Many times when I find what I think is a profound truth in Scripture, I proudly go to God and say, "Look what I found!" He just as often humbles me by pointing out that this truth has been there all along. It's as if He says, "What took you so long?" I go to my friends, and am excited to share this truth with them, but they may already know it, or more often, their journey is in a different place, so their attitude is, "Uh-huh. That's nice. What does that have to do with me?"
Just such an insight has been revealed to me in the last couple of days. Maybe this will be an encouragement to you, as much as it was for me. Or maybe you have already made this discovery. If you have, be patient with me. And if you are in a different place in your walk right now, keep this in mind for future reference. You may need it later.
Psalm 22:3 says, "You are enthroned as the Holy One, you are the Praise of Israel." Some translations say that God is enthroned on the Praises of His people, that he indwells or inhabits their praises. In any case, we are commanded by Scripture to constantly give praises to God. This is the way that the angels in heaven worship God in Revelation 7:12, by saying, "Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever." So obviously, praising God lifts Him up, gives Him honor, and acknowledges Him as greater than we are or could ever be.
The praise we give to God is not like the encouragement we give to our children ("You are such a big girl! You did it all by yourself."). It is not like the kudos we give to our peers ("We want to recognize John as our employee of the month. He really went above and beyond on this project.") It is not even like the honor we give to the elderly, or the lofty position we give to elected officials ("The band is playing 'Hail to the Chief' when the President walks in; who knows, Susie, you could be President one day.") No, God is like no other, and He deserves praise like no other.
Throughout my Christian walk, I have encountered people in the Church who seem to praise God incessantly. Yes, I know the Bible says, "Pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." But frankly, I have always thought of people like that as very shallow. It's like if every other word is, "Praise God," then there is no depth--they must not know what an ordinary person goes through every day. They must not know our emotions, our struggles, or our sorrows. After all, didn't Solomon say, "There is a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance."
Nevertheless, I have come into contact with a man who seems to praise God unceasingly. He is so full of joy that I seem downright dour in comparison. Yet whenever I am with him I am encouraged. So I determined in my heart that I would change my prayer practices. Instead of every day coming to God with my list of wants and wishes, instead I would begin with praises, and if there is time, I would bring my needs before Him. And I have to say, it has revolutionized my prayer life. But instead of my feeling shallow and lacking depth, God is showing me how lifting Him up in praise allows Him to bless me.
Look at it this way. We are commanded to follow Him. So scripturally, following Him is a duty. Experientially, we know that following Him is for our good and His glory. Ultimately, following Him will get us to heaven. But we can follow Him in our own strength, or we can find joy in the journey. Praising God helps us find joy. But it also helps us in so many other ways. Let's go back to Revelation 7:12. There are seven words listed there, seven things we attribute to God. Seven is the number of wholeness and completion, so I want us to look at that list carefully. Don't we all have times when we want or even need some of those things? Isn't that our desire, to be strong, and powerful, to receive honor and thanks, to be wise, glorious and praiseworthy?
I want to show you what God has shown me this week: that by giving to Him, he gives back to us. This is trustworthy and true in our finances: if we give our tithes and offerings to Him, without compunction, "for the Lord loves a cheerful giver", then He can bless us financially above what we can even ask or think. Well, if that's true with money, it is also true with other things.
Strength
The angels worship God by giving Him praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength. That means that when they serve God, it is will all their might. What did Jesus says was the greatest commandment? "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength." If we pledge ourselves to God, including our strength, then he will strengthen us in our hour of need. "Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might." How do you do that? By giving Him all of your strength. We cannot begin to serve Him in our own strength. Yet if we do all for the glory of God, he will strengthen us. Colossians 3:23-24 says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Give him your strength, and He will make you strong.
Power
Romans 13:1 says, "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established." God sets people in authority to do His will, even those who desire to exercise that authority for their own purposes and profit. God is all powerful, and when He shares that power with people, those people are accountable to Him for the exercise of that power. Therefore those in positions of power must use that power for good, for God's glory. But you may say, "I'm not a king, or president, or governor, mayor, councilman, or dog-catcher." Maybe not, but you are a person of influence. You are a parent, or a teacher, or a mentor, or a friend. Whatever power you have, use it for God, and He will give you more of it. Remember the story of Joseph: he was the second youngest of Jacob's sons, despised by his brothers and sold into slavery. But even as a slave, he became the second most powerful man in Potiphar's house. He was sent to prison, but became the second most powerful man in the prison. He was elevated to a cabinet level position in Pharaoh's government, but became the second most powerful rule in Egypt. Why? Because he used his power for God's ultimate purpose. And when he did, God gave him more power.
Honor
There are times when we want credit for what we've done. Honor where honor is due, right? But often, the more we try to get honor, the less honorable (and less honored) we are. But if we honor God in all things, He will set us in a position of honor for his glory.
Thanks
Gratitude is a great thing, especially when it is directed at us. We all like to get credit for things we have done. But who has done more than God, and who deserves more thanks? And the deal is, the more thankful we are to him, the more we find others thanking us for our attitude, our encouragement, and our devotion to Him. The world calls it good karma. They just don't get it.
Wisdom
There are times when we really seek God's direction. The Bible says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives generously and without finding fault." (James 1:5) The wisest thing you can do is seek direction from God. So if we give wisdom to God, He will give us more wisdom. Stands to reason, no?
Glory
Who doesn't like to get kudos from others? How much more does God deserve our glory? And, I'm sensing a theme here, the more glory we give to God, the more He puts us in a position to receive glory.
Praise
Like glory and honor, we all like to be praised. From the time we are kids, we seek the praise of peers and parents. We like to be lifted up. Many live for praise. God dwells in it. He is enthroned on it. He knows His people by their praise. So praise Him. He just might--no promises here, but just maybe--He will set you in a position of strength and power and honor and thanks and wisdom and glory.
Now, isn't that obvious?
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