Psalm 148 (CEB)

Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord from heaven!
    Praise God on the heights!
Praise God, all of you who are his messengers!
    Praise God, all of you who comprise his heavenly forces!
Sun and moon, praise God!
    All of you bright stars, praise God!
You highest heaven, praise God!
    Do the same, you waters that are above the sky!
Let all of these praise the Lord’s name
    because God gave the command and they were created!
God set them in place always and forever.
    God made a law that will not be broken.

Praise the Lord from the earth,
    you sea monsters and all you ocean depths!
Do the same, fire and hail, snow and smoke,
    stormy wind that does what God says!
Do the same, you mountains, every single hill,
    fruit trees, and every single cedar!
Do the same, you animals—wild or tame—
    you creatures that creep along and you birds that fly!
Do the same, you kings of the earth and every single person,
    you princes and every single ruler on earth!
Do the same, you young men—young women too!—
    you who are old together with you who are young!

Let all of these praise the Lord’s name
    because only God’s name is high over all.
    Only God’s majesty is over earth and heaven.
God raised the strength of his people,
    the praise of all his faithful ones—
        that’s the Israelites,
        the people who are close to him.

Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord! A powerful phrase that many of us may proclaim when something great has happened, or we have heard something amazing … but the author of Psalm 148 tells us frequently … “Praise the Lord” and “Praise Him.”

When things are going well for us, it is easy to praise the Lord. We get married, and we praise Him; we get a new job, we praise the Lord; we celebrate Christmas, and we praise the Lord. But what about during the times when things aren’t going well for us? Maybe it is your first holiday without your loved one; or you have lost your job; or maybe you are going through a health crisis … do we praise the Lord at that time? These might be times that it is difficult to give praise, but the author reminds us that, “He has made his people strong.”

In 1996, we learned that my father had glioblastoma, which is one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer. The six months we had with him were probably the most difficult of my life … and also the greatest in my life. You may wonder how I could consider these months some of the greatest? They were the greatest, because these six months helped mold me into the person I am today. Thanks to my faith, I was able to use this time to learn about being a caregiver to a loved one, and then, how to treat my own patients. And when I talk about how to treat my patients, I don’t mean in the physical sense, but with their emotional, mental, and spiritual needs.

We have the greatest model in the world to follow, and to emulate our lives. No, I don’t mean supermodels, or professional athletes, or actors/actresses, or any other celebrities … our greatest model is Jesus Christ. He showed love, empathy, forgiveness, patience, joy, peace, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Friends, we have every reason to celebrate and to praise the Lord, for we just worshipped together at the birth of our Christ, and He has come to be our partner through life … every single aspect of your life, you are not alone. Christ is with you every step of the way!! Praise the Lord!!
 

Prayer for Reflection

Isaiah 52:7-10
Psalm 98
Hebrews 1:1-4, (5-12)
John 1:1-14