Transforming Praise

Psalm 92:1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High.

If you have breath, give Him praise. There is no one more worthy to receive it. He has rescued us from death, given us life, and treasured us for who and what we are. He accepts us in our individuality because that is how He made us. We are not forced into cookie cutter molds by God's Spirit. He is big enough and loving enough to work with us each in our own unique needs and ways, for He has unique tasks for each of us, that only we can do. And part of that is to give Him praise in our own individual style.

Psalm 150:1 Praise the Lord. Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens.

Where we praise Him will vary from day to day as He leads us from moment to moment. It may be in the close, inner confines of our prayer closet or work space; it may be in the wide open spaces of the fields or back yard. He is everywhere, all the time, and always deserving of our adoration and worship.

Psalms 150:2 Praise Him for His acts of power; praise Him for His surpassing greatness.

What we praise Him for will differ in detail from event to event. We may give praise for His rescue from a disaster or close call. We may give thanks for the blessings He sends us to meet our needs, material or spiritual. We may honor Him as we look about us at the intricacies of the natural world or the awesome, far-flung splendor of the night-time skies, all of which evidence His vastness, His power, His immediacy, His care. We may worship as we see the results of answered prayer in the changed life of someone we know.

Psalm 150
v.3 Praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise Him with the harp and lyre,
v.4 praise Him with tambourine and dancing, praise Him with the strings and flute,
v.5 praise Him with the clash of cymbals, praise Him with resounding cymbals.

How we praise Him matters not, as long as it is from the heart. Let His praise rise up from within, let it take expression in whatever form you desire, let the Spirit have His way in guiding you to express the gratitude that fills you, give wings to the love that fills your being, your heart and mind and soul. Let it be loud or let it be soft, however is fitting; let it be exuberant or let it be gracious, however is suitable; let it gush or let it seep, however is authentic. Even the flowing of the water from under the altar and out of the temple in Ezekiel began as a mere trickle but because it did not stop, it soon became a river that could not be crossed.

Psalm 150:6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.

Praise Him individually and praise Him together. Each of us can glorify God and magnify Him, enlarge on some aspect that we have experienced, draw attention to, and give witness of, what He has done for us, to us, in us, and with us and make God great in the eyes and ears of others. Corporately, as we combine our testimony of His love, we can act as multiple lenses to show the magnificence of God as a telescope shows the wonders of His works, as a microscope shows in greater and greater detail the marvels of His creation.

Haggai 3
v.16 Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in His presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored His name.
v.17 "They will be mine," says the Lord Almighty, "in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him.
v.18 And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not."

Let us bear the name of Christ with the pride of who He is and what He has done and with the humility of the grace, the undeserved favor, of what we have received. Let us show His love with the unrestrained abandon that limitless resources permit, the same freedom with which Jesus showed the love of the Father to us, to all who are needy and searching, hungry and wanting, fearful and anxious, wounded and hurting, angry and frustrated. 

Matthew 14:29 Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus.

Let us take the first bold step. Let us make the invitation with the assurance of His agent, His representative, His close friend, His beloved, and trust the Spirit to make the difference between mere words, and life-giving answers.

Revelation 22:17 The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.

As we practice the presence of God today, as we walk in the power of the Spirit, as we draw closer to the heart and mind of the Lord, let us keep before us the image, the goal, the destination that has been set before us.

Philippians 3:12 I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

The desire of the Father is to find a Bride worthy of His Son, one who loves His Son as much as the Father does. The love given to His Bride gives the confidence, the security, the assurance needed to go forth and do the work laid before us.

Proverbs 31
v.25 She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
v.26 She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
v.27 She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
v.31 Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Gracious God and loving Savior, the praise is yours. Let the thoughts of our minds, the intents of our hearts, the words of our mouth, the deeds of our hands, and every place that our feet take us today be to the glory and the praise of Your name. You are worthy of this devotion, Lord, and no one else. No celebrity, no financial wizard, no business magnate, no political office holder, no wielder of money, no owner of property, no figure of power, will be able to stand before You, for all will bow their knees and give You praise, willingly or unwillingly. We choose to do so now, beforehand, willingly as we recognize and acknowledge Your worth. You are the One who saved us, Lord, and You are the One who will keep us.

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