“I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.
One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.
The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.
The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.
The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.
You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.”
Who was your role model growing up? I didn’t look up to anyone in particular, if I’m honest. I was too busy living in the moment, being a kid, to think too hard about trying to be like my parents or those I was around. Yet I look back and realize that I’ve picked up on things from my childhood. One such thing is the Common Table Prayer: “Come Lord Jesus, be our guest, and let these gifts to us be blessed.”
Martin Luther used the words of Psalm 145 as his own table prayer in the Small Catechism: “The eyes of all look to you, Lord, and you give them their food at the proper time.” The words remind us where we look at all times and in all circumstances, just as all of Psalm 145 does. What is the point of praising God forever?
We see “the point” everywhere and in everything. We think that food comes from our parents, or from the grocery store, or even the farms. But who created the plants that we eat? Who created the animals we care for? God did. He shows His grace to us in these ways, and more!
This psalm is attributed to King David. David was likely thinking of how God had shown him and his subjects, the Kingdom of Israel, grace and mercy for hundreds of years already. He quotes Moses’ description of the LORD in Exodus 34, “slow to anger and rich in love.” Food given at the proper time recalls years spent in the desert, where Israel’s only supply of food was manna and quail from heaven. Even when it seemed that they would die in the desert or that they would be better off in Egypt, God fulfilled His promise to their father Abraham that they would have their own land – and now David had seen that promise fulfilled.
Our faithful God continues in His faithfulness, not only in David’s day but beyond to the present day! And as God Himself ensures that we see and know His faithfulness, He also makes use of us to show the love of God and our love for Him in return to the next generation. God does not change (Malachi 3:6, James 1:17), and neither does Jesus (Hebrews 13:8). He isn’t just David’s God; He is Creation’s God. He isn’t just Savior of the twelve disciples; Jesus is the Savior of the world! What Jesus did, he did for everyone – even for those who have yet to be born!
Hopefully, you’ve had good role models in your life. But even our role models aren’t perfect. Even if Jesus is our role model, we know that we can never be like him; and that’s okay. Because even when I falter and fail, Jesus remains faithful. He pulls me out of the grip of my sins by casting them all away. Because of Jesus, we will be in heaven with our God!
Now that’s someone we can look up to.
Prayer: Lord, who can fathom your greatness? Our limited human minds cannot comprehend a God who is all-powerful, eternal, ever-faithful, and compassionate. Give us faith to grasp these truths and proclaim them to every generation; for you live and rule with the Son and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.