Hear the Word of the Lord from Psalm 148:

“Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts!

Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars! Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!

Let them praise the name of the Lord! For he commanded and they were created. And he established them forever and ever; he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.

Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word!

Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! Beasts and all livestock, creeping things and flying birds!

Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! Young men and maidens together, old men and children!

Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven. He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his saints, for the people of Israel who are near to him. Praise the Lord!”

The Scriptures speak for themselves here. “All Creatures of Our God and King” – one of the most beautiful and well-known hymns ever written on the theme of creation – is merely a restatement of the invitation proclaimed in the Psalms, namely: “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!” In fact, not only that, but let everything that doesn’t have breath praise Him, too!

When God brought forth light from darkness…sun, moon and stars…waters, earth and skies and every creature that would dwell within, He declared with joy that it was “good” (Genesis 1). He looked upon the majesty of the heavens, the mountains, the seas, the living things both above and below, and He was pleased. And all of creation was pleased to sing His praise – to shout with one voice, “I was made by God and He is perfect in all His ways! Glory to Him who saw fit to create me!” Creation sprang up from the void by His very breath and it was good.

Then, amidst all of this good, the sovereign Godhead brought forth the “very good”: mankind (Genesis 2) – made in God’s image for the sake of His glory, and far more lovely to Him than all of His other masterpieces. These creatures would be like God and they would belong to Him; they would have purpose and pleasure in knowing and following Him. This would be far more than good. 

But, in a painful twist of the story, worship did not pour forth like a wellspring from these creatures as it did from those that had come before. The rocks cried out and the rivers clapped their hands and the skies proclaimed…but humanity turned away. Humanity believed a serpent’s lies and sought our own way and became separated from the One who made us and called us “very good.” Our hearts were made to worship, but instead of singing praise to our God and King, we began to worship creation over Creator. There was confusion and pain and turmoil as God’s most beloved creatures lived apart from Him. Nothing was as it should be.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ…” (Ephesians 2:4-5)

By the miraculous redemptive work of Christ, set forth before the foundations of the world, we were restored to relationship with our God and Father – adopted as His own children. We who were far off were brought near; we who were not God’s people are now called “God’s people”; we who walked in darkness have seen a great light. 

And now, as creatures of the Living God, made to know Him and be known by Him, we are invited to join the great and glorious song of praise that creation has been singing from day one. We are not simply commanded to worship – we are welcomed to enjoy our Creator and marvel at His astonishing goodness. What else should pour forth from us, then, but praise? What else should grow out of our lives but the fruit of faithfulness to our God and King? What else should thrill us but the glory of Him who made us and loved us and sought us out in kindness?

All you creatures of the Most High God: open your mouths and sing praise! He saw fit to breathe life into your lungs and raise you from the dead and dwell with you forever. Sing Alleluia! 

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