Psalm 149:6 states, “Let the high praises of God be in their mouth…”
God’s people are fashioned to praise Him. The Psalms are brim-full of glowing statements that relate God’s supreme power and majesty. Simply put, the Psalms show us that prayer is the place to adore God, and they exemplify how to adore Him.
In this post, I want to show that the Psalms especially emphasize 1) God’s creative acts 2) God’s redemptive acts 3) God’s distinctive attributes and 4) His gracious answering of prayer as specific areas of adoration.
God’s Creative Acts
In the Psalter, God constantly receives praise forcreation. Psalm 8 is famously encompassed by the refrain in v. 1 and v. 9, “O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, who have set Your glory above the heavens!” The rest of the Psalm magnifies the God whose “fingers” created the starry host and mankind. David writes in v. 4, “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained…”
God’s artistry is displayed in nature’s book. The heavens declare HIs glory (Psalm 19:1)!
Later, God is adored for sunrises and sunsets, “You make the outgoings of the morning and evening rejoice” (Psalm 65:8). David also praises God for the fertility of Palestine, “You crown the year with Your goodness, and Your paths drip with abundance.They drop on the pastures of the wilderness, and the little hills rejoice on every side. The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered with grain; they shout for joy, they also sing” (Psalm 68:11-13).
However, the greatest ode to God’s creative power is found in Psalm 104, which Charles Spurgeon called the nature lover’s psalm. After describing grass, wine, oil, trees, and various kinds of animals, the Psalmist gushes in v. 24, “O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions…” The Psalm ends with the worshipful words, “Bless the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord!”
Finally, David even extols God for his own creation in Psalm 139, saying, “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.”
The Psalms clearly demonstrate that God is to receive the praise for His creative acts. The contemplation of creation should lead to the praise and adoration of God in prayer.
God’s Redemptive Acts
Along with God’s works in creation, the Psalms also reveal that God is to be praised for His works in redemption. Psalm 66, for example, begins with a call to worship: “Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth!” The Psalmist bids the nations in v. 3, “Say to God, ‘How awesome are Your works!’” But what works does the Psalmist have in mind? In vv. 5-6, the water crossings of the Old Testament are specifically highlighted as praiseworthy acts, “Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men. He turned the sea into dry land; they went through the river on foot. There we will rejoice in him.” God is still to be adored for the Exodus from Egypt and Israel’s crossing of the Jordan River in the book of Joshua.
Later, in Psalm 68:4, there is another call to worship, “Extol Him who rides on the clouds, by his name YAH, and rejoice before Him.” The Psalm then goes on to specify God’s actions in redemptive history in v. 7ff. “O God, when You went out before Your people, when you marched through the wilderness, the earth shook; the heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God; Sinai was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel…” God’s shepherding grace of Israel through the wilderness to Mt. Sinai and beyond is still a cause for praise today.
Later, in Psalms 105-106, we have a recounting of redemptive history. Psalm 105 begins with a call to worship, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!” The Psalm goes on to highlight God’s work with Israel’s patriarchs, Joseph, and Moses. Psalm 106 speaks about God’s grace to the people of Israel notwithstanding their rebellion in the wilderness years. Redemptive history is recounted for the sake of the refrain found in Psalm 105:45, 106:1, 48, “Praise the LORD!”
But perhaps the best-known psalm of praise in the entire book is Psalm 136. “Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For his mercy endures forever!” This the refrain through the whole Psalm, as it reveals God’s goodness revealed in creation (vv. 4-9), but also in God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt (vv. 10-15), through the wilderness wandering (vv. 16-20), and finally to the heritage of land He gave to Israel in fulfillment of His promise (in vv. 21-22).
Have you praised God in prayer for these redemptive acts?
God’s Distinctive Attributes
Repeatedly, the Psalms show that we ought to adore God for his character in prayer. Here is a sampling of attributes from the Psalms for which God ought to praised:
God’s goodness is praised (Psalm 25:8; 31:19; 52:1; 100:5; 119:68; 136; 145:9).
God’s power is praised (Psalm 29; 93:1, 4; 98:1).
God’s mercy and patience are praised (Psalm 86:15; 103:17; 117; 145:8).
God’s faithfulness is praised (Psalm 36:5; 89:1-2; 92:1-2; 100:5; 119:90).
God’s greatness is praised (Psalm 86:10; 95:3; 96:4; 97:7-9; Psalm 104:1; 135:5; 145:3).
God’s holiness is praised (Psalm 22:3; 30:4; 33:21; 97:12; 99:3, 5, 9; 111:9).
The Psalms are relentlessly God-centered, and if we desire our prayers to be saturated with adoration, we will be mentioning these realities of who God is often. Prayer is the place to praise the “excellencies” of the God we worship.
God’s Gracious Answering of Prayer
Finally, we see that in the Psalms God is praised for hearing and answering prayer. One surprising aspect of the Psalms that we might easily overlook is just how often the Psalmists relish in the fact that God has graciously answered their prayers:
Psalm 18:6, “In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried out to God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to his ears.”
Psalm 28:6, “Blessed be the LORD, because He has heard the voice of my supplications!”
Psalm 31:22, “Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications when I cried out to You.”
Psalm 34:4: “I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears…This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him…”
Psalm 40:1: “I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry.”
Psalm 65:1: “Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion; And to You the vow shall be performed. O You who hear prayer, to You all flesh will come.”
Psalm 66:20: “Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me!”
Psalm 116:1: “I love the LORD, because He has heard my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.”
Psalm 118:21: “I will praise You, for You have answered me, and have become my salvation…”
Psalm 120:1: “In my distress, I cried to the LORD, and He heard me.”
Psalm 138:3: “In the day when I cried out, You answered…”
These verses do not present mere factual statements, but adoringly relish in the reality that the God to whom we pray is pleased not only to hear us, but to answer us according to His will.
Conclusion
In conclusion, then—if we want our prayers to saturated by Bible-based realities, we will adore God in prayer for these four things:
1. His creative acts
2. His redemptive acts
3. His distinctive attributes
4. His gracious answering of prayer
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