,” the doctor had said. “It’s extremely unlikely you will ever conceive a child of your own.”
God laughs at the wisdom of the world. His name is indeed worthy of the highest praise. “Who is like the Lord our God…? None can compare to him, none are so gracious and merciful.” It is God’s will that prevails, no matter what and his will is always for our good.
Like the psalmist David, our hearts should pour forth such praise every day because every day is proof of his love. But we don’t just praise him because of what he gives us, we praise him because his love for us is deep and sure and never ending.
He did “settle” me in my home as a happy mother and I will always be grateful, but even without such gifts I will praise him, because he has made himself known to me.
Respond
Thank you, Jesus, for the love your pour out on us each day. Help us to see it, to understand it, and to act upon it by praising you and pour it out to others around us. May we indeed praise your name from the rising of the sun to its going down.
Marcia Lee Laycock
Marcia Lee Laycock is an award-winning writer and sought-after speaker. Having lived a few kilometers from the Arctic Circle, and two degrees off the Equator, her writing draws from a rich field of experiences. Marcia was the winner of the Best New Canadian Christian Author Award for her novel, One Smooth Stone, and she now has four devotional books and a fantasy series in print, which have also garnered awards. Marcia lives in central Alberta with her pastor husband. They have three grown daughters and two huge Great Dane grand-puppies.