How lovely God is Pt 5: Everything that has breath
Psalm 150 1Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. 2Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. 3Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, 4praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, 5praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. 6Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.
Almost every believer, and even some unbelievers, speak Hebrew probably without realizing it. The word they often say is Halleluyah which in Hebrew means ‘Give praise to’ (Hallelu-) ‘God’ (Yah). As we study this Psalm we will discover just how expressive this word is, and will realize just how often our Western expressions of praise are inadequate.
Praise Him for His surpassing greatness
It is important to remember just who God is and what He has done. He created everything, all that we see and all that we can’t see. He is omniscient, omnipresent, and eternal. Nothing we do can be hidden from Him and He is an active part of our lives. With that in mind, the first verse sets the tone. It is not a suggestion but a command. The psalmist is saying that worship is not something we fit into our lives occasionally, but the very purpose of life itself.
Notice the scope in the first two verses: God is to be praised in His sanctuary (the temple on earth) and in His mighty heavens (the expanse of creation). In other words, worship is not confined to one location. It encompasses heaven and earth. Isaiah 6 portrays this vividly: the seraphim cry, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isaiah 6:3). Worship is cosmic in scope, because God’s greatness transcends all places.
It is not enough to praise God wherever we are and in all things we do. It is also important to understand why we should praise God. We are to praise God both for His acts of power (what He has done) and for His surpassing greatness (who He is). These are two distinct but connected reasons.
God’s acts of power are evident throughout Scripture: Creation (Genesis 1:1), the deliverance at the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21–31), the conquest of Canaan (Joshua 6:20), the return from exile (Ezra 1:1–4). The psalms often recall these mighty deeds as fuel for praise (Psalm 136:10–16). But beyond His deeds lies His nature. The Hebrew word translated surpassing greatness literally means “abundant greatness,” something beyond human measurement.1 As Psalm 145:3 declares, “Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.”
It is important we understand this distinction. If we only praise God when He acts in ways we can see, then our worship becomes conditional. But if we praise Him for His surpassing greatness, then even in seasons of silence, suffering, or uncertainty, we have reason to lift our voices. Job captures this posture when, after devastating loss, he declares: “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised” (Job 1:21). Worship grounded in God’s unchanging greatness sustains us in ways that circumstantial gratitude cannot. This psalm is teaching us that praise is not about convenience, nor is it bound by circumstance. It is rooted in the eternal truth that God is immeasurably great, utterly holy, and infinitely worthy of worship.
With the sound of the trumpet
Well OK then, if we should praise God in everything we do and all the time, just how do we go about doing this? In our Western culture, we are not used to thanking God for anything, let alone praising Him. More than that in some congregations people will lift their hands in different ways of expressing love praise of Him, but there are other congregations who ridicule such gestures as too demonstrative or foolish!
Verses 3–5 call for instruments, and the first listed is the trumpet: “Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre”. The trumpet here is likely the shofar, a ram’s horn. Its sound was raw, piercing, and unmistakable. It was not a gentle melody-maker but a powerful signal. We blow the shofar at every meeting of our congregation to indicate the start of service and to bring all the side conversations to a close. Throughout Israel’s history, the shofar marked moments of divine encounter and national significance. It was blown at Sinai when God descended in fire and thunder (Exodus 19:16, 19). It announced the start of sacred festivals like the Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:24). It sounded in battle, as at Jericho, where the walls collapsed after seven trumpet blasts (Joshua 6:4–5). It was even associated with the enthronement of kings (1 Kings 1:39).
The trumpet symbolized God’s kingship, His presence, and His intervention. To praise Him with the trumpet was to proclaim loudly that Yahweh reigns. It was worship as proclamation and at volume.
This symbolism carries into the New Testament. Paul writes, “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). The end of history itself will be announced by trumpet sound. Likewise, in 1 Corinthians 15:52, Paul declares: “In a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” The trumpet is not only a symbol of past worship but a signpost of future glory.
What does this mean for us today? It suggests that our praise should not be hidden or half-hearted. The trumpet was never background music; it was a bold, unapologetic blast. Similarly, worship in spirit and truth (John 4:24) should resound with courage. Jesus said that what is whispered in private will be proclaimed from the rooftops (Luke 12:3). Worship is witness.
Too often we reduce praise to a quiet personal preference. But Psalm 150 and the trumpet imagery remind us that true worship has a public dimension. It announces God’s reign to the world.
With resounding cymbals
If the trumpet proclaims, the cymbals celebrate. Cymbals played a key role in Israel’s temple worship. When the ark was brought to Jerusalem, David appointed Levites to lead with lyres, harps, and cymbals (1 Chronicles 15:16). When the foundation of the second temple was laid, priests celebrated with trumpets and cymbals (Ezra 3:10). Cymbals were especially associated with great processions and joyful celebration.
Why cymbals? Because sometimes praise cannot be contained. There is a place for reverent silence before the LORD (Habakkuk 2:20), but there is also a place for unrestrained exuberance. David modeled this when he danced before the LORD with all his might (2 Samuel 6:14). His wife Michal despised him for being “undignified,” but David replied, “I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes” (2 Samuel 6:22). True worship is focused on God, not human approval.
The cymbals also illustrate that worship is communal. One cymbal alone makes a crash, but two together produce resonance. Likewise, when believers gather in unity, their collective praise reverberates far beyond individual voices. The early church experienced this in Acts 2, when they were gathered together in one place and the Spirit was poured out. Their unified praise drew thousands into the kingdom (Acts 2:41).
Paul, writing to the Corinthians, even likens a noisy cymbal to empty religion without love (1 Corinthians 13:1). This contrast shows us something vital: the cymbals of Psalm 150 symbolize worship that is joyful, but it must be joined with love for God and neighbor. Otherwise, sound becomes noise. When both are present—joy and love—praise resounds authentically, drawing others toward God’s glory.
The cymbals, therefore, remind us that worship is not always quiet or restrained. Sometimes it is loud, celebratory, and contagious. In heaven, John hears a sound “like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder” as the great multitude shouts, “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns” (Revelation 19:6). Earthly cymbals are but a rehearsal for that eternal chorus.
Everything that has breath praise the LORD
This final verse democratizes worship. It is not only for Levites in the temple, nor only for those with musical instruments. It is for all creation. Psalm 148 already calls on sun, moon, stars, sea creatures, fire, hail, mountains, trees, beasts, kings, and peoples to praise the LORD. Psalm 150 brings it to its climactic conclusion: everything that breathes joins in.
The apostle Paul broadens this vision in Romans 8, describing creation groaning in anticipation of redemption (Romans 8:22). John hears its fulfillment in Revelation 5:13: “Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!’” Psalm 150 is not only a song—it is prophecy. It anticipates the universal chorus of eternity.
For us, this verse challenges complacency. Praise is not an occasional activity but a continual calling. As long as we have breath, our lives are to be instruments of worship. Paul writes in Romans 12:1, “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” Worship is not confined to songs on Sunday but expressed in daily obedience, gratitude, and joy.
The psalm ends where it began: hallelu-yah. It brackets life itself. Breath begins with God, and it is to be given back to Him in praise until the final breath.
What about me?
We praise God for His surpassing greatness—who He is, beyond comprehension. We praise Him with instruments that proclaim boldly and celebrate exuberantly. And we praise Him simply because we have breath, the gift of life itself.
Worship, then, is not a compartment of life but its very essence. To breathe is to worship. To live is to praise.
Believer, open your heart to praise God—in every way you know how. Be exuberant! Be joyful! Praise Him wherever you are—at work, at congregation, at home—because everything you have ultimately was provided by God.