Investments for Praise

Today's Reading: Psalm 96, Jeremiah 17:7-10, & John 16

Scripture:

"Sing to the LORD a new song." Psalm 96:1

Observation:

In the context of this verse the new song the Psalmist is speaking of is the returning of Christ to establish His Kingdom. In the context of my life today, I sense God encouraging me to sing praise in a new way. My praise is often tied to what God is doing for me or how I feel about my life. Consequently the ticker chart of my praise volume jumps up and down like the stock market. I sense three stable, constant investments for my praise this morning.

Application:

First, I need to learn to praise God's glory. To praise His glory I must experience His glory. To experience His glory I must spend time with God. To spend time with God means that I surrender my heart to Him and draw near. There is so much in the Bible about God's glory. He is majestic, all powerful, all knowing, mighty, above all, before all, and in control of all. I read these words but the truth is the condition of my heart often keeps me from drawing near. In the midst of any season of life, I should keep at the forefront of my mind a desire to experience a greater encounter of God's glory.

Second, I need to learn to praise the good news. The "what have you done for me lately" mentality of the world has definitely overtaken my spiritual life. If my list of wants goes untouched for any period of time I fight against getting ticked at God. I won't say I am ticked. I use words like confused, frustrated, or sad. I say things like, "I just can't hear from God" or "God's just not speaking to me." The truth is I am miffed because my life is not tracking on the course I want. The only way to fight this is to return to the basics of my faith. God redeemed me. He bought me out of the mess that was my sin, cleaned me up, gave me a purpose, and established an internal inheritance for me.

Third, I need to praise His return. So much of life works against this. Confusion over the practical aspects of Christ coming back and my natural skepticism towards what is unknown makes this very difficult. Be that as it may, I should learn to praise the fact that this life is not the end, the brokenness of the world is not forever, and there is an eternal plan for those known by God. Some generation, some day will see Christ return. I could very well be living in that generation. I should live each day in joyful anticipation of the fact that this could be that day.

Prayer:

Father, praise is the fuel of life. When my heart is full of it, I have the energy I need to make the most of my days. When my heart is empty, I struggle to stay engaged in the grind of life. I ask this morning that You forgive me making my praise conditional based on the circumstances of my life. I pray that the three permanent realities You have placed on my heart come to life inside of me. I pray that celebrating them become my great source of renewal, energy, and life. I pray that I learn to celebrate each of these things in a manner that will allow others around me to find their own strength to turn towards You in praise.