Are we offering our grumbling, our complaints, or are we offering our praise, to You? The praise of our lips, the sacrifice of praise to Your holy Name is the better choice, we know. Sometimes, praise is a big sacrifice because we have so much dissatisfaction we'd rather spew.
However, may that sacrifice of praise be upon our lips as we ascribe glory and honor to Your Name. As we ascribe praise to Your strength, Your awesomeness, Your authority and power and Your unfailing, sacrificial love, may we bow down our hearts and tremble before You, make Your people tremble more, realizing the reverence due Your Name. Let there be absolutely no apathy, no taking for granted, Your holiness, and our desperate need to look up to You in total, wholehearted dependence.
As we come into Your presence LORD, help us to understand this, that You reign; You reign in our lives. You reign. We praise.
"May the heavens and earth rejoice and be glad. May the seas resound and the fields be jubilant. The trees of the forest sing for joy" (Psalm 96: 11-13 NIV).
Creation praises You.
This reminds me of the time when Jesus was entering into Jerusalem, a humble "grand entrance" on donkey back. A wild little donkey that had just been miraculously transformed into a tamed-by-Jesus, little donkey. The crowds were jubilantly rejoicing and loudly proclaiming that their King had come; a king who was coming in the name of the LORD.
The Pharisees got all hot and bothered and annoyed and asked Jesus to make the people be quiet. Amusingly, Jesus told them, if the throngs keep quiet, the stones would cry out! Creation cannot be hushed from praising You, its Creator!
Oh that we would grasp this in depth and learn to praise You noisily, Father. We get so abashed to do so, wondering what others will think of us. Focus our attention and praise on You. This would be a kind of sacrifice of our self-consciousness, learning to praise with abandon.
We praise You as our Righteous Judge, as in time to come You will judge the world in righteousness. The people, in truth, because even now, the peoples of the earth are NOT full of justice and truth. In fact, it seems blatantly the opposite; falsehoods erupting exponentially, of late. They look for loopholes out of and to avoid, justice and truth. BUT...Father You will reign in righteousness, truth, power, splendor and majesty. We look forward to that precious day!
I'm not a singer/song-writer, per se, Lord. Help me to make it a habit, though, a way of life, as part of my DNA, to sing praises unto You. To NOT slander or cast slurs upon others, rather to sing Your praises, to bless You and others. With such singing and speaking of kind words, bringing this offering of sweet-to-You fragrance and praise, to You. I lay it at Your feet, Father.
When we go up to Your house, to meet together with other fellow believers, may praises to You be upon our lips and roll off our tongues as we give thanks together with the "two's and three's" in Your presence. You will be there, You said so, so we had better be there too.
May such offerings be acceptable in Your sight as we pass the bread and wine one to another, partaking and drinking thereof, together, each Lord's Day, in remembrance of Jesus' death and resurrection for us. This too is part of our offering to You.
Thank-You, Father.
Thank-You, Jesus.
It is in Jesus Holy Name we pray, praise and remember.
~ERC June 2020~
(originally prayed/written)
Based on Psalm 96
Sing along, All Creatures of Our God and King by Sovereign Grace Music
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