Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray with Me”.
Psalm 150 closes the Book of Psalms with an exuberant call to praise the Lord. In six short verses, between the opening and closing hallelujahs, there are ten commands to praise the Lord.
Where should people praise God? The poet says, do it in the temple and do it in nature, in the mighty heavens (v. 1).
What should people praise God for? The poet suggests for God’s acts of power and surpassing greatness (v. 2).
What kind of noise should we make praising God? The poet suggests an orchestra with stringed instruments, woodwinds, and percussion–trumpets, harps, flutes, and lutes (vv. 3-5),
What body position does the poet suggest? He encourages dancing with a tambourine (v. 4).
Who does the poet invite to this chorus of praise? He says, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord” (v. 6).
Let’s pray.
Our father, the poet said, “Let everything that has breath praise you.” That means us. We join the chorus of praise.
The winds that blow praise you–howling blizzards of winter; warm breezes that promise spring; hurricanes and cyclones that shatter the earth. Praise be to their creator.
The animals praise you: coyotes serenading the moon, frogs croaking in their ponds, songbirds singing sweet melodies. Praise be to their creator.
The heavens praise you, declaring your glory: The sun that warms our northern cities; the constellation Orion dominating our night sky; black holes hiding their power behind an event horizon; vast reaches of space soon to be explored by the James Webb telescope. Praise to you from the heavens.
The people praise you, Lord: farming and shopping; building and tearing down; warring and making peace. The human comedy and the human tragedy together raise a voice of praise to their creator.
The cities praise you, Lord. Beijing hosting a pandemic winter olympics; Mexico City struggling with pollution and crime; New York City offering the best and the worst of America; Toronto with cold Canadian winters, and a population from all over the world. Praise be to the creator who made a world that supports cities.
The agricultural lands praise you, Lord. Subsistence farms in Africa and Asia, where backbreaking labor barely supports the farmers; large-scale agriculture in developed countries with equipment and fertilizers and pesticides and fears that climate change will reduce profits. Praise be to the creator, who made a world fit for farming.
The invisible world praises you, O Lord. The world where microbes hide and viruses multiply and human genes reside; the world where electrons frolic around atoms, and quirks and quarks appear and disappear. These too praise their creator.
And we who are your people praise you. Joined together in that mystical body, the church; servants of Christ who lives in us; pray-ers to the God we cannot see. As Peter said, we are filled with joy inexpressible and full of glory, for we are receiving the goal of our faith, the salvation of our souls (1 Pet 3:8-9).
We praise you, God. Hallelujah.
Amen
I’m Daniel on the channel “Pray with Me”.
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