The praise of the redeemed. His people praise him because he has made them his people and because he honors and delights in them —though they don’t deserve it.

Poetry of Praise and Redemptive Mission

Read Psalm 149.

1 Praise the Lord. Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of his faithful people.

2 Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King.

3 Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with timbrel and harp.

4 For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory.

5 Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds.

6 May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands,

7 to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, 8 to bind their kings with fetters, their nobles with shackles of iron, 9 to carry out the sentence written against them—this is the glory of all his faithful people. Praise the Lord.

The praise of the redeemed. His people praise him because he has made them his people (verses 2–3) and because he honors and delights in them (verses 4 and 5)—though they don’t deserve it (verse 4).

Knowing this, we are sent out into the world to further God’s cause. For Israelites this meant waging literal warfare against the nations that rejected God (verses 6–9).

But a Christian’s sword is the Gospel of the Word of God, which penetrates heart defenses to the Gospel (Hebrews 4:12). We conquer through Christ’s blood and our testimony to what he has done in our lives (Revelation 12:11).

Gospel joy, knowing how honored and loved we are in Christ (verse 5), makes us ready for this mission.

Prayer: Lord, “Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for thee. Take my voice and let me sing, always, only,

for my King. Take my lips and let them be filled with messages from thee.”148 Amen.

We see extremes brought together in praise: wild animals and kings, old and young. Young men and maids, old men and babes. How can humans be brought into the music?

The Praise That Unites All | Daily Devotional

Read Psalm 148:7–14.

7 Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, 8 lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, 9 you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, 10 wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, 11 kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, 12 young men and women, old men and children.

13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

14 And he has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his saints, of Israel, the people close to his heart. Praise the Lord.

Praise That Unites. We see extremes brought together in praise (verses 10–12): wild animals and kings, old and young. “Young men and maids, old men and babes.”

How can humans be brought into the music? “He has raised up for his people a horn” (verse 14), a strong deliverer. The Gospels tell us this is Jesus (Luke 1:69), who brings us to God (verse 14).

When your soul through grace begins to praise God, you come into harmony with the rest of the universe, which is also singing. Your redeemed voice contributes its own unique chord and adds to the overwhelming beauty.

Praise unites us also with one another. Here is “the only potential bond between the extremes of mankind: joyful preoccupation with God.”Praise the Lord!

Prayer: Lord, glorify yourself before the world and put forth your power to unite the extremes of humankind in the church of Jesus Christ.

Unite the races, the classes, the genders, the tribes—all in praise. You have begun this good work; now bring it to completion in Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Praise Of Creation. Praise comes to God from all he has made. It begins in the highest heaven (verses 1–4). It comes from the sun and moon and stars (verse 3), from the clouds and rain (verse 4).

Praise Resounds Throughout Creation | Devotional

Read Psalm 148:1–6.

1. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights above.

2. Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts.

3. Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars.

4. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies.

5. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for at his command they were created, 6 and he established them for ever and ever—he issued a decree that will never pass away.

The Praise Of Creation. Praise comes to God from all he has made. It begins in the highest heaven (verses 1–4). It comes from the sun and moon and stars (verse 3), from the clouds and rain (verse 4).

The second half of the psalm will include sea creatures, mountains, trees, animals, and flying birds (verses 7– 10). The psalmist commands all of them to praise the Lord, as he does the inhabitants of the earth (verses 11–13).

But the reader of the Bible knows that the nonhuman creation is already fully praising God.

All of nature sings God’s glory; we alone are out of tune. The question is this: How can we be brought back into the great music?

Prayer: Lord, when I try to praise you, I can sense that I’m out of tune, that I am an extremely unskillful musician.

But “tune my heart to sing thy grace”145 by the truth of your Word and by the moving of the Spirit in my heart. Amen.

Christians are saved by faith, not by obeying the law, but the law shows us how to please, love, and resemble the one who saved us by grace.

True Worship That Pleases the Lord | DevotionaL

Read Psalm 147:12–20.

12. Extol the Lord, Jerusalem; praise your God, Zion.

13. He strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses your people within you.

14. He grants peace to your borders and satisfies you with the finest of wheat.

15. He sends his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.

16. He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes.

17. He hurls down his hail like pebbles. Who can withstand his icy blast?

18. He sends his word and melts them; he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow.

19. He has revealed his word to Jacob, his laws and decrees to Israel.

20. He has done this for no other nation; they do not know his laws. Praise the Lord.

Praise And Obedience. A little boy left his toys out and went in to practice the piano, using hymns for his lesson.

When his mother called him to pick up his toys, he said, “I can’t come; I’m singing praise to Jesus.”

His mother responded: “There’s no use singing God’s praises when you’re being disobedient.”

God delights not merely in words of acclaim but in people who obey his laws (verses 19–20; verse 11).

If you get an emotional experience out of a worship service but aren’t willing to obey, you are using him without giving yourself to him.

Christians are saved by faith, not by obeying the law, but the law shows us how to please, love, and resemble the one who saved us by grace.

Prayer: Lord, ethical behavior without joy-filled worship or exuberant praise without whole-life obedience—both of these are counterfeit Christianities.

I have veered in both directions in my life. Keep me on the straight path. I offer you my whole life, mind, will, and emotions. Amen.

The number of stars is still uncountable by human science, yet God knows them by name (verse 4; cf. Isaiah 40:26). Job speaks of the creation, when “the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy” (Job 38:7).

From Heavenly Greatness to Inexhaustible Love | Devotional

Read Psalm 147:1–11.

1. Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!

2. The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel.

3. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

4. He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.

5. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.

6. The Lord sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground.
7. Sing to the Lorrd with grateful praise; make music to our God on the harp.

8. He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills.

9. He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call.

10. His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;

11. the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.

He calls the stars. The number of stars is still uncountable by human science, yet God knows them by name (verse 4; cf. Isaiah 40:26). Job speaks of the creation, when “the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy” (Job 38:7).

Psalm 19 tells us that, unless you repress it, you can still hear the stars singing about their maker.

“In Reason’s Ear they all rejoice, and utter forth a glorious voice; For ever singing, as they shine, “The Hand that made us is Divine.”

Yet this unimaginably immense God is given pleasure, real joy and delight, when human beings put their life’s hope in his gracious love (verse 11). Great is our Lord!

Prayer: Lord, it is astonishing that I can bring you delight. And this delight does not waxand wane depending on my performance but is unvarying because I am in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:3–4).

Let me start every day from the platform that “the only eyes in the universe that count are delighted in me.” Amen.

Long ago, there ruled a wise and good king in Persia who loved his people and often dressed in the clothes of a working man or a beggar so he could visit the poor and learn about their hardships.

The Gift Of Himself | Devotional

For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:11

Long ago, there ruled a wise and good king in Persia who loved his people and often dressed in the clothes of a working man or a beggar so he could visit the poor and learn about their hardships.

One time he visited a very poor man who lived in a cellar. He ate the coarse food the poor man ate and spoke cheerful, kind words to him.

He later visited that poor man again and told him, “I am your king!” The king thought the man would surely ask for some gift or favor, but he didn’t.

Instead he said, “You left your palace and your glory to visit me in this dark, dreary place. You ate my coarse food. You brought gladness to my heart! To others you have given your rich gifts. To me you have given yourself!”

God gave us the gift of Himself when He sent His Son to this dark, dreary place. Have we accepted Him graciously and thankfully as the poor man did, or do we take this gift for granted? This Christmas season, let’s remember to thank Him for His most precious gift to us: Himself.

Out of the ivory palaces, into a world of woe, only His great, eternal love made my Savior go.