Psalm 111
1 Praise the Lord. I will extol the Lord with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.
2 Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them.
3 Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever.
4 He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate.
5 He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.
6 He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations.
7 The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy.
8 They are established for ever and ever, enacted in faithfulness and uprightness.
9 He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever— holy and awesome is his name.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise. [1]
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What struck me in this psalm of praise is the final verse, the call to follow His precepts. This is true wisdom and understanding, and the appropriate response to the Lord’s works.
God is to be praised for His works. And that is the point of this psalm up until verse 10. The works of the Lord are listed and He is honored for accomplishing them. Verse 9 seems to be the high point of this list, praising God for His redemption and His covenant.
But the best way to praise the Lord is to follow after Him. True wisdom is not just singing the Lord’s praises with our lips, but rather honoring Him with our lives, and that is the point of verse 10. If the Lord has truly accomplished all of the works recounted in this psalm, then truly it is wise to follow Him.
So my prayer today, in addition to praising the Lord, is that my life would be marked by wisdom and understanding as I seek to follow Him today.
What is the Word leading you to pray about today?
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[1] The New International Version. (2011). (Ps 111:1–10). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
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