Psalms: An Introduction to Praises

Do you praise God every day? Praise should be such a part of the life of the believer that it is like breathing.  Psalm 150:6 declares, "Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD! " If you would like to make praising God a greater part of your daily life you can go directly to the book of Psalms. The Psalms are a guide book for praising the Lord. Here is what theologian and pastor Dr. John MacArthur says about the Psalms:

"The entire collection of Psalms is entitled “Praises” in the Hebrew text. Later, rabbis often designated it “The Book of Praises.” The Septuagint (LXX), the Greek translation of the OT, labeled it “Psalms” (cf. “The Book of Psalms” in the NT: Luke 20:42; Acts 1:20). The Greek verb from which the noun “psalms” comes basically denotes the “plucking or twanging of strings,” so that an association with musical accompaniment is implied. The English title derives from the Greek term and its background. The Psalms constituted Israel’s ancient, God-breathed (2 Tim. 3:16) “hymnbook,” which defined the proper spirit and content of worship."
- John MacArthur, Online Study Bible Notes

We are going to take a look at some special Psalms over the next few weeks. I want you to think about all of the Psalms as "praises." It is my goal to help you to praise the Lord in a more meaningful way by making the Psalms a part of your worship language to the Lord. We will not look at every Psalm, but we will take a look at some very special Psalms that will be a blessing to you and to the Lord!

In your day today, stop and praise the Lord. When you are stressed, praise the Lord. When you are happy, praise the Lord. If you have breath . . . praise the Lord!