And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:32).
Many will gather in church buildings this Sunday and make praise-like noises. They’ll stand and sing, because not to do so would be awkward. They’ll repeat back verses to the man in the front of the congregation, which are soaked in truth, but about a God they’ve never personally met. None of that will be praise. To praise God, you must know God and to know God is to submit wholeheartedly to the will and person of Jesus Christ. Your focus has to be lifted off of yourself and onto the Lord.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh to the father, but by me.” Jesus is the truth, to know Him is to access the throne of God. When we know God and praise Him in honesty and humility, we are completely free, regardless of our circumstances. The closest we come to Heaven on this side of life, is when we are praising God through the power of the Holy Spirit living in us. Through inspiration from God, hundreds of years before His arrival in Bethlehem, King David prophetically worshipped the Son of God, who would be our Savior, and he also led his people in praise to God.
1 Praise ye the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul.
2 While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
While I live on this earth, I will praise Him. And when I live for eternity in His presence, I will never exhaust the reasons to praise and exalt His name. Because I have eternal life, I will have eternal praise for the God who made it possible.
3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.
4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
All of us are temporary. The wisest, the richest, the most beautiful, and the most talented are all a heartbeat away from leaving this world. I need to be reminded to put my trust in God and God alone. God has given us community in the church, and christian friendship is a powerful help for us. Our families are precious gifts from God, designed to tenderly teach, strengthen, and enrich our lives. Ultimately, however, only God offers limitless help and a permanent relationship. We cherish those God has placed in our lives, but we anchor our hearts and our eternity in the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.
5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God:
6 Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:
We praise God for creation and for the maintenance of all that He created. We are blessed when we look past the here and now and seek the will of God. Do you trust that God has a plan for His children? He made the heavens, earth, and the sea; He also maintains His creation. The ocean does what He told it to do. All of creation testifies of His incredible mind and magnificent ability to organize and provide. If He can hold the stars in their places, He can certainly hold your life together. If the seasons are faithful to bring new birth, life, growth, and death, then our lives are also faithfully constructed to do the same. Aren’t you glad that the God of the Bible is not like a watchmaker who created and walked away, leaving us to fend for ourselves? Colossians 1:16-20 says, “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”
The truth is, the grateful and ungrateful alike were created by and for Him. He will accomplish His will regardless of our mistakes. When we recognize that nothing exists outside of His control, we can praise Him confidently in every situation.
7 Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth the prisoners:
8 The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: the Lord loveth the righteous:
9 The Lord preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.
God consistently works wonders through the outcast. The overlooked, the discounted, the ones the world takes advantage of, are the perfect vessels for His miracles. Mankind doesn’t often defend the defenseless, we defend our own interests. We don’t often fill the empty hearts, minds, and bellies of those who are suffering. But God will. In Luke chapter six, Jesus said, “...woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep. Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.”
Our Lord is keeping track. He expects those who know Him to seek His justice. We can praise Him because He will take care of those who the world forgets. The strangers are those who are outside of the Jewish family; God cares about them, also. The physically oppressed, those burdened, those who have suffered great loss, are seen and their prayers are heard, by a God who knows what it is to suffer. He became like us and lived like us so that we can become His children and live with Him forever.
10 The Lord shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the Lord.
150 Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.
His sanctuary is the separated place, the Holy place of the Tabernacle in David’s time. There’s a separation there from all that is unholy and unclean and permission, by the grace of God, to be in communion with the Spirit of God. We are to praise Him in the spiritual space made possible by the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Because He has become our Great High Priest, we are able to praise God through Christ. As the old song goes, “When He sees me, He sees the blood of the Lamb!”
To praise him in the firmament of His power is to praise Him outside of the Holy place. In all the places He has called me to live. The firmament is the separation God created during the first week between all that is of the earth below and all that is of the sky above. While I stand on the earth and until I lie under it, while I’m breathing the air and not living beyond it, I need to praise my God, the Lord God who made all things, including my place in His divine design.
2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.
It is appropriate to praise God for what he has done, what he continues to do, and what He has promised to do in the future. No one can do what God has done. Miracles flood the New Testament but are just as plentiful in the Old Testament. God has always shown His greatness to His people. He wants to be known by His creation. All that He does is excellent, is right, and is in perfect alignment with His character.
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.
6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.
What is the right way to praise the Lord? According to David use anything and everything at your disposal to let people know who God is and what He’s done for you. You can praise Him musically, all instruments accepted. You can praise Him verbally; you’ll never run out of words to describe Him or reasons to thank Him. You can also praise Him at work by working well. You can praise Him at home by loving your family in His pattern and for His sake. You can praise Him in your habits and in your entertainment, enjoying a God who is creative and who shares His attributes with those He created. The right way to praise the Lord is to do it with your whole heart. Praise Him in the truth of who He is and what He has done. Your surrender is praise, your vision aligning with His will, is praise. “Let everything that hath breath (that’s you) praise the Lord!"
Thank you for studying with us! God bless!