FAR AND NEAR
Opening Prayer
God, I may not always know how, but today I choose to praise You to the best of my ability.
Read Psalm 148
Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights above.
2 Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
3 Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars.
4 Praise him, you highest heavens
and you waters above the skies.
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for at his command they were created,
6 and he established them for ever and ever—
he issued a decree that will never pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
8 lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,
9 you mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals and all cattle,
small creatures and flying birds,
11 kings of the earth and all nations,
you princes and all rulers on earth,
12 young men and women,
old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
14 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.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Praising God on your own can be hard. How does this psalm help you?Verses 1–6: Heaven praises God. Through the centuries, people have been tempted to worship the sun, moon, stars or angels. But all things on a cosmic canvas were created by God to worship him. They do so constantly (6). Psalm 19:1–4 helps us understand that the heavens don’t praise God in human words, but speak clearly in their own language.
Verses 7–12: Earth praises God. All creation on earth joins in the praises of the heavens. From the depths of the sea to the mountaintops; from inanimate snow to fruit-bearing trees; from animals to human beings; from young to old; from kings to all peoples;all are called to praise him. All have “a joyful preoccupation with God” (Derek Kidner, Psalms, 488) and each praises him uniquely as they were created to do.
Verses 13,14: God’s people praise God. But the climax is the praises of God’s people. The stars and heavens praise God because he made them (5). God’s people do too, but they have much richer reasons. God has revealed himself to them and they now know him to be majestic and glorious over all creation (13). And he saved them (a “horn” is a symbol of strength, possibly here a king) and brought them close to his heart (14).
Apply
How is your praise? Is praise something you only do in church service? Make it a point to praise God throughout your day today.
Closing prayer
Join with creation to praise the one who made you, owns you, saved you through his Son, brought you near, and is with you forever.
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