Every year different organizations host a Pi competition. In this competition, contestants recite as many digits of the number Pi as they can from memory. The current world record was set by Suresh Kumar Sharma who recited 70,030 digits over the course of 17 hours. The interesting thing about this competition is that no one will ever master it. The number of digits in Pi is infinite. Yet, that does not keep people from trying!
In some ways this has a parallel with Psalm 145. Near the beginning of this praise psalm, David admits that God’s greatness is such that “no one can fathom” it (v. 3). It is not possible to fully articulate God’s attributes or to describe His nature. Yet, that does not keep David from praise. This Psalm praises God from A to Z!
David reminds Israel that praise continues from one generation to the next: “One generation commends your works to another” (v. 4). The next few verses put this into action. The new generation praises God and David responds, “They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty / and I will meditate on your wonderful works” (v. 5). One of the joys of worshiping in church is when the elderly and youth, believers of every generation, join in praising God side by side.
David rehearses many of God’s attributes, “The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love” (v. 8). He does not tire of recounting what God has done. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8). He is the true king and sovereign over all creation (vv. 1, 13).
>> A good exercise today might be to try to write one line of praise to God for each letter of the English alphabet. While we will never fully express the magnitude of God’s greatness, it is worth the try.
Pray with Us
You never change, Lord God. You don’t lose one attribute and acquire another. And yet to fully describe Your nature would take more breaths than we have to breathe. May the generations forever sing Your praise!
BY Ryan Cook
Dr. Ryan Cook has taught at Moody Bible Institute since 2012. He earned his bachelor of arts in Bible and Theology from Moody and his master of arts in Old Testament from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. He has worked in Christian education and served as a pastor in Michigan for seven years. During his time as a professor at Moody, he earned his doctorate from Asbury Theological Seminary. He now lives with his wife, Ashley, and their three children in the Chicagoland area.