From the Rising of the Sun
(NIV) Psalm 113
1 Praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD, you his servants;
praise the name of the LORD.
2 Let the name of the LORD be praised,
both now and forevermore.
3 From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
the name of the LORD is to be praised.
4 The LORD is exalted over all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.
5 Who is like the LORD our God,
the One who sits enthroned on high,
6 who stoops down to look
on the heavens and the earth?
7 He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
8 he seats them with princes,
with the princes of his people.
9 He settles the childless woman in her home
as a happy mother of children.
Praise the LORD.
This psalm is one of the Hallel (hallelujah) songs and extols God’s praise in the heavens and the earth and shows that God has no comparison. The psalm was sung before the Passover meal, and some theologians believe Jesus and His disciples sang this very hymn on the night of His last meal before He went to the cross.
The psalm shows not only the magnitude of Who God is, but also the extreme love He has for His creation. The psalmist does not ask for anything, but instead exalts God for His very existence.
My favorite part of this scripture is “from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised.” The psalmist is not talking about praising God from morning to night, limiting our praise by time. No, he says from the east to the west which encompasses all the earth, in every country and every nation, His name is to be praised.
It has taken me a lifetime to even partially understand the nature of God. Paul said now we see through a glass darkly, but one day, face to face. Yes, one day the veil that separates us from the source of all love will be removed and we will be in His presence.
But until then, may we take time every day to bow before the most high God, praising Him not for what He has done, or for what He will do, but for Who He is.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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