Praise, God's Way!

Praise, God's Way!

From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord's name is to be praised. Psalms 113:3 KJV

The Context:

We do not know who wrote the words of this psalm, but we can all agree that these psalms speak of the power, might, mercy and favour of God. Reading the first few verses of this psalm gives a picture of what the minimum standard is: my life must be a daily regulation of praise to God. Do I know why I have been made? Do I know why I have been placed where I am at this point in time? Do I know why I have been gifted and my role in the generation I am privileged to be a part of? I will never fully understand the why of my life if I do not know the who behind it.

Today's psalm starts with the who behind my life. It is the most important part of my life. I can know the right songs and give off the right vibes, but it will be all empty noise without the right foundation. Just before today's extract in verse 3, the first two verses mention PRAISE 3 times, and THE LORD 4 times. So we know the expected activity and the expected target. What then is the right way to do it so that it can have the desired effect and impact? 

The Message:

It is clear from today's extract that it is not my action or lack of it that makes God who He is, but He is God all the same. I can decide not to accept God as who He says He is, but that does not in any way affect who He is and what He has done or can do. Check out the extract above: the sun is itself a testament to the greatness of God. It rises at a certain time of the day and also sets at a certain time of the day. Never on record has this failed, except when God honoured the declaration of Joshua when he was fighting the Amorites. Well, the earth revolves around the sun, and for the sun to delay going down, it must have been an unusual event. But then, that is the God this writer is asking us to praise; a God who can do the unusual and the miraculous even with the most mundane of things. 

The Response:

Guess the questions my life must now answer are: How do I respond to this God? How best does my life then celebrate the knowledge of this God? Do I even know Him personally or is all I know of Him just what other people have said? I am asked to praise the God whk created the sun and makes it shine, and to whom all of creation answers to. The One who can put them in their position and through all generations, they have not failed to work as they have been created to. If created things could be this consistent, imagine the power and stability and consistency of the One who made them.

His name is the Lord and He is also called other names. We know that there is power in His name, and that name deserves praise. Do you know this God for who he is and does? Is He my personal Lord and Saviour, or just one of the many lords I know? It takes a personal knowledge of God to praise Him acceptably. Don't settle for mere head-knowledge; make sure of a heart - experience. His time of favour is here.