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UUUGGGHH — another Monday with work, kids to school, food hangover from the weekend, and long to-do lists. We thank God for Friday but struggle to get out of bed on Monday.
I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever (Psalm 145:1, ESV).
Psalm 145 has an effervescent tone, from praise to gratitude to extolling God’s abundance. I would admit the exclamations of this psalm could make us feel like Proverbs 27:14 in that, “Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice early in the morning will be counted as a curse.”
The question: Why the praise and thanksgiving of Psalm 145 for Monday then?
Years back, I noted verse 17, “The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works,” and realized that if I ever doubted God’s goodness in anything, I was in spiritual difficulty. So, I began asking this question, “Is there any area of my life in which I doubt the goodness and greatness of God?” If we eliminate our frustrations at the beginning of the week, it sets an attitude for blessing and positivity the rest of the week.
And when we consider our doubts, Psalm 145 serves as a multi-tool to fix whatever causes us to waver.
Tool #1 (for sin)…
The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (v. 8).
Tool #2 (for discouragement)…
The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down (v. 14).
Tool #3 (for our desires and needs)…
You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing (v. 16).
Tool #4 (for loneliness)…
The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth (v. 18).
Keep these tools in your memory as they help overcome thoughts that deny the goodness and greatness of God. Psalm 145 doesn’t eliminate Mondays, but the words of this psalm cleanse, build confidence, and restore our view of God’s goodness and greatness.
They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness. They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness (vv. 6-7).
I’ve learned through 56 years of following Jesus that keeping my “goodness and greatness” attitude intact protects me from too deep introspection, self- or other-condemnation, unforgiveness, and negativity. When we serve God, with His power and love for us, nothing else matters.
Now turn in the pages of your Bible to Psalm 145:17 and underline this verse as the best thought to start the rest of your Mondays…
The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.
Then ask this question, “As I start this week, is there any area of my life in which I doubt the goodness and greatness of God?”