Psalm 148
Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above. Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts. Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for at his command they were created, and he established them for ever and ever—he issued a decree that will never pass away. Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and women, old men and children. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens. And he has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his faithful servants, of Israel, the people close to his heart. Praise the Lord. Psalm 148 (NIV)
What a wonderful Psalm!
A reminder to us all that we should give God our thanks and praise for all our blessings and for the gift of His precious Son Jesus, who died for the forgiveness of our sins, and to remind us of God’s gift of grace which allows the faithful to spend eternity with our loving God.
We have just finished the Thanksgiving holiday weekend for another year, which for most of us means that we gather with our friends and family and give thanks for all the blessings we have received in the past year and recognize those who are no longer with us. We share a large meal and (most of all) our time with our loved ones and then return to our busy lives and start thinking about the next holiday on the list (and everything that goes with it). The bottom line, however, is that we have the “thanks” part figured out for the most part. We are truly thankful for our blessings, and we do remember to thank God.
But it is the “praise” part that I am not so sure of. It is true, we do a good job of praising God during our worship services when we are in church. But what about all the other times when we are immersed in our daily lives and everything good and bad that goes with it? And if we remember to praise God how exactly are we supposed to do that? The Psalm makes one think of a person running through a beautiful Alpine field loudly singing praises, much like the opening scenes from “the Sound of Music”. But is that realistic for us? And are we willing to do that?
I think there is a more practical solution here. We can certainly give all thanks and praise to God and give Him glory by showing that He is the motivation and reason for our actions and for how we live our daily lives. This can be reflected in how we love, how we serve and in the example that we set for others. By living as Jesus taught us and by outwardly giving thanks to God for all that He has provided us and for how He has motivated us to live our lives, we can be that example for others. And in doing so, we show God our “praise”.
And it really doesn’t hurt to outwardly praise God on occasion either. None of us may have the opportunity to do so running through an Alpine field, but I think that if we try, we can figure something out. There are more opportunities out there than we think. Maybe you can even join a choir!
Thanks be to God!
Questions for Reflection:
- How do you thank God for your blessings? Through prayer?
- How often do you give thanks?
- How do you praise God? Can you do better?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, please help me to respond to your call and do what you ask of me. I know that what you ask me to do may come with risk, but I know that it is all part of your plan. Please use me and the talents that you have blessed me with for your glory. We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
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