Psalms of Praise
Psalm 146
Today as we continue our journey through the Psalms we come to the category of psalms known as psalms of praise. While praise is an aspect of many psalms, some psalms are all praise. Praise is at the heart of the life of the people of God both as individuals and as a worshiping community. Passages throughout the Bible express praise. Praise is a response of song, instruments, words and actions lifted up to the one who loves us eternally, who delivers us from all evil and who has created all that is. The book of psalms can be divided into five distinct books, each one ending with a doxology which is a psalm of praise. Many of the psalms of praise actually begin with the words “Praise the Lord” and some also conclude with this. Other words used to communicate praise include extol, bless, laud, glory, joyful and gladness. Psalms of praise, as with other types of psalms, follow a distinctive pattern. Psalms of praise include two main aspects. The first is that a past pain or distress of the community or person is described. This description is very different, however from the expression of pain in psalms of lament because in the lament psalms, the pain is not yet past. In the praise psalms, the pain or distress is over, resolved. The second element of psalms of praise then is a remembering of the wonderful things that God has done as creator, deliverer and sustainer.
The psalm we read for today, psalm 146, includes the word Praise five times. And we are given a detailed list of what God has done for God’s people: “God is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—
God remains faithful forever.
God upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
God sets prisoners free,
gives sight to the blind,
lifts up those who are bowed down,
loves the righteous.
God watches over the alien resident
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but frustrates the ways of the wicked.”
Once again, as throughout our scriptures, God’s focus is on the needs of the downtrodden and oppressed, those really in need of God’s love and care, which God then provides in abundance. The righteous then are those who express the same care for those in need that God expresses.
Other psalms of praise have other emphases, however. Psalm 150 emphasizes not only the reasons for praising God (as did psalm 146), but also the ways to praise God such as with trumpet, lute, harp, tambourine, dance, strings, pipe and cymbals. Everything that breathes is then supposed to return praise to God.
So maybe the bigger question as we look at the psalms of praise is why do we praise God? Why do we praise God? Does God need our praise? Does God need to be told that God is wonderful?
I don’t believe so. Instead, as with everything that God calls us to, I believe it is out of God’s love for us that we are called to praise. So maybe the better question then is, what gift comes to us from praising God?
Well, first, praising God reminds us of all the wondrous blessings that we have in having a God who is so loving and wonderful. It reminds us that God has filled our lives with gifts like the air we breathe, the food we eat, the sun, the rain, the fellowship of other people, our pets, our families, our friends, meaningful work, growing opportunities and the list goes on and on. Also, praising God reminds us that we are not alone. It reminds us that we are loved. When we are struggling, praising God can lift our hearts with hope and reminders of what God has done for us and promises to do again. The praise psalms remind us, by recalling past struggles and the life that comes after those struggles, that our pain is temporary and that God is with us in the pain and will carry us through to the other side of any death with new life. Psalms such as the one we read today, 146, remind us that God is with the oppressed, with those who are downtrodden and powerless. These psalms fill our heart with joy, with awe, with a sense that we are a small part of a huge and wondrous creation, and yet even in our smallness we are not alone and every part of our lives matters to the one who created us.
The truth is that for those of us who are connected with God, who have a relationship with God, there are times when our souls will cry out with praise. There are times when the hearts of those who listen to and for God will find themselves filled with joy, with awe, with praise. Have you ever been in the forest and been struck dumb with the beauty of the trees? Have you ever listened to a babbling brook and heard the very voice of God’s love for you? Have you ever looked at someone you love and seen the awe and wonder of the amazing individual that God has created right in front of you? Have you ever listened to a piece of music that went straight to your heart with such depth that it felt like your heart would break if you could not praise the one who ultimately made all music? The first time I looked upon each of my babies, the joy was so overwhelming that every part of my being cried out with praise.
We can’t NOT praise. There are moments in our lives when our hearts spill over with gratitude and joy. That gratitude and joy are themselves gifts from God, we cannot help in those moments BUT praise God as our hearts, our minds, our souls and even our bodies are touched with joy, with love, with awe, with wonder.
When I was a little girl, I remember going to camp (church camp – Westminster Woods, for those familiar with it). It was my first time away at camp and I was having a really terrible time. My best friend had gone with me, but she dropped me the second we arrived at camp. More than that, she was gossipy about me and unkind in such a way that the rest of my cabin was also not interested in being my friend. My counselor had a very conservative theology and was constantly threatening us with the fires of hell if we did not believe or see things the way that she wanted us to. I was alone in so many, many ways. And honestly, I just wanted to go home. But there was a night when we were all sitting by the campfire when I prayed to God for help. I prayed that God would somehow make everything okay, that I would not feel so alone and miserable. The gift I was given in that moment is probably part of the reason I’m a pastor today. God did not “fix” the problem, God did not change my friend’s heart or open others around me to consider being kind. But instead, God opened my eyes. I looked around and saw the incredible beauty of the woods in which we were camping. I saw a squirrel running up a tree and smelled the deep pine scent that surrounded us. The flames in the fire were warm and comforting, and they seemed to dance with a life and joy all their own. The music that the leaders singing was touching and beautiful. All of my senses were overwhelmed with the beauty around me, and I felt my heart soar. My heart was changed so that I could see life, love, beauty.. GOD all around me. And so, while my situation was still difficult, it was no longer unbearable. Because I saw the good. My reaction was praise: the praise of my heart – reaching to God.
During lent we are called to refocus on our spiritual disciplines. One of those necessary disciplines is centering our lives with an attitude of thanksgiving and gratitude. This is much more, however, than just allowing those moments of praise to spontaneously well up. This is calling us to be intentional about living a life of praise. The psalms of praise give us a way to do God’s blessings, to begin and end each day remembering that even in hard times God’s abundant love is poured out for us. As Daniel Geslin puts it, “Even in times of… loss …, exercising our faith can turn our grieving into gratitude. We are transformed from the grieving demand, "I want more," to the grateful response, "Thank you, God, for the gift of (what I had that is now lost)” That is one of the ways in which God opens blind eyes, sets captives free, and lifts up those who are bowed down.”
It is not just in our psalms, or our ancient songs that we find this praise. Our modern hymns are also filled with this praise. What are some of your favorite hymns? I think one that especially speaks to me is the poetry of “How can I keep from singing?”
While singing it, sometimes we don’t hear all the words, so I invite you to close your eyes and simply hear the words, the poetry of this amazing hymn:
My life goes on in endless song
Above earth's lamentations,
I hear the real, though far-off hymn
That hails a new creation.
Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear it's music ringing,
It sounds an echo in my soul.
How can I keep from singing?
While though the tempest loudly roars,
I hear the truth, it liveth.
And though the darkness 'round me close,
Songs in the night it giveth.
No storm can shake my inmost calm,
While to that rock I'm clinging.
Since love is lord of heaven and earth
How can I keep from singing?
--
Another is the first 2 verses of “how great thou art”:O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed;
When through the woods and forest glades I wander
and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
when I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
and hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze;
Refrain:
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
I invite you to welcome in the spirit of gratitude and to join us, from your homes, as we sing together, to invite in God’s spirit, to remember that our God is the God who created and creates still, the God who loves us eternally, the God who saves. Amen.
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