Psalms
Chapter 92
God’s Power and Justice
It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praise to your name, O Most High,
to proclaim your grace in the morning, to declare your faithfulness at night,
accompanied by music from the lyre and the melody of lute and harp.
For you make me glad with your deeds, O Lord, and I sing for joy at the work of your hands.
How great are your works, O Lord, how deep your thoughts!
The senseless will not know, nor will the stupid understand them.
For though the wicked prosper and evildoers flourish like grass, they are doomed to vanish for good.
But you, O Lord, are exalted forever.
Time will come when your enemies will perish; evildoers will be scattered.
You have made me stronger than the wild ox; you have poured fresh oil on me.
I look down on my enemies; I take for granted their doom.
The virtuous will flourish, like palm trees, they will thrive, like the cedars of Lebanon.
Planted in the house of the Lord, they will prosper, in the courts of our God.
In old age, they will still bear fruit; they will stay fresh and green,
to proclaim that the Lord is upright, “He is my Rock,” they say, “he never fails.”
Commentaries
92
We are not just animals, nor merely rational animals: we are sons and daughters of God. In prayer, we learn to see the world through God’s perspective. We are connected to Christ as the branch to the vine, and we strive to make our minds and lives grow more like his.
The virtuous will flourish like palm trees (v. 13), embodying the enthusiasm of those whose lives are built on faithfulness. He has witnessed the fall of many fortunes and much glory. The martyr St. Polycarp told his judges, ‘How could I curse Christ? For eighty years, He has always been good to me.’ The saints are those who leave the most lasting impact on human history. ‘Give thanks to the Lord’ (v. 2). If we reflect on our lives, we will find many reasons to thank God. The gift of our very life and existence is a good starting point. St. Paul encourages us to ‘give thanks to God at every moment’ (1 Thes 5:18) in the name of Christ Jesus, our Lord (Eph 5:20).