Psalms finale

About two and a half years ago i started studying the psalms, and now we reach the final one. It has been illuminating for me. I used to think the psalms were a bit lovey-dovey, how i was wrong! They are powerful outpourings of different emotions and passionate faith! It has been inspiring to research and consider each one week be week to find out the hearts of those who wrote them, and the level of trust and hope they each had in God. They have inspired me to keep holding on, to know that steadfastness is key, and that there is always, always hope even in the most desperate situations when God is in the picture! He has triumphed over enemies, hearts, cities, the heavens, He reigns supreme and will never let you down. He is worthy to be praised always. 

So, without further ado, let us read the final psalm;

 Psalm 150:1–6 (ESV): 

Praise the Lord! 

  Praise God in his sanctuary; 

praise him in his mighty heavens! 

 2  Praise him for his mighty deeds; 

praise him according to his excellent greatness! 

 3  Praise him with trumpet sound; 

praise him with lute and harp! 

 4  Praise him with tambourine and dance; 

praise him with strings and pipe! 

 5  Praise him with sounding cymbals; 

praise him with loud clashing cymbals! 

 6  Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! 

  Praise the Lord! 

How fitting that the last psalm focuses on praising God in a multitude of ways. Bearing in mind all of the psalms that have come before, the culmination of the heartache, triumph, despair, joy, patience, confusion and victory is to praise God!

No matter where you are, what you are doing or experiencing, or what you have about you - use that to praise God! If you are amongst a group of people or alone, are having an easy or a tough time, you can ‘praise him for his mighty deeds’. The things God has achieved are incredible no matter who is around or what you are doing or what is happening. God deserves to be praised because He is great! His character is perfect, steadfast, considerate, loving and powerful even when you are not feeling it or recognising it. 

Over the years when i have felt tired, downcast, overwhelmed, confused and upset, when situations have been unfair and difficult, choosing to worship has been powerful. It is often a difficult thing to do, to put aside emotions and mindset and decide to praise, but listening to worship songs, choosing to pray positively, or dancing around the kitchen, may not change the circumstances, but it has changed me. Setting your mind to praise God even when you don't feel like it is good for you. God deserves it for He is still good even if things around you aren't! 1 Thessalonians 5 says; '16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.' God's will is for you to praise Him no matter what, and it does you good for it changes your focus and your thinking, God expects you to rejoice and give thanks 'in all circumstances'! God knows what is good for you, praising Him brings joy and hope as you remember who He is. Your circumstances and emotions need to be put into perspective, and worshipping God does that. You can always, ‘praise him for his excellent greatness!’ You can always do that. For God never changes, He is always excellent and great!

You can praise God in many ways and with many things. If you play an instrument, use that to extol God, if not, you can use whatever you have; your own body in dance, your voice to sing and pray, and you can even praise God by crashing cymbals together - it doesn’t even need to sound pleasant to anyone else! Even if, like me, you do not have a singing voice that others enjoy, God loves to hear it - so sing loud as your praise is for God’s ears, not for others. Get over being embarrassed - that is concern for the opinion of others rather than the heart of God, so sing for HIm. He wants you to sing, dance, play music, he enjoys to see and hear you do that in praise of Him. Parents like to see and hear their kids do these things, even if it is a 'joyful noise' (psalm 100). So, as a child of God, show Him your love, make a noise for Him, move your body for Him, crash cymbals for Him, for He loves it! It is the heart of praise that the Lord loves to hear, so let your heart for Him come through as you worship God in your own intentional way. 

Think about God. ‘his mighty deeds’ and ‘his excellent greatness’ and let these truths lead you to overflow in worship. 'Everything that has breath' has cause to praise the Lord, so what are you praising Him for today?

Praise wins!

 Psalm 149:1–9 (ESV): 

Praise the Lord! 

  Sing to the Lord a new song, 

his praise in the assembly of the godly! 

 2  Let Israel be glad in his Maker; 

let the children of Zion rejoice in their King! 

 3  Let them praise his name with dancing, 

making melody to him with tambourine and lyre! 

 4  For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; 

he adorns the humble with salvation. 

 5  Let the godly exult in glory; 

let them sing for joy on their beds. 

 6  Let the high praises of God be in their throats 

and two-edged swords in their hands, 

 7  to execute vengeance on the nations 

and punishments on the peoples, 

 8  to bind their kings with chains 

and their nobles with fetters of iron, 

 9  to execute on them the judgement written! 

This is honour for all his godly ones. 

  Praise the Lord! 

The praise of God should be unrestrained. This psalm encourages us to be unhindered in our praise of God and to express worship wherever we are and whoever we are with. There are many ways we can worship God, and this psalm encourages the use of sung and musical worship as it is an expression of joy. 

When you are happy, you might skip, dance, or sing, as well as when you hear some music that you like. This should be how you respond to God too. For He is worthy and good. He is a great King, a kind Lord and marvellous Maker. Do not hold back your praise, or anyone else's. Instead, allow your joy to overflow whether it be; singing of new songs, using instruments or dancing. 'For the Lord takes pleasure in his people'. What a marvellous thought that as we are enjoying God, God is enjoying seeing our happiness expressed through worship. When you take pleasure in God, God takes pleasure in you. 

Do not limit the use of sung praise to a specific place. You can glorify wherever you are, whether you are amongst other believers or not, and when you are in bed (v5)! There are no restrictions to lifting God up, showing your joy and gratitude in Him. It is good for you to show your appreciation of God, He sees and hears what you do with your mouth and your body, how you use what is in your hands - so use them to glorify Him.

There is an interesting tone change in this psalm when you get to verse 6, ‘Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands’. The worship of God is not an end in itself, although God certainly deserves praise and honour. It is also a humble posture before God, and a preparation for you. It demonstrates your devotion to Him and equips you for the battles to come. God gives you a ‘two-edged sword’ when you devote your life to Him. He empowers you and equips you for the work and battle that is coming. He gives you a powerful weapon to use to vindicate His people and destroy evil. Yet it all starts with praise to Almighty God. As you worship Him and keep Him high in your mind - not the concerns of life or the power of enemies, He gives you not just any old sword, but a double-edged one! Twice the sharpness and power. God equips you and invites you into being a powerful force in His army when you serve and honour Him with your praise. You have an important part to play, so, ‘let the high praises of God’ be found coming from your mouth. This is the way you train for any battle that you face, how you overcome enemies and how you fulfill God’s purposes in your life. If you want to be an effective part of God’s Kingdom - ‘Praise the Lord!’ So, worship Him, unrestrained and honour Him with how you use your body, as you do are are giving pleasure to God, and He is preparing you for victory!