Have you ever taken a moment to look up at the sky, not to see the weather, but to sense the presence of something bigger than yourself? If not, Psalm 148 invites us to do so. In this text, the psalmist invites the entire heavens to praise God: the angels, the heavenly host, the sun, the moon, the stars, even the heavens above all heavens. All are called for one purpose: to glorify the Creator. Interestingly, it is not humans who are called first, but the inhabitants of the heavens. The angels are referred to as messengers, beings whose lives are directed to carry out God's will. The heavenly host is described as an organized, obedient and always ready army. It is as if none of them ask, "Why do I have to do this and that?" They praise God precisely by faithfully carrying out their respective roles obediently and consistently.

The Psalmist also mentions the sun, moon, and stars. In those days, many nations regarded the heavenly bodies as gods. Yet the psalmist emphatically reveals that they are creations that share in worship. By their existence and order, they glorify God every day. The psalmist also gives the reason why all creation praises God, "For He commanded and it was created." This means that everything exists not by chance, but by God's will. Thus, praise is born out of an awareness of the origins of the life of all creation.

Friends of the Bible, if the sun faithfully rises on time, the stars move according to their orbits, what about us? It is often humans who are the most restless, complain the most, and rebel against God's will the easiest. We want to make our own way, even when we realize that it takes us away from the Source of Life. So, today the psalmist reminds us, praise is not just through words and songs. Praise is a life that is aligned with God's intentions. When we recognize that life is a gift, obedience is not a burden, but rather our grateful response to God.