Sunday, August 27, 2023

His Praise Endureth For Ever

 Praise 12



          There is in us an instinctive desire to do something that will last. This is why the Sackler family of opioid infamy insisted a plaque with their family name be placed underneath every piece of art they purchased for the Met in New York City. This is why Lyndon Baines Johnson, while whipping votes for the 1964 Civil Rights Act, said, “What will they think of you, not in 1964, but in 1984?” This is why aged quarterbacks weep when they find they have made it into the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton. This is why Hitler insisted the Third Reich would last for a thousand years. This is why there are headstones in cemeteries. This is what motivates men to attempt and to do outstanding things, and to do them with painstaking care – so that they will last.

NFL Hall of Fame
Canton, Ohio

          This desire is a good thing, I think, for it births mighty endeavors. But time is the great leveler. We are surrounded by the fragmented ruins of ancient civilizations wherever we reside. In most cases, we do not know much if anything about who they were, let alone who among them specifically did what. There is a Stonehenge forty feet deep beneath Lake Michigan. Who put it there? No one really knows. There are numerous Indian burial mounds all up and down the hiking trails I surmount along the Mississippi River. Who put them there? No one really knows.

          Why, then, would God give us this desire – to accomplish something permanent – if it cannot be done? Because there are some worthwhile and permanent things we can achieve. We can, for example, influence people toward God. They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. (Daniel 12.3) But this, too, is difficult, for it requires the willing consent of others to be so influenced. Is there anything we can do, all by ourselves, that will last forever? Is there anything we can do, within reach of every man, that will last forever?

          Yes. One thing. His praise endureth for ever. (Psalm 111.10)

          Is this the praise He does or the praise we offer to Him? Fifty times endureth for ever is found in the King James Bible. Forty-nine of them are clearly about something God does, has, or is. For instance, His mercy, His righteousness, and His Word all endure forever. Some assert that this phrase, his praise in Psalm 111.10, is similar and speaks to the praise that God does Himself of us that will last forever. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God. (I Corinthians 4.5)

          I love that verse. And I will not quarrel with them that someday God will praise us, as unbelievable as that sounds, and that it will last forever since this praise is God's Word. But they put too short an interpretation on Psalm 111.10. Why? Because all of the other ten times his praise is found in Scripture, it means praise belonging to Him rather than praise done by Him. (Psalm 34.1, Psalm 66.2, Psalm 66.8, Psalm 102.21, Psalm 106.2, Psalm 106.12, Psalm 149.1, Isaiah 42.10, Isaiah 42.12, Habakkuk 3.3) Ergo, I do not believe it is wrong to interpret Psalm 111.10 as my praise of Him rather than His praise of me.

          Think of it: the one thing we humans can do alone on this Earth, each of us, that will last forever is to praise God.

          Much of what we spend most of our life pursuing is composed of things that please our five senses. Food tastes good. We touch fabrics and bodies and the fine grain of wood. We inhale the tender scent of a baby's head or the fragrance of a lily. We watch screens and read books with our eyes. We listen to music and the sound of our loved one's voice over the phone. Yet none of these last.

          Did you ever notice you cannot feel God with any of your five senses? You cannot taste Him. You cannot touch Him. You cannot smell Him. You cannot see Him. You cannot even hear His voice. To touch Him, we must do so spiritually, using our spirit. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4.24)

          Many years ago, I read a biography of Helen Keller. At nineteen months old, she contracted a disease that left her deaf and blind. She grew up an unruly child for good reason. At the age of six, Anne Sullivan arrived. Helen called that day her soul's birthday. Anne, who was visually impaired herself, was a teacher. She slowly taught Helen the concept of language and then words themselves, for nothing else could be done with Helen until communication could be established. At one point, holding a very frustrated Helen on her lap, Anne held the deaf and blind Helen's hand up to her lips as she voiced words. Helen touched Anne's lips as they moved and felt Anne's breath on her hand.

Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan
reenacting the moment.

          As a young man, I walked out of Raco Steel one night during my break. The street was dark. I was glad; it hid my tears. I was bleeding out emotionally for a variety of reasons. I thought of that story of Helen and Anne. Walking, weeping in the dark, I held my hand toward Heaven and whispered, "I want to touch Your face." In His lovingkindness, He did. Heaven came down and glory filled my soul.

          Many a night since I have walked down a dark street and whispered, “I want to touch Your face.” Often, He lets me. I touch His face sometimes when I read the Bible, sometimes when I pray, but almost always when I praise Him.

          What I am trying to say is this: The tangible things we so often pursue with our five senses do not last; if you want to accomplish something permanent, you must seek and praise God in your spirit. Nobody else will see what you build. Nobody else will touch what you build. Nobody else will hear what you build. Nobody else will taste what you build. Nobody else will smell what you build. But what you build in so praising God will endure forever. It is the stuff of which God’s home is made. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. (Psalm 22.3)

          It is safe to assume I will never make enough money to build a wing in the local hospital and have it named after me. If I did, it would not last anyway. But there is a wing on God's house in Heaven that I have been building since about the age of fourteen. And it will last forever.

          You can do that too.

          All you have to do is praise Him.

Sunday, August 20, 2023

Magnify the Lord with Me

 

Praise 11

 

Psalm 34.1–3

 I will bless the LORD at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: The humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt his name together.

 

          As he writes this, the author of our psalm, David, is precariously situated in Saul's court. Repeatedly, Saul has lashed out and physically attempted to harm David. Finally, David confirms via Jonathan that Saul is determined to continue these attempts. Thus it is David decides to flee Saul's court. In the course of events, David would gather to himself a band of likewise discontented and distressed men. Together, they would live out the last remaining years of Saul's regime on the run, in hiding or granted sanctuary among Israel's enemies.

