Throughout my life, Psalms has been my constant go-to book in the Bible. When I am happy, I find rejoicing. When I am sad, I find encouragement. When I stray from God, I find direction.
This Sunday the chorus from the South Carolina Governor’s School for Arts and Humanities and our own Sanctuary Choir are combining to present a service of psalms and prayers. One of my favorite psalms, Psalm 150, will be highlighted. This psalm is a call to praise for God’s surpassing greatness. It begins:
Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
Praise him in his mighty firmament!
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
Praise him according to his surpassing greatness!
It then proceeds to call us to praise God through music, and it finishes by imploring: Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
Last week, I wrote about my love for praising God through the gift of music. I am so blessed to be able to do that from week to week. I know that there are people for whom singing or playing a musical instrument is not in their repertoire of God-given talents. However, this psalm is still for you. We all praise the Lord in many ways throughout the worship service. Corporate prayer, meditation, communion, fellowship with other believers—all of these activities can lead us to praise the Lord. Even the most “unmusical” person still has the ability to worship during the musical portions of the service. It is my sincere desire and prayer that the music presented in each worship service puts your heart in tune with God as you worship the one who accepts the individual sacrifices of praise we bring.
Let’s take one more look at Psalm 150. I especially like the KJV translation of verse 4, which says: Praise [God] with…organs. This is exactly what I intend to do this Sunday. Our service of songs and prayers will conclude with a piece entitled “Grand Chorus” by Thèodore Dubois. For me, it is truly a reflection of Psalm 150: an outpouring of praise to our mighty God on the king of instruments.
– Shelton