Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above. Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts. Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies.
Let them praise the name of the Lord, for at his command they were created, and he established them for ever and ever—he issued a decree that will never pass away.
Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and women, old men and children.
Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens. And he has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his faithful servants, of Israel, the people close to his heart.
Praise the Lord. - Psalm 148
Give credit where credit is due. "Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens." The only one not praising God are some of the people. Every other part of creation has it figured out and when we praise God, we aren't the ones starting the chorus. We are merely joining what all of earth and heaven has been doing since the dawn of time.
After listing all other praisers, the author finally brings in people. Sort of a "Get with it, people! Look around! Get a clue." We seem to be lacking this innate sense of awe found in the rest of creation--this knowledge to whom we owe allegiance. We are masters of masking off our souls from the awareness of the almighty, a sort of intentional deafness to the praise around it. How is that? For 15 minutes, could I hear the chorus? For my day, could I join it?
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