“From the sun’s rising to its setting;

Let the name of Yahweh be praised.”

(Psalm 113:3)

When God speaks to Joshua, he tells him to take the writings of Moses (scripture) and to study them day and night so that he may walk faithfully before the Lord (Joshua 1:8).  There is an old story of a young rabbi who wanted to go study Greek philosophy.  His elder rabbi cited this verse from Joshua and told him to “go and find the hour that is neither day nor night and in that hour you may study Greek philosophy.”  In other words, if God thought that it was essential that Joshua, a man of great faith and integrity, keep the Scriptures before his eyes at all time so that he may walk faithfully, ought not we consider it of the same importance in our own lives?

Though the psalmist is speaking about praise and not specifically the study of God’s word, the principle expressed in both of these passages holds true.  How essential it is for us to give our lives to the praising of our Great God and King.  How essential it is for us to live out our lives in a deliberate way so as to bring glory and honor to the King of Kings!  How our lives need to be characterized by the praise of our God!  What a wonderful thing it is to worship our God, what a necessary thing it is to our well-being, but what a neglected thing it is for the people of God—especially if you only understand worship in terms of that which you do Sunday morning.

Beloved, worship of God is for all of life.  The psalmist says nothing of the Sabbath in this verse.  The psalmist says nothing of being in the gathering of the saints in this verse.  The psalmist simply says, from the sun’s rising to its setting—all of your waking hours—let your life praise the name of Yahweh.  How good it is for us, loved ones, to nurture this practice and mindset within our lives.  How important it is, if we are going to stay faithful to God, that we seek to live out our praise in all of life.  Beloved, be deliberate in seeking ways in which your daily, waking, activities can be used in the praise of our Great and infinitely praiseworthy, God and King.