Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights above.
Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars.
Praise him, you highest heavens
and you waters above the skies.Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for at his command they were created,
and he established them for ever and ever –
he issued a decree that will never pass away.Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,
you mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
wild animals and all cattle,
small creatures and flying birds,
kings of the earth and all nations,
you princes and all rulers on earth,
young men and women,
old men and children.Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his splendour is above the earth and the heavens.
And he has raised up for his people a horn,
the praise of all his faithful servants,
of Israel, the people close to his heart.Praise the Lord.
(Ps. 148:1-14 NIV)
The Psalmist calls upon the whole of creation to be animated and praise the Lord. It is as if his heart is full of the joy of the Lord and he looks around and calls upon everything that he can see and think about to become one massive choir and sing out to the praise of God. It is a delight to listen to a single artist sing like Katherine Jenkins or Renée Fleming. Small groups or choirs also provide a lot of listening pleasure. But there is something about a large choir of 1000 voices that is thrilling to listen to. Can you just imagine what heaven will be like when all the redeemed of all ages join together with the angels and sing to the glory and praise of God? The Psalmist imagines a massive choir where the angels, the sun, moon and the shining stars of the sky join with the waters above the sky to praise the Lord. They are to join the praise because they have all been created by God. They were created by the command of God. God spoke them into existence.
It will be a thunderous volume of praise. When you think it can’t get any better, in the second verse the amassed choirs from earth join in the praise of God. The great sea creatures and every living thing that lives in the depths of the oceans join. The great elements that make up our weather also join, lightning and hail, snow and clouds that come and go as the Lord bids them. The mountains and hills are called into action along with the fruit trees and cedars to all sing God’s praise. The animal world is also summoned to sing, the wild animals and the cattle, all small animals and the flying birds.
It is time for all those who have been made in the image of God to give Him the praise that is His due. All nations and rulers of nations, all people, men and women whether young or old, all are to sing God’s praise.
This cosmic choir are to praise the name of the Lord for only the Lord’s name is to be exalted. The splendour of the Lord rises above everything in the heavens and the earth. The Lord has raised up one of strength. Ultimately this is the Lord Jesus Christ. God has given us a Saviour. All God’s people are close to His heart and as a people who are close to His heart we should praise the Lord.
Prayer
Lord God we exalt Your great name. There is no other name that is worthy of praise. We thank You for our Saviour Jesus Christ, and that through Jesus You have drawn us close to Your heart. In the measure that we can sing Your praise, help us to sing out to Your glory in Jesus’ name. Amen.