BROADCASTS.com

Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
Praise him in the heights above.
Praise the Lord form the earth.
Let them praise the name of the Lord
For his name alone is exalted;
His splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
And he has raised up for his people a horn,
The praise of all his faithful servants,
Of Israel, the people close to his heart.
Praise the Lord
(Psalm 148:1,7a,13-14)

\xa0

On Monday, I mentioned a song that had been stuck in my head. Today, I\u2019ll mention another one: the title is \u201cPsalm 148,\u201d again, by the Sons of Korah. It\u2019s basically the words of this Psalm. You can find it here on Spotify if you\u2019d like to listen.

It came to mind again as I listened in to Pastor Michael\u2019s devotion on Psalm 150 from yesterday. As he said, the last few Psalms are just a raucous ruckus of praise before God. Like the grand finale at the end of a fireworks show\u2014the loudest cracks of praise and streamers of joy are touched off at the end, with a chaotic exuberance reverberating out between the earth and the heavens as the creation takes full throated delight in the Creator.

\u201cPraise the Lord!\u201d shouts the beginning and end of each of these last five Psalms. \u201cPraise the Lord!\u201d

Psalm 148 is no different. It\u2019s an immersive experience, with the heavens lunching the first salvo of praise.

The sun, moon, and stars take their turns beaming, pulsing, and shooting out the praise of the creator who has established them as everlasting markers of time and bringers of light and warmth\u2014the stuff of life that plants photosynthesize and that\u2019s guided and inspired night travelers through the ages. Even still today, astrophysicists attend to the depths of the heavens to discover and take awe in all that God has made\u2014whether they\u2019d say so or not. Even still today, the heavens praise the Lord.

Then the earth responds. From the depths of the oceans to the lightning crackling through the sky to the mountain peaks and the wind that rushes over and through them all\u2014the earth itself swirls, cracks, and gusts out the praises of God. As Jesus said: the very rocks will cry out.

As do the creatures on the earth: the whales and cattle, the insects and birds\u2014all flapping and splashing out their delight in in the Lord. Even the people upon the earth join the finale. Lastly, they arrive to the grand firework show too. Kings and rulers, all nations, young and old, women and men. And last among them all: even God\u2019s people show up and attend to the praise of their Creator.

Why are we the last of all to join the chorus? The heavens begin, the earth responds, then the creatures, then the whole of humanity, and finally God\u2019s own people. I\u2019d like to think it\u2019s not because we had our head in the sand, or took for granted what was ours already as members of God\u2019s family. No, I\u2019d like to think we\u2019re last because we, as those who have attended to the story and promises of God from beginning to end, serve as witnesses: taking our place as the thundering clashes of final affirmation to say \u201cyes, amen, it\u2019s all true!\u201d

But to take up our place in the chorus of full-bodied praise does indeed take an act of attention: attending to the glory of the heavens and the earth that God has displayed daily anew before us\u2014they each praise His name. Attending to the glory of God in the face of those who bear his image\u2014the very presence of another human person in our midst is a testimony of praise to the One in whose likeness we are formed.

Praise is constantly cascading forth from our daily experience from the heavens, the earth, and all the creatures, including us who fill the earth. So today, will you attend to the praise of the Lord that floods daily into your senses? Will your eyes see the bird flitting through air as an act of God worthy of thanks? Will your ears hear the wind in the trees as echoes of His praise? Will you thank God for the presence of the next person you meet?

With eyes and ears open and attentive, you may notice it\u2019s not just the last few Psalms that are filled with the praise of the Lord\u2014it\u2019s everywhere! And you, as part of His creation, are already a part of it! Will you attend to this great praise of the Lord? You, who are close to His heart?

\xa0