Psalms 150:1

The Bible says in Psalm 150:1-2, “Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.[2] Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.” Five times in these two verses we are reminded to praise the Lord. The word that is translated “sanctuary” can mean holy place or holy things: the emphasis is on the word “holy.” God is holy. Jesus told us to remember that when we pray. “Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” God’s holiness is one of the ways in which He is so much different than we are. We are sinful. When Jesus became a man, He was like humans in every way except for sin. One of the ways in which God shows His excellent greatness is that He has great mercy towards our sinfulness. He has such mercy because Jesus died for us on the cross of Calvary.

Verse one speaks of the “firmament of his power.” He word “firmament” often refers to heaven. Jesus told us to start the Lord’s prayer with the words, “Our Father which art in heaven…” There is a heaven, and it is the greatest and most beautiful place ever imagined. All of the good things of this life are symbolic of the things in heaven, except that heaven is perfect and this life has things marred by sin. Do not miss out on heaven. It is a wonderful place. Turn to Jesus while you have time.

Notice that it is called “firmament of his power.” Another way in which humans are unlike God is that we are very limited in what we can do. We are very weak. But God is very powerful. Jesus said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth…” Learn to trust in the Lord. He can do what you cannot do. Jesus can save your soul and take you to heaven. Trust in the Lord for everything that comes your way. He can do it. He can do what you cannot do.

Verse two says that we should praise the Lord for His “mighty acts.” One of the values of the Bible is that it tells us about many of the mighty acts of God such as creation, Noah and the flood, crossing the Red Sea, the giving of the Ten Commandments, the crossing of the Jordan into the Promised Land, the walls of Jericho, the strength of Samson, the calling of Samuel, David defeating Goliath, the fiery chariot of Elijah, Daniel and the lion’s den, Meshack, Shadrack, and Abednigo and the fiery furnace, the prophecies about the coming Messiah, the virgin birth of Christ, all the miracles of Christ, the death of Christ on the cross, the Resurrection, and all the prophesies about what is still to come including the Second Coming of Christ. And of course, that is just a small sample of the mighty acts of God. If you are a true Christian, then you know about all the mighty acts of God in your life beginning with the day that Jesus came into your heart. Yes, we have more than enough reason to constantly praise the Lord.

The Bible says in Psalm 150:3-5, “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.” At least seven musical instruments are mentioned in these verses to be used to praise the Lord. Perhaps those are all the instruments that David knew about. The purpose of musical instruments, all musical instruments, is to use them to the glory of God. That should also be the purpose for everything that we have. Dedicate everything that you have to God and His glory, and then everything that you have will be used for His glory in some way.

The Bible says in Psalm 150:6, “Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.” This is a perfect verse to end the Psalms. If we have faith in the Lord Jesus, then we have every reason to praise Him. If we appreciate the fact that Jesus died for us on the cross, then we have every reason to praise Him. Praise God for who He is. Praise God for what He has done. Praise God for what He is doing in your life. Praise God for what he will do. “Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.”

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