“They shall utter the memory of your great goodness, and shall sing of your righteousness” (Psalm 145:7 NKJV).
We cannot deny God’s call to praise him in all his excellencies, but we are especially called to praise him for his goodness.
Note that the Psalmist insisted on an abundance of praise in memory of the Father’s goodness; they sang the Hebrew for abundant utterances, “to gush out like water rushing from a fountain.”
In Psalm 107:8-9, David wrote, “Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.”
This truth of praising God for his past goodness struck a chord in my heart, and I have been moved to do as David did. We are called upon to celebrate his goodness.
David examines the beauty of this goodness. Notice that God is inclined to use mercy because he sympathizes with our affliction and miseries; mercy is his default sentiment toward us. David borrowed from Exodus 34:6, where God spoke to Moses: “And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth.’”
Beloved, look back over the past and remember how good the Lord has been to you. Remember his compassions that have never failed to bring you through. I am finding pleasure in praising God for all things but especially for his goodness. I rejoice not only for past goodness but for those I see daily all around me.
Are you feeling “less than” today? Do you feel like mercy and grace are not for you, out of your reach? Take heart! God loves you. He stands next to you, ready to pour out his infinite blessings upon you.
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6).