Praise to the holiest in the height,
And in the depth be praise:
In all His works most wonderful,
Most sure in all His ways.
--John Henry Newman, Hymn: Praise to the Holiest, 1865.
"Let everything that has breath, praise the Lord." (Psalm 150:6)
That is what breath is for,--to praise the Lord with. It is the breath that God gives that makes man a living soul; and man was formed only for the glory of God.
But we see that the call to praise God is not limited to man. It includes everything that has breath, and the lower animals have breath as well as man. They, too, are to praise the Lord.
Can dumb brutes praise the Lord? Most assuredly, else they would not be called on to do so. There is no exception; everything that has breath ought to praise the Lord. If there is anything that does not praise Him, there is no use for its existence. The lower animals cannot speak; how then can they praise God? In the same way that the heavens do, which also have no voice, namely, by fulfilling the object of their creation.
Breath gives life, and since it comes from God, it is to be used only in His service. So it is not merely with our tongues that we are to praise the Lord, but with every organ of the body that is quickened by the breath of life.
There is stronger evidence of the worthiness of God to be praised, than the charges that men bring against Him, and the blasphemies that are uttered. Remember that no man provides his own breath. The breath that we breathe is a gift from God, which He bestows upon us fresh every moment. What man is there who would patiently and uncomplainingly continue to heap benefits upon those who persistently and unceasingly slandered and reviled him?
Such goodness is not found among men; but it is the goodness and forbearance of God. No stronger proof of His worthiness to be praised is needed than kindness in giving breath to those who hate and revile Him, and who use the breath that He gives them in denying His goodness.
Praise is an evidence of life. Hezekiah said, "The grave cannot praise You, death cannot celebrate You; they that go down into the pit cannot hope for your truth. The living, the living, he shall praise You as I do this day." (Isaiah 38:18-19)
If a man does not praise the Lord, that is a sign that he is practically dead. It is just the same as though he had no breath at all, for he does not use it to any real purpose. What wonder if God at length leaves off giving breath to one who shows no appreciation of its value? Are you alive?--Present Truth, October 13, 1898--Psalm 150:6.