Praise Should Be Joyous

“Praise the Lord.

Praise God in his sanctuary;

Praise him in his mighty heavens.

Praise him for his act of power;

Praise him for his surpassing greatness.

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,

Praise him with the harp and lyre,

Praise him with tambourine and dancing,

Praise him with the strings and flute,

Praise him with the clash of cymbals,

Praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.”

Psalm 150 (NIV)



Praise should be joyful. In the closing chapter of Psalm we read of places we should praise God-in the sanctuary. The writer tells us why we need to do this-His surpassing greatness. He also instructs us how we can give God His glory- with several musical instruments.



In the mid 1970s I returned to work. My place of employment was at a now closed Army base. At different times while I worked there, the Army band would set up in the lower hall of our building and go through a small program. I remember when I worked on the third floor of the building, hearing the sound waft through the air, enticing us to use our break time to come listen. The music filled the area and cheered up those who listened.

Praise fills the sanctuary in God’s house. It allows those who hear the praises to join with those who share their warm news.

God doesn’t limit who can praise Him. The closing verse of this book tells us we all have the capacity to praise our Father.

If we don’t feel we have anything to praise God for, just look around and see what He has given us. Has He done something for a friend or a neighbor? Has He blessed you with special news? Has he opened your eyes to new understanding of His Word?