The Sacrifice of Praise

Psalm 150 gives us explicit instructions on praise. In just 6 verses, this psalm answers many questions regarding about praise.

Verse 1 begins by telling us whom to praise. Praise the Lord! It continues and explains where to praise. Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament! Knowing that the body of every believer is the holy temple of God (1 Corinthians 6:19), this gives us the freedom and instruction to praise God wherever we happen to find ourselves.

Verse 2 goes on to tell us why to praise. Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Has God done a mighty act in your life? Praise Him for it! Has God proven His excellent greatness in your life? Praise Him!

The psalmist continues in verses 3-5 where he tells us how to praise. Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and the harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with crashing cymbals! The assorted musical instruments here represent the harmony with which our praise should be offered to God. In Psalm 133:1, David wrote, Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity! As a united body of believers, we are better able to express our love for one another, thereby demonstrating the love of God to an unbelieving world.

Verse 6 concludes the psalm by telling us who should praise. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. For those of us who are alive, we are called by God to praise Him. Jesus even went beyond this in Luke 19 when He said, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out” (Luke 19:40).

Finally, in Hebrews 13:15, we see when to praise. Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. Paul instructed the church in Thessalonica to Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Obviously, praise is not merely something that happens for 30 minutes a week on Sunday mornings. Rather, God deeply desires for each of us to live out a life of praise, honoring Him in everything that we do.