Praise Ye The Lord!

For a musician, very few scriptures resonate as clearly as Psalm 150. Throughout the Psalms, the writers have played the same melody: praise to the Lord. In every situation, in all voices, at every occasion, praising God is always appropriate and vitally necessary.

Our omnipotent God is to be praised in His sanctuary - in the tabernacle, in the temple and in the church building. This is where we find the foundation of His power. He is to be praised among the congregation of believers at every opportunity. This includes singers and musicians, but it should also encourage testimonies, teaching and times of public prayer.

Our omniscient God should be praised for knowing exactly what we need every moment of our lives. We look behind us and see His hand at work in our past. We rejoice in the way He moves in our present. And we praise Him now for the excellent greatness in His future plans for us.

As the psalmist mentions specific instruments, those of us involved in music ministry can hear the praises to God in our minds and in our hearts. Our praise rings out not in harmony - where everyone plays their own notes and parts - but in unison. A multitude of notes become a single voice lifted in praise. Our gifts and talents combine in gratitude for His goodness.

But musicianship is not required to praise the Lord. All that is needed is breath. If you have air in your lungs, give God praise. If you are inhaling and exhaling right now, right this minute, praise the Lord for His blessed gifts. Until the moment of our last breath, our sole purpose in life is to praise God.

And just in case you missed it in each of these six verses, the psalmist says it again: Praise ye the Lord. Don't wait for someone else to do it. Don't sit back in silence because there are plenty of others around you offering praise. Praise ye the Lord. If your heart has anything, even the littlest thing, to praise God for ... praise Him now. Don't make request of Him or complain about your situation. Simply praise Him.

Praise ye the Lord.

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