A Call to Praise

Psalm 134 says:

"(1) Behold, bless ye the Lord. All ye servants of the Lord. Which by night stand in the house of the Lord. (2)Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord.
(3)Bless the Lord that hath made heaven and earth. Bless thee out of Zion."

I came across this Psalm sometime in December of 2008. It was such a refreshing Psalm to read and one that I hadn't paid attention to before. Since then I've been meditating on it and I think about it whenever I go to church for a meeting, rehearsal or Bible Study. The psalmist instructs the people of God to give God glory. Those of us who have committed ourselves to serving the Lord are urged to praise Him.

Is blessing the Lord and serving the Lord two separate duties? I didn't think it possible but, then again what good is our service to God if the spirit of praise doesn't dwell in our hearts. Feeding the hungry, visiting the sick, or teaching someone how to read are all great acts of kindness but, we are called to proclaim His goodness. We must establish that He is the reason behind all that we do and all that we are and all that we have.

I realize that some of us struggle with vocal praise but, look at what the psalmist says in verse two. "Lift up your hands in the sanctuary." You may be someone that finds it difficult to say amen or hallelujah in the sanctuary. And if so, you are not alone. But, the psalmist provides an alternative in verse two by exhorting us to lift up our hands. Yes! Show some sign!

In life we lift up our hands for different reasons:

1. It can be an act of surrender. A way of showing the police that we have no intention of causing harm or posing a threat and that we are fully submitted to their authority.

2. It can be an act of allegiance. As when we pledge allegiance to the flag. We are saying that we will be loyal to our country or a particular group and it's ordinances, disciplines and doctrines.

3. It can be a salutation. A way of greeting someone of authority or simply someone that we are familiar with.

Certainly as servants of God, we have not only joined the Lord's army to serve but, we have surrendered our will to God's will. Truly we want our lives to be in harmony with the will of God and will strive to avoid bringing shame or harm to the kingdom.

Certainly as servants of God, we pledge loyalty to the sovereign God. We are dedicated to abiding by His word to the best of our abilities and thankful for His grace when we fall short.

Certainly as servants of God, we are compelled to salute our Lord whenever we enter into his presence. Especially, in the sanctuary reserved for His praise and glory. Hallelujah, and we realize that we are always in His presence for He is omnipresent.

My prayer is that you are freed today to give him the praise. May your heart be so moved that you give God the glory with a hearty amen and hand waive offering the next time you enter into his sanctuary!

No Limits... No Boundaries... Stretch forth... Break forth

Isaiah 54:4-5
“Fear not, for you will not be put to shame; And do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced; But you will forget the shame of your youth, And the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.

“For your husband is your Maker, Whose name is the LORD of hosts; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth.

I thank God for brand new mercies. God gives us another chance to fulfill his will each day that we rise. How glorious it is to know, that your past is in the past. No need to cry over it. No need to dwell on it. You can let it go and start a fresh.

Yes, others may try to remind you of it. Others may struggle with forgetting it but, you have an opportunity to say that's not me, it won't be me, and I am free to breakforth and stretchforth to a greater reality.

How is this possible?

First, when we accept Christ,the word says "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, all things have become new(2 Cor 5:17). Christ has made you clean by shedding his blood for you on Calvary. So, God sees no fault in you.

Secondly, hold your head up high, Jesus said in John 8:7 "...He
that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her..." Yes you may have been a wretched individual. You may have been a lying, backstabbing and conniving person. Maybe your past holds adultery and fornication. Maybe you abused your body, the temple of God, with drugs and liquor. Or perhaps you simply, sin by never worshipping God... Yes, for all you kind hearted people, not praising God is a sin. Nevertheless, we all have sinned in some way and fallen short of God's glory. So hold your head up and know that anyone pointing a finger at you needs to examine themselves. For they are no better than you.

Lastly, the Lord is on your side. That is no small statement. He is the Lord God, strong and mighty. Mighty in battle. He is the maker of Heaven and Earth. He is your keeper. He is your provider. God is the glory and lifter of your head. He is your redeemer. And if you trust Him, he will never let you fall.

Stay strong and remember. No limits. No Boundaries. Stretch forth. Break forth. For you have been released from your past and you are positioned to catapult into your future.