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Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his surpassing greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with clanging cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! (Psalm 150 New Revised Standard Version)
A good Wednesday to you, dear Friend! I pray this is a wonderful day filled with God's best for you and yours. May the time you spend with God and God's word today be a blessing that goes beyond our comprehension as we interact with God and God's creation! That's my prayer for you!
There is no better way to close the beautiful book of the Psalms than this last psalm. There are 150 psalms which we count as chapters, so this makes this book the one with the most chapters. Let's take a close look at this psalm.
I find myself writing "Praise God," or "Praise the Lord," as a response on Facebook and Instagram, to reports or updates on answered prayers, births, good news, etc. And though I write it often, I mean it. I really want the praise in me to go out to God as a response of my gratitude for what God has done, is doing, and will do in our lives and in the lives of friends and loved ones. Praise is a deliberate response of gratitude to God for which we were made. As David wrote this psalm he was thinking about giving God praise. He was a man of praise. It opens the psalm and then David says we should praise God in God's house, namely the sanctuary or temple in our houses of worship. And we should praise God outside, in all that God has created. God accepts our praise in church as well as in natural settings. We praise God for all He has done (answered prayers), and for the great "surpassing greatness (unexplained blessings). David also believed in using instruments of worship to praise God; trumpet, lyre, harp, tambourine and dance, strings and pipe (flutes, piccolos) - anything that expresses our praise is welcome and allowed. And as an added accent, he writes, "Praise Him with clanging cymbals," and adds, "loud clashing cymbals." (Seems the boy was serious about praising God!). And he concludes with the all-inclusive, "Let everything that breathes, praise the Lord!" And he adds as his finishing touch, "Praise the Lord!" Amen!
Praise should be serious business. It is joyous and happy, but deep down in our heart of hearts, and in our souls, every time we gather for worship, praise should be central in our focus. All of us were made to praise God, and as long as we have breath, we should take advantage of every opportunity to thank and praise God. Stop and think about all the instruments listed. Imagine the music coming from each! The beautiful, but powerful blast from a trumpet; the string instruments, the woodwinds, the tambourine and the impulses that cause us to sway and dance (think your little ones listening to their favorite music, and then think, "that should be me!" And you're on the right path towards praising the Lord!). Then as the melodies are sharing their melodic sounds of praise, the cymbals break through with the crowning touch of this act of worship. Then, you can look around and see all who have been blessed by having made time to praise God. Look inward and see the joy that is yours for knowing that God is being blessed by what you have just offered.
I don't know about you, but such a scene blesses and lifts me and my spirit. It puts all that was causing me worry and anxiousness to be moved to the I Trust God column and checking the box that says, "God is taking care of this for me!" A smile forms on my face and I begin to know that yes, indeed, all is well in the world, even if for a tiny moment.
PRAYER: Loving God, as we close this time of prayer, bring blessing upon blessing to this dear reader. May whatever has them worried or anxious be removed from their thoughts and hearts, and place firmly in Your hands. Lord, You are worthy of our praise, and may praise never end from my lips, thoughts, and actions. This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be a vessel of praise today!
Eradio Valverde
The new podcast on "How Do You Handle Doubt & Fear" comes out later today on pimplesandwrinkles.org/Media. Come listen and be blessed!
