"Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable." Psalm 145:3

My daughter came into town a couple of weeks ago, and being a competitive gymnast when she was younger, she asked if we could watch the Olympic Pre-Trials for gymnastics.

Watching the trials, we saw Simon Biles, a 4’8,” 27 year old American artistic gymnast who has won 37 Olympic and World Championships. I noticed that throughout the arena, people were holding up signs that said, “Simone Biles, you are the GOAT.” I asked my daughter why they were calling Simone a GOAT! I learned that in the world of sports, it's an expression used to describe the superior ability of an athlete, and to designate them as the “greatest of all time.”

So let me ask, “Do we marvel more at the greatness of man or the greatness of God?” It’s a fair question and one that we all must pay attention to, especially in a world that is so easily obsessed with the greatness of man and idolatry.

There is nothing wrong with appreciating and enjoying the greatness of man. The most stunning talents and accomplishments of mankind pale in comparison to the glory and greatness of God. How tragic it would be if we spend our entire lives more enthralled by the impressiveness of man than the majesty of our Creator!

Psalm 145 is a Psalm in which David explicitly writes five distinct characteristics of God, and they all begin with the letter “G.” Recently, I gave these five G’s in my devotion at Celebrate Recovery, let us also use these five G’s to give us peace and hope this week.

1. God’s Greatness. Vs. 1-6

“I will extol You, my God, O King; and I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts. I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wondrous works. Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, and I will declare Your greatness.”

2. God’s Goodness. Vs. 7-10

“They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, and shall sing of Your righteousness. The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. The LORD is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works. All Your works shall praise You, O LORD, and Your saints shall bless You.”

3. God’s Glory. Vs. 11-12

“They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, and talk of Your power, to make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of His kingdom.”

4. God’s Guarantee. Vs. 13

“Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations.”

5. God’s Grace. Vs. 14-21

“The LORD upholds all who fall, and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look expectantly to You, and You give them their food in due season. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in all His ways, gracious in all His works. The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them. The LORD preserves all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy. My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD, and all flesh shall bless His holy name forever and ever.”

Let me ask again, do you marvel more at the greatness of man or the greatness of God?

If you have a hurt, hang-up or habit that’s hanging over your heart, turn to God (the greatest of all time) and let His greatness, goodness, glory, guarantee, and grace help lift you up, because He is the most amazing burden bearer!

God bless you!

Janice Delisle