While the opening words of any book often give a hint of what's to follow, the last words inevitably bring us to it's conclusion. In the Bible book called Psalms the words of Psalm 1 had spoken of the blessedness that comes to those who seek to be friends of God. The last words, those of Psalm 150, speak of the appropriate response to that friendship. This is what they say:

Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,  praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Psalm 150 New International Version

Those words paint a picture of a very joyful parade with the people playing instruments and loudly cheering God. It's the sort of excitement we see at football matches. Parades still play a place in society today though, sadly, sometimes for the wrong reasons. Some parades take pride in and celebrate things that ought rather to fill them with shame. But not so with God. The Psalm writer says He is someone of mighty works and excellent greatness! He deserves all the praise of everything that breathes!

The question that this Psalm poses to us then is, am I a part of this parade? When I think of God and what He has done, especially through Jesus Christ, does it excite my heart? Do I want to burst out with praise?

That’s a weighty question, but the answer is important. This is what led to the thousands of inspiring hymns that were written through the ages. Many of us, by temperament, are rather reserved when it comes to worshipping God (or to parades in general) but this Psalm shows that it's not wrong to worship Him with exuberance, and to praise Him as if we were part of a joyful parade celebrating His goodness and all His mighty works.

It’s no wonder then that, in Colossians 3 vs 16, the apostle Paul says to Christians: “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” Those who have experienced God's powerful works of salvation, in the Old Testament and the New Testament, and even till this day, have every reason to praise God for His acts of power; and to praise Him for his surpassing greatness!

Blessed is the man or woman who so delights to praise the God of heaven.