Praise the Lord from the heavens. Praise Him in the heights above. Praise Him all His angels. Praise Him all His heavenly hosts. Praise Him, sun and moon. Praise Him, all you shining stars. Praise Him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He commanded and they were created. He set them in place forever and ever. He gave a decree that will never pass away. So praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean deaths. Lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do His bidding. You mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, kings of the earth and all nations. You princes and old rulers on the earth, young men and maidens, old men and children, let them all praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted. His splendor is above the earth and the heavens, and He has raised up a horn for His people. The praise of all His saints, the people close to His heart. Praise the Lord.
– Psalm 148
Did you get that? And then make the connection at the very end of that Psalm.
Psalm 148 Is A Psalm of Joyful Exaltation
This picture of God, whose praise resounds all over the earth, all over the world. From the heights above to the depths beneath, from the skies to the deepest seas, God is worthy of praise from all creation. And then you get to the end, and the Bible says, Psalm 148:14, that God’s raised up for His people a horn, the praise of all His saints, the people close to His heart. That’s us. That’s you and me.
All of us who have trusted in Jesus, who know God, who’ve been made in His image in a way that’s different from flying birds and cattle and mountains and hills and stars and planets. You and I, made in the image of God to praise God, to enjoy and exalt God in all of His glory. This is what you’re made for. It’s what I’m made for. To be close to the heart of God, enjoying Him in all of His glory. Exalting Him in all of the earth.
Psalm 148 Encourages Us to Surrender Ourselves in Worship
God, we say yes to that invitation today. We say yes to joining with all creation in praising your name. And we say yes, we want to be a people close to your heart. God, I pray for that in my life today. I pray that in the lives of every single person listening to this right now. God, help us to live close to your heart. Help us to live praising you to the full with our every thought, with our every desire, with our every action, with our every word, deed, and with the way we live, with the way we love. May you be praised. May you be glorified, honored by us as the people close to your heart.
Praying for the Turku and Chad People
God, we pray for the spread of your praise in all of the earth, to all of the peoples of the world. Lord, we pray for the spread of your praise to the Turku Arab people of Sudan and Chad and the Central African Republic. God, we pray that they would hear of Jesus and believe in Jesus and trust in Jesus, and become a people close to your heart, enjoying your praise and exalting you in all of your glory in all of the earth.
Lord, we pray for thousands of people groups, billions of people who aren’t joining in this song of praise right now. That you would bring them into this song of praise, and you would help us as your church to not hold back in any way until all of them have been reached with the good news of your grace. That all of them might know you, be close to your heart, praising your name according to Psalm 148. In Jesus’ name, we praise you, God, in light in Psalm 148. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
