God Promises to Draw Nigh
David ends his psalm of praise with the comforting assurance of the Lord’s nearness and of the certainty that He will answer prayer. He tells about these things in verses eighteen through twenty-one.
“The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.” (Psalm 145:18) We know that “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24) If we do this, the Bible gives this promise, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.” (James 4:8a) Do you feel that God is far away? Have you drawn nigh to Him by worship in spirit and in truth? Have you called upon Him in truth? God’s nearness does not depend on our feelings, but sometimes we lose the sense of His closeness when we fail to spend quality time communing with Him. Let us draw nigh to Him today. He has promised to be nigh unto us.
God Will Answer Prayer
Psalm 145:19 says, “He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.” What is the secret to answered prayer that is given in this verse? The fear of the Lord. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him. He will hear when they cry to Him. He will save them when they are in trouble.
“O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.” (Psalm 34:9,10)
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1)
The LORD Preserves the Righteous and Destroys the Wicked
“The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.” (Psalm 145:20) One day the wicked will be gone. “For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.” (Psalm 37:10a) It may seem like evil is winning now, but God has everything under complete control. One day He will destroy all the wicked, and they shall not be. If we look in all the places where they had lurked, there will be no more hiding place for the wicked there. On the other hand, “those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth… the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” (See Psalm 37:10 and 11) When God sees the wicked plotting to destroy the just, He laughs. He knows that they cannot be successful in their attempts. God will preserve the righteous, but the day of reckoning is coming for the wicked, “12) The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. 13) The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.” (Psalm 37:12,13) The righteous may suffer for a little while here on earth, but the wicked will reap their wages for all eternity. The righteous will receive the blessing of the Lord for all eternity.
Our Praise in Response to God’s Nearness and Answers to Prayer
“My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.” (Psalm 145:21) Because the Lord is nigh unto us, and because He hears our cry and saves us, our mouth should praise Him. “3) Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. 4) Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. 5) My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips.” (Psalm 63:3-5) The Lord’s name is holy and worthy of praise and blessing. “1) O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. 2) For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.” (Psalm 117)