Blessed are those who praise the Lord's greatness and exaltation.

[Meditation on the Psalms]

(Introduction)

 

 

 

I wanted to meditate on the Psalms.
In the midst of my weakness, foolishness, and shortcomings—unsure of what to do—I prayed to God, and in that time of prayer, I made the decision to meditate on the Psalms.
There are 65 other books in the Bible, so I’m not entirely sure why I chose the Psalms out of all of them. Perhaps it was because I followed the church’s encouragement to read five Psalms (and one chapter of Proverbs) each day, and that practice influenced me.
Also, I believe I was greatly impacted when I previously read Spiritual Depression by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. In that book, the author reflects deeply on Psalm 42:5, 11 and Psalm 43:5, which left a strong impression on me.

When I felt discouraged by my own failures or became anxious because of various difficulties, I would proclaim to myself—like the psalmist did—
“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God...”
And when I cried out to God in that way, I experienced what the psalmist describes: that God, my Helper (Psalm 121), enables me to “yet praise Him, my God and my Savior” (Psalm 42:5, 11; 43:5).
I longed to experience that kind of grace more deeply.
As I observed how the psalmist, even in the midst of hardships, cries out to God and ultimately ends up praising Him, I too wanted to share in that kind of grace.
That is why I wanted to meditate on the Psalms.

This book of Psalm meditations was compiled by the grace of God. After each Wednesday prayer service, I would go back to my office and meditate once more on the Psalm I had preached, writing down my reflections and organizing them into what became this collection.

The reason I titled it “The Blessed Person Praises the Greatness and Majesty of the Lord” is because of the connection I saw between three things:

  • The opening words of the very first Psalm: “Blessed is the one...” (Psalm 1:1),

  • The final words of the final Psalm: “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Hallelujah!” (Psalm 150:6), and

  • The refrain of Hymn #40, How Great Thou Art: “Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee, how great Thou art, how great Thou art.”

When I brought these three elements together in my heart, I arrived at the conclusion that inspired the title:
“The Blessed Person Praises the Greatness and Majesty of the Lord.”

I pray that you and I would be among those blessed people who praise the greatness and majesty of the Lord.

 

 

 

By the grace of God, I have already received every spiritual blessing through faith in Jesus Christ,

 

 

Shared by Pastor James Kim
(October 2015 — With the prayer that I may praise the greatness and majesty of the Lord for as long as I have breath)