Praise the LORD!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!
Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud and clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD
Gracious God and Heavenly Father,
Wecome before you today to praise you! We praise you for your creation. We see you every time we look at the sky or the nature around us. We see the design, the complexity, the beauty of everything you have created and we see your beauty and goodness. We praise you for the mighty deeds you have done in history to preserve your people. Your plan of salvation is even more amazing, as is your grace and love for us.
That you should provide your own perfectly holy Son as our substitute to pay the penalty of our sin is unspeakably humbling. And so we praise you, LORD! Father, may our praise come from our whole being, as exhilarating as when we sing in a choir or play an instrument in a band, or when we sing hymns in a worship service full of faithful, joyful saints. We are not all musicians, but you make us your instruments to sing your praises, share your gospel, and serve with gladness. May the love of Christ shine through us in all we say and do, to the glory of your holy name. Let us ever praise the LORD!
AMEN.