Psalm 145 - You Can Open Your Eyes Now

Chad Werkhoven
Dec 29, 2023
2 min read

Your entire faith can be expressed in one simple word!

Read / Listen

Read Psalm 145

CONTEXT: We're going to read all of Psalm 145, but our concentration will be on vss. 18-19.

Psalm 145

A psalm of praise. Of David.

1 I will exalt you, my God the King;

I will praise your name for ever and ever.

2 Every day I will praise you

and extol your name for ever and ever.

3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;

his greatness no one can fathom.

4 One generation commends your works to another;

they tell of your mighty acts.

5 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—

and I will meditate on your wonderful works.

6 They tell of the power of your awesome works—

and I will proclaim your great deeds.

7 They celebrate your abundant goodness

and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate,

slow to anger and rich in love.

9 The Lord is good to all;

he has compassion on all he has made.

10 All your works praise you, Lord;

your faithful people extol you.

11 They tell of the glory of your kingdom

and speak of your might,

12 so that all people may know of your mighty acts

and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and your dominion endures through all generations.

The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises

and faithful in all he does.

14 The Lord upholds all who fall

and lifts up all who are bowed down.

15 The eyes of all look to you,

and you give them their food at the proper time.

16 You open your hand

and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways

and faithful in all he does.

18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,

to all who call on him in truth.

19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;

he hears their cry and saves them.

20 The Lord watches over all who love him,

but all the wicked he will destroy.

21 My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.

Let every creature praise his holy name

for ever and ever.

Listen to passage & devotional:

Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 129

Q. What does that little word “Amen” express?

A. “Amen” means,

This is sure to be!

It is even more sure

that God listens to my prayer,

than that I really desire

what I pray for.

Summary

Faith is fundamental to Christianity. In fact, as Reformed Christians, we hold it to be on of the five core doctrines of our salvation (We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone, all of which we learn through Scripture alone, to which we give God alone all of the glory. These tenants are often referred to as The Five Solas (alones) of the Reformation).

As critical as what faith is to your salvation, it's the object of your faith - the thing you believe in - that makes it effective. Many Christians would reply that they have their faith in Christ alone, and that certainly would be a correct answer! But Psalm 145 helps remind us that there's more to the answer; our faith is not just in Christ alone, but in the Triune God that Christ is part of!

Our God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - "is righteous in all of His ways and faithful in all He does (v17)." The LORD is the one who "hears our cries and saves us (v19)."

In other words, while your salvation is secured because of the work of Christ alone, your faith must be rooted just as much in your loving Father, who is "gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love (v8)," and in the Holy Spirit who "is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth (v18)."

Dig Deeper

The simple little word, "Amen," one which you've likely said thousands of times in your life, is one of the few words that all of God's people throughout all of history have in common. It is spelled and pronounced the same way in the Biblical languages that it is in English:

Hebrew: אָמֵן (ʾā·mēn)
Greek: ἀμήν (amēn)

The word amen means much more than 'the prayer is over and you can open your eyes now.' When you finish your prayers with this powerful little word, you are grounding both your prayer and your faith in the certainty and truth that your Triune God will "fulfill the desires of those who fear Him," because you know that "He hears your cries and saves you (v19)."

AAA Prayer (About)

ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, the LORD, who is near to all who call on Him in truth (v18);
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that as you end 2023 and begin 2024, that your mouth will speak in praise of the LORD (v21);
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: