“Praise the Lord!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
praise Him in his mighty heavens!
2 Praise Him for His mighty deeds;
praise Him according to His excellent greatness! “-{ Psalm 150:-2}
Praise is not dependent on mood or favorable circumstances but a command based on truth of Who He is irrespective of circumstances
“Praise, the LORD,” comes from two Hebrew words,” Halal” and “Jah “{Yah} “Hallelujah,” which means “Praise the LORD.” “Praise,” means to “Boast, Glory,” and speaks of sincere gratitude to Him for His character and works. He is the object of praise, which is to be wholehearted. The word “LORD,” is “Yahweh.” We see several ways He reveals Himself in using this Name,. He is “Creator,”-{Genesis }Provider- {Gen } ; Promise Keeper – {Deut }; Self- Existent { }; Sovereign -{ }; “Unchanging- { }. God – { }. You can pause and praise Him for each aspect just mentioned! There is so so much more that could be said as fuel for praise such as, “You are LORD of CREATION, LORD of SALVATION,LORD of ETERNAL DESTINATION, LORD Over Every SITUATION, I praise You!”
It is this one ,”The LORD, “that the Psalmist says to Praise. It is a command, indeed it is commanded 13 times in these six short verses. “It is a recurring theme “Praise the Lord,” “Praise the Lord.” The Psalms is a book of Praise. And the last chapter leaves us with this wonderful theme which focuses on …the LORD! v 1,6. The word “Praise,” is not a suggestion or to encourage but a command and also a verb, be continually praising the LORD. But to do so we need to have an accurate view of Him, less we end up making a “god” of our own imagination, like the people having been delivered from bondage of Egypt, seeing the LORD open the Red Sea and they walked across it on Dry land, and then seeing the LORD close the Sea on top of the Egyptian army and drowning them. They saw this and yet they built, molded and fashioned a golden calf and said this is the LORD who delivered us! We may not fashion, mould a “golden calf,” but we create a “god” of our own imagination and live in accordance with our governance. So how do we not fall into this trap of idolatry and dishonoring God with our thinking? God has given us His Word which is “True”-{John 17:17.} and tells us in Romans 12:2,”And do not be conformed to this ]world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” We have to change the way we are thinking because our thinking is wrong, and the highest goal of our mind is to “Love the LORD your God with all of your… mind.” -{Read Luke 10:27}. We read His Word is “True,”-{John 17:17}. We read concerning His Word, “Your word is a lamp to my feet,And a light to my path.said ” -{Psalm 119:105} .
The name for “God,” used in verse 1 is the Hebrew word, “EL” meaning “The God of Sovereign Power, “…’Mighty,Power, Strong, …the Strong God.” The LORD,is the God of Sovereign Power, Mighty God…” No power above His power, for His is absolute reigning power. and so we come to praise Him….
We come to His Word and to see Why SHOULD we Praise Him and we are given two reasons,
“Praise Him for His mighty deeds;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.”
WHY Should we Praise The LORD?
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PRAISE HIM FOR HIS MIGHTY DEEDS
“Mighty deeds,” what does this mean to those whom the Psalmist wrote to…
Acts of Power – Omnipotence. ““His mighty deeds”
His mighty power, Sovereign Power He displayed on so many occasions, beginning with Creation, bringing order from chaos and creating the heavens, placing the sun and the moon and the stars, and galaxies, placing them in His space, upholding them by nothing but the power of His Word. Unbelievable His Omnipotence, His Sovereign Power that can speak things into existence and uphold them by His Word! The Psalmist says, “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.“-{Psalm 19:1}. “You alone are the Lord. You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it,The seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them And the heavenly host bows down before You.“-{Nehemiah 9:6}… and we read of the Supremacy of the LORD Jesus as Paul writes “for through Him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through Him and for Him.”-{Col 1:16}. Praise Him continually for His Mighty deeds in Creation! Have a look up in the sky. Have you noticed the change of colors, some sunsets are beautiful in their colors that spread out over the skies…some days, blue cloudless skies, other days clouds pepper the blue skies, some days are grey skied, rain coming down at different intensities guided by the winds sent forth from His treasury, other times, or even in the same hour the rain is so light you hardly feel it, other days pouring and at times accompanied by bitter cold. Days when snow descends, or the skies turn dark, the skies are lit by the moon and the stars glisten, looking up and seeing a rainbow, looking up and knowing the Heavens are shouting “Glory, glory glory”-{Psalm 19:1} and not to mention the beauty of creation from the most exquisite flower or plant, to the rolling streams to the oceans that teem with fish, to the mountains that are snow capped to the valleys deep and lush with grass to the deserts, to the multiple types of flowers, to trees and forests, from the smallest insect to the largest creature, all around we see the “Mighty deeds of God,” and it should incite us to…Praise Him continually for God’s “Mighty deeds” of creation!
His “Mighty Deeds,” were revealed when He delivered the Israelite’s from the tyranny and bondage of Egypt. Pharaoh had asked “Who is the LORD that I should obey Him?” And He would soon know, as plague after plague came to humble him. He agreed to let the people go and then changed his mind and his army chased them to bring them back. They came to the Red Sea and with that before them and the army behind them, God, reveals His Mighty Power and Opens the Red Sea and all the people walk across it on dry land… and when they get to the other side and look back, Pharaoh’s army are coming through and God revealed His Mighty Deed and closes the Red Sea on them and they are swallowed up and all drown! God expresses His “mighty deeds” in their Deliverance- their exodus from bondage to freedom! He expresses His “mighty deeds” in sending manna from Heaven daily for them, where all were fed and all they had to do was each morning go and collect it. His “Mighty Deeds” not only of creation, deliverance but Provision, supernaturally. God was putting Himself on display so the people would know Him! He is God, the LORD! Here are reasons to Continually Praise Him, boast in Him, to show sincere gratitude to Him showering Him with praise and thanksgiving! He caused the sun to stand still, He showed His Mighty Power through using a shepherd boy, to defeat Goliath… He gave an old couple well past child bearing age a child, Isaac. Praise Him. Elijah confronted the false prophets and called upon the LORD and He sent down fire, remember that, and continually praise the LORD. Joshua and the people walked round the walls of Jericho and in obedience to the LORD by faith, the trumpet was blown and God demonstrated His mighty power and deed and the walls came crashing down! Praise the LORD! The great military victories, the countless other Mighty deeds as they recount them it would be fuel for them to turn their focus upon Him and as a result of recall, should lead to their praise of the LORD. How often we struggle mentally, and there may be many a god reason, some serious trauma, here we see a way yo turn out tears, trails and focus upon Him and REMEMBER His, His “Mighty deeds,” and as a result Praise Him!
The danger is when we fail to remember the LORD we forget as happened the children of Israel on occasions. They allowed other things take His place focusing on them, displacing Him. So how can we counteract that in our own lives, with all the hustle and bustle of daily activities, concerns? We can learn from the Psalmist. We can read from God’s Word look for Him and His Wonders and His “Mighty deeds” and realize as He was He still is and forever will be the same, Glorious God who is able and does “Mighty deeds!” It is good for the Psalmist to speak to the people of the “Mighty Deeds” of the LORD and their minds could drift back to some monumental events of the “Mighty deeds” of “El” “The Mighty God,” and recall the Sovereign power of God, and it should give their mind fuel to contemplate Him and give reasons to continually praise, boast, sincerely show gratitude for Him and His Mighty deeds! Not only does it give reason for praise but also for faith for as He was so He is and ever will be! There is no slacking or loss of His power. He has not become old, weak or senile with age, for He knows no age that time should cause deterioration, for He is eternally the Same! While all life around deteriorates and changes, not Him who is from everlasting to everlasting the same, the Great and Mighty God, who makes Himself known from one generation to the next! He is ever the same all powerful, compassionate, Mighty God who does “Mighty deeds!” Praise the LORD, the Mighty God, who does Mighty deeds!
“Who can speak of the mighty deeds of the Lord,
Or can show forth all His praise?“-{Psalm 106:2}. His mighty deeds are innumerable!
“All Your works praise You, Lord;
your faithful people extol You.
11 They tell of the glory of Your kingdom
and speak of Your might,
12 so that all people may know of Your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of Your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and Your dominion endures through all generations. “-{Psalm 145:10-14}.
We should be telling one another, reminding one another of the LORD’S “Mighty Deeds.” How often we have opportunity to encourage one another, stimulate one another by speaking of Him, something we have read of Him and or have experienced. Let us look to Him to reign in our heart and ask Him to unloose our tongues to speak of that which is edifying, exalting God, who is worthy of our praise for who He is and the demonstration of His “Mighty Deeds,” so we may know Him, who puts His “Mighty deeds” on display to reveal Himself to us! His Word is a treasure of records of some of His “Mighty deeds,” which we can read to know Him and recount for our own hearts as fuel for faith and praise, and also to share with others that they too may be participants of the great throng of “Let everything that has BREATH Praise the LORD!”-{Psalm 150:6}. How wonderful to sit with someone and say,”Do you know what I read about the LORD?” Or,”Do you know what I remember about the LORD?” Or ” Can I tell you of the “Mighty Deed” that the LORD has done for me?” Who among us cannot sit with another and start such a conversation? What is it that holds us back from doing so? Is not so much what we do speak of idle chatter, of no good to the soul, or mind that would stimulate high and holy thoughts of the Glorious God of the Mighty Deeds? Ask Him to capture your own heart with Him and embolden you to lovingly seek to share of Him with others, that they too may be reminded, encouraged and indeed from sincere gratitude continually praise Him, Boast in Him and of Him!
We are responsible to tell our children of the LORD God and his mighty deeds…Pass on what HE has done! “Let each generation tell its children of Your mighty acts; let them proclaim Your power.” -{Psalm 145:4 nlt}
Can you think of other “Mighty deeds,” from the Scripture? When we get to the New Testament we see the Power, the Mighty deeds of the Cross, the Resurrection, the Ascension of the LORD Jesus and His salvation of you and others! He is still the God of the “Mighty deeds!” He is still all powerful, Mighty God, Sovereign Powerful God, the LORD! “Let us Praise Him… for His Mighty Deeds!” Pray and ask Him to help you remember as you read, so you may have “fuel,” to meditate on His Word to “praise, glory, boast continually” in Him! Praise Him continually as you recall and meditate upon His mighty deeds such as Creation, Deliverance, Provision, Salvation, The Coming of His Son, Eternal Destination.
We should… I should... CONTINUALLY PRAISE the LORD, God… For His “MIGHTY DEEDS!”