Praise the Lord! And he has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his faithful servants, of Israel, the people close to his heart. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 148:1,14).

In this psalm, all creation sings the praise of God. We, the children of God, are the last, singing the "Amen!" But why are we so slow to do it? Why does it take so much effort for us to praise God? The psalter ends with five entire psalms calling us to 'Praise the Lord.' Five! Why does it not come naturally to us?

The answer is that all of creation is now subject to bondage and decay (Romans 8:20-21). Along with the rest of God's created order, we are subject to the power of sin. Thus, we say, "I don't want to! I want to do my own thing. I don't want to worship God." We've all been in a room of people, haven't we, when someone new walks in and immediately draws everyone's attention. In some small way, we'd all like to be that person, that centre of attention. Praising God gives him attention. It puts him at the centre. It's difficult to do.

So, what do we do? Is there a way forward? The psalm's ending gives us a clue: "And he has raised up for his people a horn" (14). This line is quoted by Zachariah who was temporarily mute because he didn't believe the angel Gabriel. After his son's birth, he sings, "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us" (Luke 1:68-69). 'Horn' is an image for strength.

Now listen to this, from Luke 11, Jesus said, "But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder" (20-22). Jesus' implication was clear. "I am the stronger one," he says, "I have come to bind Satan."

Paul builds on this when he writes, "At one time you were dead in your sins. Your desires controlled by sin… But God gave you new life together with Christ. He forgave us all our sins…He has taken it away and nailed it to the cross. He took away the weapons of the powers and authorities. He made a public show of them. He won the battle over them by dying on the cross" (Col. 2:13-15).

There we have it. The way out of sin is not within us. It is not to try harder. Rather, it is to look to Jesus. We move towards praising God by believing that Jesus has bound the powers that keep our eyes focussed on this earth and our misery. Because Jesus has released us, we can look up again.

Romans 8 also tells us that the creation waits in hope for liberation. The one through whom the creation was formed has gone through death to liberate all things. Christ frees us from the bondage of all hostile powers. Jesus reconciles us and all creation to our Creator God.

Followers of Jesus sing Psalm 148 in anticipation of all creation being free to sing the praise of God again. So, let's sing this psalm. Let's sing the last songs of the psalter in anticipation of Christ's final and full victory.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

"May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he'll do it" (1 Thessalonians 5:23).