Reflection on Psalm 148:5-7: Finding Purpose in Praise
Reflection on Psalm 148:5-7: Finding Purpose in Praise
Reflection on Psalm 148:5-7: Finding Purpose in Praise (NIVUK)
Let them praise the name of the LORD, | for at his command they were created, | and he established them for ever and ever— | he issued a decree that will never pass away. | Praise the LORD from the earth, | you great sea creatures and all ocean depths.
Commentary
Why do we praise God? I suppose the simplest answer to that is because that is what we were created for. That this whole wonderful, elegant, ordered universe is an act of such profound and intricate creation that it is there to speak of the majesty and the wonder and the glory of the creator. And so we praise because that’s what we are here for. If you remember the Genesis story, you remember God creates everything in its order and at each stage of creation, he says it’s good. Until he creates man and woman, puts them in the garden then says, it’s very good. That we, when we do our job, when we take our right place in creation, we are the pinnacle of creation and our job is not just to nurture and steward this good earth, but to celebrate all that is best about it and the God who created it. Because if we don’t do that, who will? It may well be that we are the only creatures in the universe able to express the wonder of all this, to speak of the majesty and the grandeur of creation. How sad it is that we are tempted to describe this whole thing as some kind of random, meaningless, cosmic accident.