Psalm 150 Devotional

Everything That Breathes

“Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him for His excellent greatness.”Psalm 150:2 (BSB)

The book of Psalms ends with one word repeated again and again: praise. Psalm 150 answers four questions in six verses. Where should God be praised? In his sanctuary and in his mighty heavens (150:1). Why? For his mighty acts and his surpassing greatness (150:2). How? With horn, harp, lyre, tambourine, dancing, strings, flute, and cymbals (150:3-5). Who? Everything that has breath (150:6).

It is worth remembering where this ending comes from. The same book holds the cry of abandonment in Psalm 22, the darkness of Psalm 88, and the tears beside Babylon's rivers in Psalm 137. The Psalms never pretend that life is easy, but they do not end in lament. They end here, with every voice and instrument turned toward God, which is the direction his story is moving. Revelation pictures a great multitude in heaven praising God for his salvation (Revelation 19:1). The breath you have today is itself his gift, and as long as you have it, you have all you need to join the song.

To think about: What hard season in your life could you bring into praise today, knowing the Psalms end with every breath turned toward God?