Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.
Psalm 150
Psalm 150 teaches us to praise God with all that we have, all that we can, at all times. This means praising God is not enclosed with certain locations like our local church where we attend our services. Praising God can be done even when we are at home doing our usual chores, at work doing our reports, or at school where we study. We praise God when we include Him in our everyday tasks when we put Him as our source of hope and perseverance, and when we apply His teachings and follow His commandments because this means that we fully trust God with our life and give Him full control even in difficult times.
Psalm 150 also emphasizes that we praise God because of His acts of power and surpassing greatness. If we look back on our day, there would be countless things to praise God for. There’s food on the table – Praise God! Someone helped you today – Praise God! You arrived home safely – Praise God! You got accepted from your dream school or job – praise God! You have surpassed your bad habits, attitude, or hurt – Praise God! You shared a gospel with a stranger – Praise God!
Whether it be an answered prayer, a redirection, or a calling, Praise God. Praising God means we leave our worries and doubts behind and we wholeheartedly believe and acknowledge that His greatness and power are far more than we can reach and understand – far greater than what the world will throw at us.
Praising God is a lifetime commitment. It may sound a like huge responsibility and we may find it hard to praise Him when we are suffering but if we focus on God’s sovereignty, unchanging character, and steadfast love, goodness, and mercy, and if we just want to give our pure adoration and glory to Him, it will be easy. Honoring Him is not established on what we feel but on the attitude of the heart. Praising God is an external expression of an internal reality – it is what God has revealed to us and how it transformed our hearts, lives, and beings as Christians.