But today I noticed something new about this short but sweet
psalm. It’s not just about
praising Him; there are sort of divisions, or specifics about praising
Him. So I thought it might be a
good idea for me to borrow this pattern, but sort of put it in my own words.
Every line of the psalm is a command (or suggestion or
recommendation; whatever a psalmist does) for us to praise God, and the first
and last lines are simply that.
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
Lines 2 and 3 (these aren’t verses 2 and 3 mind you, just
the next two lines) both speak to where. “Praise
God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament!” This, to me, is a reminder that He is
both in heaven, and on earth. He
is on the throne of heaven, but also in my church, in my home, in my
heart.
Praise the Lord!
Praise Him on the
earth; Praise Him in the highest heaven!
Praise Him that He
dwells in my heart;
Praise Him that He reigns on high!
Praise the Lord!
The next two lines (these make up verse 2) both speak to why; or reasons to praise Him. “Praise
Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!” Now, of course, a section like that
could go on forever; there are more reasons to praise Him than we could
possibly name, but these lines in this psalm guide us to praise Him for what He
has done, and for who He is.
Praise the Lord!
Praise Him on the
earth; Praise Him in the highest heaven!
Praise Him that He
dwells in my heart;
Praise Him that He reigns on high!
Praise Him that He
has redeemed you;
that you are forgiven from your sins!
Praise Him that He is
loving, merciful and just;
the source of grace and truth!
Praise the Lord!
The next six lines are fun, joyful, and noisy. These make up verses 3, 4 and 5, and
they are the how of praise ~ “Praise Him with the sound of 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!”
Now this psalm, of course, speaks to everyone, so when I
personalize it, it gets a bit tricky.
I do not have a trumpet, lute or harp, nor do I know how to play
them. I don’t even know what
a timbrel is, although there’s a note in my Bible study notes that tells me
it’s a tambourine-like instrument.
And I gotta be honest, I’m not very comfortable with dancing. It’s just not something I do, although
I can certainly make an exception for Him ;)
I also don’t have access to a flute, but stringed
instruments and cymbals? Now those
I can do. The Apple of my Eye and
my Awesome Girl both play guitar, so we have a few of those on the
premises. My Amazing Boy dabbles
on the drum, so we have a couple of those in the house, and I happen to know
that there’s still a set of small cymbals out in the garage. They are those children’s cymbals, like
“My First Noisemaker that My Parents Are Going to Truly Regret Buying For
Me”. You know, Fisher-Price
or Playskool or something, I think…
But if I’m thinking of how to praise Him, I don’t think it
has to be limited to instruments, really.
I can sing, and I can shout.
I can tell others what He has done for me, and about all that He is. And I can love others; I can
serve. All of that shows how thankful I am to Him.
So, I think for me, when I add verses 4-6 to my Psalm 150,
it might look like this:
Praise the Lord!
Praise Him on the
earth; Praise Him in the highest heaven!
Praise Him that He
dwells in my heart;
Praise Him that He reigns on high!
Praise Him that He
has redeemed you;
that you are forgiven from your sins!
Praise Him that He is
loving, merciful and just;
the source of grace and truth!
Praise Him with the
sound of singing;
Praise Him with instruments and a capella!
Praise Him with words
and actions;
Praise Him with love and service to others!
Praise Him with small
but loud cymbals;
Praise Him with clashing Playskool cymbals!
{Okay, maybe just
“clashing cymbals”…}
Praise the Lord!
And finally, verse 6, “Let everything that has breath praise
the Lord.” As a psalm that speaks
to everyone, this line is letting every one of us know that we have reason to
praise. But in a personal sense, I
am reminded that the fact that I have breath, that I have a heartbeat, is just
one reason to praise Him. It’s my
most basic reason, but there are many others. Acknowledging some of my other reasons would bring my praise psalm to this:
Praise the Lord!
Praise Him on the
earth; Praise Him in the highest heaven!
Praise Him that He
dwells in my heart;
Praise Him that He reigns on high!
Praise Him that He
has redeemed you;
that you are forgiven from your sins!
Praise Him that He is
loving, merciful and just;
the source of grace and truth!
Praise Him with the
sound of singing;
Praise Him with instruments and a capella!
Praise Him with words
and actions;
Praise Him with love and service to others!
Praise Him with small
but loud cymbals;
Praise Him with clashing cymbals!
I have breath; I have life. I love and am loved.
I am blessed by His Spirit and His Word.
He has made me; He has saved me,
and I will praise Him!
Praise the Lord!
My words and His Word. He is worthy.
~
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