God Speaks
148 1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens!
Praise him from the skies!
2 Praise him, all his angels!
Praise him, all the armies of heaven!
3 Praise him, sun and moon!
Praise him, all you twinkling stars!
4 Praise him, skies above!
Praise him, vapors high above the clouds!
5 Let every created thing give praise to the Lord,
for he issued his command, and they came into being.
6 He set them in place forever and ever.
His decree will never be revoked.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you creatures of the ocean depths,
8 fire and hail, snow and clouds,
wind and weather that obey him,
9 mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals and all livestock,
small scurrying animals and birds,
11 kings of the earth and all people,
rulers and judges of the earth,
12 young men and young women,
old men and children.
13 Let them all praise the name of the Lord.
For his name is very great;
his glory towers over the earth and heaven!
14 He has made his people strong,
honoring his faithful ones—
the people of Israel who are close to him.
Praise the Lord!
149 1 Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song.
Sing his praises in the assembly of the faithful.
2 O Israel, rejoice in your Maker.
O people of Jerusalem, exult in your King.
3 Praise his name with dancing,
accompanied by tambourine and harp.
4 For the Lord delights in his people;
he crowns the humble with victory.
5 Let the faithful rejoice that he honors them.
Let them sing for joy as they lie on their beds.
6 Let the praises of God be in their mouths,
and a sharp sword in their hands—
7 to execute vengeance on the nations
and punishment on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with shackles
and their leaders with iron chains,
9 to execute the judgment written against them.
This is the glorious privilege of his faithful ones.
Praise the Lord!
150 1 Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heaven!
2 Praise him for his mighty works;
praise his unequaled greatness!
3 Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn;
praise him with the lyre and harp!
4 Praise him with the tambourine and dancing;
praise him with strings and flutes!
5 Praise him with a clash of cymbals;
praise him with loud clanging cymbals.
6 Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding Psalms 148-150:
1. What does this psalm tell me about God?
2. What does this psalm tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
Psalm 148
1. God is worthy of the praise of everything He has created.
2. People of all ages and genders are to praise the LORD God along with everything else He has created.
Psalm 149
1. God delights in His people, those who seek to carry out His commands.
2. God’s people, His saints, are to carry out His vengeance on nations who have rebelled against the LORD and His ways.
Psalm 150
1. This psalm describes the various instruments to be used in praising the LORD God.
2. People are to use various instruments (including their voices in singing and their bodies in dancing) in praising the LORD forever.
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Psalms 148-150?
I praise You, O LORD, with all of my being, now and for eternity. I invite all of heaven and earth and the rest of creation to join me. We praise Your name, LORD God. Your name is very great. Your glory towers over the earth and heaven! It is through faith in what Jesus Christ has done that people are made strong. Although we are so unworthy, You have chosen to honor us by drawing us close to You. Praise You, O LORD! We continually sing to You new songs of praise. Please take delight in our humble attempts to honor You with singing and dancing in pure joy. May we go out among other people with the praises of God in our mouths and the sharp sword of the word of God in our hands. May we bring those leaders and kings who have opposed You and Your people to You for judgment. This will be the glorious privilege of Your faithful ones. We will praise You in Your sanctuary with rams’ horns, lyres, harps, tambourines, dancing, stringed instruments, flutes, and cymbals. Everything that has breath will sing praises to our God and King forever. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Psalms 148-150?
- I will praise the LORD in all circumstances and with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.
- I will ask the LORD to show me what I can do to stand up against evil and overcome it with good. I pledge to do whatever He shows me.
- I will do my part to expose and bring to justice those who are seeking to suppress the truth of God and His people.
- I will use whatever instrument I am skilled at to praise the LORD. [For the author of this blog, it is writing.]
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.