There are two readings for today.

SCRIPTURE: Psalm 150
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD. [Psalm 150:3-5]
This psalm explains WHY we should praise God [vv.1-2], HOW we should praise God [vv.3-5], and WHO should praise God [v.6].
There are lot’s of reasons to praise God, and lot’s of ways to do it.
It is sad to me to ‘praise’ has been reduced to singing when there are so many ways it could be done.
Forget the organ or worship team, forget the hymnals or worship songs, let’s find ways to give people a chance to express in their own words, in their own ways, their love and praise for the Lord.
The trees praise God by waving their branches, the stars praise God by twinkling brightly, the dolphins praise God by jumping out of the water, the children praise God by clapping and dancing, the healed praise God by their testimonies, everything that has breath is praising God somehow!

When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” [Luke 19:37-40]
The disciples were shouting their praise (when is the last time you heard this kind of shouting in your church gathering?).
The religious leaders are angry, it’s not a part of their ‘order of worship’, it is not reverent enough, it is not their theology of worship.
But Jesus makes it clear that even if people are hindered from worship God, even if ‘everything that has breath’ will not praise Him, then the stones will.
Stones do not have breath, yet they still praise Him!

This psalm inspires me to want to liberate the worshipers in our churches to praise God, to give them voice and freedom to praise God in any and every way that they can – singing, clapping, shouting, yelling, dancing, jumping, crying, laughing, painting, drawing, testifying, reciting, meditating, playing instruments, banging drums or cymbals, etc.
And if there are some who rebuke them, or silence them, or frown upon them.
Then I will listen for the sound of the stones, doing it for them!
Everything that has breath, and everything that does not have breath, is free to praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord!

PRAYER:
Lord, help me to be free to praise this way. Help me to move beyond the limited view of worship (singing songs in church) to full hearted, full bodied worship! “Let all that is within me praise the Lord!”