A Psalm of David ...
"O LORD, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens. You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you. When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place — what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority — the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents. O LORD, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!" Psalm 8 (NLT)
A wise person reserves their highest praise for The King who rules over their future destiny, in part because such respect serves toward saving their own life, but the lack of same forfeits their own value. For what has been given - life, breath, provision of sustenance - both physical and spiritual, has been given by Him in grace to far a lesser being. To fail to acknowledge that speaks of disrespectful indifference and to remain silent - withholding due praise, only transmits unspoken ingratitude.
The Lord God created us out of no obligation other than to His own desire for holy companionship - for relationship. If we've ever experienced some pure form of love between us as human beings, the greatest of those experiences is but a tiny glimpse of what God desires to share with us in the holiness of His presence. We're imperfect, we know this, consequently what we might share between us is hindered by imperfection. But God in His perfection has no defect to share with us. In intimate relationship with Him - made possible through our acceptance of Christ's sacrifice to forgive our sinful imperfection, we're made holy in order that we might enter His close presence. That has been His goal from the beginning.
From the creation of everything we know, including ourselves, to the offering of His own flesh to suffer for our imperfection, the history we may know of the Lord God is nothing less than the passionate courtship of the dust of the earth by the Highest Divine Majesty that exists ... and He's offered this to us in humility.
What we lose by our silence should haunt us. What we can gain by our praise is in part the healing of our own hearts - because we were made to do this and our silence makes them sick. And if our praise is sincere, we do it not to save our own lives, but to do Him justice for the beautiful perfection of all that He is ... and because of the depth of His love for us - love that He's demonstrated since before time began. To exalt Him is to speak the truth and to enthrone Him is to justly give Him His rightful place in our hearts. To deny Him grateful praise for all that He is and for all that He's done ...is to deny ourselves closeness with Him and the fullness of all that He's offered - everything that He created us for.
"In that day you will sing: “I will praise you, O LORD ! You were angry with me, but not any more. Now you comfort me. See, God has come to save me. I will trust in him and not be afraid. The LORD GOD is my strength and my song; he has given me victory.” With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation! In that wonderful day you will sing: “Thank the LORD ! Praise his name! Tell the nations what he has done. Let them know how mighty he is! Sing to the LORD, for he has done wonderful things. Make known his praise around the world. Let all the people of Jerusalem shout his praise with joy! For great is the Holy One of Israel who lives among you.” Isaiah 12 (NLT)
For anyone who might think me religious, I don't think so, ... I'm simply in love with the God who created me for Himself and cares for me like no other. It's a relationship. To truly know Him is to love Him like no other, to experience Him - to find wholeness, to praise Him - to speak justly deserved gratitude and the wonder of His character.
"No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8 (NLT)
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