There's something deeply healing about a heart fully turned toward praise.
In a world often marked by disconnection and distraction,
Psalm 111 offers a sacred rhythm.
The act of remembering God's goodness,
Not as a passing thought,
But as a deep orientation of the soul.
This psalm is written as an ekrosh tik in Hebrew,
Each line beginning with a new letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
It invites us to trace the ABCs of the soul,
Crafting gratitude not as emotion alone,
But as practice,
Art,
And quiet discipline.
Let us now journey slowly and attentively through each verse,
Allowing these ancient words to become a gentle companion in our inner life.
Psalm 111 Praise the Lord!
I will praise the Lord with my whole heart in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.
The works of the Lord are great,
Studied by all who have pleasure in them.
His work is honorable and glorious,
And His righteousness endures forever.
He has made His wonderful works to be remembered.
The Lord is gracious and full of compassion.
He has given food to those who fear Him.
He will ever be mindful of His covenant.
He has declared to His people the power of His works in giving them the heritage of the nations.
The works of His hands are verity and judgment.
All His precepts are sure.
They stand fast forever and ever and are done in truth and uprightness.
He has sent redemption to His people.
He has commanded His covenant forever.
Holy and awesome is His name.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.
His praise endures forever.
Verse 1 Praise the Lord!
I will praise the Lord with my whole heart in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.
There is something holy about saying,
I will praise.
Praise here is not a spontaneous feeling.
It is a decision,
A centering.
To praise with the whole heart means we don't withhold the weary parts,
The doubtful parts or the silent ache.
It means all of us as we are brought into presence.
What we focus on expands.
A heart trained to notice goodness becomes more capable of peace.
To speak our thanks even in small whispers begins to calm our system and soften the soul's defenses.
Where today can you pause?
Place your hand on your heart and simply say,
I praise you here in this moment as I am.
Verse 2 The works of the Lord are great,
Studied by all who have pleasure in them.
To study something is to give it our careful,
Loving attention.
We often study problems,
Fears,
Regrets.
But what if we learned to study beauty?
To turn our gaze toward what is good and let it dwell in us.
Savoring,
Lingering in what is lovely,
Letting it nourish us deeply.
The psalmist says that those who take pleasure in God's works are the ones who really learn their depths.
Pleasure is not shallow.
Here it is the sacred capacity to delight in what is good.
Take a few minutes today to notice something good.
The texture of a leaf,
The laugh of a loved one,
The breath in your body and let this stay with you.
Verse 3 His work is honorable and glorious and His righteousness endures forever.
There is something steady here,
Enduring righteousness.
In the ebb and flow of our emotional lives where so much feels fleeting or uncertain,
This verse reminds us there is a deeper constancy beneath the chaos.
Honorable and glorious speaks not just to splendor but to integrity.
God's ways are rooted in justice,
In what heals and sustains.
In our relationship with others and with ourselves,
We are invited to mither that same integrity,
To speak truth,
To live kindly,
To choose what bells.
Where can you reflect the enduring goodness of God today?
In a word spoken,
A boundary kept or a kindness offered.
Verse 4 He has made His wonderful works to be remembered.
The Lord is gracious and full of compassion.
Memory is sacred.
When we remember grace,
We participate in it again.
God's goodness is not meant to be a passing event.
It is designed to be etched into the soul.
We know that recalling positive moments strengthens the brain's ability to rewire toward hope.
Spiritually it strengthens the heart's trust.
To remember is to re-member,
To bring our scattered pieces back together.
Keep a remembrance journal.
Write down the little moments of grace each day.
And over time,
This will become your map back to peace.
Verse 5 He has given food to those who fear Him.
He will ever be mindful of His covenant.
This is not only about bread.
It is about everything that nourishes us.
God's care reaches into the physical,
The emotional and the spiritual hungers of our life.
To fear Him is to walk with awe.
Not trembling fear,
But reverent trust.
And in return,
We receive provision.
Not always what we want,
But always what we need.
The word covenant assures us God's care is not conditional or temporary.
It is steady and mindful.
What are you being given today that you didn't earn?
The breath you breathe,
The warmth of the sun or the presence of someone who loves you.
Verse 6 He has declared to His people the power of His works in giving them the heritage of the nations.
Heritage is a gift of belonging.
It reminds us that we are part of something ancient and alive.
We are not alone.
We come from people who walked with God,
Who trusted when it was hard,
Who left us wisdom to carry.
In this verse we are called to receive our spiritual inheritance.
Not as an entitlement,
But as an invitation to live as those entrusted with grace.
What legacy are you living into?
What legacy will you pass on?
Verse 7 The works of His hands are verity and judgment.
All His precepts are sure.
God's hands bring forth truth,
Truth,
Verity and justice.
These are not lofty ideas.
They are touchable,
Observable in how we treat one another,
In how we move through the world.
When so much feels shaky,
This verse offers a grounded truth.
There is something sure,
Something we can trust.
There are foundations worth standing on.
Love,
Justice,
Mercy,
Honesty.
What truth are your hands building today?
What justice are you embodying in small,
Faithful ways?
Verse 8 They stand fast forever and ever and are done in truth and uprightness.
What stands forever in a world where everything changes?
This verse tells us truth and uprightness,
Living in alignment with love and goodness.
This is the kind of life that doesn't crack under pressure because it's non-performative.
It is rooted.
You do not need to be perfect.
You only need to be anchored.
There is a place in you that does not move with the storms.
Find it.
Rest in it.
Verse 9 He has sent redemption to His people.
He has commanded His covenant forever.
Holy and awesome is His name.
Redemption means that even what has been broken is not beyond repair.
God doesn't discard.
He restores.
In this we see both grace and power.
The kind of love that enters,
Ruins and rebuilds.
His name is holy and awesome,
Not in the casual sense of awe,
But the kind that stills you,
That reminds you there is something far greater than fear,
Far greater than failure.
Nothing in us is beyond redemption.
Even here we are held in covenant.
Verse 10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.
His praise endures forever.
This final verse brings us to the heart of all spiritual practice or humility,
Willingness.
Wisdom doesn't begin with knowledge.
It begins with reverence.
Those who do God's ways not just talk about them,
They gain understanding.
We learn as we live.
And when we live in awe,
In love,
In rightness,
Praise becomes the natural overflow.
Let reverence shape your seeing.
Let wonder lead your steps.
A prayer.
Holy One,
You are the ground beneath our feet and the breath within our lungs.
You surround us with beauty we often forget to see.
Thank You for the quiet rhythm of Your care,
For food and memory,
For truth that holds,
For redemption that restores,
For wisdom that begins not in striving but in stillness.
Teach us to praise with our whole hearts,
To remember what is good,
To trust in what is eternal.
May our lives be shaped into the alphabet of gratitude.
Each day another letter,
Each breath another blessing.
Amen.
