-September 21, 2022-
Good morning, happy Wednesday,
“Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness” (Psalm 150:2).
“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord” (Psalm 150:6).
This anonymous psalm is so encouraging. In just six verses, the psalmist uses the word praise thirteen times. God is so great and worthy of all the praise we can give Him. The psalmist wrote to praise God in His sanctuary, in His mighty firmament, according to His excellent greatness, with the sound of the trumpet, with lute and harp, timbrel and dance, with stringed instruments, and with loud and clashing cymbals.
You don’t have to be a musician or singer to lift up your praise to God; you just have to be saved and appreciate who He is and what He has done, is doing, and will do. Like the language of love, the language of praise is found on earth and in heaven. It is beautiful and brings great joy to the Lord.
When Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, the people cried out, “Hosanna, to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest” (Matthew 21:9). The word hosanna means, “an expression of adoration, praise, or joy.” The Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, ‘Teacher, rebuke your disciples.’ But He answered, ‘I tell you, that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out’” (Luke 19:39-40). No ordinary man deserves praise, only God, and Jesus is God. He entered into Jerusalem as the Messiah. He is worthy of our praise, all our days. The expression hallelujah is synonymous with praise. There are two different spellings in the NT: hallelujah and alleluia, both of which are the same.
We should thus praise God at all times and in all ways. It is a great privilege and responsibility to praise the Lord individually in our personal devotions and collectively when we gather together. In our church we break bread each Sunday and when we conclude the service, we sing, “Praise God, from all blessings flow; Praise Him all creatures here below; Praise Him above ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.” The title is: “Praise God, From Whom All Blessings Flow.” But it is commonly called “The Doxology.”
The psalmist challenges us, “Let all that has breath praise the Lord.” That means everyone on earth, including us. May we always praise the Lord in word and song. God has given us life and breath, let us use every opportunity to praise the Lord and His holy name. Praise adds the element of joy to our thoughts of God!
Have a blessed day praising God. Stay safe and healthy.
Praising Him forever,
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 