"Praise the LORD! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament!" (Ps. 150:1).
Like a magnificent musical finale, Psalm 150 swells into a climactic and glorious song of praise to God. In earnest strains, this psalm excites every Christian to his main duty—the praise of the Lord Almighty. God created man to glory in His presence and to worship Him in spirit and truth. This is our ultimate purpose and destiny. Yet through sin, man has grown cold and silent. Only through the regenerating work of the Spirit is the heart of man filled with the praises of God, which spill from his lips and mingle in the assembly of the saints as a sweet fragrance before the Lord. Yet even believers must be exhorted time and again.
Through words such as those written in Psalm 150, the Spirit stirs the hearts and minds of Christians to engage in praise to the Lord, to contemplate His glorious majesty and mighty power, to contemplate the excellency and holiness of Christ. “If we would have our minds kindled, then, to engage in this religious service, let us meditate upon His power and greatness, which will speedily dispel all insensibility,” Calvin writes. “Though our minds can never take in this immensity, the mere taste of it will deeply affect us, and God will not reject such praises as we offer according to our capacity.”
How often do you neglect this duty of praise because the right words fail to come? Look then to the refrains of Psalm 150 for guidance. Let the Word of God instruct you. Do not let a day go by without reading a passage or even a line from Holy Scripture that directs you to praise the Lord. Remember, He promises to bless you (Isa. 55:10–11). Follow the example of saints such as Matthew Henry, who instructs us in elements of praise: “Praise God with a strong faith; praise Him with holy love and delight; praise Him with an entire confidence in Christ; praise Him with a believing triumph over the powers of darkness; praise him with an earnest desire towards Him and a full satisfaction in Him; praise Him by a universal respect to all His commands; praise Him by a cheerful submission to all His disposals; praise Him by rejoicing in His love and solacing yourselves in His great goodness; praise Him by promoting the interests of the kingdom of His grace; praise Him by a lively hope and expectation of the kingdom of His glory.”
Pray through Psalm 150. What about it excites you to praise the Lord? Commit to reading a passage or line from Scripture everyday as you praise the Lord either in your study time or during one of your times of prayer.
