... in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Amen. Through the prayers of our
holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen. Glory
to You, our God, Glory to You.
O Heavenly King,
the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things,
Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us
from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy
Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).
Glory be to the
Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the
beginning, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Praise the Lord.
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 stars of light. Praise Him, heavens of heavens, waters above
the heavens.
Let them praise the name of the Lord: for He commanded, and they were created. He has also established them forever and ever.
He has made a decree, which shall not
pass.
Praise the Lord from the
earth, dragons, and all deeps; fire and hail, snow and vapors, stormy wind
fulfilling His word; mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars; beasts
and all cattle, creeping things and flying fowl; kings of the earth and all
people, princes and all judges of the earth; both young men and maidens, old
men and children.
Let them praise the name of the Lord: for His name alone is excellent. His Glory [is]
above the earth and heaven. He also exalts
the horn of His people, the praise of all His saints, of the children of
Israel, a people near Him.
[1] We
must not miss the evangelistic fervor of this Psalm. All of God’s works of creation and providence
are of cosmic significance: there is nothing they do not touch. Consequently, all of the heavenly creation, the
Universe, without exception, all are invited to join in the praise.
The reasons for such universal praise are clear enough, “Let them praise the name of the Lord: for He
commanded, and they were created. He has
also established them forever and ever. He
has made a decree, which shall not pass.”
Creation and providence are permanent.
Just in case we missed the point the first time, the psalmist
continues with a fresh litany of earthly things which are also to praise
God. Many of these things are inanimate,
but in the last days these will also find their voices, along with the
living. When writers like C. S. Lewis
and J. R. R. Tolkien write of talking, walking trees, they are not being farfetched,
they are looking to a reality hidden in mysteries beyond our
understanding. The stones will cry out
(Habakkuk 2:11; Luke 19:40). This litany
culminates in a focus on the human praise of Yahweh: all stations, ethnicities,
sexes, and ages are to join in the chorus.
Again, the reasons are plain, “Let them
praise the name of the Lord: for His name alone is
excellent. His Glory [is] above the earth and heaven. He also exalts the horn of His people, the
praise of all His saints, of the children of Israel, a people near Him.” We must not overlook the term Glory which
runs throughout the Psalms and all of Scripture. The Glory, with Whom Moses spoke, the Glory
is the visible Presence of our God, the Beatific Vision which we all gladly
worship. When we see Him, He will look a
lot like Jesus. “Praise the Lord.”
[2] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations in
Psalms, please repost or share any of them as you wish.
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