PRAISE AND WORSHIP GOD
Last night I was in a
state of half-asleep and half-awake when I began to praise God. I didn’t have
my eyes open but I was conscious of what I was saying. I told God over and
over: “I praise you; I worship you; I praise you; I praise you; thank you.” I went
on like this for hours until I actually woke up about 5 a.m.
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” (Psa. 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” (Psa. 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” (Psa. 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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