“We lift our hearts to the Lord.”

PSALM PRAYER
Psalm 145

"Forever" is a key word in today's response and can certainly lend itself to much reflection. We often remark, "I will love you forever, remember you forever, keep this treasure forever. In last week's response we looked at the psalmist's continuous praising of God in spite of the difficulties the Israelites were encountering.

Our response today can move us even beyond that sentiment. "I will praise your name forever, my king and my God" offers us a way of joining heaven and earth. Psalm 145 is subtitled, "Praise of the Divine Majesty."

On an everyday level it is good to acknowledge the gifts and blessings of God, to praise God’s name for his goodness to us. To say we will praise God forever is indeed part of our nature, part of our connectedness both to God and to one another. For the psalmist says that "each generation will praise your works to the next and proclaim your mighty deeds." From one generation to the next we continue the song of praise as we recall God’s deeds.

And, it is part of our connectedness to eternal life. We see this as the psalmist brings his prayer to a conclusion: "May every creature bless God’s holy name forever and ever."