Showing posts with label The Wonder of Worship The Power of Praise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Wonder of Worship The Power of Praise. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

The Goodness of Bold, Declarative Praise

It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
And to sing praise to You name, O Most High;
To declare You lovingkindness in the morning,
And your faithfulness every night.
(Psalm 92:1-2)
Let us consider goodness.
Three things come to mind:


  • That which is good is good in its source, for that which is evil cannot produce that which is good.
  • That which is good is good in its essence. God is able to bring forth good things in the midst of evil, but we should never call evil good because of it. We should always delineate between the two.
  • That which is good is good in its effects. It brings forth good results, making the world a better place. It adds benefits and strengthens virtue. It increases beauty, bounty, and prosperity in the world.
What is it that the psalm writer is pronouncing as good? Giving thanks. It is good to give thanks to the LORD. The Hebrew word translated “give thanks” is yada. Literally, it means to use the hand, as to throw. But it is used as a term of worship. Think of it as throwing praise and worship toward the Lord in grateful recognition.

The psalm writer is not talking about passive acknowledgement. He is talking about standing up and making bold declaration. What is that declaration? The lovingkindness and faithfulness of the Lord. This is the steadfast covenant love and mercy, and complete trustworthiness of our God.

It is a good thing to worship the Lord, to boldly declare His love and faithfulness. It comes from a good place and brings good results, magnifying the goodness of God on the earth.

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Earth Shall Yield Her Increase

Let the peoples praise You, O God;
  Let all the peoples praise You.
Then the earth shall yield her increase;
  God, our own God, shall bless us.
God shall bless us,
  And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.
(Psalm 67:5-7)
When God shows His mercy and blessing to His people, it reveals the glory of His salvation to the world and causes the nations to be glad, bringing forth praise to His name (see A Revelation of Jesus to the Nations and Governing the Nations). When that happens it causes the earth to release its increase, its fruitfulness, its wealth. The praise of God brings forth the prosperity of the earth. It is as the apostle Paul said:
For I consider the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. (Romans 8:18-22)
This revelation has already begun, for Jesus has come to destroy the works of the devil, through His death, burial and resurrection, and has ascended to His throne in heaven, where He rules and reigns forever.

So why don’t we see this happening more? Why don’t we see the nations giving praise to God, and the earth yielding its increase?

The problem is that there are very many of God’s people who do not embrace this revelation and walk in its truth. Many have simply not been taught about it and discipled in it. There are also others who even argue against it, believing that it is not for this life at all, but only for the next. So the glory of God remains largely hidden upon the earth.

But the plans and purposes of God shall be fulfilled. The blessing shall be seen, the glory of God shall be revealed. The nations shall praise, and the earth shall be aligned with the will of God and bring forth her wealth.
God, our own God, shall bless us.
God shall bless us,
And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him. (vv. 6-7)
The psalm writer ends with the confidence that his request shall be fulfilled. Our God shall bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall stand in awe of Him.

God be merciful to us and bless, and cause His face to shine upon us. Selah.

Monday, May 15, 2006

Giving and Receiving Glory

Honor the LORD with your possessions,
And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
So your barns will be filled with plenty,
And you vats will overflow with new wine.
(Proverbs 3:9-10)

For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
The LORD will give grace and glory
No good thing will He withhold
From those who walk uprightly.
(Psalm 84:11)
The Hebrew word for “honor” in Proverbs 3 and for “glory” in Psalm 84 is the same. It is the word kabad, which literally means “heavy.” It was used to refer to the weight of wealth, but came to be used also for the value of every good thing within a person.

When Proverbs tells us to honor the Lord with our possessions, it is not speaking of intangibles. It is a call to give substance or weight to honor by giving to God out of our possessions. This literally gives glory to God. Proverbs further explains this as the firstfruits of all our increase. We honor God by giving Him, not the last and the least, but the first and the best.

As we give tangibly to the Lord, we will receive tangible results: “So your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats overflow with new wine.” This is abundance from God. As we give the first and the best to Him, He multiplies if back to us in practical ways.

We find this also in the New Testament. Paul said, “He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6). Jesus said, “Give and it shall be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38).

