Praise the LORD

Praise the LORD

15 September 2020

Read: Psalm 150 vs 1-6

On Sunday 15th March we began a journey through the book of Psalms. Six months on, today, we reach the end of that journey. You will have your own recollections, your own thoughts, your own experiences of what these last six months have brought. They have been like no other. Yet, like people of faith down through the centuries, we have the privilege of making this journey in the company of God’s word; a wonderful treasure, a precious guide along the way.

The word ‘praise’ dominates Psalm 150, which we come to today. Every verses of this short psalm calls us to praise the LORD and do so wherever we find ourselves and in whatever circumstance. He is to be praised in the place of worship ‘the sanctuary’ and also in the mighty heavens (vs 1). He is to be praised because of His acts of power and for His surpassing greatness (vs 2). The sense in vs 3-5 is that God is to be praised with anything we have to hand; a trumpet, a harp, a lyre, a tambourine, with dancing, with strings, flute and cymbals. The New Testament book of Colossians reminds us that Jesus is ‘the firstborn over all creation’ and in Him all things hold together (Colossians 1:17). 

So it makes sense that we bring anything we can, everything we have, and so all of who we are, becomes an act of worship before our great and glorious God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Romans 12:1). 

This is not where the life of faith begins, as we have seen there are many many bumps and twists along the road, questions unanswered, hurts, pain, joys, hopes realised and hopes dashed. Jesus shows ‘the way’ (John 14:1, Acts (:2) and along this Way, for now, there is much seeing ‘poorly’, there is much ‘knowing in part’ (1 Corinthians 13:12). So we live by faith, and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). One day we will see Jesus face to face (Revelation 22:4) and worship Him into eternity. For now, like all who have gone before, we journey on, in faith. As we do the Psalms give us songs to sing and prayers to pray along the way:

‘Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD.’