Psalm 148

1 Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord from the heavens;

praise him in the heights!

2 Praise him, all his angels;

praise him, all his host!

3 Praise him, sun and moon;

praise him, all you shining stars!

4 Praise him, you highest heavens,

and you waters above the heavens!

5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,

for he commanded and they were created.

6 He established them for ever and ever;

he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.

7 Praise the Lord from the earth,

you sea monsters and all deeps,

8 fire and hail, snow and frost,

stormy wind fulfilling his command!

9 Mountains and all hills,

fruit trees and all cedars!

10 Wild animals and all cattle,

creeping things and flying birds!

11 Kings of the earth and all peoples,

princes and all rulers of the earth!

12 Young men and women alike,

old and young together!

13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,

for his name alone is exalted;

his glory is above earth and heaven.

14 He has raised up a horn for his people,

praise for all his faithful,

for the people of Israel who are close to him.

Praise the Lord!

Reflection
Those familiar with the old hymns of the faith might hear the echo of “All Creatures of our God and King” by St. Frances of Assisi. Both the hymn and the psalm are worship songs to God as the Creator of all things.

Why is God worthy of praise? Why should God be worshipped? If we had no other reason than that the sun, moon, and stars exist, then that would be reason enough. That creation exists in all of its beauty and balance is reason enough for us to praise God. When you hear a piece of beautiful music, you can’t help but give thanks to the songwriter in your heart. Or when you’re at a concert and you’re swept up into the music, you can’t help but praise the people who made this experience possible. Creation itself is a concert we can lose ourselves in, and it’s only natural that we give thanks to the songwriter.

There’s an impulse to thanksgiving that tunes up inside of you without you thinking about it. That’s the impulse of praise, and all creation has it. Note that in the psalm, the sun and moons and mountains themselves are praising God. Though they are inanimate, they too have the impulse to praise the God who made them possible. Think about it: God would be praised even without us. The rocks give thanks to God even if we don’t. It’s only we humans who ever say no to praising God, and when we say yes, we get to join the creation symphony that is happening all around us.

Closing Prayer: 
God,
Your name would be praised even without us, but we were made to praise you. Help us each day to join in the symphony of your work and love in this world by offering ourselves, our very being, back to you in praise. Amen.