No matter what is going on in my life, the good or the bad, a man must live his life. It was really that simple.”
–Chris Mullen (Rowdy: Wild and Mean, Sharp and Keen)
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
–1 Peter 1:3 (NIV)
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“This is a Hallelujah chorus, and is something to be listened to and felt. This is a blaze of glory that should be contemplated as a sublime sunrise or sunset, not subjected scientifically to prismatic analysis,” so wrote W. Graham Scroggie. As we read the first portion of Psalm 148 what can we do but agree?
1 — Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise Him in the heights!
2 — Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His hosts!
3 — Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all you stars of light!
4 — Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
5 — Let them praise the name of the LORD, for He commanded and they were created.
6 — He also established them forever and ever; He made a decree which shall not pass away. (NKJV)
“The highest purpose of all creation is to glorify God. Whether they be in the heights of heaven or in the depths of the earth, this is the crowning reason for all that God has made. All creatures find their ultimate purpose in rendering praise to the Lord.” (Lawson) All creation is summoned to praise the Lord. Now, I don’t know all there is to this. I know that it is not pantheism, but there is something about nature that recognizes the Creator. It is more of this nature, the heavenly bodies do not literally speak words of praise to God, but rather, they reflect the glory of God. “They are silent, visible testifiers of the greatness of God.” (Lawson)
When we see the laws of physics in operation they are reflecting the mind of God in His creation. When we see them in operation (which is every moment of every day) we should praise the Lord for His magnificent creation. Imagine the universal chaos without the laws of physics. When we sit outside and watch the starry sky, their reflection is a sign of praise to the Creator. When we gaze upon them, how can we not be in awe over the wonder of His vast creation of the universe?
“Praise Him! Praise Him! tell of His excellent greatness;
Praise Him! Praise Him! ever in joyful song!
–Fanny J. Crosby
One thing regarding man’s free will is that we have the choice to praise God or not. In fact, praise is actually an act of the will. We must choose to praise Him. No matter the times or seasons in which we find ourselves there is always something to praise the Lord for. Praise Him for another day of life. Praise Him for the breath you breathe and the respiratory system that He so wonderfully devised. Praise Him for His goodness. Praise Him for His providence, not only of the world and creation, but for your life. Charles H. Spurgeon said, “When God is praised, we have come to the ultimatum. This is the thing for which all other things are designed.” In other words, praise Him for who He is. Choose to praise Him in the good times and the bad; praise Him when the sun shines or when the storm howls. Know Him for who He is and praise will come forth.
One other way to praise the Lord is by reflecting Him in our lives. This is so entangled with true worship. Our lives should be one of worship, therefore, our lives should continually reflect Jesus and that will show forth in praise. Living a righteous life is praise. Reflecting the love of God is praise. Showing acts of kindness and doing good to others is praise. As the heavens reflect the Creator so should our life reflect Him. William J. Petersen wrote, “It would seem that if the rest of creation is praising God, maybe we should join creation’s choir today and make it unanimous.”
“All creatures of our God and King,
Lift up your voice and with us sing,
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
Thou silver moon with softer gleam,
O praise Him, O praise Him!
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!”
–Francis of Assisi (translated by William H. Draper)