Hello siblings
Yesterday we celebrated Jamaica’s 63rd anniversary of independence. Join me in blessing my homeland and in praying that we grow from strength to strength.
As we continue our praise challenge, I wish to encourage us to share this contagious joy with each other. Let it be that which sharpens our faith just as iron sharpens iron. Consider Today’s Holy Nougat.
Psalms 34:3 NIV
[3] Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.
All Together Praise
Part of the reason we gather in temples and church buildings involves encouraging each other. We aim to ensure that none of us is left behind. We grow together in the faith, albeit at different speeds, boosting each other in the process. There was a period in my lifetime when we sang a few choruses, but they didn’t feature greatly in the service. In fact, choruses were more often part of baptisms and crusades. I remember the jokes we shared about ‘donkey Christians’ – those perennially long-faced, miserable individuals who also tried to keep everyone gloomy in the faith. Thank God, those days have passed.
While the psalmist is frank about encountering obstacles on life’s journey, the invitation is for us to glorify God together. Just as we transform others’ lives with our praise, others might transform ours as we praise together. Hence each one transforms one.
Self-Check
In a world that sometimes feels filled with opportunists, how often do we invite others to praise God with us?
Application
We’re no longer obliged to remain sombre and long-faced at church. In Christ, there’s freedom to celebrate an abundant life. We can choose to become contagious praisers. I know praisers isn’t a legit word, but it ought to be. It’s not only about being a psalmist, who write and lead songs. Rather, we can encourage and uplift others by inviting each other to spoken praise and testimonies about God’s goodness. God is calling us all to a more positive mindset.
This isn’t about the ‘bright side’, it’s an invitation to visit the ‘God side’. It is a call to lift God’s name by recounting what God has done (i.e., glorifying God). But we don’t do so alone, we don’t only do so in our worship spaces. We are called to invite someone to agree with us that God is worthy of praise and honour.
In our Nougat, the psalmist uses two words for praise, neither is hallelujah. Hallelujah was the praise we encountered yesterday, which transformed the humble, desperate and dejected. The praises referenced today, are like the vuvuzelas we use at sports events, celebratory acts like parades, or odes to greatness in national and cultural ceremonies. We celebrate the great things God has done and we elevate God as though lifting God up and carrying God like a hero – but with our words. We’re not making God larger than life – for God already is. But that’s the sense of our praise.
I believe the psalmist is inviting us to join the praise-fest, outdoing galas, raves, fetes, and other celebratory activities. Then, having caught the praise-bug, we can start our own.
Point to Ponder
How might we ignite others’ praises today? May God be our motive and our audience.
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May all we seek be found in Christ
