Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.
If we were to describe the book of Psalm in one word, it would be this, ‘Praise.’ It’s no wonder that the word ‘praise’ appears more than 150 times in Psalm itself. The book itself ends in calling people to praise the Lord for one last time. In fact, that is what our life should correspond: ending well with praises on our lips to God. This word ‘praise’ “connotes being sincerely and deeply thankful for and/or satisfied in lauding a superior quality (ies) or great, great act(s) of the object” (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament). “Everything that has breath,” is anything that God has given life to. The Psalmist calls every created soul to release their sounds of praises and thanks to the Creator.
God does not owe us a thing but we owe him everything. Every bit of air we enjoy comes from God. The ability to eat, drink, sleep, sit and walk comes from Him. From the ordinary blessings to all the miracles that God brings in our life, we praise Him. In recognition to all that He’s done and for all that He is, praising Him becomes an obligation. Who deserves the praises for all the good that we see in this world? God alone. He is wise in all He does and He never makes a mistake. He brings about justice and salvation in His own time and does not forget His people. Therefore, our only response is to praise Him.
Prayer: Lord, for all your blessings in our life, we praise you. We praise and thank you for your goodness and mercy, amen.
