Message
Psalm 150
1 Hallelujah! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament.
2 Praise him for his mighty acts; praise him according to the immensity of his greatness!
3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet, praise him with the lyre and harp,
4 Praise him with tambourines and dancing, praise him with stringed instruments and flutes,
5 Praise him with loud clashing cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has life praise the Lord! Hallelujah!
True praise is centered on God (John 4:23). It is not centered on feelings, personal tastes, or emotions, and arises from a continual walk with God. Spiritual obedience to God's Word is undoubtedly the foundation of true worship. Hebrews 13:15 says, "Let us offer to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name."
Praise that pleases God comes from a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51:16, 17) and can be expressed in both words and actions. Psalm 100:1-5 says, “Shout for joy to the Lord, all you earth! Serve the Lord with gladness and come before him with singing. Know that the Lord, he is God; it is he, not we, who has made us his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with joy; give thanks to him and bless his name. For the Lord is good, his love is everlasting, and his truth endures to all generations.”
Praise that pleases God cannot be forced or faked, but spontaneous, it must be authentic, and it must be done by people who have consecrated their lives to the Lord.
Praise to God breaks down barriers, fills the needy heart, and breaks spiritual prisons; in fact, the apostle Paul, when imprisoned in Philippi, sang so much along with Silas that his praise to God shook the foundations of the prison (Acts 16:25-31). In Ephesians 5:19, the apostle Paul said, "Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord." Paul's instructions on praise emphasize the understanding and active participation of the worshiper's heart and voice.
The example of Christ himself (Mt 26.30). On the night of his passion, the Lord Jesus sang a hymn, showing that, even in the most difficult moments, it is possible to sing praises to the Heavenly Father.
May we be able to overcome the adversities of this world and, just like Paul, may we fight the good fight, keep our faith and finish the race, praising God, honoring the sacrifice of Christ and thanking the works that the Holy Spirit has done in us.
