Where Are the Boundaries of Praise?

Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the heights! Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His hosts! Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all you stars of light! Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, and you waters above the heavens! (Psalm 148:1–4)

Today’s big question: where are the boundaries of praise?

All of creation praises God, and in today’s passage, we get a glimpse of the great praise from the heavens. The host of angels praise. The sun, moon, and stars praise. All aspects of the heavens—the hosts, lights, constellations, and celestial beings—praise God.

If you have ever wandered outside in the country on a clear night and looked into the sky, you know what it is like to be amazed at the vast array of lights. Seeing the Milky Way spread across the sky like a river and knowing it is filled with countless stars, many of which are multiple times bigger than the sun, is a jaw dropping experience. The earth is a seemingly insignificant speck in a galaxy within an ocean of galaxies, and God created it all. No wonder these first four verses in Psalm 148 continue to repeat the command, “Praise Him.”

The light that rules the day—Praise Him. The lesser lights that rule the night—Praise Him. The heavenly hosts—Praise Him. The angels that witnessed creation and burst out in glorious adoration at God’s limitless power— Praise Him. The words in the Psalm are not meant for us to simply look at and gain information that God is to be praised. We should catch the same vision of praise that was in the psalmist’s heart.

Today, we get to look at the very same stars, moon, and sun. We know that the holy angels have been in constant adoration since the beginning. We join them and the psalmist. Praise God.

Don’t just read but join the symphony of praise. Praise God. He is the Creator. He is the Sustainer. He is the Savior. He is the exalted one. He is above all. He rules all. He will ultimately restore all. The most distant galaxies have not reached the boundaries of His praise. Praise God. Say it, sing it, live it, and love it.

The praise of God to the glory of God is the existence of the saints, and we join with a spectacular chorus already in full voice. Not only is there no distant boundary for the praise of God, but also there is no distance in time. God is to be praised everywhere for all time.

Today’s big idea: look up and praise Him with no end in sight.

What to pray: praise Him.