Let every thing that hath breath
“Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.”Psalm 150:6
Reflection
This is the last verse of the book of Psalms, and it is a command: "Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD." The book begins with the man who meditates on God's law, passes through laments, confessions, doubts, cries for help, shouts of anger, and ends like this: with praise. After one hundred and fifty psalms, the final word of human prayer is this. It is as if the whole walk of faith, with its nights and its valleys, flowed into a great chorus.
Note the criterion: "every thing that hath breath". It is not those with a beautiful voice, those in a good mood, those with obvious reasons to celebrate. The criterion is breathing. If you have breath, you have a reason and a summons to praise. In telling of creation, Genesis says God breathed the breath of life into the human being. Each breath is a renewed gift, something we do not produce alone. Breathing in and out are, at bottom, gestures of dependence: life comes into us and goes out as a gift, moment by moment.
This does not mean praise demands perfect feelings. In the psalms themselves, many praises are born in the midst of pain. To praise is not to deny suffering, it is to place the pain within a larger picture, where God continues to be worthy. And "every thing" includes whoever cannot sing, whoever is tired, whoever can only whisper. A murmured "thank You, Lord" counts. And notice that "Praise ye the LORD" is not merely an exclamation: it is a command, said to all at once, like an invitation that unites us.
Today, use your breathing as a reminder. Breathe in slowly saying inwardly "Lord" and breathe out saying "thank You". Do it three times now. Then name three specific things for which you are grateful today. During the day, whenever you notice you are breathing, take a small pause of praise. You breathe all day long, so you have all day long to give thanks. May every breath be a small hallelujah.
Prayer
Lord, thank You for the breath You give me at every instant. May everything in me, what I feel and what I say, praise Your name. Teach me to praise on good days and on hard ones too, knowing that You are worthy. Hallelujah! May every breath of mine be praise to You. Amen.
Put it into practice
Breathe in saying inwardly "Lord" and breathe out saying "thank You", three times. Then name three specific reasons for gratitude and repeat this pause whenever you notice you are breathing.
To reflect on
What would change in your day if you treated every breath as an invitation to praise God?
Bible text: King James Version (public domain).