Hallelu Yah! Praise the Lord!
"Hallelu Yah! Hallelu
Yah!" Thirteen times this Hebrew word is mentioned in Psalm 150. Thirteen times
the psalmist calls us to "Praise (Hallelu) the Lord (Yah)!"
"Hallelu Yah! Praise the
Lord!" Our praise and our thanksgiving is to be brought only to the LORD;
to the eternal Creator and Sustainer of everything that exists. We
praise the God of Israel, the one and only God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
"Hallelu Yah! Praise the
Lord!" This is the reason why we belong to the people of God and go to
Church! This is the reason why we sing, why we pray, why we gather to worship
the Lord: to praise him, to exalt his holy Name.
"Hallelu Yah! Praise the
Lord!" This is your purpose while we are alive on earth. This is the
purpose of everyone in heaven. All things, all persons, all creatures exist for
one purpose and only one purpose – to "Praise the Lord".
WHERE is this to be done? Ps 150:1 tells us
“Praise the LORD. Praise God in
his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.”
We are told our praise is to be
in the "sanctuary – God’s chosen meeting place with us." In the Old
Testament this place was the temple. In the New Testament the focus is no
longer on a building or a place, it is
on a people. God is to be praised, where his people meet and where Christ’s
body constitutes! We are to praise him where his church gathers for worship.
WHY are we to "Praise the Lord"? Why say "Hallelu
Yah!" to Him? Verse 2 answers this question:
(Ps 150:2) Praise him for his
acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
The psalmist has a number of
"his acts of power." in mind. He thinks of God's mighty acts of
creation – out of nothing making heaven and earth. Secondly, when he thinks of
God's "acts of power" he thinks of God's continuing care for all that
he has made. As New Testament believers, the bloody cross and empty grave of
Christ is why we praise the Lord. When we think of God's mighty acts of
salvation, we cannot help but say "Hallelu Yah! Praise the Lord!"
Secondly we are told that we
praise God for "his acts of power," and for His "surpassing
greatness." We praise God not only for what he does but also for who he
is. We offer praise to our almighty and gracious God.
HOW are we to "Praise the Lord!"? Verses 3-5 give us an
answer:
Praise him with the sounding of
the trumpet, the harp and lyre, tambourine and dancing, with the strings and flute, with the clash of cymbals.
If the psalmist was living today,
we know he would add:
Praise him with the organ and
piano,
praise him with the guitar and
synthesizer,
praise him with the drums and
keyboard,
praise him with all instruments and
voices!
Do you praise the Lord? Do you praise
him when his people meet to glorify him and give him thanks? Do you praise him with every single breath
that you breathe?
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