Psalm 150:6, “Let everything that breathes praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!”
How many of you live away from the city or have spent nights out in nature? I live in a rural area with somewhat less traffic, yet not in the middle of nowhere. Many times, I have stepped outside into the stillness of the night to close up my chickens. In that dark stillness I can hear the chatter of the night. Some coyotes off in the distance howling at each other, the croak of the frogs, the hum of the bugs. One of my favorite sounds at night, the call of the owl. One night just recently I was stirred awake by the noise of a bat, which sounded like a dog's squeaky toy. It's amazing how alive the night animals become once darkness settles over the earth and all is quiet, that’s when their chatter fills the yard around me.
How about early risers? Maybe there are a few of you reading this. You know those early hours when the light of the day is barely rising over the horizon. The dew is still fresh on the ground and maybe mist is still in the air. Okay, this is not me but there are occasions, especially in the summer when our window is open, and I may wake up for a minute or two. It's in those hours I can hear the chatter of the animals waking up to begin a new day. I may hear the owl still talking, maybe saying ‘goodnight’. The faint chatter of the squirrels may ring through to my ears. But to me, the most beautiful sound in those early hours of the day is the melody of the birds, the cooing of the morning dove. The morning barely upon us, cars still in their garages as people slumber away. There is a calm feeling before the busyness of the day. The early morning chatter of the animals filling the air.
Now, we can't forget the chatter throughout the day because an entire new world of chatter begins as the day goes by. When the roads are clear, no car motors, doors slamming shut, revving engines, car noises. You can still hear the distant chatter of birds just not as clearly as in the morning. Now the world is filled with dogs barking, chickens clucking, Mr. rooster cock-a-doodle-doing, and the screeches of an occasional hawk flying above. If you're lucky, you'll get a flock of geese honking as they fly overhead or a woodpecker a rat-a-tat-tatting on a tree.
Oh, sure those sounds are around throughout the year, but it seems where we live, spring and summer is when they come alive the most. Early morning, day, and night God's creation seems to fill the earth with chatter and their sounds are mostly pleasant to listen to and at times are calming.
When I hear these sounds, it makes me smile and it reminds me of the verse found in Isaiah 43:20a, “Even the wild animals praise me— the wild dogs and owls.” Just maybe all the chatter of creation are praises to the Lord for who He is and what He's done. They don't care what we think even when we tell them to be quiet. They don't care what other animals think. They just chatter away, maybe they are even talking with each other. No matter why they talk, they can't keep silent and when we take the time to appreciate the sounds, we begin to appreciate the wonderment of God's creation. All of nature speaks of God's goodness and in nature we can find God.
If the animals can't keep silent and they praise God with all their chatter, then why do we? Shouldn't we be just as excited if not more so, to be praising the Lord for who He is and what He's done in our lives and for us? Look at what Psalm 96:2-5 tells us, “Sing the Lord and praise his name; every day tell how he saves us. Tell the nations of his glory; tell all peoples the miracles he does, because the Lord is great; he should be praised at all times. He should be honored more than all the gods, because all the gods of the nations are only idols, but the Lord made the heavens.”
Even Psalm 66:1-2, “Everything on earth, shout with joy to God! Sing about his glory! Make his praise glorious!”
The animals praise God because they are grateful, they have life and are part of God's creation. Praise should always be on our lips, thanking the Lord for giving us this beautiful world, but most of all, for Jesus, who gave His very life so we may live.
Yet at times praising the Lord is hard, right? Sure, it's easy when life is good, but when things around us are crummy, praise is hard to find. Not to mention, how do we find a way to praise the Lord for this world when it's in total chaos and falling apart? In a sin filled world what is there to rejoice about?
We know the Bible tells us to praise God even Isaiah 43:21 tells us God delights in praise. Yet, I find that praising the Lord is more for our benefit than His. When we praise God, despite what's going on around us, it reminds us that God is good, and we are His people. He is our Creator and provider. That alone is reason enough to praise Him.
God is worthy of our praise and we're going to briefly look at a few reasons why.
1. His love endures forever- Romans 5:8, Psalm 136:26
2. His grace is amazing- Ephesians 2:4-5, 2 Corinthians 12:9
3. He is sovereign over all- Psalm 103:19, Jeremiah 32:17
4. He is the original creator- Colossians 1:16, Genesis 1:29-30
5. He has the power to do anything and everything- Job 42:2, Matthew 19:26
6. He is faithful- 1 John 1:9, Lamentations 3:22-23
7. He never changes- Numbers 23:19, Isaiah 40:8
8. The beauty and majesty of His creation are awe-inspiring- Psalm 19:1, Psalm 104:24-25
9. We are made in His image- Psalm 139:14, Psalm 8:3-5
10. His timing is perfect- 2 Peter 3:8-9, Lamentations 3:25-20
If nothing else, here are 10 reasons to praise the Lord and rejoice in His presence regardless of your circumstances.
So, whether you're an early riser, night owl, or hours in the day kind of person. Let your chatter begin and like the animals, sing praises to the Lord and let the world know you are proud to be a Christian, and you serve an awesome God.
For today's extra devotion how about we take time to explore the verses I listed a little more and read them. For more study see what other verses you can find supporting each praise.
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