Praise the Lord! Paise God in His sanctuary; praise him in His mighty firmament! Praised Him in His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lyre and harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise Him with loud cymbols; Praise Him with clashing symbols! Let everything that has breath Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 150) One thing for sure, the Lord is trying to impress upon us the importance of the Lord, whatever we may be doing.
The original word for “praise” is “halal,” meaning “to shine, boast, rave, and to celebrate clamorously.” To some this may seem extreme, but that is the directive here, “Boast of the Lord! Rave of him His sanctuary,” and more – this exuberance is to be manifest by a radical measure – according to God’s excellent greatness!
How? Begin with honestly asking if our habits of praise are willing to incorporate a shout of triumph (Psalm 47:1: Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph! Here is the biblical counsel to include occasions of extreme praise.
If a worthy reason is needed, embrace the ultimate “triumph” – Christ’s cross and resurrection for our sins. He is the “God among the gods,” so our Praise should be more outstanding than that given to any other god in our life.
You are loved, Pastor Don
Cornerstone Worship Center 