Come Learn Rest Ministries

I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.
One generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness.
They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.
All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your saints shall bless you!
They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power,
to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
(The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.)
The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.
You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.
The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.
The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.
My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
~Psalm 145

Just as Yosemite, which is about an hour from my home, has become one of my favorite places to visit, Psalm 145 has become one of my favorite psalms for both speak of God’s grandeur. Just one glimpse at Yosemite’s dynamic waterfalls, solid rock formations, giant redwoods, or lush meadow, and I know I am surrounded by God’s greatness. Just one reading of the psalmist’s praise for God’s mighty acts, wondrous works, awesome deeds, and abundant goodness, and I know my life is surrounded by God’s greatness.

Just spending time in Yosemite can be a reminder to worship God as Creator. Just spending time reflecting on the words of Psalm 145 can clarify what it means to truly worship the Lord, our God and King.  All God’s creatures are to extol, to bless, to commend, to meditate, to speak, to sing, to declare, and to pour forth the Creator’s fame.

There is really no “just” about either Yosemite or Psalm 145 for both testify to God’s overwhelming generosity of glorious splendor and salvation throughout all generations. But a visit to Yosemite or a reading of Psalm 145 is also an invitation to bless God’s holy name for God is great and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.

Blessed are You, O Lord, who is Great.

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.
~Psalm 121 (ESV)

As I rise each morning, I look out my bedroom window toward the Sierra Mountains to sunrises like the one above. On this particular morning, I could not see the mountain peaks because the Lord, who created the heavens and the earth, had filled the sky with the clouds that produced this beautiful, vibrant sunrise. And yet, by faith I knew the hills were there and spent time praying for God’s help in having an equally vibrant day.

In those seasons when life is going well, it is easy to answer the Psalmist’s question: “From where does our help come?” I have no doubts that “the Lord is my keeper.” But when life feels hard and I wonder if the Lord is really keeping me, it takes great faith to trust that God’s help will arrive as sure as a new morning sunrise.

The words of Psalm 121 offer reassurance that far beyond what our eyes can see, God is neither slumbering nor sleeping but guiding, protecting and comforting. May you and I recognize the many vibrant ways the Lord keeps us safe and secure in all our comings and goings this day and forevermore.

Blessed are You, O Lord, who is our Keeper.