Worthy of All Praise

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

I'm Bill Crowder and I titled today's reading, Worthy of All Praise. Many consider Ferrante and Teicher to be the greatest piano duet team of all time. Their collaborative presentations were so precise that their style was described as four hands, but only one mind. Hearing their music, one can begin to grasp the amount of effort required to perfect their craft.

But there's more. They loved what they did. In fact, even after they had retired in 1989, Ferrante and Teicher would occasionally show up at a local piano store just to play an impromptu concert. They simply loved making music. David also loved making music, but he teamed up with God to give his song a higher purpose. His Psalms affirm his struggle-filled life and his desire to live in deep dependence upon God.

Yet in the midst of his personal failures and imperfections, his praise expressed a kind of spiritual perfect pitch, acknowledging the greatness and goodness of God, even in the darkest of times. The heart behind David's praise is simply stated in Psalm 18 verse 1, which reads, I love you, Lord, my strength. David continued, I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and turned to him in my distress. Regardless of our situation, may we likewise lift our hearts to praise and worship our God.

He's worthy of all praise. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Psalm 18 verses 1 through 6. First, the superscription for the director of music of David, the servant of the Lord, he sang to the Lord, the words of this song. When the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul, he said, I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer. My God is my rock and whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation.

My stronghold, I called to the Lord who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies. The cords of death entangled me. The torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. The cords of the grave coiled around me. The snares of death confronted me in my distress. I called to the Lord. I cried to my God for help from his temple. He heard my voice.

My cry came before him into his ears. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you that you've put a new song in our mouths. Help us to worship you and to express your true goodness and greatness, not only as we sing your songs, but as we live in your name. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.