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Psalm 145:18 - God Is Near to All Who Pray to Him in Truth.Psalm 145:18 (ESV) The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.Psalm 145:18 (NCV) The Lord is close to everyone who prays to him. CONTEXT AND OVERVIEW - Reasons for Praising God. Psalm 145: Praise His Name. This is an acrostic psalm: each line begins with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet. We might name it, "Praising God from A through Z," as each letter brings to mind a different reason to praise the LORD. [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary] The study of God's word reveals God's majestic personal characteristics: greatness, majesty, power, goodness, righteousness, grace, compassion, loving, glory, splendor, faithfulness, presence, giving, saving, holy. His character leads us to praise. [Disciple SB mod] David extols the Lord for His greatness (v. 3), grace (vv. 8, 17), goodness (v. 9), glory (vv. 11-12), and generosity (vv. 15-16). If you are having a hard time praising the Lord today, that should help get you started! David hears all God's works praising Him (v. 10). Nature takes on new meaning and new beauty when you realize this. When you live a life of praise, you have the Lord's help in every situation. If you stumble, He helps you up (v. 14). If you are hungry, He feeds you (vv. 15-16). If you call, He draws near (v. 18). No wonder David blessed the Lord so much! And remember the Lord inhabits the praises of His people (Psa.22:3). [Chapter by Chapter Bible Commentary by Warren Wiersbe re Psalm 145 mod] CONTEXT AND INTRODUCTION WITH APPLICATION Sometimes our burdens seem more than we can bear, and we wonder how we can go on. David stood at this bleak intersection of life's road and meditated on the Lord, the great burden bearer. God is able to lift us up because (1) his greatness is beyond our understanding (145: 3); (2) he does mighty acts across many generations (145: 4); (3) he is full of splendor and majesty (145: 5); (4) he does wonderful and awesome deeds (145: 5-6); (5) he is righteous (145: 7); (6) he is kind, merciful, patient, loving, and compassionate (145: 8-9); (7) he rules over an everlasting kingdom (145: 13); (8) he meets all our daily needs (145: 15-16); (9) he is righteous and gracious in all his dealings (145: 17); (10) he remains near to those who call on him (145: 18); and (11) he hears our cries and rescues us (145: 19-20). If you are bending under a burden and feel that you are about to fall, turn to God for help. [Life Application SB 2019] COMMENTARY PEARLS Prayer is the breath of the soul. It is the secret of spiritual power. No other means of grace can be substituted, and the health of the soul be preserved. Prayer brings the heart into immediate contact with the Well-spring of life, and strengthens the sinew and muscle of the religious experience. Neglect the exercise of prayer, or engage in prayer spasmodically, now and then, as seems convenient, and you lose your hold on God. The spiritual faculties lose their vitality, the religious experience lacks health and vigor. GW 254 If we keep the Lord ever before us, allowing our hearts to go out in thanksgiving and praise to Him, we shall have a continual freshness in our religious life. Our prayers will take the form of a conversation with God as we would talk with a friend. He will speak His mysteries to us personally. Often there will come to us a sweet, joyful sense of the presence of Jesus...... Prayer turns aside the attacks of Satan. FLB 225 COMMENTARY Vending Machine Prayer "Lord, I'm single, and I'd really like to find that special someone," prays a young lady facing a vending machine. She wants to purchase not a bag of Doritos, but a "relationship." Some other words displayed for purchase are "money," "success," and "popularity." Vending Machine Prayer is a short YouTube film that shows the silliness of expecting God to fulfill our every wish. God wants us to "call upon Him" for every need - not every want. Like the panhandler who writes on a piece of cardboard, "I need a beer," our hearts often deceive us (Jeremiah 17:9) about what will make us happy. This is why today's promise ends with the phrase "in truth" We must speak the truth in our hearts (Psalm 15:2) - be honest with God about needs versus wants. In the model prayer, rather than use God as a vending machine, we submit to His will for our lives (Matthew 6:10). And when we do, He promises to be near us - not only "in green pastures" (Psalm 23:2) but through deadly valleys (v. 4). We may not always sense the Shepherd's presence in our valleys, but that doesn't mean He's not there. Although His goodness may be hidden by our shadowy feelings, sunrise will reveal that He was working out "all things ... together for