Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the Lord , for at his command they were created, and he established them for ever and ever— he issued a decree that will never pass away. Praise the Lord from the earth you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and women, old men and children. Let them praise the name of the Lord , for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens. 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 148:4-14

This Psalm begins with a somewhat perplexing description of “waters above the skies”…this sounds like something higher than clouds. I am not sure what water this is referring to unless it is purely spiritual and metaphysical. The passage seems to be alluding to another realm apart from earth, and perhaps even apart from the physical realm our bodies call home. In this spiritual realm there is something, or someone, capable of praising God.

From a purely physical scientific perspective the water above the skies would be comets and other frozen water in our solar system. The water in these places is like water here on earth except it is present in a different form than liquid water.

The common thread between these two very different interpretations of “water above the skies” is the change of state required. For water to exist outside earth it must change states and for heavenly beings to exist on earth they also must alter their spiritual state. The most striking example being the “change of state” God accomplished when He walked the earth as Jesus.

We creatures here below are to ” Praise the Lord from the earth”. From our location here on earth we must do this with both our physical bodies and our souls. We exist between the two realms – (Heaven and earth). Water (body) and ice (soul) coexisting in a delicate balance that requires a mediator.

God himself “has raised up for his people a horn”, Jesus, to help us maintain the proper balance between “water” and “ice”.

Prayer: God You have provided us with both body and soul. Help us to balance these two parts of our being.