PRAISE AND WORSHIP
Last night I was in a state of half-asleep and
half-awake when I began to praise the Lord. I didn’t have my eyes open, but I
was conscious of what I was saying. I told the Lord over and over: “I praise
you; I worship you; I praise you; I praise you; thank you.” I went on like this
for several minutes until I fell back asleep.
As I thought about this, it hit me that there are
many Christians who no longer go to a traditional church building to worship
and praise. But praise and worship still need to be a part of our lives. Praise
and worship are an important part of our interaction with the Lord God. To
praise Him doesn’t change Him, but it changes us!
When Paul and Silas were thrown in prison, they
prayed and sang praises to God. And what happened?
“At midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang
praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 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 16:25-26)
Paul and Silas were free.
David was being chased and pursued by Saul, who
wanted to kill him. When David was alone, he praised God. And God rescued him
and gave him insight on how to get away from Saul. “I will call upon the Lord,
who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies” (Ps. 18:3).
There are many verses about praise, but these
two show us that praise opens prison doors. Praise can free us. David shows us
that praise can save us from our enemies.
So even if we don’t go to an actual church
building, and even if our Christian fellowship is only online or only a small
group of people or even if we are by ourselves, we still need to take time to
praise and worship God. We praise and worship Him for who He is and how
thankful we are for Him being in our lives.
Even in awful circumstances: hurricanes, fires,
jail, or persecution, we still need to praise and worship God. It’s probably
our one and only true escape from our own self-destruction. David said: “Why
art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in
God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance” (Psalm 42:5).
David was a smart man. There’s a phrase we hear these days, “Pay it ahead.” But
David knew that “Praise it ahead” was even better. He said: “I will praise the
name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving” (Ps. 69:30).
When I woke up from praising and worshipping the
Lord in my sleep, I realized I needed to praise Him even more when I’m fully
awake. I need to make more time to worship Him. He is the absolute most
important one in my entire life and I should tell Him more often!
Love, Carolyn
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