HALLELUJAHS IN THE HOME (Psalm 148)

Most homes are more like war zones than havens of peace. There is constant fighting, arguing, conflict, and strife. God intended for the home to be a little piece of Heaven on Earth, but it is His ruling presence that makes that possible.

Right now, in Heaven, our eternal home, the angelic host is praising God. There is perfect unity there. Read the fifth chapter of Revelation. One day when we have our family reunion in Heaven, around the Father’s throne, there is going to be praise.

Don’t you think that should be present in our homes now?

Psalm 148 shows how a life of praise should be reflected in our home lives. No one is a better Christian than in the privacy of his or her own home. If you are going to learn to praise God, you don’t learn at the church house. You learn at your house.

Consider this phrase from the middle of the psalm, in verse 12: “Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children.” That covers young and old, male and female, everyone in the home.

What does verse 13 say about this all-encompassing range of people? “Let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.”

Psalm 148 reveals that a life of praise must begin in our family life. A revival of praise must begin at our house. Let’s walk through this chapter and look at the various dimensions, starting with...

The Heights of Praise

Verses 1-6: “Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord from the heavens: praise him in the heights. Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord: for he commanded, and they were created. He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass.”

Did you notice all three heavens mentioned there? There is the heaven you see by day, where the birds fly. The heaven by night is where the moon and stars are. Then, there is the third heaven, where God and the angels reside.

There is not only the heavens but also the heights. Remember, God is the high and lofty One. That is followed by the host, consisting of the angels who praise Him constantly. You can read Job 38 and see that they have been doing that from the very beginning.

The Depths of Praise

It is beautiful to see the transition from one extreme to the other.

Verses 7-10: “Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps: Fire, and hail; snow, and vapours; stormy wind fulfilling his word: Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars: Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl.”

From the heights to the lowest places. Let’s talk about that concerning your life. It is the moment when you are soaring and living on a high, and also when you are at your lowest and walking in the valley. Even there, the Lord should be praised.

We don’t just praise Him when it feels good, when we think we should, or when things are going our way. We are to praise Him at all times and in all places. The word “all” is used multiple times in this psalm.

Verses 11-12: “Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth: Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children.”

The Breadth of Praise

Simply put, all people are to be praising the Lord. Notice the references to both prominent people and what we would call common people. There are male and female, young and old.

Why is that? Because in God’s sight, we all are level at the foot of the cross. The most equal thing in the world is the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are all sinners and in need of a Savior — and everyone is saved the same way, by putting their faith in the righteousness of Christ alone.

According to Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” We are all sinners; we are all equal at the cross, and we are all to be engaged in praise.

If you are alive and breathing today, this psalm is for you. “Praise ye the Lord.”

The Length of Praise

Verses 12-14 - “Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children: Let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven. He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the Lord.”

Notice how it moves from one generation to the next. All people are included in all time and throughout eternity. The idea is that the older men and women are teaching the younger ones to praise the Lord. That is the principle of Psalm 145:4. “One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.”

This is God’s way. He wants praise to continue from generation to generation. Titus 2 tells us that the older men and women are to teach the younger. We are to explain to those who come after us how good God has been.

He is to be exalted. He is worthy of our praise. Do you think that starts with the pastor? No, it starts with parents — not in church meetings, but in the privacy of our own homes. Everything begins at home.

The greatest honor of my life is not to teach and preach the Bible in different parts of our country and the world. It is to teach my children about who God is.

This must begin at the dinner table, in the living room, and driving down the road. We praise Him everywhere else, but do we praise Him in our homes?

Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. used to say, “When gratitude dies on the altar of a man’s heart, he is well nigh gone.” I would say the same thing about the altar of a man’s home.

If you want to lose your family, stop being grateful. If you want to keep your family moving toward the Lord, keep your home filled with praise.

Thomas Boston and Richard Baxter, two men in different places and time periods, discovered that spiritual awakenings only came to their churches and communities when families started reading the Bible, praying, and worshipping together in their homes.

Maybe we need to go back to the family altar and push the reset button with our own families, realizing that hallelujahs are expected in the home. That is where the foundation of praise is laid for all of life.

Many years ago, God used my wife to challenge me about the matter of gratitude in our home and giving thanks to God. It challenged me, challenged our children, and changed the tone of our family because God inhabits the praises of His people.

If you want the Lord to dwell in your house in a big way, let your home be filled with praise. Have some hallelujahs in the home. “Praise ye the Lord.”