Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, oh my soul. I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
– Psalm 146:1–2
I love these verses, as the Psalmist is talking to himself, “Oh my soul, sang praise the Lord,” and then says, “I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. As long as I have a being, I will sing praises to God.” I also think about a hymn written by Isaac Watts that is based on this Psalm. And, I love the first stanza of it and it actually repeats at the end. So let me just read it. Isaac Watts wrote, “I’ll praise my Maker while I’ve breath, and when my voice is lost in death, praise shall employ my nobler powers. My days of praise shall ne’er be passed while life, and thought, and being last, or immortality endures.”
Psalm 146:1–2 teaches us we can praise God beyond death.
Ah, isn’t that good? Isaac Watts is pointing out what Psalm 146:2 is saying, that we as children of God will always have being. So even when we die, we will still be praising God because we will continue on. So, we will praise God in life, and we will praise God in death and beyond death forever and ever. That’s where Isaac Watts puts it this way. “I’ll praise my Maker while I’ve breath, then when my voice is lost in death, praise shall employ my nobler powers. My days of praise shall ne’er be passed while life, and thought, and being last, or immortality in endures.”
We’re never going to stop praising the Lord from our souls. Giving glory to God for his grace, his mercy, his power, his love. This is our life forever. So let’s do it today. Let’s not forget that prayer starts with praise, adoration, and thanksgiving to God. That before we’re asking for things from God, we are praising God for who he is. Fixing our eyes on him in his glory, in his majesty, in his beauty, holiness. Praising him knowing we’re going to do this forever, and knowing that our highest joy is found in giving him the greatest glory.
Psalm 146:1–2 reminds us we can spend eternity with God.
So we pray… Oh God, we praise your name today. We praise your name. We sing praises to your name. Even as we pray, I want to encourage those who are praying, to maybe let this song lead you to sing a song to God after we finish this prayer. To put a song on, maybe on your phone or somewhere else, and just belt it out. Or you can just do it on your own like, “God, we want to sing praises to you as long as we have breath.”
And God, we praise you that when our voice is lost in death, praise shall employ our nobler powers. We praise you that our days of praise will never, ever end. That immortality that you’ve made possible for us. Jesus, eternal life, that for all of eternity, we will enjoy and exalt you. Yes, God. So help us to live every day singing your praises, enjoying and exalting you.
We pray that this would be our life while we have breath, as we look forward to this being our life when our breath is gone. And God, we pray for people who don’t know you, who haven’t been reconciled to you through Jesus. Who’ve not experienced the thrill, the enjoyment, the exaltation of your name in relationship with you. God, we pray that you would help us to spread the gospel today. Help us to lead somebody to know you forever, for eternal life. Today, this week, in our lives.
Prayer for the Alawite People
And God, we pray for people who’ve never heard this. For the Alawite people of Syria, for 1.75 million of them who don’t know you in this way, who are on a row that leads to eternal judgment, and suffering in sin. God, we pray for your salvation to spread to them that they might have the hope and joy of eternal life in you. Jesus, God, we pray for this, all according to your word in Psalm 146 as we praise your name. In Jesus’ name we pray, and maybe we sing right after this prayer.” Amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder and Chairman of Radical, an organization that helps people follow Jesus and make him known in their neighborhood and all nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, and Don’t Hold Back.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