When we are in right relationship with God, He gives us grace and glory. The NIV says, “favor and honor.” God’s grace is God’s favor. Understand that we are not made right with God by what we give, but by the righteousness (or rightness) we receive from the Lord Jesus Christ. For God made Him to be sin for us, that we might be made the rightness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). But within that right relationship with God, when we honor Him and give Him the glory of our substance, we are drawing on His favor. When we honor Him, He honors us; when we give glory to Him, He gives glory to us. As the glory we give to God is substantive, so is the glory that God multiplies back to us.

Give God glory by the substance of your possession, the first and the best of all your increase. It will release the glory of God in our life in ways you never thought possible.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Declarations for Morning and Evening

It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,
And Your faithfulness every night.
(Psalm 92:1-2)
When you got out of bed this morning, what did you declare? Was is the lovingkindness of the Lord? If not, you missed out on a sure thing — a good thing. Before you went to bed last night, did you speak about the faithfulness of God? If not, you missed out on another good thing.

The Hebrew word for “declare” is nagad. It means to report conspicuously, to announce boldly, to declare, proclaim, and make known with certainty.

As those who have been reconciled to the Father by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have wonderful things to declare every morning and every evening: His loving kindness and His faithfulness.

The Hebrew word for “lovingkindness” is chesed. It is the steadfast love and mercy of God, which He has promised to always show to His people. The word for “faithfulness” is emunah and is based on the word for “faith.” Today, we say that “faithful” means “trustworthy.” That is absolutely true, but it misses an important point: God is trustworthy because He is faithful, that is, full of faith. We can trust God to do what He promises because He believes everything He says and fully expects to see it come to pass.

What does it mean to declare His lovingkindness every morning? It is the bold proclamation that the lovingkindness of the Lord is going to be with you all through the day. There will not be any moment of the day in which He has forgotten the love He has for you, or the promises He has made to you. This is an announcement you make by faith, trusting completely in Him. What a way to start the day.

How about declaring His faithfulness every evening? Take a moment before you go to bed and see how the Lord has been good to you, how He has kept His promise to you, how it was right on target for you to put all your trust in Him. But don’t just see it; say it!. Make a bold proclamation of it: “God has been faithful to me today.” Even if you don’t see it, declare it anyway, because it is true; because we walk by faith, not by sight; and because it will help you become more aware of God’s faithfulness the next day. It will also help get a good night’s sleep.

When you wake up tomorrow morning, even before you get out of bed, open your mouth and declare to yourself and all the world, “The lovingkindness of the Lord is going to be with me all day today.” In the evening, as you review your day, boldly announce, “God has been faithful to me today. But don’t just whisper it. If your surroundings permit, without disturbing the peace of others, get loud with it. Shout it out, even. It will break the bondage and cast off the chains of some things in your life, and your declaration will become even more confident.

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Ordained Strength, Perfected Praise

O LORD, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have set Your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have ordained strength,
Because of Your enemies,
That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.
(Psalm 8:2)

Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful thing that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise?” (Matthew 21:14-16)
There might seem to be a contradiction here: Is it “ordained strength” or “perfected praise?” The answer is: both. Let’s examine each and then see how they come together.

Ordained Strength

The Hebrew word for “ordained” means to set, appoint, establish or found. The word for “strength” can refer to boldness, might, power, strength, security, majesty, and praise. The Septuagint (early Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, designated by LXX) translates it using ainos, the Greek word for praise.

This psalm declares that the name of the LORD is great in all the earth, and that His glory is established above the heavens. But what is more, God establishes His strength even in the utterances of infants and toddlers (mothers nursed their children longer in those days), and thereby stills the voices of those who hate Him and carry a grudge against Him.

Perfected Praise

In the New Testament, the Greek word for “perfected” means to be thoroughly complete, leaving nothing lacking. The word for “praise,” ainos, literally refers to a tale or narrative, but came to be used in the New Testament to extol the Lord. You might say that praise is the tale of His goodness, or the narrative of His greatness. The greatness of the Lord is demonstrated in that even small children declare His name fully and freely. That is what happened in Matthew’s account.

