Psalm 145:19
He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them.
He fulfills
The phrase "He fulfills" emphasizes God's active role in the lives of His followers. The Hebrew root for "fulfills" is "עָשָׂה" (asah), which means to do, make, or accomplish. This word conveys the idea of God not only hearing but also acting upon the desires of those who are faithful to Him. It reflects God's sovereignty and His ability to bring to completion the hopes and prayers of His people. Historically, this assurance of God's action would have been a source of comfort and strength to the Israelites, who often faced uncertainty and adversity.

the desires
The term "the desires" refers to the deep, heartfelt longings and requests of the faithful. In Hebrew, the word "רָצוֹן" (ratzon) is used, which can also mean will or favor. This suggests that the desires in question are aligned with God's will and are not merely selfish wishes. Theologically, this implies a relationship where the believer's heart is in tune with God's purposes, echoing the sentiment found in Psalm 37:4, "Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart."

of those who fear Him
"Of those who fear Him" highlights the condition for the fulfillment of desires. The Hebrew word for fear, "יָרֵא" (yare), encompasses reverence, awe, and respect. This fear is not about being afraid but about recognizing God's majesty and authority. In a historical context, this reverence was central to the covenant relationship between God and Israel, where obedience and worship were expressions of fear. For the conservative Christian, this fear is foundational to a life of faith, reflecting a deep respect for God's holiness and commands.

He hears their cry
The phrase "He hears their cry" assures believers that God is attentive to their prayers. The Hebrew word "שָׁמַע" (shama) means to hear or listen, implying not just passive hearing but active attention. This is a recurring theme in the Psalms, where God is depicted as a compassionate listener to the cries of His people. In the ancient Near Eastern context, where gods were often seen as distant and capricious, the personal and attentive nature of the God of Israel was revolutionary and deeply comforting.

and saves them
Finally, "and saves them" speaks to God's deliverance and protection. The Hebrew root "יָשַׁע" (yasha) means to save, deliver, or give victory. This salvation is both physical and spiritual, encompassing deliverance from enemies, sin, and eternal separation from God. Historically, this would remind the Israelites of God's past acts of salvation, such as the Exodus. For the conservative Christian, it points to the ultimate salvation through Jesus Christ, who delivers believers from sin and grants eternal life. This assurance of salvation is a cornerstone of Christian hope and faith.

Persons / Places / Events
1. David
- The author of Psalm 145, King David, is known for his deep relationship with God and his role as a leader of Israel. This psalm is a hymn of praise, reflecting his understanding of God's character and faithfulness.

2. God
- The central figure in this verse, God is portrayed as a responsive and compassionate deity who listens to and fulfills the desires of those who revere Him.

3. Those who fear Him
- This refers to the faithful believers who hold God in reverence and awe, acknowledging His power and authority in their lives.
Teaching Points
Reverence Leads to Fulfillment
Fearing God is not about being afraid but about having a deep respect and awe for His majesty and authority. This reverence aligns our desires with His will, leading to their fulfillment.

God's Attentive Ear
God is attentive to the cries of His people. This assurance encourages believers to bring their needs and desires before Him in prayer, trusting in His willingness to listen and respond.

Salvation and Deliverance
The promise of salvation in this verse is both immediate and eternal. God saves His people from their troubles and ultimately offers eternal salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

Aligning Desires with God's Will
As believers grow in their relationship with God, their desires begin to reflect His will. This alignment is key to experiencing the fulfillment of desires as promised in this verse.
Bible Study Questions
1. What does it mean to "fear" God in the context of Psalm 145:19, and how can this understanding impact your daily life?

2. How can you ensure that your desires align with God's will, and what practical steps can you take to cultivate this alignment?

3. Reflect on a time when you felt God heard your cry and responded. How did this experience strengthen your faith?

4. How does the promise of God fulfilling desires and saving those who fear Him encourage you in your current circumstances?

5. In what ways can you encourage others to develop a reverent relationship with God, based on the teachings of Psalm 145:19 and related scriptures?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Psalm 37:4
- This verse also speaks about God granting the desires of the heart to those who delight in Him, emphasizing the relationship between reverence for God and receiving His blessings.

Proverbs 10:24
- This proverb highlights the contrast between the desires of the righteous and the wicked, reinforcing the idea that God fulfills the desires of those who live in reverence to Him.

