Delighting in Praise - Jan 13th

Psalm 84:1 How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even faints for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crys out for the living God.

Praise is the language of the people of God. In His courts, praise is the way of life. Without praise His people are silent. Without praise they are no more than the world’s inhabitants. Praise is the expression of a changed heart to the challenges of life lived in Him. Delighting in the church means delighting in praise.

Together
Psalm 22:22: I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise you.

Praise is meant to be an act of the gathered. We are the gathered out of many types of people. Praise is meant to reflect the gathering of peoples, styles, actions, modes, and means of expression. Delighting in praise means delighting in the act of praise no matter the style or form. It means delighting in being among a people of praise.

Apart
Isaiah 61:3: To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

At times in our heaviness, we need personal praise. It is the praise of the personal devotional life that takes us out of depressive modes and keeps us out. Many saints of God have found the positive emotional value of starting the day off with praise to God. It is an action that joins us to the body of Christ even when we rise in the morning and throw off any weight that tries to attach. It is an action of preparation to greet the brethren of the workday, market day, school day, service day, or simply home day with joy on our faces.

Intense
Psalm 35:28: And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long.

Praise never stops. It is impressive that when we live the life of praise and delight in it that it wells up in us at most inopportune times. It is a joy to walk away from the day’s work with praise coming out of our lips. It is God’s way to wake us in the morning with a song of praise rolling in our minds, consuming and changing our thoughts even on our beds in the night. Delighting in praise is an intense lifestyle.


BREAKING THROUGH
Bear was looking for something more. The real smile on the face of Krons and Maria and the others was beginning to bother him. He had seen so much. He had seen conflict handled with firmness but love. He had heard the banter of Jack, the owner, handled with humor. What was it these folks had?

Krons noticed the inside struggle of Bear and slipped into a chair at the table in the corner Bear huddled over. The bible in Bear’s hand was open to one of Paul’s letters to the Corinthians. This had been movie night at XiRo. The movie had been a documentary about a praise group travelling through South Africa during intense days of apartheid. The stories of conflict and concern had moved many. The testimony of people praising together against the mode of the day moved others.

“What about this praise stuff,” Bear questioned.

“How come all of those people who were fighting in politics could get together and praise God together. It just doesn’t make sense. Something must be powerful in praise. Something must stir men and women beyond themselves. I’d like to know what it is.” Bear was serious. His face was screwed on tight.

Krons met the pressure. He leaned totally over the table into Bear’s personal space. Bear was nervous. He liked his space. He liked to stay away. Krons was in the danger zone. Bear was still. Krons began to speak.

“Look, Bear, I see you are reading on love in that letter of Paul’s. He points out that all the right stuff in the world is just noise without love. Praise is like that. The praise those people experienced together came out of their love for God, His love for them, and their love for each other. Love is bigger than hate. Love is bigger than fear. Love brings praise to the max point.”

Leaning back from the table and deeper into the corner of the room, Bear hesitated before speaking. For the first time since he came through the door, a little smile came across his lips. Eyebrows relaxed over his face. A deep laugh bellowed out. This was unexpected. This was abnormal. This was spontaneous. Bear was never spontaneous about anything.

The music playing overhead got louder and louder. “Shout to the Lord” was playing. Maria just could not resist. She had been watching and praying. When Bear began to break into a new life, she had to join the celebration in her way. People were tapping tables and bowing heads and lifting hands. This had never happened in the shop. They had been so careful to avoid being too “religious”. But this was just a real, spontaneous moment for everyone.

Never ending
Hebrews 13:15: By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

Delighting in praise is a never-ending part of the assembly of believers. Never should praise go low. Never should praise be subverted to some lower position in the life of a believer. Praise is life-giving along with a life of prayer and study of the scriptures. It is an essential along with fellowship and obedience. It is never-ending in importance and impact on our lives. Too many times has it been witnessed a believer who begins to choose a “deep prayer life” or a “deep study life” that simply gets buried in the weights of life. Their appearance becomes serious and gloomy as they “spiritualize” all actions.

Some years back a rather young believer came to me for counsel. She had been praying many hours a day and was beginning to worry about everything that needed attention. Her focus was centered on everything less than perfect and praying those items into obedience and perfection. Going from a joyful recipient of grace to a gloomy “prayer warrior” disturbed me. Looking directly into her eyes, I encouraged her. “Jill, how much time do you spend in praise every day?” An astonished look answered that she spent none. “Try this for a month. Spend two minutes in praise for every one minute interceding in prayer.” The wonderful result would be that she came back a month later full of joy. The real result was, she did not listen and eventually left the assembly of believers and many years later is still detached and a “prayer warrior”.

Taking Inventory On Praise
Praise is derived from the Latin word "preisier" which means to prize -- praise is an expression of approval, a worship, and a valuation of that which has worth or merit. To praise is to prize; it is to glorify that thing or that one worthy of glory and honor. To the degree that something or someone is worthy of glory and honor -- to that degree praise is due. God is of infinite value and glory; he is due our infinite honor, our infinite praise. Michael Hodgin
What do you prize in life?

How much of your thoughts are consumed with your prizes?

How often do you prize God?

Taking Action On Praise
Take a shift in your prayer life. Double the time you spend in prayer with praise. Do it for thirty days and see what happens.

Prayer on Praise
Father, You are my prize. I value you above all else. There is none who can compare with You, Lord. You are the "prize" of my life and my portion forever. Whom do I have in heaven besides You? Who is there on earth that I would value above You? Can I see any other glory but Yours? Engulf me with Your love and beauty. Cause my eyes to see You in action in my life all day long.