Perfected Praise IS Ordained Strength

Jesus was in the temple. First, He drove out the money changers, saying, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of thieves” (Matthew 21:12-13). That upset some people (mainly, the money changers). He probably upset more people when He healed the blind and the lame — for these were not allowed into the sanctuary, but were restricted to the outer court (v. 14). Yet these were the very ones Jesus had chosen to minister to.

But the thing that really set off the ire of the chief priests and scribes was what happened next. There were children in the temple area, who, seeing the miracles Jesus performed, recognized their significance and began shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”

Now, children had no standing in the realms of the religious — and just what were they doing in the temple anyway? To make things worse, now they were raising a ruckus, crying out with Hosannas! to Jesus — and Jesus did nothing to stop them, but gladly received their praise. The indignant officials went to Jesus: “Do You hear these children — what they’re saying?” Imagine them impatiently waiting with a “Well, are you just going to stand there?” look on their faces.

What Jesus did next stunned them. For He not only affirmed the praise offered up by the children, He even backed it up with Scripture:
Yes. Have you never read, “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise?”
You see, the children had readily received what should have been apparent to all who were around. Their young eyes had perceived Messiah in their midst, and they openly declared His praise. But the chief priests and scribes had already shut their hearts to Jesus, and now the praises of the children had shut their mouths — they had nothing else to say.

Praise is a powerful weapon in spiritual warfare (make no mistake, this warfare is going on all around us all the time). The more thorough our praise, the greater our strength. The enemy cannot stand to be around when the name of Jesus is exalted. The accuser cannot accuse when we are praising God for His mercy and pouring out our thanks to Him. Simple, child-like worship and adoration stills the God-haters and silences the grudge-holders, for thorough, perfected praise is the foundation of strength.

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Thanksgiving — Entering Into His Gates

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God.
It is He who made us, and now we ourselves.
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
(Psalm 100)
Here is an invitation to the nations — to all peoples, tribes and tongues — and to you. Come and be filled with joy. Hoot and holler and celebrate with singing. Enjoy the LORD — He is for you, not against you.

Enter into a personal relationship with Him and experience the knowledge that He is God. He is revealing Himself in covenant with all who will come to Him.

Come and know your Creator — He is Yahweh (the Hebrew name behind the word “LORD,” all caps), and He is our Maker. We come from Him. Not only that, He is our shepherd, and will take care of us forever.

So how do you enter in? By thanksgiving and praise, being thankful to Him and blessing His name. In other words, it is by faith, coming in complete dependence upon Him, recognizing that He is the source of every good thing, and blessing His name.

What is His name? He has revealed Himself as Messiah (Isaiah 53) and His name is Yeshua (literally, “Yahweh Saves”). He is the Word John talked about, by whom all things were made (John 1:1-3). He is the Good Shepherd, who gives His life for His sheep (John 10). In English, we call His name Jesus.

Joy and celebration in the courts of God belong to all who come with thanksgiving and praise, trusting Him for everything and blessing His name — Jesus.

(See also Invitation of Joy to the Nations)

Friday, November 26, 2004

The Stargate Into the Courts of the LORD

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him and bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
(Psalm 100:4-5)
See how powerful is the act of giving thanks and praise to the Lord. It brings you through His gates and into His courts.

No matter what kind of circumstance you may find yourself in, or how desparate your situation may be — immediately begin giving thanks and praise to God (there is always something to praise Him for).

It will be as if a stargate has materialized and opened up in front of you (sci-fi reference). It is the gateway of the Lord that leads you into His presence. There is no way you can enter without it, and it is impossible to give thanks and praise without at least some faith.

When you give thanks and praise, you will find that the heavens have opened up for you. You are standing in the courts of the LORD — Yahweh, the God of Covenant. Your heart cannot help but be changed in His presence. Your outlook will quickly change as well because now you are approaching your situation with faith and the goodness of God.

If you will learn to live in a state of thanksgiving and praise, you will find yourself continually dwelling in the courts of His presence — and it just keeps getting sweeter and sweeter. (See Psalm 91 for more detail).