Let Everything That Has Breath
PRAISE THE LORD
Growing up, the password to the family computer was “psalm150.” It didn't strike me as significant until one day, around age 10, I questioned my dad about it. “What does Psalm 150 mean? And why is it our computer password?”
He replied simply, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.”
After that, I turned to Psalm 150 in my bible and read the Psalm in its entirety:
Praise the Lord!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty firmament!
Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!
Praise Him with the sound of the [c]trumpet;
Praise Him with the lute and harp!
Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!
Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord!
The message is just that simple: Let everything that has breath praise The Lord!
I understood from a basic level what it meant, but it would take many years for me to understand completely. After I devoted my life to following Jesus at 14, that piece of scripture would only start to make sense.
When you grasp the absurdity of the gospel you can make sense of Psalm 150.
Why does God deserve praise? Why do we praise him with all of these instruments? Why should everything that has breath praise the lord? Two words: But God.
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” - Ephesians 2:4-7
Read that again! Even when we were dead, God made us alive with Christ!
Even though we have done nothing to earn it, He still saved us by his grace.
So as we think about why He deserves praise, let’s remember what God has done and continues to do;. in your life and the lives of those around you.
I read an article a couple of months ago about breath. This is an amazing testimony to the magnificence and sovereignty of God. Mark lacy writes:
“Scholars and rabbis say the letters “YHWH” represent breathing sounds or aspirated consonants. When pronounced without vowels, it sounds like breathing: YH (inhale), WH (exhale).
A baby’s first cry, their first breath, speaks the name of God.
A deep sigh, groan, or gasp calls His name, too heavy for mere words.”
Wow! Even when we aren’t conscious of it, we are praising the name of God! Our first and last breath. And even when we groan and cry, we are calling on the name of God!
Let everything that has breath praise The Lord.