End in Praise
We have made it to the last 5 Psalms. Most commentators call them the "Hallelujah Chorus" of the Psalms because of their grandiose final call to simply Praise God. Each of them begin with the words, "Praise the Lord" or "Hallelujah" from the Hebrew. What a perfect ending to a marvelous collection of Holy Spirit inspired writing!
The Psalms are a prayer and praise book. Reading and studying them have revealed the hearts of real people who have really struggled at times with life, death, winning, losing, sickness, health, desperation and dedication in their walk with the Lord. The Psalms remind us that real people related to God, not super saints... not the people out of touch with this world. The Psalms were written for the trenches of life's battles and the mountain peaks of life's victories. So we benefit when we read and study them for ourselves in our own experiences of life.
James Montgomery Boice writes, "Praise is where all true religious contemplation should end." He's absolutely right! What else have we to do at the end of our prayers and meditations that to worship our God and Praise Him for what He's done and Who He is!
And so the last 5 Psalms enact this very commitment:
Psalm 146:1–2 (NLT) Praise the Lord! Let all that I am praise the Lord. 2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.
Then a word of wisdom:
Psalm 146:3–5 (NLT) Don’t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there. 4 When they breathe their last, they return to the earth, and all their plans die with them. 5 But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the LORD their God.
Psalm 146:6 (NLT) He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He keeps every promise forever.
The sense of justice:
Psalm 146:7 (NLT) He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. The Lord frees the prisoners.
The sense of liberation:
Psalm 146:8 (NLT) The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down. The Lord loves the godly.
The sense of community:
Psalm 146:9 (NLT) The Lord protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.
The sense of leading and guiding:
Psalm 146:10 (NLT) The Lord will reign forever. He will be your God, O Jerusalem, throughout the generations. Praise the Lord!
He meets all our TRUE senses:
1. No we don't see Him, but we are all indeed moved deeply by the Sun, planets, stars and galaxies.
2. No life is not fair, but it is that sense which leads us to He who is altogether JUST.
3. No life is not easy, but He carries us and lifts us up.
4. Yes, life can be lonely, but since Exodus, God has been bringing people home.
5. And finally, autonomy is an illusion. Human beings need a leader. God is our guide, our King, our Lord... FOREVER.
What a way to start to praise!
PRAISE THE LORD!
The Psalms are a prayer and praise book. Reading and studying them have revealed the hearts of real people who have really struggled at times with life, death, winning, losing, sickness, health, desperation and dedication in their walk with the Lord. The Psalms remind us that real people related to God, not super saints... not the people out of touch with this world. The Psalms were written for the trenches of life's battles and the mountain peaks of life's victories. So we benefit when we read and study them for ourselves in our own experiences of life.
James Montgomery Boice writes, "Praise is where all true religious contemplation should end." He's absolutely right! What else have we to do at the end of our prayers and meditations that to worship our God and Praise Him for what He's done and Who He is!
Psalm 146:1–2 (NLT) Praise the Lord! Let all that I am praise the Lord. 2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.
Then a word of wisdom:
Psalm 146:3–5 (NLT) Don’t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there. 4 When they breathe their last, they return to the earth, and all their plans die with them. 5 But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the LORD their God.
The Psalmist calls us to trust in God and find true joy. And then the Psalmist tells us why. He artfully addresses the inner human senses in recounting the reasons to praise and trust in God:
The sense of wonder:
Psalm 146:6 (NLT) He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He keeps every promise forever.
The sense of justice:
Psalm 146:7 (NLT) He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. The Lord frees the prisoners.
The sense of liberation:
Psalm 146:8 (NLT) The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down. The Lord loves the godly.
The sense of community:
Psalm 146:9 (NLT) The Lord protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.
The sense of leading and guiding:
Psalm 146:10 (NLT) The Lord will reign forever. He will be your God, O Jerusalem, throughout the generations. Praise the Lord!
He meets all our TRUE senses:
1. No we don't see Him, but we are all indeed moved deeply by the Sun, planets, stars and galaxies.
2. No life is not fair, but it is that sense which leads us to He who is altogether JUST.
3. No life is not easy, but He carries us and lifts us up.
4. Yes, life can be lonely, but since Exodus, God has been bringing people home.
5. And finally, autonomy is an illusion. Human beings need a leader. God is our guide, our King, our Lord... FOREVER.
What a way to start to praise!
PRAISE THE LORD!
Comments
Post a Comment