All in Praise
I can still recall the sound of the latch being lifted on the backyard gate. It was a sound I loved as a child. Going through that gate led into a world of fun, where I spent hours swinging, playing with my dog, and enjoying countless imaginary adventures.
I was selecting lettuce in the produce section of the grocery store, when someone called my name. There stood my friend, who looked quite different from the last time I had seen him. He was thinner. He had no hair, no eyebrows, no eyelashes. This friend was being treated for cancer.
Have you ever felt unloved?
Genesis 29 unfolds the story of Leah, who was married to a man who loved someone else. God saw Leah in her unloved state and opened her womb. She gave birth to Jacob’s first-born son, Reuben, and declared, “…the LORD has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now” (Genesis 29:32).
A small rock sits on my kitchen window sill as a reminder of a recent summer day. I attended a prayer gathering on our downtown square.
My heart soars when I watch a certain young man joyfully assist the worship minister rehearse with the choir before entering the sanctuary. His body bends over his crutches, yet he stands as if his posture was perfectly straight. His face reflects the joy and love of Christ with an unguarded smile. His eyes look to Heaven as he sings. Christ’s radiance on his face inspires me every time I see him. This man is famous to Jesus. Jesus is famous to this man.
Open your Bible to the middle and there you find the hymnbook of God—those inspired songs full of praises and prayers. God inspired the psalms for many reasons, but one important reason is to enhance the worship of His people.
In one way, all of Scripture is both good and true as well as “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16)
And, as most of us will testify, these benefits of Scripture have saved, guided and protected us on more than one occasion.
But there are special passages called benedictions that are some of the most powerful and beautiful passages in Scripture.
Open your Bible to the middle and there you find the hymnbook of God—those inspired songs full of praises and prayers. God inspired the psalms for many reasons, but one important reason is to enhance the worship of His people. A whole book of the Bible was given by God to teach us to praise Him!
Open your Bible to the middle and there you find the hymnbook of God—those inspired songs full of praises and prayers. God inspired the psalms for many reasons, but one important reason is to enhance the worship of His people. A whole book of the Bible was given by God to teach us to praise Him!
Yes, Elijah’s greatest fear may have been of being the only one of God’s prophets left, alone and without help. However, God had a much more penetrating question of His prophet. Not once but twice He asked: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (19:9,13). Incredible, isn’t it, that the LORD‘s charge to Elijah should occur on that very same mountain where He had spoken to Moses in the burning bush and given him the Law (Exodus 3:1-3;19:9,16)?
Joseph’s story is a great lesson in obedience.
Not only was his fiancé pregnant with a child he knew could not biologically be his own, the government had complicated his life by issuing a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. Since Joseph belonged in the lineage of King David, he and Mary were required to travel from their hometown, Nazareth, to the town of Bethlehem of Judea. (Luke 2:1-4; Micah 5:2)
“Joy to the world! The Lord is come.” Having created the universe in the beginning (1:2), and having sustained all things in the meantime (1:3), Jesus did precisely what He had come to do. He came “to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found.” The curse of original sin had most certainly left the proving ground of mankind’s soul a thorny mess that only a Savior could uproot. So the Son came to earth and provided purification for sins. He paid our penalty in full. Now that’s a reason to joyfully sing!
It’s the beginning of December ladies, and the carols are ringing out loud and clear. “Joy to the World” keeps running through my head:
“Joy to the world! The Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King!”
“Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” Psalm 8 begins and ends with this celebration of God’s majesty. Nestled in between we find a verse about the praise of children. Have you ever listened to a child or children sing about Jesus? What an uplifting sound!
The writer of Hebrews offers a not-so-gentle prod to these Judean Christians—you who believe and are saved are not to shrink back (10:39). Rather, remember those earlier days after you had received the light (10:32). Then, they had full assurance of faith (10:22), knowing they were able to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way (10:19-20) rather than by the Law. Then, they had hope (10:23) of their eternal reward. Then, they stood (their) ground in a great contest in the face of suffering (10:32). Now, their confidence is fading.
Walking in the yard, I heard the rumblings of thunder. My heart leapt with anticipation and admiration as my focus shifted heavenward. Thunder reminds me of God and his awe-inspiring greatness.
I set my alarm early, knowing I had devotionals due soon and absolutely nothing written. I needed some quiet hours to reflect and write. For almost two hours, I sat and stared at my computer and my open Bible. Nothing came.
A small rock sits on my kitchen window sill as a reminder of a recent summer day. I attended a prayer gathering on our downtown square.
The long-awaited day finally arrived. The Magi beheld the Christ-child. They bowed. They worshiped. They presented their gifts.
We continue our look at the Magi’s journey to worship the newborn king. “Worship” (derived from the Old English word “weorth”) means to attribute worth to something. The Magi were on a journey to attribute worth to Jesus. Would you say that is your life pursuit—to attribute worth to Jesus?
