Praising God

Many people praise God, but most who do so have not thought about praising Him in places other than where they go to worship.  Obviously, the church, synagogue, or temple is a place to praise the Lord.  However, we need to be aware that we can, and we should, praise God anywhere and at any time.  Generally, praise is the expression of warm approval or admiration of someone or for something special they have done.  Christian praise is considered an expression of gratitude and respect towards God because of His goodness and the blessings He has provided for us.

The six verses of Psalm 150 expand on Christian praise. They explain a lot to us about praise and help us understand aspects related to the worship of God.  In this Psalm we learn the following:

1)      Places to Praise the Lord.  We are told that we should praise God “in His sanctuary” and “in His mighty heavens” (verse 1).  Although we may often think of praise as happening in a church building, praise can be expressed to God anywhere in the whole earth where God has displayed His power.

2)      Things for which to Praise God.  The psalm identifies “His acts of power” and “His surpassing greatness” as things for which to praise God (verse 2).  God orders and controls all the forces of nature and His divine power stands behind His greatness.

3)      Instruments with which to Praise God.  Many different instruments can be used for bringing praise to God (verses 3-5).  A few of the nine instruments noted in these verses include “trumpet, harp, strings and cymbals.”  It is important to remember that the praise is not in the instruments themselves, it is in the hearts of the people who use these and other instruments as they worship the Lord.

4)      Persons and Things should be United in Praise to God.  “Everything that has breath” should be involved in praising the Lord (verse 6).  If you have breath, you should use it to express your praise to the wonderful God who created you.

The Psalmist concludes Psalm 150 by saying, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” (verse 6).  Maybe it is time for all of us to evaluate our expressions of praise to God including how, where and with what we offer our gratitude and show our respect to Him.  Are you ready to praise the Lord?