Passionate Praise
Psalm 150:2 “Praise him for his mighty deeds! “
by Marc Jagt
Read: Psalm 150:1-2 [Ephesians 3:14-21]
There are some big challenges in today’s world, especially for Christians. Individualism and materialism are among them. We live in a time of affluence and, sadly, material wealth often goes hand in hand with spiritual poverty.
We also live in a world filled with watching for our amusement. We and our pleasures are at the centre. No other age has pursued its entertainment like ours.
The psalms call us out of that passivity. Here at the end of the book, Psalm 150 makes that so clear. At least a dozen times the psalmist calls out for glory to be given to God. If you have breath, this is what it is for! Praise the LORD!
In the book of Psalms, there are five divisions and each one ends with a doxology (e.g. Ps. 41:13). That’s a big word that means a call to praise the LORD. In Psalm 150 we have the doxology of doxologies. It offers not just a single verse but a whole psalm calling us to praise him!
The psalmist sees that there is a God of mighty deeds. Creation so clearly has divine fingerprints over it. Even more, in salvation God has shown his greatness and glory. In Jesus Christ, God reveals his unimaginable love and grace as he removes our sins from us. He shows the greatness of his wisdom and power as he deals with death and the devil in the risen Saviour. The apostle Paul can speak of God’s love in Jesus Christ that surpasses knowledge (Eph. 3:19). God’s praise will never be exhausted, even into eternity.
All the other doxologies in the psalms close with the word “amen.” But that’s missing here in Psalm 150. “Amen” means you step back and reflect and agree. “Amen” can signal that something has come to a conclusion. But Psalm 150 will not allow us to step back, it will not let us even consider that there may be an end to praising the LORD.
The most profound reason for praise is found in Jesus Christ. He is the answer to our “couch potato” culture. Look to him in faith and repentance and you will be called out of that “I want to be entertained” mindset. Your lips and life will be roused in worship. In Jesus Christ all of creation in fact will taste the mighty deeds of God and never cease to call out, “Praise the LORD!”