Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Praise God at All Times.

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November- The Month of Thankfulness and Praise.


“I will extol the LORD at all times, his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the LORD; Let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.” Psalm 34:1-3 (NIV)

            David wrote these words to God. He had kept Abimelech from killing him. David acted as if he were insane. (I Samuel 21:31) God spared his life. In this three-verse passage, I identify six words  and one phrase used for the word praise.

I will extol the LORD at all times. . .”
           
            He tells us he will highly praise God, even in the tough times. Could this mean we are to follow his example and praise God highly, whatever the conditions?

“. . . his praise will always be on my lips.”
In these few words, David confirms that he intends to praise God ALWAYS. When a person states an action and restates it right away, that person means business. Have we forsaken the value of praising God?

“My soul will boast in the LORD.”
            David doesn’t say, “I will brag on the LORD when He does something good for me.” He praises God even in the bad times. One of my favorite Gospel songs tells me to remember “ God of the mountain is still God in the valley, in good times and the bad.” 1.

            God performs many acts that, as humans, we tend to take for granted. A roof over our heads, Central heating, Keeping us safe when we travel, Healthy family members, Positive Life experiences,   

Let the afflicted hear and rejoice.” In our society, we see people who once were active cannot do as they once did. David states we are to let those dealing with diseases, illnesses, and disorders give praise to the LORD.

Glorify the LORD with me. . .” Our job on this earth is to bring glory to the LORD. We do this in various ways. Seeking His guidance, praying for another person, coming together for worship, sharing scripture, inviting Him into our days.

“. . . let us exalt his name together.” I find this phrase interesting. David invites those who will read this down through the ages to lift the name of Jesus up. Do we ask others to help pray for a special need? Do we ask friends to pray for us when we face trying circumstances?        

1.      1.“God on the mountain” written by Lynda Randle


6 comments:

  1. " David wrote these words to God. He had kept Abimelech from killing him. David acted as if he were insane. (I Samuel 21:31) God spared his life. In this three-verse passage, I identify six words and one phrase used for the word praise."

    I can relate to David in this!

    God is good.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sandi: Yes, He is. He is there to help us when we need Him.

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  2. Hi Cecelia! Your post makes me want to reflect on the difference between boasting and bragging... I wonder if there is a difference? But the point the author makes about boasting on the Lord in any season is such a good one. I'm very faithful in saying 'thank you Lord' when everything is going my way. In the dark times...not so much.
    Let he afflicted hear and rejoice! I need to reflect on that line too!
    Blessings,
    Ceil

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ceil: Ann Voskamp,in her book "One Thousand Gifts", tells us that praises in the dark times are what she calls hard praises.
      If a person has been a believer very long, that person has had some dark times that he or she eventually can give praise for. I know I have had them.

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  3. "Let us exalt His name together"...Yes...if we would just lift up the Name of Jesus...and let Him be glorified in our lives...what a grand world this could be. At least our own part of the world would be changed...and so would we. Thank you for these thoughts today. I needed that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pam, thank you for your spiritual insight. We need to praise Him especially in light of our nation's events of late. Blessings to you and yours.

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I would be honored to hear what you think about this.

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