Daily Devotional For Saturday, May 16, 2026
Good morning and good day Southside! Following the readings for the One Year Chronological Bible, I have selected a passage from Psalms 145:1-3:
“I will exalt you, my God and King, and praise Your name forever and ever. (2) I will praise You every day; yes, I will praise You forever. (3) Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure His greatness” (NLT).
This psalm by David reminds us how worthy our God is of our praise. Part of the reason for David’s praise is found in another Psalm by David. Look at Psalm 144:3-4, “O LORD, what are human beings that You should notice them, mere mortals that You should think about them? (4) For they are like a breath of air; their days are like a passing shadow” (NLT). As big as God is and how small we are, David was astounded that God would even notice us. David was very much aware of his sin and that even after that, God had forgiven him and still had a purpose for him.
Unlike today, where most Christians play down their sin and are quick to point out the sins of others, David knew his sins were an abomination to the Lord. When Nathan the prophet confronted David with his sin, the first words out of David’s mouth were, “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Sam. 12:13). David did not blame Bathsheba. David did not get defensive. David did not get angry, except at himself. If you wonder how broken he was, read Psalm 32 and Psalm 51. This was why David was “a man after God’s own heart.”
David was always amazed at God’s love, mercy, compassion, kindness, forgiveness, patience, forgiveness, and restoration. David knew that after his adulterous sin with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, his best-friend and personal body guard, Uriah, he did not deserve any of these attributes of God. We look at these sins and we may wonder why God was so gracious to David. His heart, his sensitivity to God, and his ability to see his sin as God does is why God is so gracious.
We tend to see our sin as nothing that bad as long as it is not the sin of murder, pedophilia, or stealing. We think our sins of pride, jealousy, envy, lying, fornication, lustful thoughts, and idolatry are really not that bad. Not only did God notice David’s sin, God noticed David as a young shepherd boy and anointed him to be the next king over Israel. Did David deserve this? No. Did God know David was going to commit these sins when He anointed him to be the next king over Israel? YES! So, why was God still mindful of David, why did God notice David? His heart was always open to the Lord.
We are mere mortals, only a breath. We are here today and gone tomorrow. Someone once said, "On the day that you were born, you began to die. Do not waste a single moment more!" When a baby is born, we are celebrative and joyous. We do not think about the day that baby will die because we are too busy celebrating a new life. David had seen many men die. David had personally killed many men.
That even now after all of this, God still noticed David, shocked David. He knew that God hated sin, any and all sin. David knew that God did not think some sins were less offensive against God or that some sins would be graded on a scale. This is why in Psalm 145:1-3, David is praising God. David never again tried to take advantage of God’s grace. David can’t say enough great things about the Lord. Look at Psalm 145:8-21:
“The LORD is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. (9) The LORD is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all His creation. (10) All of Your works will thank You, LORD, and Your faithful followers will praise You. (11) They will speak of the glory of Your kingdom; they will give examples of Your power. (12) They will tell about Your mighty deeds and about the majesty and glory of Your reign. (13) For Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. You rule throughout all generations. The LORD always keeps His promises; He is gracious in all He does. (14) The LORD helps the fallen and lifts those bent beneath their loads. (15) The eyes of all look to You in hope; You give them their food as they need it. (16) When You open Your hand, You satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing. (17) The LORD is righteous in everything He does; He is filled with kindness. (18) The LORD is close to all who call on Him, yes, to all who call on Him in truth. (19) He grants the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cries for help and rescues them. (20) The LORD protects all those who love Him, but He destroys the wicked. (21) I will praise the LORD, and may everyone on earth bless His holy name forever and ever” (NLT).
Reflection Assignment: Go back and read Psalm 145:8-21 again. Notice all the pronouns referring to God. The subject and object of these verses is God, not David. When you pray, how much your prayer is about God versus other things? When you sin and you do, how broken are you over it? Are you even broken at all? Do you play down your sins? Are you overwhelmed at the forgiveness of our Lord?
Scripture To Meditate On: Psalm 51:17, “The sacrifice You desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God” (NLT).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, I have to admit that most of my prayers are not about You. I have to confess that I do not take my sin seriously. Jesus, if I ever want to see how serious You take sin, all I have to do is look at Your crucified body on that cross. Please forgive me for taking advantage of Your grace. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly