For this week’s Deep Dive Sunday, I had every intention of discussing James 1; but as I was about to walk down to the hotel lobby, I watched an Instagram Reel in which someone recorded an elderly woman sharing some pearls.
There is something about hearing the wisdom of the elderly. They speak in few words, they speak “matter of fact-ly”, as if without saying it they are saying, “this is what I have learned in my 85 plus years, you can listen or not, the choice is yours.”
In this video she spoke about praising God; and she pointed out that around the Throne of God in Heaven the four living creatures, NEVER cease to say, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
The thing that hit me as I thought about this in the elevator was:
The living creatures around the throne repeated, “HOLY”; not loving, faithful, forgiving, gracious, powerful, patient – He is all those things, but the creatures repeat, “HOLY”.
Then when I opened my Bible to the Chapters she referenced (Revelation 4 and Psalm 148) and read a second thought hit me like a wave, “all the angels, all of nature, and even the creatures of the earth praise Him continually; yet I don’t know if I have a firm grasp on what it means to truly praise the Lord.
To understand this better we can ask the question, “Why should we praise the Lord?”
The first, and seemingly obvious reason, is that He is the Creator of all things; it is by Him and through Him that we exist. It is only by His Grace that we have the next beat of our heart, and the next breath in our lungs.
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth
Revelation 4:11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they existed and were created.”
Psalm 148:5 Let them praise the name of the LORD! For he commanded and they were created.
The second reason (and these are in no particular order, just as they came to me as I read) is, He provides for us.
Psalm 147:5-6 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; His understanding is beyond measure. The LORD lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked to the ground.
Matthew 6:25-26 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
The third reason, He is our protector, the refuge we can run to.
Psalm 145:18 The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.
Psalm 144:2a He is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and he in whom I take refuge
2Peter 2:9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,
The fourth reason, He is our Savior.
Isaiah 43:3a For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
Isaiah 43:11 I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior.
Psalm 149:4 For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He adorns the humble with salvation.
1Thessalonians 1:10 and to wait for His Son from Heaven, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
The fifth and final reason (not that there are only 5, just 5 in this post) is that HE IS HOLY!
Revelation 4:8b and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
1Peter 1:15-16 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
Can you imagine what our existence would be like if the Creator of everything, the God that is Sovereign over all creation was evil? There is no way for us to get our mind around that! Thankfully we don’t have to, because Our King is HOLY, He is GOOD – He wants only good for His children.
Because He is Holy, He can have nothing “unholy”, thus “sin”, in His Kingdom; but instead of casting us aside, disgusted and angered by our sin, He provided a Way for us to be redeemed from the penalty of our sin. He sent His Son to be brutalized, die a horrible death, suffer under the Wrath of God, and ultimately be raised from the dead (defeating sin and death) so we could be cleansed, so we could be made holy in His sight – thus inherit eternal life!!
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have Eternal Life.
THAT IS WHY WE PRAISE HIM!!!
What does praise look like?
Let’s look at God’s Word for that answer:
Psalm 149:1 Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, His praise in the assembly of the godly!
Psalm 149:3 Let them praise His name with dancing, making melody to Him with tambourine and lyre!
Psalm 149:5-6a Let the godly exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their throats
Revelation 19:5 And from the throne came a voice saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants, you who fear Him, small and great.”
And….the very last Psalm of the Book of Psalms; chapter 150:
Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise Him in his mighty heavens! Praise Him for His mighty deeds; praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise Him with trumpet sound; praise Him with lute and harp! Praise Him with tambourine and dance; praise Him with strings and pipe! Praise Him with sounding cymbals; praise Him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!
