Yesterday we celebrated the greatest gift this earthly realm could ever receive, and that is Christ. We know that through His death and resurrection, we are offered the choice of salvation and eternal forgiveness and life from this dark and sinful world. That alone should have praises rolling off of our mouths at all times.
Today’s psalm begins and ends with “Praise the LORD!”. The psalmist is calling on the attention of heaven and earth, so all of creation, to be included in praising the Lord. In the first part of the psalm, we see praises from above us within the Heavenly realm, and then in the second half we see the earthly realm joining with all of creation to sing praises to the Lord.
In the book of Revelation, the Apostle John sees all of heaven and earth praising the Lord. We must remember that John’s vision is yet to come, and we want to be a part of those who are praising our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ; for He is the only Way, Truth, and Life to the Father (John 14:6). “And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang: ‘Blessings and honor and glory and power belong to the One sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.’” (Revelation 5:13)
Psalm 148 (NLT)
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!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for coming the first time to save us from our sinful ways. We look forward to when You return for Your Church, and we want to be ready. So, please help us to follow You and the path that You have for us at all times. Quicken our souls to repent when we are not in Oneness with Your Spirit. Help us, Jesus, to be living each moment for eternity, right now. We join with all of Heaven as we lift up this prayer and praise Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.