His Greatness Is Unsearchable

Meditations on Christ in the Psalms

February 28, 2023

His Greatness Is Unsearchable

The Lord is gracious and merciful,

    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

The Lord is good to all,

    and his compassion is over all that he has made.

Psalm 145:8-9 (NRSV)

Psalm 145 is the last of the acrostic psalms in which the first verse begins with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and each succeeding verse begins with the next letter in the alphabet. (Psalms 9, 10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119 and 145) The style is so much more than a literary technique, and this is especially so in Psalm 145. As you read the psalm and consider the exuberant praise from beginning to end, you can get a sense that by following the Hebrew alphabet, the psalmist is praising God through every conceivable sound his mouth can make. Psalm 145 is complete and total praise because, “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable” (Psalm 145:3 NRSV).

As the psalmist praises God, he also encourages us to share our experiences with the goodness, the faithfulness and the love of God with others: “Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power. Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness; they will sing with joy about your righteousness. All of your works will thank you, Lord, and your faithful followers will praise you. They will speak of the glory of your kingdom; they will give examples of your power. They will tell about your mighty deeds and about the majesty and glory of your reign” (Psalm 145:4, 7, 10-12).

In the following half-dozen verses, the psalmist helps us articulate our experiences with God’s unfailing grace:

“The Lord is merciful and compassionate,

    slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

The Lord is good to everyone.

    He showers compassion on all his creation.

The Lord always keeps his promises;

    he is gracious in all he does.

The Lord helps the fallen

    and lifts those bent beneath their loads.

The Lord is close to all who call on him,

    yes, to all who call on him in truth.

He grants the desires of those who fear him;

    he hears their cries for help and rescues them”

`                                                                       Psalm 145:8, 9, 13, 14, 18, 19

My Takeaway: In response to our reading of Psalm 145, let’s identify which portions of Psalm 145 affirm our experience of God? Then let’s share them with friends and family.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2023 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.