Daily Meditations

Psalm 145:13 The everlasting kingdom We need to take a moment to think about the Kingdom of God. Clearly, it is very much in David’s thinking here, even though he was the monarch of a successful kingdom himself and has been acclaimed as one of the greatest kings ever.  So, what exactly is a kingdom in the Bible? It’s simply a country or any area of land that is ruled by a king or a queen, a region that is under the sovereignty of an individual. It is also an area where a particular quality dominates such as “the kingdom of love” or the “kingdom of darkness.” The Bible refers often to the Kingdom of Heaven and Jesus used this term regularly, to distinguish His place and His priorities from the kingdoms of the world. He was referring simply to any government or control where God Himself was on the throne and where spiritual and natural forces acknowledge this. As soon as we become believers in Christ Jesus and accept the sovereignty of God, we choose to move out of the kingdoms ...

Psalm 145:12 It's so obvious! This verse, and its predecessor, could be part of a motivational talk about Gospel preaching but the preachers here are not evangelists, but God’s created works. Many believers in Jesus Christ feel the weight of His “Great Commission,” and are driven to “ go into all the world and preach the Gospel. ” Mark 16:15-16. Praise God for their faith and their boldness. What this Psalm tells us is that there have always been bold and faithful witnesses to God’s “ mighty acts and the glorious splendour of His kingdom.”  The witnesses are eloquent, vivid and powerful, they proclaim the majesty of God, day after day, to every inhabitant of this world and there is no excuse for those who choose to not see or listen to their message. David is actually putting the onus for declaring the Lord, on creation, which has been working at this from the beginning of time.  Only a complete idiot or egotist can live on this planet and not see what is glaringly obviou...

Psalm 145:11 The glory of His kingdom It’s intriguing to learn that praise to God is not just expressed by humans and in English!! There are countless, much more subtle ways in which God’s Name is exalted in Creation. We mentioned a few of these in the previous verses and perhaps we are beginning to get the picture that everything that the Lord created is an expression of Him, just as an artist’s work shows off their character and their ability. Therefore, everything that we see or hear on this planet that was deliberately put in place by the Lord has something to tell us about Him. God gave us our 5 senses, primarily so that we might enjoy all that He made for us! Paul puts it much more eloquently than I can;  “ The wrath of God   is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,   19  since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.   20...

Psalm 145:10 Let His faithful people extol Him Most people associate the sounds of creation with the natural order of the seasons, for instance birds sing more prolifically in spring because they are attracting their mates. (This was found to be untrue when certain warblers were tracked during migration from Europe to Africa and it was found they sing the same songs when they are resting up, and just as regularly as they do in spring in the northern hemisphere.) Find time to go outside today and listen to creation. Maybe the breaking of waves on the seashore, or the sound of wind in the trees, or the calls of wild animals and the sound of countless species of birds, as previously mentioned. As I write, a Robin is singing in the garden and will continue to do so throughout each day. There is the buzz of insects to add to the catalogue and, my favourite, the song of a skylark that produces more music in a few minutes than Beethoven produced In a lifetime. And those tiny birds compose sou...

Psalm 145:9 The Lord is good We need to be reminded at times, of the extent of God’s goodness. It’s easy to stick our chests out and walk proudly in the knowledge that God is good to us, His children, those that believe in Him and have accepted salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. But God is good to everyone. He created a beautiful world for us all to inhabit, He provides food and drink to every one of the 8.142 billion people who live on this planet (as at 2024). God’s goodness is reflected on the land, in the seas, throughout the heavens and in the very air that we breathe. Our miraculous bodies are all the evidence we need that God is good and the beauty and wonder of all creation is given to us to enjoy and to carefully manage. Oh yes, God is good to all. He is not only good, but He has a benevolent compassion towards all human beings. Are they not made in His image? Are we not at the peak of the food chain, given brains and physical abilities to watch over the complex world th...

Psalm 145:8 Slow to anger and rich in love Do you remember how Moses carried two stone tablets down Mount Sinai and then smashed them in disgust when he witnessed the Israelites worshipping a Golden Calf? The Lord instructed Moses to return up the mountain the following day, alone and with two freshly chiselled stone tablets.  We read in Exodus 34:4-7 that “ The Lord came down in the cloud and stood with Moses and proclaimed His name, the Lord. And He passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished, He punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation .”  This is sobering, coming in David’s Psalm directly after the instructions to tell the next generations of the goodness and majesty of God. By copying pa...