Psalms 150
Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament! Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord! Psalms 150:1-6 NKJV
Praising God is such an important part of our spiritual life. It gives all the credit to God, where it belongs, and reminds us that “Every good and perfect gift is from above…” (James 1:17).
Here are two of the many reasons why God is so worthy of our praise:
1. We should praise Him because of who He is. The list of His wonderful characteristics is very long. Here are a few to remember:
-He is loving and kind. “The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness’” (Jeremiah 31:3).
-He is great and full of glory. “May they sing of the ways of the LORD, for the glory of the LORD is great” (Psalm 138:5).
-He is wise and powerful. “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are His” (Daniel 2:20).
-He is merciful. “The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love” (Psalm 145:8).
-He is full of goodness and generosity. “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless” (Psalm 84:11).
-He is patient. “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
-He is faithful. “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments” (Deuteronomy 7:9).
2. We should praise Him because of what He has done, and continues to do for us.
-He created the universe and gave all of us life. “It is I who made the earth and created mankind on it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts” (Isaiah 45:12).
-He saved us from sin and death. “Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death” (Psalm 68:20).
-He keeps His promises. “Praise be to the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel just as He promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises He gave through His servant Moses” (1 Kings 8:56).
-He forgives us and can heal us. “He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases” (Psalm 103:3, NLT).
-He provides for us. “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
-He gave us the Holy Spirit as a helper and a guide. “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans” (Romans 8:26).
-He gave us the invaluable gift of The Bible. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
God has given us so much that we should be able to praise Him for a lifetime. Praising Him lifts our mood, turns our hearts toward Him, and helps us to be mindful of how much we owe Him. This shifts our attention away from our selfishness and pride, and allows us to delight in the peace and unparalleled joy that accompanies godly gratitude and contentment. Praise is a vital part of a life that is fully surrendered to God, so “Let them praise the LORD for His great love and for the wonderful things He has done for them” (Psalm 107:8, NLT). Hallelujah!