Breakfast on my patio is one of my favorite simple pleasures. I am often able to watch the sunrise and witness some of God’s creative genius. Today I observed a crowned bird in the oak that shades my backyard and also gives refuge to owls, woodpeckers, cardinals, and many other unique creatures. Listening to their various tweets and whistles this morning reminded me to praise God, so I turned for help to Psalm 150, a poem that answers the essential questions about worship: who, what, when, where, why, and how.
Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
- Who: Everything that has breath is given this command.
- What: We are told to praise the LORD. When LORD is capitalized like this in scripture, it indicates that it is using the most holy name for God—a name that cannot be confused with any other god or idol.
- When: Okay, the Psalm doesn’t exactly say this, but the implication is clear—do it now!
- Where: We are to worship him in his sanctuary and in his mighty heavens. The word “sanctuary” includes any place that God has made sacred by his presence and his “mighty heavens” are everything under the sun.
- Why: Because he has done mighty deeds and because he is excellently great.
- How: We are to use whatever we have, but the psalmist has given us some suggestions such as musical instruments, dance, loud noises, and our breath.
Praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD … so much more happens in our lives for God’s glory and for our good when we praise HIM. It isn’t a magic formula, but it is how praise helps our hearts. I needed to see Pastor Don’s message this morning 🙏🎉🙏