I’m sure I am not the only one who has noticed that praise can be something confusing yet special. Within all the uncertainties of this time it seems as though our connection with God is tested but needed more than ever.

And outside of the highlights of your day or week (if there seem to be any) I know it gets exhausting, overwhelming, and depressing.

In Psalm 150 we see something that a lot of us have heard but maybe never dove into.

It’s praising the Lord.

We hear it and we go on with our day. If they tell us to do it in church it usually means to yell and that is just kind of uncomfortable.

So what does it mean to praise the Lord and why am I told to do it?

You see, Psalm 150 brings us into this place. It’s not the place of our living room, the doctor’s office, or our car… it’s not where we are. It is where He is.

Praise is not something that keeps us where we are, but it brings our entire focus to where He is. So when I wonder if I should praise God or if it is an appropriate space to do so, I need to reevaluate my thinking.

My need for praising God has never been based on where I am currently, but fully and always based on where He is.

Psalm 150:1 says,

Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.

The word sanctuary here is not meaning a church building, but it is in fact meaning apartness, holiness, sacredness, separateness. (Strongs H6944)

When we worship and praise God, it is not about where we are, what we are going through, or what we have just completed. It is in any moment, every space, and in an abundance of Him being the reason why we pour ourselves out.

This realization should be freeing and exhilarating. It is not on my shoulders to have things come together, to find the right space, or to feel a certain way before my praise is accepted, worthy, or necessary.

Psalm 150:2 tells us,

Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.

When we think that it is because of what we have done or can do or will do in order to bring Him praise, we should look to this scripture to see that it is still Him who is the reason why we praise.

When our minds let us focus on where we have felt drained, depleted, or depressed/sinful, sorry, and sorrowful we are missing the point of who praise is for and what it is for.

Praise is not an inward focused event; it is the realizing, the embracing, and the acknowledgement of who God is and will be.

The next four scriptures let us into how and who is supposed to praise God.

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel 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.

This scripture’s repetitiveness tells me a few things. The main thing, however is that God just deserves to be praised, with whatever you can find to praise Him.

In today’s terms I can imagine someone saying, “Grab something! Anything! Hurry! Let’s just let God know how great He is!”

And of course, everything is to give praise to God. Because of who each person is? Not really, it’s because the one thing we all have in common is Him.

If you’ve been taught that praise is about you, there is still an aspect of truth in this.

By praising Him we get to be a part of His separateness, His holiness, His peace, His power, etc. In moments of praise our eyes are turned to Jesus, not to ourselves. Praise in this way does in fact bless us and make us feel empowered. But our reason for praising is never about us, just about who He is.