Thursday, June 11 — Praising God for Home and Family
Some mornings the praise comes easy. Other mornings you have to choose it before the coffee even kicks in. Today's psalm gives us a reason that holds either way.
Psalm 113 — KJV 1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. 2 Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. 3 From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD's name is to be praised. 4 The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. 5 Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high, 6 Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth! 7 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; 8 That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people. 9 He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD.
Psalm 113 — WEB 1 Praise Yah! Praise, you servants of Yahweh, praise Yahweh's name. 2 Blessed be Yahweh's name, from this time forward and forever more. 3 From the rising of the sun to its going down, Yahweh's name is to be praised. 4 Yahweh is high above all nations, his glory above the heavens. 5 Who is like Yahweh, our God, who has his seat on high, 6 who stoops down to see in heaven and in the earth? 7 He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts up the needy from the ash heap, 8 that he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people. 9 He settles the barren woman in her home as a joyful mother of children. Praise Yah!
Psalm 113 opens the section of psalms Jewish families have sung at Passover for centuries. It begins way up high — the LORD is above all nations, His glory above the heavens — and then it does something unexpected. The God who sits enthroned over galaxies stoops down. He bends low to look at the earth. And what does this high and holy God notice when He bends? The poor in the dust. The needy on the ash heap. And — the psalm's final, tender image — the barren woman, whom He settles in her home and makes a joyful mother of children.
That's a stunning move. The psalm could have ended with thrones and stars. Instead it ends in a household, with a woman who once knew only emptiness now laughing in a home full of children. The greatness of God isn't measured only by how high He sits, but by how low He'll reach.
You can probably already feel Sunday coming. Verse 9 reads almost like a caption under Hannah's photo. She was the barren woman; God made her the joyful mother. The psalm Israel sang generation after generation turns out to be Hannah's testimony in advance.
For us, today, the invitation is to praise God for home and family — and to define both generously. Family isn't only the picture-perfect kind. It's the people around your table, the church folks who became kin, the home you've patched together through hard seasons. If God lifts the needy from the ash heap and turns emptiness into joy, then your address, your kitchen, the people who answer when you call — these are worth a praise. And if your home is hurting right now, this psalm says the God enthroned above the heavens is not too high to bend down to your front door. Praise isn't pretending everything's fine. It's remembering who's still on the throne — and how low He's willing to reach.
Thought for the Day: The God above the heavens still bends down to lift you.
Reflection Question: What in your home or family — even something small — can you genuinely praise God for today?
Prayer: We praise You, Lord, from the rising of the sun to its setting. You are high above all things, yet You stoop down to notice us. Thank You for our homes, our families, and the people You've made our own. Lift what is low in our households, and let our gratitude rise to meet Your greatness. Amen.
This week we walk toward Sunday's lesson: Hannah, A Godly Mother.