Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the Lord, O my soul. (Ps. 103:22)
SPANISH TENOR PLACIDO DOMINGO received the longest standing ovation in history following a performance of the opera Othello in Vienna in 1991. The audience applauded for eighty minutes, and 101 curtain calls were part of that ovation. It was an appropriate response to the tenor’s exceptional talent and outstanding accomplishment.
Delving into today’s passage, we observe God on center stage; we are the audience delighting in a beautiful rendition of His character. The psalmist skillfully described the completeness of the Lord’s forgiveness and the absolute removal of our sins, and then sang a hymn of God’s faithful compassion and His understanding heart. We are embraced by a very tender side of God, who knows we are incapable of existing without His compassion. Being reminded that we are transient in this world, it comforts us to know that God’s love endures forever. His is a love that crosses generational lines, and many of us are living testimony to that truth. Looking forward, by faith we see future generations covered with His eternal love also. In response, our hearts burst with praise.
Our forgiving, faithful, compassionate Father is the sovereign King. Isn’t that worth infinitely more than eighty minutes of standing ovation? We who have experienced His love know that our Father God deserves to be praised every minute of our lives and for all eternity.
The appropriate response to God’s everlasting love is to live a life of praise.
Kathern Nemec lived most of her adult life in her husband’s native Argentina. Now residing in Ohio, she works in Spanish customer support and translation
