THE PLACE OF PRAISE IN WORSHIP!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY DECEMBER 18, 2023.

SUBJECT : THE PLACE OF PRAISE IN WORSHIP!

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

READ: Psalm 145 vs 1 - 10:

145:1: I will extol You, my God, O King; and I will bless Your name forever and ever. 

145:2: Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever. 

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.

145:8: The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy.

145:9: The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.

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

INTIMATION:

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 His divine nature; loving, just, faithful, forgiving, patient, and the revelation of Himself to us. It is an outward expression of our inward attitude. When we praise God we help ourselves by expanding our awareness of who He is. Therefore, praise is offered to God for who He is and what He does in general. 

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? 

In our worship, praise does the following: (1) Praise takes our minds off our problems and shortcomings and helps us focus on God. (2) Praise causes us to consider and appreciate God's character. (3) Praise lifts our perspective from the earthly to the heavenly. (4) Praise prepares our hearts to receive God's love and power of His Holy Spirit. (5) Praise brings God down in His Might to attend personally to our situation. (6) Praise first puts us in the right frame of mind to tell about our needs. (7) Praise leads us from individual meditation to corporate worship. 

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 through 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 to 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 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 worship, then you will be prepared to present your needs to Him. 

Prayer: Abba Father, You are great and greatly to be praised. Endue me with the spirit of praise that I may praise You at all times, and forever for who You are, and for all You do, in Jesus name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!