Praise Be...

Psalms 150:1-6
From September 24, 2005

Finally, after several weeks we have reached the last chapter of Psalms. I wonder what the overall theme of the book would be. Hmmm…..do you think it might be, um, praise?

If there is one thing of which the Psalms have been reminding me in the last five weeks, it is the magnificence of God and the dependence of man upon Him. Repeatedly, one is reminded of how much and how often He should be praised for He alone is worthy of praise.

Praise of, for, and to God seems to permeate most of the Psalms and, once we reach this final one, the word pops up thirteen times in six verses! Talk about going out with a bang! You might suspect from that subtle hint that we are supposed to praise God.

We are to praise Him in His sanctuary and in His mighty “firmament.” Not a word one commonly uses on a day-to-day basis, firmament often refers to the expanse of the sky or “the great outdoors.” So, verse one seems to say we should praise God in church and while amidst His creation. (Note it is not either/or--we aren’t out in nature in lieu of church, but we can praise Him wherever we are.)

Verse two says to praise God for “His mighty acts” and for “His excellent greatness.” This encompasses both what God has done for us as well as who He is, His nature. Those are two pretty good reasons. In either case, praising God helps to take the focus off ourselves and direct our attention toward Him.

How are we going to praise Him? We are free to use music, as verses three through five indicate. Trumpets and flutes and harps and strings are among those mentioned, and I can’t help but believe saxophones would be included if the psalmist had ever heard one. Surely, one is permitted to use that greatest of all instruments, his voice. Perhaps music is the most commonly thought of way to express praise to God.

Beyond these outward expressions, we can see throughout the Bible that we can praise God through our daily testimony. The attitudes we choose each day, the habits we cultivate, our desire to live a holy life, our respect for authority, as well as the words we speak or sing--all of these things and more reflect upon the Lord whom we claim to love.

You may be like me, not a very verbal person by nature, but the directive is not selective. It is aimed at everyone who has yet to assume room temperature, as Rush Limbaugh euphemistically says: “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD,” because, as my friend John, even now as he battles cancer, often says, “Every day is a good day.”