Praise the Lord!

Psalm 113

1 Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord, you his servants;
    praise the name of the Lord.
2 Let the name of the Lord be praised,
    both now and forevermore.
3 From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
    the name of the Lord is to be praised.
4 The Lord is exalted over all the nations,
    his glory above the heavens.
5 Who is like the Lord our God,
    the One who sits enthroned on high,
6 who stoops down to look
    on the heavens and the earth?
7 He raises the poor from the dust
    and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
8 he seats them with princes,
    with the princes of his people.
9 He settles the childless woman in her home
    as a happy mother of children.
Praise the Lord.

This psalm begins and ends with a call to "Praise the Lord".  This is where we get the word, "hallelujah".  Many of the psalms were used as praise songs and this one was too!  

But what do we actually praise God for?  What is the content of our praise?  

1. The Lord is exalted over all the nations,
    his glory above the heavens.
God is above all else.  There is nothing bigger or higher than him.  God is the sovereign Lord over all things.  If something were bigger or higher than God then that thing would be God.
2. Who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?
Despite the fact that God is above and over all things, he stoops down to earth to look.  God is interested in what is happening on earth. Since he created the earth, he also tends to it and watches over it.  
3. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes, with the princes of his people.
Not only does God look down from heaven but he intervenes to help people in need.  So God is aware of what is happens, and cares about what happens especially to those He has made.  He takes the poor and needy and sits them with royalty.
Ultimately God stooped down to the earth by sending His Son to show that he is aware of our sin, and he cares for us.  He lifts us out of our spiritual poverty and puts us at the royal table with princes.
It is pretty amazing isn't it?  Praise the Lord!   
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