“Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.” (Psalm 145:3-4)
Fathom is an oceangoing term. It’s a unit of measurement about six feet long; sailors used it to describe the depth of the water below them. When the water was deeper than they could measure, it was said to be unfathomable.
We’ve gotten better at measuring ocean depths. For instance, the Mariana Trench is the deepest spot we know of. It’s about 36,000 feet deep (or, I guess, about 6,000 fathoms). Check out this link for a cool visualization of just how deep that is. Notice the little tiny dot at the top to show the size of a person.
The NIV version of today’s verse says that God’s greatness in unfathomable. (Other versions use the world “unsearchable.”) No matter how advanced we become, we’ll never be able to find the bottom of God’s goodness; we’ll never reach the end of his greatness.
That’s just one reason he is worthy of all the concentrated glory-giving praise we can focus in his direction – and why we’ll feel so right and satisfied when we do.
Think: How many other things can you think of in the world that are beyond measuring – or have no end? Who else do you praise besides God for their greatness?
Pray: Tell God that he is worthy of praise and ask him to help you to enjoy praising him as he deserves.
Do: Read today’s passage to another Christian and ask him or her to commend God’s works to you (or to tell you what great things he has done in their life).