Praise the Lord
by Lyndall Jones - Worship Pastor
Psalm 150 states:
1 Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.
While this is obviously a powerful Psalm and it is a right thing to do, how do we feel like praising Him with this type of exaltation when our world or the people around us are struggling? Given the pain and loss going on in Texas right now along with the chaos in our society, praising the Lord with loud instruments and declaration seems kind of hard at times like these. But, sometimes, being honest in our hurt with God can be worship as well. The prophet Habakkuk wrote: "O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you "Violence!" and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted." (Hab. 1:2-4)
In our pain and confusion over why He is allowing such hard and painful things to happen, we can remember that God is still sovereign, He still has a plan to give eternal life and hope, and He hears us when we cry out. Trust Him even when things are rough. The Lord's answer to Habakkuk's cry might just be coming to you and me as well. "Look among the nations and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told." (Hab. 1:5) There is a song we will be singing soon in our worship services that expresses this hopeful trust we have in God despite pain and this is the chorus:
Your plans are still to prosper, You have not forgotten us.
You′re with us in the fire and the flood.
You're faithful forever, perfect in love.
You are sovereign over us. (Sovereign Over Us by Michael W. Smith)
Now God may not solve or redeem every pain and hurt we are seeing now like He did for Habakkuk and the people of that day, but the point should still be the same for us. God has or will redeem all things, if not in the immediate future, then eternally when we are with Him in Heaven. Our resolve needs to be to stand steadfast in our faith, crying out to Him for help and direction, and to desire to grow in Him. And THAT will lead us back to being able to declare words like Psalm 150 with conviction and passion. May you and I be encouraged today to trust that God is still doing a work that we would not believe if we were told and continue to seek and celebrate Him today.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Lyndall Jones
1 Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.
While this is obviously a powerful Psalm and it is a right thing to do, how do we feel like praising Him with this type of exaltation when our world or the people around us are struggling? Given the pain and loss going on in Texas right now along with the chaos in our society, praising the Lord with loud instruments and declaration seems kind of hard at times like these. But, sometimes, being honest in our hurt with God can be worship as well. The prophet Habakkuk wrote: "O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you "Violence!" and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted." (Hab. 1:2-4)
In our pain and confusion over why He is allowing such hard and painful things to happen, we can remember that God is still sovereign, He still has a plan to give eternal life and hope, and He hears us when we cry out. Trust Him even when things are rough. The Lord's answer to Habakkuk's cry might just be coming to you and me as well. "Look among the nations and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told." (Hab. 1:5) There is a song we will be singing soon in our worship services that expresses this hopeful trust we have in God despite pain and this is the chorus:
Your plans are still to prosper, You have not forgotten us.
You′re with us in the fire and the flood.
You're faithful forever, perfect in love.
You are sovereign over us. (Sovereign Over Us by Michael W. Smith)
Now God may not solve or redeem every pain and hurt we are seeing now like He did for Habakkuk and the people of that day, but the point should still be the same for us. God has or will redeem all things, if not in the immediate future, then eternally when we are with Him in Heaven. Our resolve needs to be to stand steadfast in our faith, crying out to Him for help and direction, and to desire to grow in Him. And THAT will lead us back to being able to declare words like Psalm 150 with conviction and passion. May you and I be encouraged today to trust that God is still doing a work that we would not believe if we were told and continue to seek and celebrate Him today.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Lyndall Jones
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