April 23rd Reflection by Bill Lynch

Psalm 148

Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights!
Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host!
Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars!
Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created.
He established them forever and ever; he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.

Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps,
fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command!
Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars!
Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds!
Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth!
Young men and women alike, old and young together!
Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven.
He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his faithful, for the people of Israel who are close to him.

Praise the Lord!

Reflection
Praise the Lord! How can we do anything else? What if we were to wake in the morning to hear a bunch of birds complaining about how rough life is for them. Instead of the music of birds singing; what if we heard the birds chirping to one another that the worms are just too hard to find anymore. God has let them down. The economy is bad and people just don't put out seed anymore like they used to. What if we heard the birds complaining about housing and nests and what work it was. Maybe they would complain about the heat or the cold and blame it all on God.

That's not how it is and that's not what you would expect to hear in the morning instead of singing birds. But what about what the birds hear when we rise in the morning. They hear us complain about those very same things. I'll bet those birds just roll their eyes and sing, "Those people just don't get it! It's not about them! Life is about what God wants his created to do!"

God wants us to praise him. And rightly so! What more could we ask for in all of life? We have all that we need and more. We have been given God himself in Jesus and in the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us and to save us from ourselves. Our response is to... Praise the Lord! Sing it! Say it! Live it! Love it! Praise the Lord!

Let's rise this day and make a song for the birds and for God to hear above all things. Praise the Lord!

Prayer
Praise the Lord! You are awesome and wonderful and powerful and creative beyond imagination. I hear your laughter and feel your love each morning and through the day. Hear my praise and thanks for life... today... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen