Psalm 150
Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary. Praise him in the expanse that shows his might. Praise him for his acts of power. Praise him according to his abundant greatness. Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn. Praise him with the harp and the lyre. Praise him with hand drums and dancing. Praise him with the strings and the flute. Praise him with the sounding cymbals. Praise him with loud cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.
Dear Heavenly Father,
How blessed we are to have been given this Psalms. This final Psalm provides the four “w’s” and the how of praise. The Psalms teach us how important it is to remain in your word. They have cried to you in times of trouble when our enemies are stalking and laying traps for us. The Psalms recounted the beauty and majesty of your creation, properly giving you credit for their being. They have cried out to you in suffering and pain. This final Psalm is like the bow on the package.
You are the “who” we are to praise because you never let go of us in good times or bad; you are always with us. You went to great lengths to ensure we remain with you. You sent your Son to suffer and die for all our sins, and Jesus took them to the cross with him so that they no longer separate us from you.
Where? You tell us to praise You in Your sanctuary and the expanse. In our faith, You come and dwell within us. Your believers are your sanctuary, so we should praise You everywhere we go. At the same time, You have established congregations where all believers can unite and honor You with one voice. And when we are finally home with You in heaven, we will praise You there also. There is no place that we should not praise You.
Why? We praise You because of Your power and might. You created everything around us and restored us when our sin damaged Your perfect creation. It is Your abundant greatness—Your abundant love and mercy—that You have for us. Through Your plan of salvation, You restored us to You by faith; Your Spirit began in us so we have everlasting life.
How? With anything and everything, that can show our joy of the salvation which You have given us.
What are we to do? Praise you! How can we not share the good news of our salvation with those who do not yet know Your love? Because You do not desire the death of sinners, but that all would come to know You. Lord, thank You for giving us Your Psalms. Amen.
Written through Pastor Roger Emmons
So, in conclusion, for all that God has done—created, redeemed, and set you apart as holy—praise the Lord.