1 John 5:14-15
- These verses discuss the confidence believers have in approaching God, knowing that if they ask anything according to His will, He hears them, aligning with the promise of God hearing and responding to the cries of His people.
Christ the King of SaintsPsalm 145:1-21
God's Chosen People Extolling Their Sovereign KingR. C. Dillon, D. D.Psalm 145:1-21
God's Greatness, Goodness, and GloryC. Short Psalm 145:1-21
The Happy Duty of Daily PraisePsalm 145:1-21
The Kinghood of God, and the Glory of His ProvidenceDavid Thomas, D. D.Psalm 145:1-21
The Te Deum of the Old TestamentS. Conway Psalm 145:1-21
God and His PeopleT. B. Baker.Psalm 145:18-21
People
David, Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Cry, Desire, Desires, Ears, Fear, Fearing, Fulfil, Fulfill, Fulfilleth, Fulfils, Gives, Heareth, Hears, Salvation, Save, Saves, Saveth, Worshippers
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 145:19

     1175   God, will of
     5480   protection
     6185   imagination, desires
     8335   reverence, and blessing

Psalm 145:17-20

     8604   prayer, response to God

Psalm 145:18-19

     8224   dependence

Library
June 17 Evening
All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee.--PSA. 145:10. Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.--I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.--Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

The Satisfier of all Desires
'Thou openest Thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing ... 19. He will fulfil the desire of them that fear Him: He also will hear their cry, and will save them.'--PSALM cxlv. 16, 19. You observe the recurrence, in these two verses, of the one emphatic word 'desire.' Its repetition evidently shows that the Psalmist wishes to run a parallel between God's dealings in two regions. The same beneficence works in both. Here is the true extension of natural law to the spiritual world.
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Christian Conversation
"They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power."--Psalm 145:11. YOU HAVE only to look at the preceding verse, and you will discover, in a single moment, who are the people here spoken of who shall speak of the glory of God's kingdom, and talk of his power. They are the saints: "All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power." A saint will often be discovered by his conversation. He
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 46: 1900

How I Know God Answers Prayer
How I Know God Answers Prayer The Personal Testimony of One Life-Time By ROSALIND GOFORTH (Mrs. Jonathan Goforth) Missionary in China since 1888 "They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness."--Psalm 145:7. "Go . . . and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee."--Mark 5:19. HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS NEW YORK AND LONDON Copyright, 1921, by Harper & Brothers PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Rosalind Goforth—How I Know God Answers Prayer

Exhortations to those who are Called
IF, after searching you find that you are effectually called, I have three exhortations to you. 1. Admire and adore God's free grace in calling you -- that God should pass over so many, that He should pass by the wise and noble, and that the lot of free grace should fall upon you! That He should take you out of a state of vassalage, from grinding the devil's mill, and should set you above the princes of the earth, and call you to inherit the throne of glory! Fall upon your knees, break forth into
Thomas Watson—A Divine Cordial

God, My King, Thy Might Confessing
[1186]Stuttgart: Gotha, 1715 Psalm 145 Richard Mant, 1824 DOXOLOGY God, my King, thy might confessing, Ever will I bless thy Name; Day by day thy throne addressing, Still will I thy praise proclaim. Honor great our God befitteth; Who his majesty can reach? Age to age his works transmitteth, Age to age his power shall teach. They shall talk of all thy glory, On thy might and greatness dwell, Speak of thy dread acts the story, And thy deeds of wonder tell. Nor shall fail from memory's treasure
Various—The Hymnal of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the USA

Free Grace
To The Reader: Nothing but the strongest conviction, not only that what is here advanced is "the truth as it is in Jesus," but also that I am indispensably obliged to declare this truth to all the world, could have induced me openly to oppose the sentiments of those whom I esteem for their work's sake: At whose feet may I be found in the day of the Lord Jesus! Should any believe it his duty to reply hereto, I have only one request to make, -- Let whatsoever you do, be done inherently, in love, and
John Wesley—Sermons on Several Occasions

Prayer Out of the Deep.
Hear my prayer, O God; and hide not Thyself from my petition. Take heed unto me and hear me; how I mourn in my prayer and am vexed.--Psalm iv. 1, 2. In my trouble I will call upon the Lord, and complain unto my God; so shall He hear my voice out of His holy temple, and my complaint shall come before Him; it shall enter even into His ears.--Ps. xviii. 5, 6. The Lord is nigh unto them that call upon Him; He also will hear their cry, and will help them.--Psalm cxlv. 18, 19. In the day when I cried
Charles Kingsley—Out of the Deep

