Reflection on Psalm 148:1-4: What We Value Most Highly
Reflection on Psalm 148:1-4: What We Value Most Highly
Reflection on Psalm 148:1-4: What We Value Most Highly (NIVUK)
Praise the LORD. | Praise the LORD from the heavens; | praise him in the heights above. | Praise him, all his angels; | praise him, all his heavenly hosts. | Praise him, sun and moon; | praise him, all you shining stars. | Praise him, you highest heavens | and you waters above the skies.
Commentary
But of course, it’s not as simple praise because in the Psalms every human emotion, all of the heights and depths of what it means to be human are found. But fittingly it all ends in praise. Verse one, “Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above.” At the end of all things, at the end of the journey, we will sing songs of praise when we see how it all works together, how it all works out, and who God really is. But I just want to ask that question really because why is praise so central to what we do here at church? Why is it so important? My thinking is this. What we choose to praise is a statement about what we value the most highly, what we aspire to in our lives, what we believe to be the greatest good. And so with a child, when you praise their behavior, it’s because that is the kind of behavior that we want to see them live in their life that they might live life as best they can. When we praise a person, I would hope that it’s because we see the sort of behavior that we would like to aspire to. You become like the thing that you praise. Praise is the compass by which we navigate through our lives. It’s our sort of north star which sets the course for where we go.