Praise the LORD! Let all that I am praise the LORD. I will praise the LORD as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath. He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He keeps every promise forever. He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. The LORD frees the prisoners. The LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are weighed down. The LORD loves the godly. The LORD will reign forever. He will be your God, throughout the generations. Praise the LORD!
Psalm 146:1-2,6-8, 10 (NLT2)
You may notice that this Psalm ends as it begins; with the imperative to, “Praise the Lord.” Two of the newer translations of this Psalm begin and end with the word, “Hallelujah.” What does that mean? Literally, when one says, “Hallelujah,” one is saying, “Praise the Lord.” So, it is clear by the first and last three words as to what we should be doing. We are to be praising and Who we should be praising—the Lord.
The True Believer Will Praise the Lord Forever!
The Psalmist said, “As long as I live, I will praise the Lord,” and as long as I possess my being, I will praise Him.” In one place, he wrote, “The dead praise you not,” which means the dead bodies, in the grave cannot praise the Lord, but with the soul and spirit in the presence of God after the death of the body (To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord) the believer will praise the Lord forever.
The Psalmist fills in the space be the first and last “Praise the Lord!” with reasons why we should always be praising the Lord. Can you think of a reason why you should give unto the Lord your highest praise?
Let Your Praise Come from Your Heart and Soul
I am reminded of a church in Ohio. It always had a full auditorium and a national television audience. Every service (I mean every service) they would begin with a great choir singing: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy Name. For He has done great things, He has done great things, He has done great things, bless His holy Name.” You would have to have watched it to feel the impact of it; it was powerful. But that is what powerful praise will do; it will impact the one doing the praising and those around her/him. So, let your praise come from your heart and soul. DO NOT let anything or anyone shut up your praise. AMEN!
