GOD IS GREAT AND HE IS WORTHY
OF OUR HONOR
The psalmist wrote, “Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.” (Psalm 104:1) Our allegiance must be to God and to Him alone. He will not share first place with another. To the Jews God said, "You shall have no other gods before Me." (Exodus 20:3) God is the Most High God. There is none like the Lord our God. "For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me." (Isaiah 46:9) God does so many wonderful things for His Children. He is the giver of every good and perfect gift. (James 1:17) God is literally our help, strength and refuge. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." (Psalm 46:1) God gives a peace that passes understanding. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7) A saving knowledge of God is the basic need of every human being.
Bless the Lord, O my soul: Our life should be a daily meditation upon the wonderful providence and the mighty power of God. God's glory is eternal and He is worthy of our perpetual praise. In Isaiah 43:21 we read, “This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.” We were created to praise God. When we fail in praising Him we have failed in our purpose for existing. Bless the Lord, O my soul because, “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” (Psalms 147:3) Bless the Lord, O my soul because He lifts up those who are cast down, “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.” (Psalms 42:5)
O Lord my God, thou art very great: God is worthy to receive our praise because He is very great. “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” (Revelation 4:11) Christians must make a commitment to praise God because of His greatness. “ I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” (Psalm 34:1) The sincerity of our praise focuses on God’s amazing greatness. “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.” (Psalm 145:3)
God is clothed with honor. God is clothed with honor because He is clothed with light. “Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain.” (Psalms 104:2) The psalmist is struck by the power of God and by His genius; far more than that the psalmist stood in awe of the moral characteristics of God. A proper understanding of God’s honor promotes greatly our desire to live life for Him.
God is clothed with majesty. In 1 Chronicles 29:11 we read, “Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.” (1 Chronicles 29:11) We must never doubt the Lord's majesty or strength, nor should we lack confidence in His wisdom or purpose. “The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved. Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting.” (Psalms 93:1-2) It is great when we understand the presence and power of God in our life!
The love and mercy of God has redeemed humanity, but it is the responsibility of each individual to respond to God’s love in baptism and in obeying His words of truth. To become a Christian you must hear the gospel (Romans 10:17), believe in Jesus as the Christ (Mark 16:16), repent of all sins (Acts 17:30), confess Christ as Lord (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized for remission of sins. (Acts 2:38) The majesty and goodness of God, as manifested in creation and providence, are set forth for the comfort and encouragement of His people.
By Charles Box, Walnut Street Church of Christ, 306 Walnut Street,
Greenville, Alabama 36037