The Life, as Amplified by Mediaeval Biographers.
1. His Early Years.--Ephraim, according to this biography, was a Syrian of Mesopotamia, by birth, and by parentage on both sides. His mother was of Amid (now Diarbekr) a central city of that region; his father belonged to the older and more famous City of Nisibis, not far from Amid but near the Persian frontier, where he was priest of an idol named Abnil (or Abizal) in the days of Constantine the Great (306-337). This idol was afterwards destroyed by Jovian (who became Emperor in 363 after the
Ephraim the Syrian—Hymns and Homilies of Ephraim the Syrian

I Will Pray with the Spirit and with the Understanding Also-
OR, A DISCOURSE TOUCHING PRAYER; WHEREIN IS BRIEFLY DISCOVERED, 1. WHAT PRAYER IS. 2. WHAT IT IS TO PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT. 3. WHAT IT IS TO PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT AND WITH THE UNDERSTANDING ALSO. WRITTEN IN PRISON, 1662. PUBLISHED, 1663. "For we know not what we should pray for as we ought:--the Spirit--helpeth our infirmities" (Rom 8:26). ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. There is no subject of more solemn importance to human happiness than prayer. It is the only medium of intercourse with heaven. "It is
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Second Great Group of Parables.
(Probably in Peræa.) Subdivision D. Parable of the Lost Son. ^C Luke XV. 11-32. ^c 11 And he said, A certain man had two sons [These two sons represent the professedly religious (the elder) and the openly irreligious (the younger). They have special reference to the two parties found in the first two verses of this chapter --the Pharisees, the publicans and sinners]: 12 and the younger of them [the more childish and easily deceived] said to his father, Father, give me the portion of thy substance
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Knowledge of God Conspicuous in the Creation, and Continual Government of the World.
1. The invisible and incomprehensible essence of God, to a certain extent, made visible in his works. 2. This declared by the first class of works--viz. the admirable motions of the heavens and the earth, the symmetry of the human body, and the connection of its parts; in short, the various objects which are presented to every eye. 3. This more especially manifested in the structure of the human body. 4. The shameful ingratitude of disregarding God, who, in such a variety of ways, is manifested within
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

The Holiness of God
The next attribute is God's holiness. Exod 15:51. Glorious in holiness.' Holiness is the most sparkling jewel of his crown; it is the name by which God is known. Psa 111:1. Holy and reverend is his name.' He is the holy One.' Job 6:60. Seraphims cry, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory.' Isa 6:6. His power makes him mighty, his holiness makes him glorious. God's holiness consists in his perfect love of righteousness, and abhorrence of evil. Of purer eyes than
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Covenant Duties.
It is here proposed to show, that every incumbent duty ought, in suitable circumstances, to be engaged to in the exercise of Covenanting. The law and covenant of God are co-extensive; and what is enjoined in the one is confirmed in the other. The proposals of that Covenant include its promises and its duties. The former are made and fulfilled by its glorious Originator; the latter are enjoined and obligatory on man. The duties of that Covenant are God's law; and the demands of the law are all made
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

The Mercy of God
The next attribute is God's goodness or mercy. Mercy is the result and effect of God's goodness. Psa 33:5. So then this is the next attribute, God's goodness or mercy. The most learned of the heathens thought they gave their god Jupiter two golden characters when they styled him good and great. Both these meet in God, goodness and greatness, majesty and mercy. God is essentially good in himself and relatively good to us. They are both put together in Psa 119:98. Thou art good, and doest good.' This
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

The Intercession of Christ
Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us! T he Redemption of the soul is precious. Fools make mock of sin (Proverbs 14:9) . But they will not think lightly of it, who duly consider the majesty, authority, and goodness of Him, against whom it is committed; and who are taught, by what God actually has done, what sin rendered necessary to be done, before a sinner could have a well-grounded
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2

Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

Links
Psalm 145:19 NIV
Psalm 145:19 NLT
Psalm 145:19 ESV
Psalm 145:19 NASB
Psalm 145:19 KJV

Psalm 145:19 Commentaries

Bible Hub
Psalm 145:18
Top of Page
Top of Page