Psalm 108 - Be Exalted, O God!

I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;

   I will sing of you among the peoples.

For great is your love, higher than the heavens;

   your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;

   let your glory be over all the earth.

- Psalm 108:3-5, A song by King David

A few weeks ago, I wrote a devotional on Psalm 84 and talked about how I love Scripture songs.

Well, here is another one. Written in 1977 by  Brent Chambers from New Zealand, it became a popular Praise and Worship song during the 80s and 90s. The lyrics go like this:

I will give thanks to Thee, O Lord, among the people.

I will sing praises to Thee among the nations.

For Thy steadfast love is great, is great to the heavens;

And Thy faithfulness,

Thy faithfulness to the clouds.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;

Let Thy glory be over all the earth.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;

Let Thy glory be over all the earth.

- Brent Chambers, Songwriter

The Psalm and the modern-day song have very similar lyrics, which further attests to King David’s songwriting ability. And more importantly, it attests to the greatness and majesty of our God. Let’s break down the verses.

In verse 3, David writes:

I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.

I have to wonder… how often do I, or we, do this? How often do we sing and praise our Lord among those around us, every moment of every day?

Are we exalting His name by the thoughts we carry, the words we speak, the actions we take and the attitudes we have?

I have to admit I could use an upgrade in this area. Oh, it is easy to praise God at church, but what does it look like at the grocery store or in a restaurant? When I leave one of those, do people know that I am a Christ-follower? Have I positively impacted someone’s life?

Verse 4 says,

For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

If we had any question as to “why” we are to praise our Lord among the peoples, the psalmist reminds us of God’s great love and His faithfulness. When I pause and reflect on God’s love, grace, mercy and forgiveness, all of which He has granted to me, though I am undeserving, I can’t help but think and act on ways I can better serve and honor Him, for He is worthy of my praise.

Then, verse 5 says,

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.

Here the psalmist builds to a beautiful crescendo. What began as an exhortation to praise God among the people because of His great love and faithfulness, closes out by taking that praise and exultation to the greatest height, width, and depth… ”above the heavens and over all the earth.”

We, as the people of God, who are called by His name, have the privilege, and yes, the responsibility to exalt God’s name in every opportunity.

I accept the challenge of finding new ways to praise my God and share the love of Jesus in every circumstance and before every person God places in my path.

Will you join me?

Pastor Ken

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