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There are 150 Psalms in the Bible. Most people read them instead of studying them. To fully understand a particular psalm, one must know who wrote it, the setting and what was going on at the time of the writing.

Psalm 145 is attributed, in its superscription, to David, the iconic king of ancient Israel. Within its twenty-one-verse acrostic structure, David leads the Israelites and all of creation in words of praise and thanksgiving to God as king.

Psalm 145 through Psalm 150 are known as the Praise Psalms because all five begin and end with the words, "Praise the LORD!" This particular psalm is the last of the 73 psalms that David wrote.

Psalm 145 is a psalm in which David explicitly gives five distinct characteristics of God, and they all begin with the letter "G."

• God's greatness
• God's goodness
• God's glory
• God's guarantee
• God's grace

All of these G's should give us peace daily and eternal hope.

God's Greatness

"Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom." (Psalm 145:1-6)

In the very first six verses, David emphasizes God's greatness. First, he says it is worthy of his praise. Then he says God's greatness is more than anyone can fathom. God's greatness is so great that if all the world's smart minds were combined, they could never understand God's greatness. It is more than anyone can imagine.

Even though Verse 3 is not at the end of the psalm, it has the theme for the entire psalm and summarises what it is all about.

"Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable."

God's Goodness

"The Lord is good to all, he has compassion on all he has made." (Psalm 145:7-10) God is good, not just sometimes but all the time. God is not just good to some people, but God is good to all.

Jesus wouldn't allow anyone to call Him good. He said only His Father is good. "Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone." (Mark 10:18)

That means we should limit the use of the word "good" and stop calling describing everything as "good".

God's Glory

"They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might so that all men might know your mighty acts and the glorious splendour of your kingdom." (Psalm 145:11-13)

According to the verse above, David describes God's divine kingdom as glorious and His acts as acts. Therefore, those attuned to God know about His glory and mighty acts.

God's Guarantee

"Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations." (Psalms 145:13)

God's promises come with a guarantee. They will be fulfilled. We can count on that.

God's Grace

"The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down." (Psalm 145:14-21)

God's grace is promised to all, especially to those who have fallen and need to be lifted up. His grace is sufficient no matter what is going on in a person's life. Not only does God lift those who have fallen, but He also does other things for them. He feeds those who are hungry. He comforts those who are weary. He gives help to the helpless as well as giving hope to the hopeless.

David was thankful for God's blessings so much that he didn't hold anything back when praising Him. Instead, he wanted to worship the Lord with his movements and let the Spirit lead him. He didn't care what his people would think; he knew God's opinion was the only one that mattered.

Now that you know about the five G's in Psalm 145, read it in its entirety and see if you can find them. I've shared a link to one of my favourite worship playlists at the end. I pray it encourages you, and fills your heart with joy and hope.

Psalm 145

A PSALM OF PRAISE. OF DAVID.

1 I will exalt you, my God the King;

    I will praise your name for ever and ever.

2 Every day I will praise you

    and extol your name for ever and ever.

3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;

    his greatness no one can fathom.

4 One generation commends your works to another;

    they tell of your mighty acts.

5 They speak of the glorious splendour of your majesty—

    and I will meditate on your wonderful works.[]

6 They tell of the power of your awesome works—

    and I will proclaim your great deeds.

7 They celebrate your abundant goodness

    and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate,

    slow to anger and rich in love.

9 The Lord is good to all;

    he has compassion on all he has made.

10 All your works praise you, Lord;

    your faithful people extol you.

11 They tell of the glory of your kingdom

    and speak of your might,

12 so that all people may know of your mighty acts

    and the glorious splendour of your kingdom.

13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

    and your dominion endures through all generations.

The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises

    and faithful in all he does.[]

14 The Lord upholds all who fall

    and lifts up all who are bowed down.

15 The eyes of all look to you,

    and you give them their food at the proper time.

16 You open your hand

    and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways

    and faithful in all he does.

18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,

    to all who call on him in truth.

19 He fulfils the desires of those who fear him;

    he hears their cry and saves them.

20 The Lord watches over all who love him,

    but all the wicked he will destroy.

21 My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.

    Let every creature praise his holy name

    for ever and ever.

   (Bethel Music)

Dee Fulcher
Head of Primary