Nougat 5

Good morning, afternoon, evening, or night siblings.

I pray all is well with you and yours. As I type, I’m led to remind us that God remains in control, regardless of how hopeless the situation before us seems. Let’s not give up hope or give in to thoughts that say God can’t. Being our Creator and the lover of our souls, God always seeks the best for us, even if we don’t. Whatever we face, I pray breakthrough today.

This isn’t quite what we’re covering in our reflections, but it is related. For blessing God is easier when we believe God is capable of doing all things. It’s our joy then to focus on praising God. Consider Today’s Holy Nougat.

Psalms 34:1 NIV

[1] I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.

Always on My Lips

I believe it was Kenny Rogers, the Country and Western crooner (or was it Willie Nelson?), who popularised the song, ‘You were always on my mind’. Now having double-checked the lyrics, I see that it was Willie Nelson. The song opens with a confession that the protagonist didn’t show love tangibly, but he insists that despite all that, the girl was always on his mind. No one can argue with what he professed, for we can’t read minds. But what value is love that’s only in a person’s mind? This song captures the essence of what we shouldn’t do if there’s always praise on our lips for God.

Self-Check

How deep is our love for God? Does God need a CAT scan to find the love in our hearts?

Digging Deeper

In saying God’s praise is always on our lips, we are suggesting that we not only think about God all the time, but that our actions match our claim. God mustn’t only be on our minds, as that may not necessarily be positive thoughts. Rather, our worship of God must be audible and tangible. I am reminded of the apostle’s admonition to the Thessalonians, ‘pray without stopping’. That’s what blessing the Lord at all times involves: our never-ending flow of praise to God orally and practically.

This is not the constant insertion of Hallelujah in our speech, though it doesn’t hurt to vocalise our praise from time to time. It includes our actions that tell others that God is our priority and all we do is intended to honour God. With what’s on our minds, with our actions and our voices. For blessing God can be like a mockery if our actions refute what we say.

We can begin by dedicating our days to God, inviting God to show us how to bless God in our routines. It’s also possible to keep our focus on God in every situation, opting to say a prayer or raise a Hallelujah amidst all we do. Sometimes, the praise involves recounting to ourselves the many feats God has accomplished on our behalf, and also in others’ lives. As we rehearse those, we ensure that we include the thanksgiving for each mercy.

In Jamaica, we used to say, Howdy, tenky no bruk no square. It means that politeness, and acknowledging what others have done for us cost us little. Could we include God among those to whom thanks are due?

As we conclude our joint reflection,

let’s revert to 1 Thessalonians 5. We can also visit James 3 and the ballad we spoke of earlier.

May our praise be so constant that we’re praying without ceasing, in the manner of 1 Thessalonians 5:17. Moreover, we are told that bitter and sweet ought not originate from the same source. Our testimonies of praise to God must be accompanied by uplifting actions (see James 3).

When we find our praise lacking, could we, like the protagonist in the ballad, say to our True Love,’… Give me one more chance [Lord] to keep you satisfied’… for, You’re always on our minds, Your praise is on our lips!

Point to Ponder

Is there a need for our words and deeds to match our thoughts?

Selah.

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May all we seek be found in Christ