What is God like? Well, in the first 13 verses of Psalm 145 we have learned that God is admirable, praiseworthy, great, mighty, majestic, awesome, gracious, good, Creator, powerful and eternal.

Transition

As we continue studying God’s attributes, this evening we are going to examine three of God’s benevolent attributes.

The LORD is Supportive!

(Psalms 145:14) “The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.“

  1. Let’s begin by defining the terms.
    1. The word translated “upholdeth” means to support, uphold, or sustain.
    2. The word fall depicts all kinds of falls. It may be to fall prostrate; fall into the hand of; to fall short, fail, fall out, or to waste away.
    3. To rise up simply means to raise something or to comfort.
    4. To be bowed down is to be bent over. The reason for being bent over is not specified, but the implication is to be bent over by a heavy burden or trial.
  2. Now let’s put the terms together.
    1. There are times when each of us fall or are bowed down with burdens and cares.
      1. We often fall short of perfection.
      2. We frequently fail the Lord in one way or another.
      3. We bend under the weight of burdens and cares of this life. Sometimes, they are caused by our own foolishness. At times they are an attack of Satan. Other times, they are simply allowed by God as part of living in a sin-cursed world.
    2. David had been persecuted by Saul, later he fell into sin, he struggled with his family, and he even made some foolish decisions. He knew what it meant to fall and to be bent over with burdens.
    3. The LORD – Jehovah – the eternal, self-existing, almighty, sovereign of the universe will uphold all who fall. He raises up all those who are bowed down with burdens.
      1. He who reigns as King of the universe stoops to uphold or support us when we are down. We find a similar promise in (Psalms 37:23-24) “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.”
      2. Temptation is our constant plague. We all trip and fall from time to time. When we do, the Lord is always there to help us up. We must humbly reach out and take Him almighty hand.
      3. God never justifies our sin, but when we confess and repent, He washes us clean and draws us near to His heart. You have heard me quote this verse many times, but take a moment to ponder its instructions. (Proverbs 28:13) “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”
        1. We must NOT cover our sin.
        2. We MUST confess our sin – agree with God completely regarding its wickedness
        3. We MUST forsake our sin – turn away from doing it, strive to never do it again.
          ☆ The LORD is SUPPORTIVE!

The LORD is Generous!

(Psalms 145:15) “The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.”

  1. The first phrase speaks of depending on God
    1. To wait upon the LORD is to wait patiently with confident hope in His promises.
    2. The eyes of all include every creature God has created.
      1. All creatures, insects, and plants depend instinctively upon God for their food. (Psalms 104:21) “The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God.”
      2. God wants us humans to look in faith to Him to supply our needs. Just as children naturally look to their father or mother for food, we are to look to God to meet our needs.
    3. The LORD Jehovah Almighty is able to meet every need of every creature He has created. (Psalms 50:10) “For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.” (Job 41:11) “… whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine.” (1 Chronicles 29:11-12) “Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.”
    4. Some of us have needs this evening. We must fix our eyes on the LORD and wait patiently for Him to provide.
  2. In the second phrase, we see God’s generosity.
    1. Those who wait upon the LORD will receive from Him their meat in due season.
      1. Remember that the word “meat” in the Bible refers to food in general not just to animal flesh.
      2. Food may represent our necessary needs. You can live without the comforts of life, but you cannot live without food. You may have some needs that are nearly as necessary as the food you eat. God knows!
    2. Those who look to the LORD and wait for Him will receive what they need in due season.
      1. I have found many times that God’s idea of the due season is different than mine.
      2. I don’t like to wait. When I have ordered something online, I watch every day for the currier.
      3. God’s time is perfect and I need to learn to rest in Him and let Him choose the due season. Remember those verses in (Isaiah 55:8-9) “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
        ☆ The LORD is GENEROUS!

The LORD is Satisfying!

(Psalms 145:16) “Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.“

  1. God opens His hand to us.
    1. Picture that in your mind. God, the Almighty of the universe, will hold out His hand to you and to me and then open it to reveal His provision.
    2. Job realized that all things good and bad come from the hand of God. (Job 2:10) “But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.”
    3. Can God hold all that we need in His hand? (Isaiah 40:12) “Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, …?”
  2. God will satisfy our desire
    1. This promise He gives to every living thing.
    2. Do we ever desire things that displease God? I’m afraid we sometimes do. I do not believe this promise applies to every greed of our heart. In context, God is promising to supply our desire for support and for needed provisions. He is promising to satisfy our desired needs.
    3. We serve the same God that promised Israel in Psalms 81:10, “I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.”
    4. Like a hungry little bird being fed by its mother, God may be saying to us, “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” God delights in satisfying our needs of all who will depend on Him.
      ☆ The LORD is SATISFYING!

Conclusion

If you have fallen to a temptation or are carrying a heavy burden, the Lord will uphold you and lift you up again if you will seek His help. No matter what your need is tonight, the Lord is generous. His timing is perfect and He wants to satisfy your need in the very best way. In each of these situations, our part is to rely on Him.

Song: God Will Take Care of You 297
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Attributes of God (6)
4 March 2018 PM – Psalm 145:14-16 – Ps145 – Scott Childs