Trusting God in the Midst of Suffering: A Psalm of Praise

 

Every day I will praise you! I will praise your name continually! The LORD is great and certainly worthy of praise! No one can fathom his greatness!  Psalm 145:2-3

 This psalm begins, "David's Psalm of Praise," indicating that it was personal and special to him. Today, I'm writing my own psalm of praise after its pattern. 

A Salty Zebra’s Psalm of Praise

My heart considers You, my Wonderful Creator.
You are good and all-knowing,
Your power knows no end.

My ancestors praised You, following You all their lives.
I’ve endeavored to teach my children Your ways,
Your praise will echo throughout eternity as Your children honor You!

In the morning, I consider Your Word.
You open my eyes to see amazing things You have done,
My heart quickens at the epiphanies You provide.

You are powerful to save, nothing is beyond You.
You created it all,
And all of creation is Yours.

To whom shall I compare You, for You are above and beyond all.
Your goodness never fails,
Though we are undeserving of Your mercy You rescue us still.

Your faithfulness brings me joy, for I can count on it day and night.
Never have You left me alone,
Never have You abandoned me.

You make me feel special and loved, set apart from the masses.
And yet, You do the same for all Your children,
You are my Good Father and I will love You as Your precious child.

Your goodness and mercy inspire me to praise!
My heart leaps at the thought of You,
My soul magnifies Your Name, longing to worship You more and more!

Your kingdom is not of this world, that we could name it or put it on a map.
It is eternal, lasting forever,
It knows no boundaries, no dividing lines.

Things work differently here, not like on Earth.
In You, the lowly are exalted,
The humble are lifted up and seated with You in the heavenlies.

If I would seek to find value in Your kingdom, I would need to become a servant.
Fame and glory and honor of this world hold no worth in Your eyes,
For You see my heart, and in it discern the truth of my motives.

I think that it is by my hand I have stored up food for tomorrow.
But, in truth, it is You who have provided all I have,
Without You I would have nothing, not a morsel of bread.

When weariness threatens to overtake me, when shadows loom,
I will be upheld by Your strong arms.
It is not in my own strength that I live each day, but Yours.

Everything You do is good, though we may not understand it at the time.
We can trust in Your unfailing love forever,
When situations don’t make sense, I know that You are working it all out.

Though I do not deserve it, You are kind to me.
You fill my life with good things,
You surround me with love.

When I cry out to You, You comfort me.
I am not alone,
For You are always with me.

I live in awe of You, of Your incredible majesty.
My mind cannot comprehend Your greatness,
You are beyond imagining!

You answer my prayers, often before I even speak them.
You love to give Your children good gifts,
I am blessed beyond measure, my heart overflows.

Nothing can harm me, for You are my protector.
Though my enemy seeks to discourage,
In You I find my hope and my passion.

I will praise You all my days, my God and my King.
You are worth far more than I could ever give,
I rejoice in knowing I will be with You forever, and that our love will never end!

Here's the Thing: I'm no poet, my psalm doesn't even rhyme, but my heart longs to worship my LORD and my God. May He find joy in my humble song.

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