Psalm 150:1-6 NIV
Praise the Lord.
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.
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Psalm 150 ends the Book of Psalms with the height of praise. The end of the book has built to this moment, a moment of complete and utter praise.
The Hebrew word "halle", translated as praise, appears 13 times, one for every tribe of Israel and one more for everyone else. Therefore the whole of Israel is represented in this call to worship and the hope for gentiles to join in the praise. I'm likely making too much of the numerical meaning, but the idea is consistent with biblical theology. Israel's life of worship and service to the Holy One is a light to the gentiles and a blessing to the world.
This all inclusive call to praise tells us where to praise, the temple and in heaven. It tells us why to praise, because of God's acts of power and surpassing greatness. And it tells us how to praise, with every sort of musical instrument, and with everything that has breath dancing and moving with joy in the Lord.
For years I fronted a Christian rock band. We made a joyful noise before the Lord. We believed everything we did was for the glory of the Lord to help others praise Him and connect with God's love and grace. Of course our music ministry wasn't for everyone, but everyone was invited to join in the celebration. I had taped to my music stand these words from Psalm 33.
Psalms 33:3 KJV
Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.
This verse for me was a biblical licence to rock as hard as we wanted for Jesus. For boomers who grew up on blues powered rock, our ministry moved hearts and lived closer to God. To others we were an oddity, but no one could say we didn't love the Lord because we testified with our hearts to His acts of power in our lives. What is your joyful noise of praise? Is it your work? Is it your investment in your family? Is it your volunteer service? Find your way to join in the praise.
May you live a life of worship, praising the Lord with all you got. Just as the Book of Psalms builds to complete praise, so does our lives. Never forget your destiny. You are moving in a crescendo toward utter bliss in the presence of God and all the hosts of heaven. Complete and utter praise will be your eternal occupation, as you live united with God and all His faithful beloved. So join the dance. Pick up your instrument of praise. And give the Lord your heart's fullest praise. Praise is what you were made for.
Hallelujah!
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