Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be world without end. Amen.
Tell of His salvation from day to day
1 Chronicles 29:10-18 NRSV
A Prayer of King David
David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.
But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding. O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart, I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you. O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you.
The Quest for True Worship[1]
Worship can be thought of as affection, attention, obedience, awe, or credit given to God – inwardly or outwardly – in recognition of his worth or works.
Worship is first and foremost a response. When God’s people glimpse the majesty and beauty of God’s supreme worth, they do not pause to calculate whether the lyrics or melody fit the sight – they just respond. True worship bursts from a heart that has seen the Lord.
Worship involves much more than music – it includes how God’s people live every day. Recognizing God’s glorious nature has an impact on the choices made. God desires a lifestyle of worship integrity – a wholeness, a seamless quality between what his people profess to believe and the way they live. Obedience is the fruit of true worship.
True worship expresses gratitude for God’s provisions and works. Who is faithful like God? His kindness can be seen in the memory of last year, last month, or last night. He is good to his people! He gives breath today. He provided for every need in the past. He answered prayers. For his name’s sake and for the good of his people, he has unlocked, opened, diverted, thwarted, arranged, rearranged, and removed – all as blessings to his beloved daughters and sons.
Psalm 8 NRSV
A Psalm of King David
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babies and infants you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Matthew Henry
The greatest favour ever showed to the human race, and the greatest honour ever put upon human nature, were exemplified in the Lord Jesus. With good reason does the psalmist conclude as he began, Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth, which has been honoured with the presence of the Redeemer, and is still enlightened by his gospel, and governed by his wisdom and power! What words can reach his praises, who has a right to our obedience as our Redeemer? [2]
R. E. O. White
From the cradle to the stars, the name of God resounds with majesty, the glory of God shines above the heavens, the handiwork of God evokes awe. Yet, between verses 1–2 and 9 [of Psalm 8] is also set the astonishing greatness of man, with a place in God’s mind and heart, only a little lower than the divine nature, crowned with glory and honor, and ruling his fellow creatures. As the psalmist clearly saw, only upon the assumption of God’s glory and his purposes for man, does man possess such dignity; to deny God is to degrade man.[3]
A Kingdom Catechism
Question #59
How shall the redeemed of the Lord worship Him?
The redeemed worship the Lord when they seek, honor, and adore Him in love, according to all His precepts and statutes, free of every unbelieving practice or any practice not specifically taught in God’s Word.[4]
Question #88
How do the redeemed of the Lord exercise stewardship over the creation?
The redeemed of the Lord exercise stewardship over the creation by conserving and developing all the gifts of God and using all things for His glory in building the Church and advancing His Kingdom.[5]
O God, who did not come to be, we marvel at how the worlds did come to be. They did not create themselves but began at your command. O Mighty Word of Power and Light, whose universe is full of fascination and intrigue, you have called on us to study it with minds that reflect your own because you created them. The universe tells us of the marvels of your mind and leads us to bow in awe and worship at your ingenuity that fashioned space and time, endowing them with mystery profound. Amen.[6]
Praise to the Lord / Holy, Holy, Holy
Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number; he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.[7]
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Corinthians 4.15).
[1] The Jesus Bible, ESV, 2019, Zondervan, p. 599.
[2] Matthew Henry and Thomas Scott, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, 1997), Ps 8:3.
[3] R. E. O. White, “Psalms,” in Evangelical Commentary on the Bible, vol. 3, Baker Reference Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1995), 375.
[4] T. M. Moore, A Kingdom Catechism, 2022, p. 51.
[5] T. M. Moore, A Kingdom Catechism, 2022, p. 70.
[6] A prayer of John C. Lennox, The Sing! Hymnal, 2025, #65.
[7] Isaiah 40:26 KJV
