Seeing the Face of Christ in Worship--Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Psalm 148:1-7

Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights!
²Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host!
³Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars!
⁴Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
⁵Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and they were created.
⁶He established them forever and ever; he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.
⁷Praise the LORD from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps,

Praise is expressing to God our appreciation and understanding of his worth.  It’s is saying thank you for each aspect of his divine nature.  Our inward attitude becomes outward expression.  When we praise God, we help ourselves by expanding our awareness of who his is.  In each psalm you read, look for an attribute or characteristic of God for which we can thank him.

In victory, Barak and Deborah sang praises to God.  Songs of praise focus our attention on God and give us an outlet for spiritual celebration, and remind us of God’s faithfulness and character.  We are grateful to God for Pat when we can realize the benefits—his Music Inside/Out concert is a celebration of praise to CTK. 

Psalm 149:3-5 also states: Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars!  Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!  Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created.  Although the Bible invites us to praise God, we often aren’t sure how to go about it.  By singing, dancing, or playing musical instruments, God enjoys his people.  We should enjoy praising him at CTK.

Robert Carter

For reflection:

How do you express praise to God?

What inner transformation occurs when you immerse yourself in praising God?

When praying, how can beginning with adoration and praise, inform our perspective in the rest of our prayer?