Psst
Hey, you. Yes you. Did you know there’s a daily Praise Challenge for every believer? It’s simple. We live our lives in constant praise to God. Consider today’s Holy Nougat
“But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.” Psalms 22:3 ASV
“Unseal my lips, O Lord, that my mouth may praise you.” Psalms 51:15 NLT
Isn’t it great that the psalmist was desirous of praising God?! Especially when we read that God dwells in the praises of God’s set apart people. Why then should he need to have his lips unsealed? One would think that God would not have sealed his lips in the first place. Especially since it is believed that the person who wanted to be in perpetual praise was David, The Psalmist!
But sometimes the issue with our praise is the timing or our motives. A closer look at Psalm 51, would reveal that it was written to God, by David AFTER he was confronted about his sin. Ironically, the verse preceding David‘s request indicates that he sought deliverance from shedding innocent blood. One might thus assume his desire to praise God would be proof of his healing deliverance. And it may well be so. What we do know, is that David had been silenced by God for a bit.
Some folks would say it’s proof that God doesn’t like (condone with) ugliness. So true. While it may not ever come to a public moment like David’s, God does not desire to dwell in corrupt or misplaced praise. And failing to seek forgiveness from our sins while jumping to sing praises or preach or teach does not prove God’s satisfaction with us. Rather it proves God’s mercy.
David started his ministry rather positively. Then one day, he found himself out of alignment; he was home when he should have been away. One thing led to another until he had murdered a man to cover his other sin. He wasn’t immediately fired by God, nor did he die (and I suspect that he figured that all was fine). But his life and kingdom began to unravel in a different and more painful way. And in the process, he was silenced.
My dears, we are called to a life in praise to God. Praise from our lips and our hearts. It is easy to do lip service, to utter syllables that sound good, the right words and notes. But God’s desire is to dwell in hearts which praise through our Actions – the way we live! David, Abraham, Solomon, Moses … they all messed up. As have you and I.
The question is – have we become hardened by our sin, to the extent that we’re unaware that our praise is stuck? Or is there still space for God’s Word to move us to real praise? God desires to inhabit Our praises, the kind that doesn’t always speak with words. Let’s take God’s Praise Challenge today, to worship with our actions – in spirit and in truth.
In Christ’s love and grace . . .
