Praise From the Upright is Beautiful…

 

Praise the LORD!

For it is good to sing praises to our God;

For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.

The LORD builds up Jerusalem;

He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.

He heals the brokenhearted

And binds up their wounds.

He counts the number of the stars;

He calls them all by name.

Great is our Lord, and mighty in power;

His understanding is infinite.

The LORD lifts up the humble;

He casts the wicked down to the ground.

Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;

Sing praises on the harp to our God,

Who covers the heavens with clouds,

Who prepares rain for the earth,

Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.

He gives to the beast its food,

And to the young ravens that cry.

He does not delight in the strength of the horse;

He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.

The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him,

In those who hope in His mercy.

Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem!

Praise your God, O Zion!

For He has strengthened the bars of your gates;

He has blessed your children within you.

He makes peace in your borders,

And fills you with the finest wheat.

He sends out His command to the earth;

His word runs very swiftly.

He gives snow like wool;

He scatters the frost like ashes;

He casts out His hail like morsels;

Who can stand before His cold?

He sends out His word and melts them;

He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow.

He declares His word to Jacob,

His statutes and His judgments to Israel.

He has not dealt thus with any nation;

And as for His judgments, they have not known them.

Praise the LORD!—Psalm 147

The psalmist here in Psalm 147 praises the Lord for His greatness as the Sustainer of all creation, for His grace toward those who fear Him and for giving them His word. As believers, He is intimately involved in each of our lives. He builds, He heals, He lifts, He strengthens, and He blesses. The Lord takes pleasure in those that belong to Him and hope in His mercy.  Our God’s providence (His good, wise, and sovereign guidance and control of all things by which he supplies all our needs and accomplishes his holy will) is to be praised! 

It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to His name.  It is good to declare His lovingkindness in the morning, and His faithfulness every night.  Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous for praise from the upright is beautiful.  

Beloved…Adorn yourself today with the garment of praise.  Praise is comely and it is fitting. Allow the oil of His joy to permeate and heal your heart.  It is why He came. As Isaiah the prophet said speaking of Jesus:

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,

Because the LORD has anointed Me

To preach good tidings to the poor;

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives,

And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,

And the day of vengeance of our God;

To comfort all who mourn,

To console those who mourn in Zion,

To give them beauty for ashes,

The oil of joy for mourning,

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

That they may be called trees of righteousness,

The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."—Isaiah 61:1-3