Praise The Lord!

“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.” Psalm‬ ‭9‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭ESV‬‬

  • ‭ “I will give thanks to the Lord with my Whole heart”! Not half heartedly. Not because I have to; not in order to check it off my to do list. But because I truly want to thank Him for all He’s done for me; for all He’s seen me through. My whole heart. All that I am. My strengths and weaknesses; my ups and downs; good and bad. ‭
  • Then, tell of ALL His wonderful deeds. It is good to remember God’s faithfulness. To reflect on how I have seen Him work in my life, both past and present! I pray that one day God may give me the opportunity to share with others the reason for my hope, that they may have hope and give glory to God. 
  • Next, “I will be glad  and exult in you”. This can be challenging at times, the Bible teaches that we are to give thanks in all circumstances. (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Easy when things are going well, a lot harder to rejoice and be thankful when we're in the midst of a struggle.
  • The Psalmist also says, “I will sing praise to your name, O Most High”.  Another Psalm, 34:3-4(ESV) directs us to, “…magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together! I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.” “Magnify the Lord”. How many of us find it easier to magnify our problems more than the Lord? I, for one, am an expert at making mountains out of mole hills! Worrying about something that could happen only to find that it never does and that worrying was useless. Or creating scenarios in my mind of how things will go down or work out, only to find “my” planning wasn’t necessary. 
  • One dictionary definition for the word “magnify” is, “to enlarge in fact or in appearance”. Some synonyms are, “embellish”, “exaggerate” or “stretch”.  Sounds like what we do with our problems. The Biblical definition though is, "to cause to be held in greater esteem or respect", in reference to God.       
  • So, what would happen if we chose to magnify God instead of our problems? Love the story of King Jehoshaphat, in 2 Chronicles chapter 20, who sought the Lord when there was a great army coming against Judah. The verse that stood out for me was, “And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to SING to the Lord and PRAISE him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say, “Give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever.” And when they began to SING and PRAISE the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed.”(verses 21-22)(Emphasis mine)
  • ‭‭Do you see it? They sang to the Lord! They praised and worshiped Him, they didn’t focus on their problems, they magnified the Lord! ‬‬
  • Paul also instructs us to rejoice in the Lord always, see Philippians 4:4. Rejoice, not in the circumstance or trial itself  but in who God is; in His faithfulness, goodness and mercy. Rejoice in His promises that He will use it for good. And that He walks with us through whatever we face. 
  • So, next time you feel like there’s an “army” coming against you, or fear and worry have gripped your heart, seek the Lord, give Him thanks and praise His name! Magnify the Lord and recount all His wondrous deeds!



 

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