          David writes Psalm 34 as a grateful expression of God’s deliverance from the hands of his enemy, Saul. I do not believe he writes this after he is securely sitting on Israel’s throne but while still amongst the caves, still on the run, still in hiding. Which puts some perspective on the above passage, does it not?

          I see in this psalm five specific things David magnifies God for. First, he praises God for the fact the Lord answers his prayers. I sought the Lord and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. Next, he thanks God for the protection that the Almighty has granted him. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. Following this, he mentions that this same God has provided for his needs. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. Additionally, he expresses his gratitude for the comfort the Lord has given him during each of these hazards. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Finally, he praises God for the redemption that He alone offers. The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate. For each of these, and with each of these, David magnifies the Lord.

          I would ask you to notice, as well, when the psalmist praises God. I will bless the Lord at all times. In the original language, this carries the connotation of all seasons. When David was on top of the heap, he praised God. When David was on the run for his life, he praised God. When David had an entire kingdom's provisions, he praised God. When David and his men were so hungry they begged for food from Nabal, he praised God. This was not just a line in a hymn the author wrote; it was something he lived out all his days.

          The following phrase bears this out. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. Praise, with David, was perpetual. This was not because things always went well, as we have already seen. It is because David consciously decided to include an active praising of God in his life and to do so on a constant/continual basis.

          David expresses this praise in two ways. First, he does so audibly in a way that can be heard. They were in his mouth. These are not just emotions of gratitude and worship left unexpressed or expressed only in private. They were loudly expressed in such a way that others could hear them. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear. The second way David made his praise known was with his pen. Although he does not say this hear, it is readily apparent. This is, after all, how we know that the psalmist praised God, what he did it for, and how he did it – because he wrote it all down.

          I want to be like David in this way. I want to praise Him. In all circumstances. Continually. Audibly. In writing, so that generations to come may read it and, in turn, praise God for themselves.

          In a very real sense, I think I can argue that this is precisely what David also wanted. In praising God and making that praise known to us, he also desires to motivate us to honor that same God. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.

          I think of this occasionally when we gather as a church to sing psalms of praise to our God. Each Wednesday night, our music consists of Scripture songs, many of which are psalms of praise. We are singing for and to the Lord, of course, and to edify one another. But occasionally, the thought crosses my mind, "Is David leaning over the battlements of Heaven and listening in tonight? Does it warm his heart to know that people who live thousands of years after his own time and on a completely different continent are using his words to magnify the Lord?”

          That question is, of course, impossible to answer. But whether David has ever noticed and been pleased or not, I believe with all my heart our Lord has noticed. I believe His heart has been warmed. I believe He is pleased.

          I invite you to join us, to join David, to lift your soul in praise to the God of Heaven. No One is more worthy. There is no greater use of your time. It does not have to look exactly like how I do it or how David did it. Just open your mouth and tell Him how awesome He is. Magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.

               

Saturday, August 12, 2023

My Fourth Praise List

 

Praise 10

 

Today’s post is another praise list. I call this one The Glory of Thy Name. It was birthed out of a sermon series I preached on some of the names of God. It is a great way to remind myself of Who He is and of my relationship to Him. In this, I see God as Isaiah saw Him, high and holy and lifted up. And it humbles me, motivates me, and warms me.

 

Adonai

          -defined, Lord and Master

          -You have the right to implicit obedience

          -You grant me clear direction as Your servant

          -It is an incredible honor to be in Your service

          -You always provide what I need to accomplish Your service

 

Elohim

          -defined, plural strength, God

          -You are the Trinity

          -You are the One Who creates

          -You keep Your word and all the covenants/promises You have made

 

Jehovah

          -Defined, the One Who is Who He is, LORD

          -You are the God Who requires righteousness

          -You are Yourself affected by the destruction sin brings

          -You did not rest until You made it possible for me to be righteous

 

El Shaddai

          -defined, the pourer forth, Almighty God

          -You are the bountiful provider of blessing

          -You are the fearsome pourer out of destruction and judgment

 

El Elyon

          -defined, The Most High God, The Highest, The Most High

          -You are supreme, not just God of the Jews, but the entire world

          -You are God alike of saint and sinner

          -I have nothing to fear from any other spiritual power

          -There will come a time when all the world kneels before You

          -Lead me to that voluntarily

 

El Olam

          -defined, perpetual, for ever, The Everlasting God

          -You will always keep Your promises

          -You have granted me everlasting mercy

          -You will never forget me

          -You love me with an everlasting love

          -You will always be strong

          -You wrote a Book that will always be right

          -You live in an everlasting Heaven

          -You give joy that lasts forever

          -You mete out everlasting punishment

 

Jehovah Sabaoth

          -defined, The Lord of Hosts

          -You have an army of angels available to help me

 

Father

          -You love me, no matter if I break Your heart

          -there is here help for me my entire life long

          -there is here instruction for me in how I ought to live

          -there is here discipline, lovingly administered

          -there is here patience with me when I struggle and fail

          -there is here provision for my needs even before I know them

          -there is here protection from danger

 

Jesus

          -defined, Saviour from sin

          -You came to save me from my sins

          -As the High Priest/sacrifice on the Day of Atonement

          -As the Paschal Lamb

          -as the cities of refuge

          -as the Fourth Man in the burning fiery furnace

          -as the Desire of All Nations

          -As the Sun of Righteousness with healing in Your wings