“Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.” Psalm 40:5
How many times can you tell the Lord thank you and it will be enough? How many blessings, mercies, or graces can you add, and would you find adequate praise in the sum of these alone, and then stop? How many times can we open our mouths and our hearts and completely fulfill the holy order of praise due to His holy name?
My friends, for what God has done for us, it will never be enough. His blessings, His “wonderful works,” His “thoughts… to us-ward,” are more than we could ever count or imagine! Therefore, our praise, our tongues of worship, our voices of thanksgiving can never be too much.
In prayer this morning, my mind traveled through portions of my life’s journey, and God brought me through every one of those days, even the hard ones, to the moment of today. And my heart is overwhelmingly grateful in a good way.
I cannot count back to God all the goodnesses He has shown me, for I am sure, the half of it I don’t even know. But I can approach Him with a grateful heart and try in my best way possible, this day and every day, to express my most humblest of thanks.
Today, will you step aside into a quiet place, if you haven’t already, a time with just you and the Father, and let Him know how much you love Him, how grateful you are, and thank Him for the “more than can be numbered” times He has been there for you. I’m sure you would agree, that God deserves more thank you’s than any of us could ever count.
“O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise, the glories of my God and King, the triumphs of his grace!” – Charles Wesley (Public Domain)
“O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.” 1 Chronicles 16:34
Joy is not a passing fling for the believer. His heart is ever rejoicing because the God of all heaven instills in him the ability to find a reason to praise regardless of the season one is encountering. Be it sunny skies or rainy days, the seed of praise still grows in the heart of His, and their joyfulness cannot be sequestered. Even if the skies or tides do not turn in our favor, God above all, is still worthy to be praised.
As noted in “Singing in the Rain,” dreary situations may come, and times of trouble and hardship can arise, but our hope for these less-than-fair days, and every day, is in our Heavenly Father. Therefore, whether sloshing through the rain of affliction or traipsing through the meadows of peace, we can say, “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God” Psalm 43:5.
Our hope is in God who never changes even if our situations do.
“Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.” Romans 12:12
“O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.” Psalm 22:3
Psalm 22 is known by all as the Messianic psalm prophesied of and quoted by Jesus Christ as He died and gave up His life for all mankind on that old rugged cross.
In the tragedy that would occur on Calvary, David tucks in this verse describing God dwelling in the place where His people praise Him.
If you are living a life of praising God, then no matter what circumstance you face, you are drawn near in heart and soul to Him, and the peace of His presence is never far from you.
One psalmist once declared, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all” Psalm 34:19, knowing that at the end of his course, victory was on the other side.
But on this side of life, we may still face many challenges and difficulties we are not keen on. For the very word tells of the distress it brings in one’s life. But it is in the midst of these struggles the individual must train themselves where the thoughts of their heart will lie: in the bosom of God’s faithfulness, or in the logic of human thinking.
The first would always be the winning choice regardless of one’s current condition, for in the bosom of God’s faithfulness, these moments of hardships, with the tears and turmoil they may possess, give way and make room to be refreshed in the fire by the God who will step in with you – to have one’s heart lifted with peace above the circumstance because praise has elevated you.
Oh, my friends, praise is powerful! Praise can lift you from the deepest pit and the direst of occasions. Though physically one may not experience the immediate relief they long for, but when our thoughts and intents of heart are transferred from viewing the troubles before us to the faithful God who has always been with us, we are raised by the power of His presence in the midst of the storm.
Naturally, we may be down, but inside we rise to the place where His glory dwells. Inside, we seem to soar into the heavenlies, leaving the cares of this world behind.
“O thou that inhabits the praises of Israel,” will He not also come near to you and me when we sequester ourselves with Him, lean upon His bosom of faithfulness, and just praise.
Tears may mingle there, but let praise be not absent.
Cares may be cast there but let not the Hallelujah’s be silenced.
“I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Psalm 34:1
“O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people” Psalm 117:1. You do not have to be Israel’s biological child to praise the LORD. The heart of the saint, His redeemed one, crying out, “Abba, Father” (Galatians 4:6) knows that “praise is comely for the upright” (Psalm 33:1) no matter who they are or where they hail from.
“Give unto the LORD the glory due his name…” Psalm 29:2
“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High:” Psalm 92:1
We may not be before the ark decorated with cherubim, but we can come before the “Throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in times of need” (Hebrews 4:16) which is decorated with His undeniable glory.
And while there before that place of His presence, let us not just ask from Him, but let us offer to God our genuine, heartfelt praise.
Difficulties, struggles, and hurts – with great compassion for the trials some face, I will never downplay their experience. But according to Job, regardless of our present experience, we can still find a place of praise, for he said, “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” Job 1:21.
“Praise ye the Lord. Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord.
Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore.
From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised.
The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.
Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high,
Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!
He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;
That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.
He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord.” Psalm 113
I sit and I hear the birds calling out to one another. One sings his melody, and another responds. The beauty of this conversation puts a smile on my face as I hear the rhythms of nature in their song.
In the heavens, where our eyes cannot yet see, there is a song more glorious being called out: “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts . . .” (Isaiah 6:3) as the seraphim cry out to one another. The adoration and praises of God fill the atmosphere of that heavenly realm. There, all give Him the glory. All recognize His splendor and majesty.
What are our hearts crying out for today? Is it more of what the world offers, or do we have something within us to offer Him?
Do we feel a calling out within us, stretching us to give Him praise? Are we welcoming Him in our lives and days, laying things down that we might raise a shout of “Hosanna” (Mark 11:10) in our hearts? Are we making room for Him, lauding Him as Lord over everything?
Or, have we allowed silence to be louder?
Redemption has instilled a song in us. Our salvation has enlightened us to be quicker with a heavenly melody of our own. Our own words of adoration come alive, wake up, take a stand, and shout of His unrecoiling love.
A love that has spared no expense to save me. A love that has looked hurt and pain in the face that one day I can hear those songs of heaven for myself and let my heart be joined with them when my feet stand before Him.
Yes, in that future we will praise in a beautiful way we have never experienced before. Until that day, I open my mouth and my heart today and praise the God of my salvation. I will let the glory of who He is roll from my lips, and let my heart sing her song with rejoicing.
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When you look back over your life and the paths you have traveled, do you see God’s hands in the steps you have taken? Do you see how He has held you? How He has raised you? How He has saved you?
Do you see the times when the way was confusing, and darkness covered the way? Do you see the mess-ups, the missteps, and the stumbling? Do you see how He brought you back, dusted you off, and made you new from the inside out?
Do you see how He never gave up on you?
In all of that, did you realize your preciousness to Him?
Did you understand the high price He offered for you? Did you see His love for the pure delight in you that it is?
Father God, You are our praise! Our worship for You! You are the reason we rejoice today. You are the reason we are here.
You are the One who has blessed us. You are the One who has forgiven us. You are the One who has redeemed us. You are the One who has kept us day by day.
Our praise is of You!
You are our portion, our God, our King, and our Heavenly Father! It is Your name we glorify. It is You in whom we boast. It is Your holy name that we praise! “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name,” (Psalm 103:1).
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