Praise God for His Greatness

October 31, 2021 Background Scripture: Psalm 147 — 150 Lesson Passage: Psalm 149:1 — 5; 150 God is awesome! That's the statement. Of course, the statement is far from being a revelation of God's character. Anyone who has had any interaction with God can attest to greatness. Even the enemies of God agree; that great king, Nebuchadnezzar, was made to bow and acknowledge the same. To be in awe of God is to offer praises to Him. Today's lesson continues our focus on praising God. You know the lesson is all about praise when the Background Scripture includes four different psalms! More specifically, it is the last four psalms of the Psalter. Psalm 150 is the doxology of the Psalter, Israel's hymn book. Psalm 147 makes a statement in its opening: "praise is pleasant" and "praise is beautiful". The psalmist reminds us that God didn't just create nature; He is also its Caretaker! God sends the rain in its season. God feeds the wildlife. God does not need man, but man does need God. God uses Israel as an example of how He showers His people with love. They are the example as to why all nations of the world ought to seek God. Praise for God goes far beyond the earth and those of us who live here. All of creation is called to praise God, our Creator. Even the heavenly host was created by God—as well as the countless stars and planets. Since all of creation is subject to God, our Creator, then all of creation should join in praising His name. For God's name is the only exalted name known to creation. Therefore, all creation is subject to His name. The redeemed of God should say so. It is the redeemed who should lead praise in the assembly of the saints. Salvation puts a new song in our hearts to sing forth as praise to the Savior. Salvation is the ultimate reason to praise God. He has redeemed the saved from eternal damnation. And to think, we lived for a time when we did not know our destiny. We were traveling a path to eternal damnation in ignorance. We thought this life was the totality of it all This earthly life cannot be compared to eternity in God's presence. That's almost like a young person thinking they will be young forever. Uninformed young people are headed for a disappointing future until they are made aware of their destiny and the options available to them; options that can affect their future. When good decisions are made by youth, then old age becomes a joy. Likewise, our eternal destiny also has options. The right decisions made in this life can make eternity an absolute joy in God's presence. God has taught us what are the right decisions for us. Because God made us aware of His offer of salvation, we praise Him for salvation. The saints of God readily shout the praises of God. Singing praises to God is an honor we have been given that becomes a weapon in our hands. When the saints praise God, He fights our battles. The Psalter ends in the manner that befits it. Psalm 150 declares praises to God in every single verse. Words are inadequate to express the worthiness of God to be praised. We should praise God in and out of the sanctuary. We should praise God for what He does and for what He can do. We should praise God with the sound of musical instruments. We should praise God with a holy dance. If there is still life in you, which means that there is breath in your body, then you have no excuse not to praise God. Praises for God should echo from every dimension of His creation. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Robert C. Hudson September 18, 2021