By Kathy Jo Blaske
Psalm 150:
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty firmament!
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his surpassing 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 clanging cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
Praise the LORD! Where?
“ … in his sanctuary.” Not in a bounded place, but wherever we experience God in life—as we gaze from our own yards into the heavens; as we walk barefoot along the shore of a lake; as we listen to a choir from pews or concert hall seats; as we pray in the solitude of our homes or sing in a congregation of worshipers. We praise God whenever and wherever our hearts are inspired to do so.
Praise the LORD! Why?
“ … for his mighty deeds, according to his surpassing greatness!” Praise the Lord for the rain, which nourishes the earth; for the wonder of a sunrise; for the cry of a newborn child; for the inquisitiveness of young children; for healing bodies through the medical community; for comforting hearts as the Lord works through ministers, priests, counselors, and friends.
Praise the LORD! How?
With a diversity of instruments! I’ve employed most of them: a trumpet graced my ordination service. And though 40 years have passed since then, I can still hear the melody of the oboe during productions of “Amahl and the Night Visitors” by the first church I served. Now, at the assisted living residences where I conduct worship, we are blessed regularly with harp and piano accompaniment, and frequently we welcome a cellist when he is home from college. I distribute tambourines on occasion to enliven our singing. Liturgical dancers have engaged worshipers. And, I, myself, have clashed cymbals during the singing of “Jesus Christ Is Risen Today!” (Praising God with a lute, however, remains on my bucket list!)
Praise the LORD! Who?
Everything that breathes is to praise God! Breath is a sign of spirit, of life. Let’s all take note of the goodness of God in our lives today. Let’s be instruments, ourselves, and praise the LORD!
Prayer: Give us pause, today, O God, to breathe in and out, to look, to listen, and so to notice and celebrate your goodness. Move us to applause, to song, to prayer, to smiles, to words and acts of gratitude, which praise you with our whole selves. Amen.