Is Your Praise Comely?
Today’s Verse:
Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely. ~Psalm 147:1
Psalm 147 is a psalm that calls all of God’s people to praise the Lord. Praise is a response to God’s goodness. We are to speak with praises, but we are to also sing with praises. God also says that praise is pleasant and comely. The word “comely” means “beautiful.” The question we must ask ourselves is: “Is my praise comely?” Let us see what comely praise is all about.
We must praise the Lord for His gathering.
“The LORD doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.” This psalm may have been written during the time when the Jews were returning from captivity after having been out of the land for many, many years. The city walls, gates, buildings, and temple were broken and burned down when the Babylonians invaded it. God used men like Nehemiah, Ezra, and Zerubbabel to lead several rebuilding projects. As the city was being rebuilt, the Jews began to return and resettle. Jerusalem began to be a place of large gatherings for worship. God loves to have His people in the house of God. God loves to have His people assembled together and not fragmented. He is to be praised for His gathering.
We must praise the Lord for His grace.
“He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” Nobody heals a broken heart and a wounded spirit better than God. Through the medicine of grace, He restores every broken heart and wounded spirit. Through His grace, He gives us comfort. His grace gives us joy for mourning. The salve of His grace takes away the sting of bitterness and enables us to forgive and forget. James says, “He giveth more grace.” When there is strife and animosity, only God’s grace can heal and take away the hurt. I think of Naomi who came back home with bitterness, but she experienced healing as God poured His grace into her life. Let us praise God for His grace.
We must praise the Lord for His grasp.
“He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.” God’s knowledge is too wonderful for us to comprehend. If we praised Him more frequently for His infinite knowledge, we would fret less about what we don’t know and can’t see. The vastness of the stars in the galaxy teaches us that God is so all-knowing that He has everything under control. God has a firm handle on the entire world system. He is so all-knowing that we can trust Him at all times that our situation is in His control.
We must praise the Lord for His greatness.
“Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.” In all things, God is great and mighty. He is almighty God. He is God Most High. He is God, Who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. When we consider the miracles of all creation, the miracles of the Bible, and the intricate ways that He solves our problems, there is only one conclusion: the Lord is great! The psalmist is looking back historically at the great things God did. He is also looking to the future with anticipation of the great and mighty things God will do then.
Let us praise the Lord, for it is comely. It is beautiful, or comely, to praise the Lord!
Have a praise-filled God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Amos 1-5