“Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord! Praise the Lord!”
(Psalm 150:6 NLT)
What has the final word?
The phrase “the final word” is a cliché—it means the decided conclusion of a matter. We use a similar phrase in conversation, “when all is said and done.” Well, when all is said and done, what are we left with?
Let’s get more specific. When you are in deep distress, conflict, and decision making, what has the final say? How about this—when you take your last breath, what will have the final word in your life?
How the Book of Psalms Closes
The book of Psalms illustrates for us what has the final word. The book ends with an exclamation mark. Its last phrase is “Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 150:6 NLT). Whether that’s a final sigh or a shout, the same is true—the end of the book of Psalms is worship.
You need to know a little about Psalms to understand why this is significant. Psalms has often been referred to as the songbook of the Bible. Rightfully so! It’s a collection of 150 songs—yes, every kind of song. Songs worthy of rock-rage. Songs that belong alongside beautiful ballads. Songs with big drums and loud shouts of joy. Songs by those who can barely get the words out. Dark songs. Sad songs. Long songs! Songs with repetitive choruses. The psalms cover the whole spectrum of human emotion, because God’s Spirit saw fit to kindly equip us to express our hearts to him in every season and every struggle.
What ends this collection of human heart cries to God? The phrase “praise the Lord.” That’s not an accident. That’s not a happy-clappy cap on human wrestling with faith. It’s the deliberate, sighed-out resolution of a person who has walked with God through every up and down of life.
Why “Praise the Lord?”
What does “praise the Lord” mean? We praise what we admire. We naturally worship what we love. Joy and delight are at the heart of praise. Praise is not only offered in happy moments, though. For joy and delight are deeper than a perky attitude. They can also permeate pain.
The couple clinging to one another in trying circumstances, saying “I love you” through tears—that’s praise. It’s delight in a person deeper than distress, danger, and disorientation. “Praise the Lord” is our “I love you” to the Lord of heaven and earth. It is a celebration of who he is. Those who have been in love know that “I love you” is sincerely spoken and felt in every emotional weather of the soul—in the dry seasons, the storms, the valleys, the fires, and on sunshiny days. The worst of that weather often refines the strength of that “I love you.”
The same is true in our relationship with the Lord. The soul that loves him does so with sincere affection in every season. At the end of it all, our conclusion is “I love you, Lord.” Or in other words, “you’re worthy of praise.” Praise the Lord!
The Heart Behind the Phrase “Praise the Lord”
I could list reasons we have to praise the Lord, as revealed to us in the Bible. Instead, I want to draw your attention to another Bible verse and leave you to ponder. We just heard the testimony of the psalms—the final word of the songbook of the Bible. In the New Testament, we find the final testimony of the Apostle Paul. Here is his ultimate word on life: “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8).
Paul says that the sum of life is knowing Jesus. This isn’t knowing about Jesus but coming to know Jesus as infinitely valuable. Knowing Jesus it’s life itself. The Bible calls it eternal life (John 17:3). And the effect of genuine, intimate relationship with Jesus is praise. The Psalms expresses that praise with “praise the Lord!” Paul expresses that praise with “nothing compares to knowing him!”
When All Is Said and Done
The testimony echoing from both the Old and New Testaments is that when all is said and done, the final word is praise. In the life of someone who has come to know the God of the Bible, our last sigh will be celebrating him. And in eternity, that praise will continue—we will enjoy him forever in the New Heaven and New Earth.
Is this your reality when all is said and done? We hope it’s compelling—this idea that the God of the Bible is so wonderful, so good, so enjoyable, that the final word of his people’s lives is calling others to join them in praising him.
Do you hear the call? Do you know this God? Ask him to reveal himself to you and open the Bible to discover why he’s so worthy of praise.
We pray that the closing line of the book of your life would also be: Praise the Lord!