Alleluia!

I’m trying to teach my puppy to obey my commands. “Sit!” I tell her. “Stay!” And when (if) she does as she is told, I praise her: “Well done!” I say. “Good girl!” When I get home, I’ll boast about her to the family: she did as she was told and waited until I released her! I’m so pleased with her.”Praise” is not perhaps a word we use very often, and when we do use it, it’s usually praising someone for something they’ve done well–in the sense of saying “Well done!” And we often think of that as being from an older to a younger person–or from the one in authority to the one who must obey. But the original Hebrew word for praise, hil-lel, is more than a “well done.” It’s used both for commending someone and also for boasting about them. This glorious song of praise that is Psalm 150 rises and crescendos, telling us that it is God who is worth praising–boasting about–because of all that he has done for us. And it encourages us to use different ways to praise him (3-5). When did you last praise–i.e. boast about–God to others because of all he has done for you? What has he done for you?