Day 39: Praising Church

Daily Devotional

Psalm 150:1-6

1 “Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
    praise him in his mighty heavens!
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds;
    praise him according to his excellent 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 sounding cymbals;
    praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!”

What better way to conclude our last week of lent as a praising church with the final chapter in the Book of Psalms. This final chapter uses the word praise 13 times in six verses to emphasize one thing. Worship. The psalmist through this psalm tells us of the different reasons and ways we can praise the Lord. First, we can praise the Lord everywhere! We praise Him in His sanctuary when we gather together as a church, but we also praise Him wherever we may be under His mighty heavens. Second, we praise God because of the redemptive work He has done through His Son and the beautiful sanctifying work He continues to do in all of us to make us more like Jesus. Third, we praise God in various ways! Whether through the gentle sound of a harp or the loud sounding cymbal. At the same time we can use our voices, prayers, and lives to praise the Lord. Lastly, we praise God with every breath we breathe, which is a gift from God! Therefore we ought to join all of creation in praising and worshiping the Lord! Spend today rejoicing and worshiping God for the millions of reasons He is worthy of our praise!

Weekly Application

As part of a praising church, make it a priority to offer your genuine praise and worship to God every day of this week. Be intentional in finding ways to express your gratitude and adoration towards God, whether it’s through singing, praying, or sharing your testimony of His goodness. As you do this, may there be high expectation that the atmosphere to praise will draw you closer to God and lift up the people around you. This week, challenge yourself to praise God in at least one new way each day. It could be as simple as thanking Him for the beauty of nature, or as bold as sharing your faith with someone who doesn’t know Him yet. Let us become a praising church that brings hope to the world around us and a glory to God above.