Praise!

Praise!

Isaiah 25:1 AMPC

[1] O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, for You have done wonderful things, even purposes planned of old [and fulfilled] in faithfulness and truth.

Isaiah is known for some amazing prophetic pronouncements, as well as the inspiring revelations he was given at different times in his earthly ministry. We easily remember the account of his vision of the glory of God as He came down in the temple, and how he was cleansed from his sin and commissioned for the assignment God wanted him to achieve. He was also given the prophecy about the coming Messiah, as well as messages of hope for Israel and Judah, and woe to the enemies of God's people. It is not often a very common or frequent theme to see Isaiah use words like these, but it is important to consider the words of the verse above, and how they relate to us today. Consider how long ago these words were spoken, and you still find God as the same today. He has been God long before Isaiah said so here, and long after this present earth ceases to exist, God will still remain God. 

We also note that Isaiah referred to this God as 'my God'. Why is this important? There is power in personal experience. There is power in personal relationship with this God. Many people know about Him, or have heard many things about Him, but there is no way you can replace a personal knowledge of God. People can speak of what they have heard, but it does not carry the same weight as what they have come to personally experience. This is why personal eyewitness testimony is the most powerful evidence you can present. This is why David's testimony about God being His shepherd carried more weight than all of king Saul's life story. What is the right way to handle this personal information? Isaiah challenges us, using his own life as the perfect example, to exalt and praise the name of the Lord. What personal encounters of God can I speak about? 

Isaiah goes on to speak of many reasons why praising this God is the right thing to do. It has to be made clear that whilst it is good to find reasons to praise God, I do not do it, first because of what I get from Him, but because of who I know Him to be. This is an eternal God who is the same yesterday, today and forever. He does not change like shifting shadows, and there are no Impossibilities with Him. From Isaiah's perspective, this is a God who has done wonderful things. His name is WONDERFUL, so it cannot be any surprise that He does things in line with His nature. As an eternal God, He is not limited by time, space or circumstances. His purposes are planned and put in place long before the implementors even know what they are, and because He is True, His plans and purposes are fulfilled in faithfulness and truth. Do you have reasons to praise this God? Has He done anything to deserve your worship? Reflect; then let your heart and lips break out in total praise of the One before whom all knees must bow, either by freewill now, or by compulsion at judgment. God's time of favour is here.