True praise doesn't always start from a melodious voice, but from the realization that we are still breathing. Every inhale is a gift we did not create ourselves, and every exhale is a space where gratitude can dwell. Before a voice is uttered, life itself has become an acknowledgment that God has not stopped giving His love to the whole of creation.
Psalm 150 comes at the conclusion of the Book of Psalms, but not as a binding conclusion. After a series of prayers of lament and thanksgiving, anger and hope, the psalmist offers no conclusion, but rather an invitation: "Let all who breathe praise the LORD. This is where praise moves from text to life. The same breath can give thanks or complain, build up or hurt, heal or abandon. Psalm 150 does not deny that freedom. It only emphasizes that every breath always holds the possibility of being praise. Thus, human free will is not abolished, but rather given direction.
God is praised in the sanctuary, the space of encounter between the divine and the human, but the echoes of that praise actually extend beyond the walls of the temple. Music, movement, and sound signify that the whole body, even the whole of creation, is involved. Praise is not limited by rites, but rather finds its expression in a life lived with an awareness of God's greatness and faithfulness.
The book of Psalms, which opens with an invitation to choose a way of life, closes with an exclamation that leaves the continuation to the reader. The song has been written, but it is not finished. As long as there is breath, the story continues.
The Psalmist seems to be putting the final stanza of his praise to us, the readers of the Psalm throughout the ages. Are we willing to continue that praise through thoughts, words, and actions that are always directed towards God or choose to act as if there is no higher power than us. Doesn't our life in this modern age always bring us to a crossroads framed by these two questions? Worshiping Him in our practices and actions or ignoring God completely. The choice lies in how we live the freedom that God has given us.
