10/30/2019
How often do we praise the Lord? Do we praise Him with exuberance, and in the presence of our children, our spouses, and others? Any time we thank God it is good, even when we do so in the quiet solitude of our prayer closet, but there is something special about praising Him boldly, and openly, and it increases our faith.
“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.”
Psalms 9:1 ESV
Praising God shows Him our appreciation for all He does for us, but it is amazingly beneficial to us as well. Letting our feelings of praise flow freely towards Heaven gives birth to an admission of admiration, and faith, that is unspeakable in any other fashion. Charles Spurgeon wrote about this when he said...
“To forget to praise God is to refuse benefit to ourselves, since praise, like prayer, is one great means of promoting growth in our spiritual lives. It helps to remove our burdens, to excite our hopes, to increase our faith.” - Charles Spurgeon
Sports is something I really enjoyed when I was young enough to play them competitively myself. I quit playing football and baseball at a much younger age, but I played my last rugby game when I was 57. Even though I no longer play these sports, I enjoy watching games on television, and recently I have been tuning in to enjoy the Baseball World Series, Football Games, and the Rugby World Cup. In each case, I get loud and cheer as the game goes along. When I am in the stadium this shows my excitement and appreciation for the team, and motivates them, but when I am at home watching games on television my loud cheering serves me, and excites my family and friends as well. I say this because praising God openly has the same effect... it shows our Lord that we love and appreciate Him, and it has a positive effect on our own faith, and the faithfulness of those around us.
“Sing praises to the Lord, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds!”
Psalms 9:11 ESV
Our release of praise and emotion in such a manner let’s the pressure in our spiritual pressure cooker escape before it reaches the point of exploding, and it allows those around us the benefit of knowing that we are indeed preparing a meal for them. If you have ever cooked with a pressure cooker you remember the constant giggling of the pressure relief valve as it regulated the pressure inside, but when the food was done you released that pressure by lifting the valve up to allow a steady whistle of pressure escape. At this moment you knew that dinner was about to be served, but so did everyone else in the house. Our anticipation grows, but so does the excitement of our family and guests. Much in the same way the release of our spiritual pressure not only excites our guest of honor (God, and Jesus), but us, and those around us as well. When we read Psalm 150 we can hear the exhilaration of the pressure being released...
“Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!”
Psalms 150:1-6 ESV
So I ask again, “How often do we praise the Lord?”, because by doing so we are bringing our relationship with Him to greater heights, and increasing our own faith, and spirituality, as well. Are you ready to experience the exhilaration, and the quickening of faith? Are you ready to praise Him loudly do that your family, and those around you can participate in your joy, and come to know your God but it? Now is the time... praise Him with all you have!
Prayer:
Father, thank you for not only doing all the things you you do for us, but for allowing us to praise you, and hold you up in great esteem! Thank you, even when our words don’t suffice, and we must clang cymbals, blow horns, and do the other things that give you honor. Thank you for this way of providing us a release for our spirituality, and giving display to our relationship with you. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who is worthy of all praise, and love. Amazing are you for your mercy, grace, and provision. Amazing is your love for us, and the lengths you go to in demonstrating it... even to the point of sending your only begotten Son to the cross for us. We shout your name for all to hear, and lift our arms to you in joy and happiness. All glory is yours, and you are worthy Father! We praise you now, and forevermore!!
“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.”
James 5:13 ESV
Rich Forbes