Using Psalm 150 in Worship
The Book of Psalms is the favorite book of many church members and casual readers of the Bible. Specifically, “Psalm 150” is held pretty high out of the 150 written poems in the book of Psalms. Many songs have been written from this particular scripture because of its exuberant and exciting description of how we should worship. “Psalm 150” seems to be the fitting conclusion to a book that expresses lament from attacks, aggression towards enemies, questions of doubt about one’s faith, and lastly, exuberant praise towards God. This poetic scripture gives a description and accurate color of what David and other authors felt during the reign of his kingdom.
Psalm 150 expects those who read it to truly have reverence for who God is. If someone was unaware of how to worship God, the author is glad to explain to you why God deserves the worship that is given and exactly how to do it. The scripture speaks to the Lord’s importance. We are to use everything that we have at our disposal to worship God. The sixth verse says that everything that has breath should praise the Lord. That is a huge statement. It’s a statement we often take for granted or have become too comfortable with. Everything on Earth that lives breathes in some fashion or another. We all, man, animal, or plant, should submit to God. The scriptures remind the church what our focus should be during our time of worship.
Songwriting Using the Psalms
The obvious use for this psalm would be for songwriting. Because the Psalms were set to music, they transition easily to modern music. When you are using the Psalms for creating worship songs it is important that you do not oversaturate the song with scripture. I feel it is smart to stick with three to four verses and try to concentrate on the main point the writer is trying to make. The goal is not to overcomplicate a song.
When using scripture to write worship songs it is important to find the right words that stay true to what the scriptures are trying to say and not focus too much of your own personal thought. Although worship has aspects that allow for personal reflection, the focus should always be on worshipping God and keeping him at the forefront of the song.
Different Aspects of Worship Structure
Structure in a worship service can bring it to new heights or an absolute low. “Psalm 150” gives a structure that can be used for the entire worship service. The first few lines speak to praising in the sanctuary. This could be used as a call to worship and some sort of exhortation can built off of these verses. I am personally a fan of using popular verses to help the congregation feel involved in the scripture reading and exaltation.
“Psalm 150” can also be used as a structure for the musical worship section of an overall worship service. Choosing and arranging songs that speak to God’s powerful acts, His abundant grace, and the fact that we as sinners are allowed in His sanctuary. These verses help to remind us how amazing it is that we are allowed to worship God so freely.
In summary, I feel that “Psalm 150” is a very appropriate psalm to be used as a structure for an entire worship service for a church. Many worship services I have attended seem to be structured out of tradition rather than from a biblical structure or model. By using “Psalm 150,” a service will definitely have a God-centered focus. This may be a good reminder to the congregation that we can worship and praise in everything that we do from musical instruments to simply being in the sanctuary with a clear and clean heart for God.
