“Be exalted oh God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.”
– Psalm 108:5
Psalm 108:5, in many ways, summarizes exactly how Jesus taught us to pray, really to start our praying in Matthew 6. Remember when Jesus taught his disciples to pray, said, “This then is how you should pray, our father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name.” This is the initial impulse of prayer, to pray for the hallowing of God’s name. And what does that mean? Well, it means that his name would be made known as Holy, that his name would be made known as glorious and wonderful and loving and merciful and just all of his attributes that he would be known.
This Verse Reminds Us of God’s Glory
Does the glory of God drive your prayer life? May our lives be marked by longing for God to be exalted and His glory to fill the earth.
And not just known but worshiped, exalted. I would add, enjoyed, not just exalted because we have to exalt him. Well, yes, it is our duty to exalt God, as creatures to exalt our creator. It’s a different, unique kind of duty because this is delightful duty. We get to know God, to walk with God, to worship God as we exalt God, to enjoy God. So be exalted oh God above the heavens. Psalm 108:5 says, “Let your glory be over all the earth.” That’s what Jesus taught us to pray.
So I would just ask, is that the driving thrust of your prayer life on a daily basis? Do we wake up in the morning and go throughout the day, and our driving prayer is God, glorify yourself. Let your glory shine in my life, in my family. Help my church and my city, the community where I live and my workplace to know your glory. And let your glory be made known among more and more people around me or may more and more people are around me know your glory today. Is this what’s driving your prayer life? And not just right around you but the Psalmist praise let the whole earth reverence your glory. To the ends of the earth, may your name be hallowed, may your name be glorified everywhere.
Psalm 108:5 Leads Us to Praise God
So let’s make this the primary thrust of our praying. Even right now, oh God, we pray our father in heaven, hallowed be your name in all the earth. Cause us to know you as Holy, good, great, glorious, loving, majestic, mighty, wonderful, beautiful. God, we pray that people everywhere exalt and enjoy your name. And we pray your glory over all the earth starting right where we live. We pray that through out lives others would know you and your glory. God lead us for your glory. Help us to speak for your glory and to love for your glory. Also, help us to live for your glory and to interact with people for your glory. Help us to work for your glory in our jobs and school. Whatever we’re doing, help us do it all for your glory.
Psalm 108:5 Leads Us to Pray For God Glory To Be Known
Just like first Corinthians 10:31 says, “Whether we eat or drink, help us to eat today, help us to drink today, help us to sleep today. Help us to do it all for your glory.” We pray that your glory remain known in our lives, in our families, in our workplaces, that more people would know you. That more people would know you in the places where we work in our cities. That churches know your glory. God cause everyone to know your glory. We pray that when people in our communities see our churches, interact with our churches, perceive our churches the day would love your name. They would exalt your name in Matthew 5 kind of way.
Psalm 108:5 Leads Us to Pray For China
May we be salt and light in such a way that when people see us, they glorify your name in heaven. And God, we pray for your glory to be known all over the earth, among all the peoples of the earth as we pray continually. God, we pray today for the Bolong people in China, 0.06% of them believing the gospel, not even 0.1%, less than that. God, we pray that you would change that. They don’t know your glory. They don’t know your love or your mercy. And they don’t know Jesus. God we pray that you would change that for the Bolong people in China. Most of them are Buddhist, never have heard the name of Jesus. God, we pray that you would change that. Let your glory be over them.
God, may your glory be over all the earth starting right where we live, going to the ends of the earth today more and more and more cause your glory to spread, we pray Psalm 108:5, be exalted oh God above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth and use our lives toward that end. Today we pray, in Jesus name, amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder of Radical, an organization that makes Jesus known among the nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Don’t Hold Back, and How to Read the Bible.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
