PRAISE YOUR WAY THROUGH!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 04, 2023. 

SUBJECT : PRAISE YOUR WAY THROUGH!

Memory verse: "But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel" (Psalm 22 vs 3).

Read: Psalm 67 vs 3 - 7; 145 vs 3 - 7 & 10:

67:3: Let the people praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You.

67:4: Oh let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You shall judge the people righteously, and govern the nations on earth.

67:5: Let the people praise You, O God; let all the people praise You.

67:6: Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, that our own God, shall bless us.

67:7: God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.

145:3: Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable. 145:4: One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts. 

145:5: I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and of Your wondrous works. 

145:6: Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, and I will declare Your greatness. 

145:7: They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, and shall sing of Your righteousness.

145:10: All Your works shall praise You O Lord, and Your saints shall bless You.

INTIMATION:

Praise is to be ascribed to God, in respect of His glory (the exhibition of His character and operations). Praise is the expression to God of our admiration, appreciation, thanks, approval, and understanding of what He does—His creation, His blessings, His forgiveness. It is also to give great honor to God for each aspect of God's divine nature—loving, just, faithful, forgiving, patient, and the revelation of Himself to us. In praise, we outwardly express our inward attitude toward God. When we praise God we help ourselves by expanding our awareness of who He is. 

Praise is vocal, it is uttered and should be offered in proportion to God's own Person. He is great—great in wisdom, great in power, great in His creative works, great in His redemptive acts and great in His dealings with us. Everything that God does is great and therefore should be greatly praised. Considering all that God has done and does for us, what could be more natural than outbursts of heartfelt praise? 

Praise stimulates God into action. Acknowledging Him for who He is and what He does stimulates Him to take over our battles, and come through to us in our petitions to Him. Because it’s one thing God cannot do for Himself, He is very pleased when we offer our sincere praise to Him. Offering praise to the Lord draws His attention to us. Praise engenders the manifestation of God’s greatness, and the outpouring of His blessings on our lives. Praise brings God down in His Might to attend personally to our situation.

In our memory verse, we observe that God is "enthroned in the praises of Israel." The nation of Israel (the descendants of Jacob) was special to God because to its people God brought His laws, and through its people He sent His Son, Jesus Christ. Now any individual who follows God is just as special to Him. In fact, the Bible says that the nation of Israel is not a specific people or geographic place but the community of all who believe in and obey God; "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3 vs 28 - 29).

God's enthronement on the praises of His people was showcased when Paul and Silas were in jail in Philippi, where the jailor thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. And at midnight they prayed, and sang praises unto God. The Great God showed up in His Might, in response to the praises of His children; "And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed." (Acts 16 vs 23 - 26.)

Praise should be continuously offered to God as a sacrifice. In so doing you will realize that you won't take His blessings for granted. Praise God first in your prayer, then you will be prepared to present your needs to Him. Songs of praise focus our attention on God, give us an outlet for spiritual celebration, and reminds us of God’s faithfulness and character. Prophet Hosea said that in prayer and praise our iniquities are taking away; “Take words with you, and return to the Lord, say to Him, “Take away all iniquity; receive us graciously, for we will offer the sacrifices of our lips” (Hosea 14 vs 2).

In our worship to God, praise does the following:-

(1) Praise first puts us in the right frame of mind to tell about our needs.

(2) Praise takes our minds off our problems and shortcomings to focus on God.

(3) Praise leads us from individual meditation to corporate worship.

(4) Praise causes us to consider and appreciate God's character.

(5) Praise lifts our perspective from the earthly to the heavenly.

(6) Praise prepares our hearts to receive God's love and power of His Holy Spirit.

(7) Praise brings God down in His Might to attend personally to our situation.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit and garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that I may praise You all the days of my life for who You are, and all You do. And it shall be counted for me as righteousness, and brings Your Might to bear in my situation and cause Your blessings to be poured out on me, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!