Psalm 150 Praise the LORD
1 Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.
Psalms 150:1-6 (NIV)
How many ways can we praise the Lord? This stirring passage offers many great opportunities for praising him. Let us reflect on them.
Praise God in his sanctuary. In our regular worship services we offer him praise. We can also praise him anywhere we feel his presence – or where we wish to feel his presence.
Praise him in his mighty heavens. We must think outside the box here. Since we aren’t there yet, we are challenged to imagine him in his mighty heavens. Consider the immense greatness of the heavens he has created.
Praise him for his acts of power. The thunder and lightening, the ocean tides, even the massive hurricanes are but a breath compared to God’s power, as they are all under his control. God demonstrated his power when he parted the Red Sea so the Israelites could walk to the other side on dry land.
Praise him for his surpassing greatness. One can only stand in awe… gazing into a sunset… searching a starlit night sky or the recent eclipse… walking in a creek or admiring a waterfalls… visiting an aquarium… watching an ant hard at work…
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet… Do you play an instrument? Do so for his glory. If not, sing and make a joyful noise. Or if that is still not an option, play a radio (on a Christian station please) or a CD of Christian music.
Praise him with dancing. Does Jesus put a spring in your step? Then don’t rob yourself of the opportunity to praise him with dance, however flamboyant or humble.
Praise him with the clash of cymbals. If you don’t have cymbals, clap your hands. Make a noise that springs from the joy in your heart.
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Are you breathing? Thank him with joyful praise!
We have so many reasons to praise our God. Find your own way(s) to express it to him, both in public and private worship.
Copyright © 2008 by Janice Green
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
You are encouraged to share your own comments on ways you have found to praise the God of the universe.