good" (Romans 8:28). Our good is what God desires when denying our petitions. Understanding our tendency to "ask amiss" (James 4:3), the Lord withholds the vending snack that would make us ill. But as a loving Father, He doesn't leave us empty-handed. In the place of our request, He will provide - after a period of waiting on Him (Psalm 27:14) - something better than we could have ever imagined! (1 Corinthians 2:9). Heavenly Father, I ask for Your will to be done in my life, knowing that You only want what is best for me. [The Most Amazing Bible Promises by Amazing Facts] Call on Him No matter where you are, no matter what kind of trouble you are facing, God is as close as a whisper. Don't hesitate to bring all your burdens to him. Remember, he sees your heart. He rushes to meet you whenever you call on him. There is no shame in his presence. He will never use your past against you. He may correct you, but it's always with kindness. He may reprove you, but even so he has undeterred affection for you. A good father corrects his children so they will grow in wisdom, not so he can prove his power. God is a better Father than any of us have known. His love knows no limits, and he will never turn us away when we call on him. Dare to bring God all that you are - the good, the bad, and the ugly. He receives you with open arms. [365 Days of Courage by Sara Perry of Broadstreet Pub] Daily Drawing Close To Jesus In all seasons, you are called to walk with the Good Shepherd. Whether you're saddled with strife or abounding with joy, Jesus wants you to continually rely on His sufficiency, not your own. We never graduate from being led by our Good Shepherd. We often cling to Jesus when we're being led through the valley of the shadow of death, only to run our own way once we've made it through and are back in the light. The secret to living truly free is to stay close to Jesus in all things. Stay close when you wake up. When you're working. When you're with your friends, family, or neighbors. Stay close when you're tired and when you're energized. When you're celebrating and when you're sorrowful. Stay close to Jesus and you will experience not just life, but life to the full. Jesus is close to all those who call on His name, and He is willing and wanting to fulfill the desires of those who daily draw near to Him. Dear Jesus, I have not grown out of my need for Your shepherding and love. I will follow Your voice as You steer me toward truth and eternal life. [Grace and Glory by Louie Giglio] CLOSING THOUGHT Now, there are reserved and special things in Christian experience: all the developments of spiritual life are not alike easy of attainment. There are the common frames and feelings of repentance, and faith, and joy, and hope, which are enjoyed by the entire family; but there is an upper realm of rapture, of communion, and conscious union with Christ, which is far from being the common dwelling-place of believers. We have not all the high privilege of John, to lean upon Jesus' bosom; nor of Paul, to be caught up into the third heaven. There are heights in experimental knowledge of the things of God which the eagle's eye of acumen and philosophic thought hath never seen: God alone can bear us there; but the chariot in which he takes us up, and the fiery steeds with which that chariot is dragged, are prevailing prayers. Prevailing prayer is victorious over the God of mercy, "By his strength he had power with God: yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us." Prevailing prayer takes the Christian to Carmel, and enables him to cover heaven with clouds of blessing, and earth with floods of mercy. Prevailing prayer bears the Christian aloft to Pisgah, and shows him the inheritance reserved; it elevates us to Tabor and transfigures us, till in the likeness of his Lord, as he is, so are we also in this world. If you would reach to something higher than ordinary groveling experience, look to the Rock that is higher than you, and gaze with the eye of faith through the window of importunate prayer. When you open the window on your side, it will not be bolted on the other. [Morning and Evening by Charles H. Spurgeon] LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY Psalm 145:18 - God Is Near All Who Call On Him In Truth. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220909-0826.html Jeremiah 33 - Prayer Reveals Marvelous And Wonderful Things From God. http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210716-1029.html Psalm 34:17-19 - Deliverance in Jesus https://www.abible.com/devotions/2005/20051007-0947.html Philippians 4:19 - All Our Needs Fulfilled In Christ. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20230509-0914.html LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT https://abible.com/links/ |