Praise ye the Lord

How to praise God - from Psalm 150.

Praise speaks of our joyful delight. Our word comes from the Latin, meaning ‘to prize’. We praise what we value. What we honour. Our Lord is worthy of honour and glory. We are created to praise and glorify Him! Isa.43:7 God says, "For I have created him for my glory." It’s our highest purpose.
Psalm 150 captures praise and what it’s all about.

WHERE should we praise God? Psalms 150:1-6 Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise Him everywhere. In the sanctuary – where God’s people gather. Praise him in the firmament of his power. Heaven is a place of praise. There is actually NO place we should NOT proclaim His praise!

Let praise fill your everyday life. As David says, Psalm 9:1-2 I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart…

WHEN should we praise the Lord? Psalms 113:2-3 Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. 3 From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD'S name is to be praised. Praise Him, every waking moment! Make praise your way of life.
Psalms 34:1 I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth… 3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.

It’s always the right time to praise the Lord. Psalms 146:2 While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.

Psalm 150 reads on: 2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. WHY should we praise God? For what He does. For His mighty acts. For the great things He has done.

The greatest work of God is our salvation. Praise Him for his acts:
His work of creation.
His deliverance of Noah at the flood.
He saved Lot from Sodom.
He set His people free from Egypt.
He gave them manna from heaven and water from the rock.
He saved those who looked upon the lifted up serpent of brass.
The walls of Jericho fell at God’s command.
Praise Him for the wonder of the incarnation and the provision of Calvary, and the glorious resurrection.

If you thank God after the fact, that’s gratitude. If you thank God before it happens, that’s faith.
God’s will is that we worship Him.

Praise brings victory – as in the story of Jehoshaphat. God miraculously defeated the enemy because of the people’s obedience to praise Him. Praise is first in the battle. As they began to sing and to praise, the invading enemy was defeated 2 Chron. 20:22. Praise defeats the enemy.

Give praise for the works of God – and give praise also for His character. For WHO He is. Praise God for His excellent greatness.

HOW should we praise God? With everything we have.

3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.
4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.

There’s a crescendo of praise here. Praise Him, with the whole orchestra. It’s like God wants His church to be. It’s spontaneous. It’s joyful. Unreserved. Enthusiastic. It’s loud. It’s energetic. Powerful.

There is joy here. We enjoy God. Praise is joyful. Our praise helps us overcome our spiritual apathy and lukewarmness. As David said: Psalms 122:1 I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.

David was overwhelmed with praise. Praise Him without reservation. May we give Him our highest praise.

WHO should praise God? Every living thing. 6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

As long as you are breathing you should be praising the Lord. “God is to be praised everywhere we are, because of everything He is and with everything we have by everyone and everything.”

God is looking for worshippers. The only qualification for praising God is that you breathe.

Every third word in this psalm is a command to praise God! God has purposed that creation will honour Him – It’s His purpose for us. Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

Make praise your priority. Determine to praise. Make it deliberate. Put on the garment of praise. Isaiah 61:3 …the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness… Be clothed with praise.

There’s a melody that’s heart deep. Ephesians 5:18-19 …Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.

Praise is something truly beautiful. Psalm 33:1 Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright. There is therapy in praise. It will bless your soul.

Praise ye the Lord!