Jump Start # 60

Psalms 146:1-2 “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord while I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.”

  The book of Psalms ends with a series of “Praise Psalms.” Chapters 146-150 each begin with the word “Praise.” The word “praise” is used 27x in these final five chapters. This section of Scripture recognizes the many works of God. God is worthy of praise. All creation should praise God.

  Often when we think of the word “praise” we think of church services. Certainly that is one great place where God is praised. These Psalms were written long before the church was established. Praise is not limited to what we do with others. Praise is something that our hearts give to God as we reflect upon His holiness, goodness and love for us. Praise gets our eyes off of us and makes us look Heavenward. Praise helps us to count our blessings instead of crying about our problems. Praise lifts weary spirits and discouraged hearts. Praise draws us closer to God.

  The passage for today reflects the wonderful desire the writer felt toward God, “I will praise the Lord while I live…” His spirit was much more than a giving God a casual thought or once in a while “sitting in a church service.” I imagine this Psalmist singing hymns as he went about his work and his journeys. The singing heart is a merry heart. The heart that sings praises is a thankful heart.

  Have you ever noticed that folks don’t just go about singing. Maybe we are uncomfortable with our voices or maybe we feel embarrassed. If you’re out shopping and a guy walks in whistling people turn and notice. I tend to be a hummer. Our passage is more than going about life with a cheery spirit, it is praising God. It is deliberately thinking about God and singing praises to Him.

  Many of us first learned this years ago in Bible classes where we “sang” the Bible stories such as “Zaccheus was a wee little man…” or, “the wise man built his house upon the rock” or, the favorite of all, “Jesus loves me.” Have you ever seen two or three of these little ones together when they start singing? It’s a sight! They sing loud! They sing with passion! They love to sing. I sense that this Psalmist had the same spirit.

  Often as adults we lose that joyful spirit. We want to question God. We want theory, depth, insights, explanations and meanings. Stress, problems, worry and life seem to drain the praise right out of us. We don’t feel like praise because we have issues, or we are tired, or we have too much to do. We end up looking like a gray February day on the insides. What we need to do is just sing praises to God. You can do that anywhere. And, what it will do, is brighten up your insides, clear your thinking, and put a smile on God’s face. Amazing all the things that a little singing of praises can do.

  I will praise the Lord while I live  – what a great ambition! What a great way to live! Give it a try, it’ll sure make a difference to your day!

Roger