Psalm Meditation 531
Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 22, 2010

Psalm 150
1 Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament!
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his surpassing greatness!
3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with clanging cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that breathes praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)

When I think of praise it is usually as a wild and noisy expression of faith. It is dancing and shouting and singing with great music that grabs my soul at its deepest part. It is a great image and I do enjoy that kind of worship from time to time. Many of my friends remind me that there are other ways to praise God than with dancing and exuberant displays of joyful faith. For that matter, as much as I enjoy experiencing that style of worship, it is not mine.

So how do those of us who don’t worship out loud praise God? Even when it does not come out in any visible way there is a well of joy from which praise comes. For some it is a deep well while for others it is more shallow. No matter the depth there is joy that leads us to praise God in some way. While the instruments and dance are obvious ways to praise God the quieter ways are not any more or any less meaningful to those of us who use them to praise God.

I imagine that one can go through the motions of praise no matter what the style of worship. Praise is not in the instruments or the dance any more than it is in the quiet stillness. Praise is in the heart and life of the folks involved. The method of praise is not nearly as important as the praise itself. It is good to praise God with music and dance. It is also good to praise God with silence and stillness. The important part is the last verse, “Let everything that breathes praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!

© August 16, 2010