Praise the LORD

Praise is the offering of grateful homage and adoration in word oW song to God Almighty. The Westminster Shorter Catechism states:  “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” This is supported in Proverbs 16:4, which states, “The LORD has made everything for its purpose” (that is, His glory). Psalm 86:9 states, “All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O LORD.” God desires praises from His people and He is worthy and deserving of them. Therefore, we have good reasons to praise God.

With praise as its theme, Psalm 150 concludes the book of Psalms. Each of the last five Psalms begins and ends with “Praise the LORD.”  With only six verses, Psalm 150 is a very short Psalm. And yet, it highlights the necessity to praise God. Verse 6 says, “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.”

The word praise occurs no less than twelve times in this “grand finale” of the Psalms. A psalm is a sacred song or hymn used in Christian and Jewish worship. The book of psalms is referred to as the “Psalter.”

God is praised in the earthly and heavenly sanctuaries. The earthly sanctuary is our house of worship. We thank and praise God for valid reasons to worship Him, including who He is, what He is doing, and what He will yet do for us. Psalm 150 says God can be praised with a variety of musical instruments. Think of an orchestra with different instruments harmoniously playing worshipfully together to the praise and glory of God. The Psalm also points out that  every living thing is capable of praising God.  Didn’t He create them all?

Christian congregations around the world sing this doxology, usually at the end of their worship service: “Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.” A doxology is an expression of praise to God as an integral part of Christian worship.

Praising the Almighty should essentially characterize our lives. We should praise God every day of the week. This will enhance our corporate worship on Sundays when we “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise, give thanks to Him; bless his name” (Psalm 100:4). Our united praise will then be like a “crescendo” sending forth a sweet fragrance into the heavenly sanctuary of God who indeed is worthy of homage, glory, honor, and praise.

Psalm 113 is another wonderful Psalm that begins and ends with “Praise the Lord.” This Psalm is more of an “invitational psalm,” in which we are called to praise God. We must also bear in mind that God is to be praised continually. Verse 3 states,  “From the rising of the sun to its setting the LORD is to Praised.” In praising God, Daniel said, “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might.” (Daniel 2:20).

William MacDonald wrote, “The glory of God was the purpose of creation. Therefore man finds the central reason for his existence in praising the Lord. As it is so tersely stated in the Shorter Catechism, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.”  (Believer’s Bible Commentary p. 782). 

May the christian church rise to the occasion and not be silent nor falter in praising God and rejoicing in Him from day to day. May our voices rise above and beyond the din and emptiness of this sin-defiled world. The object of praise must be to let others be aware that the Lord, He is God, who reigns supreme above. 

Let us therefore praise our God and Father for His glorious grace by which He has blessed us in the person of His well-beloved Son—our Savior Jesus Christ. We now have redemption  through His precious blood and the forgiveness of our sins.