Praise the LORD.
Psalm 150:1-6 NIV
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
praise him with timbrel and dancing,
praise him with the strings and pipe,
praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD.
This short psalm is such an exclamation of praise to God. Thirteen times in six short verses, we are told to praise God. To praise him when we gather together and out in his creation. To praise him for who he is and for what he has done. And to praise him with a variety of musical instruments and with dancing. Everything with breath is to praise the Lord.
I have spent most of my life worshipping in Baptist churches. Until recently, we sang old familiar songs out of a hymnal with a piano for accompaniment. Hands firmly holding on to the hymnal and eyes fixed on the words we had memorized years ago. And I think that is probably a part of my fascination with this psalm. The addition of more instruments has become common, as well as projected words and worship teams. We can even raise our hands a bit now, so long as we do not get too carried away with it. But dancing. That’s going a bit too far.
Yet is it really going too far? In this psalm, as well as the previous one, dancing is an expression of praise to God. A form of praise that David used when he danced with all of his might before the Lord (2 Sam. 6:14). Now, I am not advocating that we start dancing in our worship today. And I cannot imagine myself ever dancing in worship, or anywhere else for that matter. But I do long for the freedom to worship the Lord, not just with my mouth, but with all that I am. And I believe that is really what this psalm is all about. Praise the Lord with all you are, all you have, and wherever you are. He is worthy of our utmost praise.
